Hey fellow maverick freaks!, It's Kyle B. and I am finally going to become a slave to this sight again. After 6 months of Basic Training and AIT, i finally have some freetime here in Fort Carson, Co in the evenings after I get finished up at the 3ACR ADA motorpool. I now service the HMMWV's (humvees) equipped with the avenger system. It's some wild stuff. I also fiddle with 5-tons. However I dont get to do this often because I am a private (PV2), and i know that there are some service members or retired service members on this board that know what i mean... detail, detail, detail, but its all good cause every soldier has to do it before they'll get their "5" (E-5; sergeant). It sure beats the factory life and I am guaranteed a future with some serious benefits. Sadly I didn't get to bring my 70 Maverick back to Fort Carson because quite frankly there isnt anywhere to work on it if you live in the barracks. I almost had my 302 finished before I left for BCT 8OCT2003, but the date snuck up on me and the last thing i got finished was the water pump installation. Hopefully some leave time will come my way and I won't be so rushed when I do go home that I can muster some parts up... an ignition system would help lol! The Maverick is sitting behind my parents' garage parked on tin to keep the weeds from growing up around it and causing cancer to my steel. I know it should be garaged but its my parents' garage. Well I'm going to finish this post so I can read some of the 500 possible posts that I missed! Remember motivation is the key to success, always strive to meet or exceed the standard. You will be rewarded greatly in the end fellow Maverick warriors! Out. PV2 Bissell
congratulations on finishing basic and welcome back. if you've been gone 6 mos. i can guarantee there's a lot more than 500 posts. this site has grown to over 1400 members.
I thought that I was, too! Truth is I decided that the Army would be a lot more fun and I would actually make decent pay. I also wouldnt have to try to scrounge for a job, or end up with one that pays 8 dollars an hour. It just didnt seem like the greatest path. The course was going to cost 18000 dollars, which I could have gotten the loans for but trying to pay that back w/ a job that maybe pays 21K/yr starting out would be an absolute nightmare. You also start with no benefits, no real future, no certainty on anything if you play with the civilian job market. I get 2.5 leave days per month of service, which is 30 days a year. I have full medical, full dental, and a guaranteed meal three times a day and it doesnt cost me a dime (except in federal taxes that I pay of course). My college tuition is paid for while I am in the service. It's also paid after I ETS. These are just SOME of the benefits. There is no civilian mechanic/technician job that can offer such benefits right from the get-go and actually meet their obligation. I can also retire in 20 years at the still young age of 38 if i so desire. I want to retire when im 45, not 65. Civilian life to me seems hum-drum. Its the same thing day in and day out. When I go back home in Illinois and everyone is doing the same thing for the same pay praying that they make the cut off so they dont lose their job and can still support their families. That is pretty well what happened when I evaluated the pros and cons of Wyotech vs. U.S. Army. Kyle B.
Kyle; good career choice. I spent 23yrs in the Navy, and didn't regret too many days. Thank you for your service to our country.
