Two years?

[Jocke]

Can't believe I haven't been around here for that long. Hope all is well with everyone.

[Darkblade Bug]

I seem to remember you, how are ya holdin up, mate?

[Quinn]

Damn, seeing all these oldies but goldies makes me want to run into a live fire zone to save a wounded man and get a bronze star.

Again.

But hey peeps, sup?

[Darkblade Bug]

Not too much, just chilling and working on my new character. You?

[Quinn]

As of this moment, listening to music and looking over a poem that I'll share in another topic.

Long term, getting my butt to college so I can get that Officer's Commission from the ROTC and be the Lieutenant who doesn't have his head up his ass and actually listens to his Staff Sergeant.

[Obi]

You would be one of the very few Officers that would actually do that then Quinn, I think I can count the names of them on just one hand.

[Darkblade Bug]

WTF? That's my plan, though I intend on finishing my University degree first.

The Platoon Sergeant knows his shit -=Nods=- good idea to listen to 'em.

[Quinn]

There's several ways to go about it. But since you're an Aussie, I have a feeling it's different for you guys than us Americans.

Here in the States, there's several ways to go officer. The way I'm going is via the Reserve Officer Training Corps, which is about where seventy percent of our officers come from. It's like a class you take in college, but upon graduating if you got your degree, you get an officer's commission alongside it.

Then there's the various academies each branch maintains (Air Force Academy, West Point, Annapolis) where another twenty-nine percent of the officers come from, straight from high school into academy. Not my way, not a ringknocker, thanks.

The other, elusive one percent come up the ranks from enlisted, although they are very rare. I've yet to run into one personally, but they usually happened from when the LT in combat bit it, and the SNCO had to take over. That over a long period of time meant that they were confirmed by command to just run the platoon. Last time I know of it happening was in Vietnam.

And on me actually listening to the Senior NCO, it's because a lot of my friends are former military, former enlisted to boot. And if I want to become a good officer, the first thing to do is listen.

[Darkblade Bug]

Yeah, bit different for us convicts. (Wait, you're convicts too...AWESOME, LET'S BE REBELLIOUS TOGETHER! anyway...)

We've got our own university, the Australian Defence Force Academy - if you get accepted into that, FREE UNI + TRAINING, at the end you get to spend a while in the Royal Military College (Duntroon), and if you make it through that, you're guaranteed a commission and a job as an officer for 4 years minimum.

I'm not good enough to make ADFA, so I'm going through the other path - get a University degree separately, then after I have a degree (and, more importantly, get to spend a few years with my girlfriend) I'll go to RMC.

Not sure if I'll be a full-time soldier, or join up with the Reserves...I might go Reserves while I'm in Uni, then move to full-time. 'Cept I'd rather not be continents away from my girlfriend for years at a time, y'know.

[Quinn]

Actually, America weren't founded on convicts, but puritans.

Puritans, people so uptight, the British kicked them out!

But at least you guys get the Steyr AUG for your main rifle, while we get the shitty M-16 series. WHERE'S MY XM-8 DAMMIT?!

[Darkblade Bug]

Oh, so we are the only convicts after all. I ain't sure why, but that's...oddly comforting. It's like knowing that no matter how screwed up everyone else is, you take the cake. ^_^

Ah, the AUG. I got to fire it once, before I was forced to leave the Army Cadets. It's something I'll never, ever forget. There was practically no recoil at all, the rifle just did exactly what I wanted it to. First time I've ever shot anything other than a Nerf Gun, and I got the 3rd highest grouping out of our whole platoon.

I felt special. Viva La Tupperware Gun!

[Obi]

The Styer has its good points and bad points. Simple and easy to use, but requires a lot of cleaning. Especially in hot, dusty conditions and the tropics. With the main body of the rifle being plastic, it actually sweats. Which if not kept in check rusting can occur very quickly.

[Darkblade Bug]

Hmm...didn't know that. I'll make a note of it for when I join up - thanks mate.

Nice to hear from someone who knows what he's talking about, instead of my waffle

[maxvale76]

Actually, a decent percentage of the early American colonists were convicts; Georgia was essentially a colony for various convicts (though they were usually more the 'debtor' convict than the theif, murderer, etc. convict!)......also, in a way, many of the other folks who came here were certainly 'unwelcome', if not actual convicts.....various relgious folks' who today would probably have been the equivalent of fanatics (the Pilgrims, Quakers, etc.) or just the side that held the 'enemy's' beliefs (i.e., Catholics in England); slaves, the very poor who came to avoid debtor's prison, etc.

So, in my opinion, this is why we create so much porn and have so many religious wack-jobs at the same time....'cause we come from religious fanatics and poor, unwashed masses!

[Darkblade Bug]

So...basically...

Pope!
Porn!
Prisoners!

By your powers combined, I am...

...A real American?