This is a fascinating account of 18-year-old Ian Fisher, courtesy of the Denver Post.
The photos are breathtaking; the story gripping.
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This is a fascinating account of 18-year-old Ian Fisher, courtesy of the Denver Post.
The photos are breathtaking; the story gripping.
I enjoyed the photos, but the story was less than gripping. Maybe thats because I live in a Marine city, and I see this happen all the time. You'd be surprised how many young marines get hitched to their girlfriends of six months.
That part... sort of threw me for a loop. How many girlfriends did have in that time? Three? Four? I started getting confused.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhydant
Nothing wrong with going through three or four girls in a year when you're that young, or shit... anytime if you can pull it off.
The real tragedy is how bad his tattoos are.
I don't disagree. My concern is this: In that two-year window, how much time was he able to devote to the one girl he decided to spend the rest of his life with?Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh
I don't get the "let's get married babe" mentality either. If wasting the signing bonus is the goal, might as well spend it on a shiny new sport bike (which will be crashed within a few months) rather than a little ring.
You guys don't understand. If you are in the armed forces and you get married, you get a pay raise AND a larger housing credit (if you live off base). Your spouse and children also get really awesome benefits (they just go to a doctor on base, it's nearly free). Many Marines around here get a marriage license just before they are about to be shipped off. Now, I'm not saying that all of these guys are tying the knot JUST to get the pay raise, but damn if I haven't seen it happen more often than not. I would say that maybe a large portion of these cases are in love and whatnot, but they are also not nearly ready to get married. It's just a good opportunity.
ALSO: if the aforementioned marine perishes while on tour, their widow/children will continue to recieve a pension and benefits.
"Ian flirts with Devin Ervin of Highlands Ranch as they wait to go to a party. He invited her along for the evening, and they end up holding hands and playfully wrestling."
Lol.
I thought it was terrible, really mundane and boring. I'm sure they could have found a more interesting story to document.
Ah. Gotcha.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhydant
Great pictures, boring story. Interesting though.
Outstanding photography. I wish I could take pictures like that. Also, the dude is lucky that he was able to stay in after admitting to drug use. That's usually a show-stopper, but it also depends on the circumstances.
Pay raise? No.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhydant
Larger housing allowance? Yes. (And non-taxable.)
Also, you get a separation allowance for the amount of time spent apart due to a deployment or remote tour. (This is also non-taxable.)
Like father, like son.Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh
Also, we now know what Razor's been up to. HE'S IN BASIC TRAINING!!!
LOOK!
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http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured...soldier040.jpg
He'd be kicked out for sexual harassment before day 2.
I like how he's checking out that guy's sweet ass.
Pay raise? Yes!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by squall_vb
It's actually a decent amount (when I was in, it was nearly $100/wk). Even on base housing for a married couple these days is quite nice and is a great bit of money if you're considering saving up for a house while you're in the military. The pay isn't great, but if you spend in an intelligent way while you're in the military, you can nearly save up all of your earnings.
I think you might be confusing base pay with certain allowances. The actual base pay is determined by pay grade and time in service, and can be found on the military pay chart for any given year. It is set in stone by Congress, and it does not change on account of dependents.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gohron
The housing allowance does go up if you're married (substantially, in most cases), so if you saw a boost in your pay, this is most likely where it was actually coming from.
http://www.army.mil/symbols/Images/NewRanks_01.jpg
Well he did get bumped down to E-1 after going in as a E-3. He could of made E-4 easy. That's a big pay cut. I thought the story was great, brought a tear to my eye watching the basic photos, ah memories.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Pay_grade.gif
Wow, this was amazing. I don't know how you could think that story was boring, I guess since he didn't DIE or anything, why bother, huh?
As for the quick marriage thing, another reason besides the pay increase is that in the military you can be sent to another base at a moment's notice, so many couples get married just so that they can stay together. The divorce rate is pretty high and I noticed when I dated military guys they always had this "You are good enough for right now" kind of mentality and never were in it for the long run. They also cheat on you a lot, there is a whole lot of swinging and whatnot going on.
I am much happier dating a civilian with a government job now. :)