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Agreed, in fact trying to tell mom and aunt peru that we promoted at 100% usually falls on deaf ears and they want to pinch your checks and share your picture everywhere regardless... There's a difference between being proud at what you do using periodic milestones, regardless of difficulty of attainment, to show it versus scheduling the base theater for a captain pin-on and asking everyone to contribute to your pig roast to celebrate... unless, of course, you are providing strippers. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Well I know who won't be getting an invite to my "3 weeks without a sexual assault" party.

Here's an example of how times have changed: In late August of '90, when the diplomats had worked out all of the technicalities, our Vice Wing Commander was alerted that he'd lead one of our squadrons to Qatar. "Good. Where is Qatar?" It took several hours to to come up with official charts, but during that time they had planned out the deployment using National Geographic maps that he had in the office. When we arrived we were the first US military to ever deploy to the country - and the tallest building in the country was the pyramid shaped Doha Sheraton on the bay.

Are you posting from jail?

One of our pilots was talking about with the rest of us today about being here as an Ordnance guy in an A-10 squadron. Mind blowing to think about the scenario he described of literal tens of thousands of pounds of ordnance sitting ready on every pad to keep sorties cycling at max pace and then having what he described as the two dumbest statements he ever heard. 1. "Check it out they are test firing patriots." Apparently they realized what was going on after the seventh one went up and exploded and moved to the bunkers. Followed later by 2. "Go out and check the pads for burning debris" .... You know next to the tens of thousands of lbs of bombs on each parking space on the flight line and not in the AHA. Though I particular liked him remarking how he told himself after DS he would never go back to that gawd forsaken crap hole again... Then spent a good portion of his adult life there as an Army warrant pilot.

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Ray E. Wilson, Jr. (821221), Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving as a Rifleman of Company I, Third Battalion, Twenty-Sixth Marines, FIFTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 14 March 1945. When heavy and accurate machine-gun and sniper fire held up the advance of his company and inflicted severe casualties in his platoon, Private First Class Wilson volunteered to act as guide for the tanks after his Company Commander requested tank support. Exposing himself to hostile fire near the tanks to use telephone communication with the Tank Commander, he crept and crawled over fire-swept open terrain for fifty yards to reconnoiter and to guide the first tank into an advantageous firing position. After firing tracers at the enemy machine gun nests to indicate their positions, Private First Class Wilson returned three times and led the remaining tanks to previously reconnoitered positions, on each occasion, in full view of the Japanese and under the continuing hostile fire. After maneuvering the four tanks into position for more than one hour, he moved forward with the company and continued to guide and direct the tanks although he was seriously wounded in action. His initiative, unselfish courage, and indomitable fighting spirit were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Story basically went that a week before graduation they asked all the candidates "do you have any VIPs coming to graduation." Now VIP is typically E9/O6 and above and somebody always has somebody. Well my uncle didn't think about it since neither of the Marines he was expecting made E9, though granddad was close. Morning of the graduation he says one of the Sgt Instructors just exploded at how he didn't tell them who was coming. And he was like wtf are you talking about. And out on the parade field there sits uncle Ray under the nice shaded area with all these high level O-grades in dress while he's just sitting in a suit and they are shaking his hand and even some of the Sgt instructors and staff are going over to pay respect to the man. Paul had no idea Uncle Ray had received a Navy cross, but apparently there was this one full bird who was kicked off the dais to sit in the sun with the normal people who was just over himself to be apologetic about not wanting to give up his seat when asked.