| Author |
Message |
| menace64 |
 Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:51 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 836
Location: Wichita, Kansas
|
Oooookay.
A few weeks ago I was out with my older brother, Tim (who’s 20), and both my parents. We were going to the Air Force recruiter’s office to see about getting Tim enlisted.
On the way there, the question came up about whether or not I would be interested in doing the same. Now, I’d been thinking about the idea of joining the military for over a year, so I’d already weighed most of the pro’s and con’s.
I kept an open mind and went ahead and started my paperwork. To my benefit, I just happened to take the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) - which demonstrates your personal apptitude [intelligence] for service. I scored a 95 out of a possible 99: easily in the top 1 or 2% of results.
That score qualified me for any - ANY - of the available jobs in the Air Force. At the top of the list, the mother of them all, was Linguist. It has the longest tech school (13 months) and the most involved educational process. It even has an additional test, called the DLAB (Defense Language Aptitude Battery), which is - quite possibly - the most difficult test I’ve ever done.
In a nutshell, the DLAB invents a language - a language no sane person would ever use - and then expects you to know it, translate it, then use it. It. Was. Hard. To qualify for linguist, you have to score 100 out of something like 174... and I knew for CERTAIN that I was going to die.
When I went up Tuesday and Wednesday for processing, I took the DLAB, scared out of my mind. The scores came back... 102!! I passed! Barely, but I passed!
Suddenly I was applied for the Air Force Flight Linguist (the guy who is on a plane translating - the highest-paying and most difficult position possible for an enlistee). By no means was that job a certainty; I still had to get fit into an open slot (which is especially difficult with such a job).
So I came back home Wednesday night, hopeful but by no means sure of my future. I had only just sat down when my local recruiter called me and said, "So Mark, I see that you passed your DLAB. It just so happens that another guy who was going in this fall as a linguist decided not to, so there’s an open slot if you want to go."
My jaw dropped.
Of course!! Yes!! I’ll do it!! Send me! Send me!
I got the follow-up call just now, CONFIRMING my position as Airborne Linguist in the United States Air Force. I ship out for basic training August 27th, and after 6 weeks of that I’ll spend the next year or so out in California learning my language (which is yet to be decided; no it’s not my choice  ).
After that, I’ll spend 4-6 years all around the world being other peoples’ dictionaries.
I am, in a word, stoked. |
Riddle 9
When I came to Abraham I let him live just a moment longer. When I came to Moses I saved his life more than once. But the salmon... I regret to say I had a hand in its death.
Who am I? |
|
| Back to top |
|
| physcosick |
| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:15 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 18 Oct 2005
Posts: 229
Location:
|
bye, have fun
lol... america thanks you... rofl... that’s my new catch phrase everyone... I’m on a role with that one tonight. Except this time it’s not sarcastic  |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| CarpeGuitarrem |
| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:16 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 3361
Location: Franciscan University of Steubenville
|
| Rock on, m64! Semper fi-oh, wait...wrong one. |
| "ok, change of plans. the Cobracards christmas party is coming to my house, and we’re gunna teach FM how to hunt." (mm) |
|
| Back to top |
|
| NBarden |
| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:52 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 5468
Location: I don't know...
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| bobtheorc |
| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:49 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 1218
Location: Wow, its hot in Iowa
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| DáinIronfoot |
| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:53 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 4594
Location: Beltsville, MD, USA
|
Good for you. Glad you’re happy about it. Thank you for your service, good sir.  |
Best regards, Dáin, Vice Aftokrator of the Chosen Ones
Check out Lasting Alliances, The Road Ahead, and Ages of Middle-earth, three of my five dream card sets that make up Wars of the Ring. Oh, and I have a trade list now!
Also, if you're into DCs or RPGs (or even if you're not!), check out Realms of Middle-earth, the sequel to CG's "DC Adventure", Realms of the North! |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Anonymous Prodigy |
| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:26 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 4197
Location: United States
|
NBarden wrote: Hey congrats! And someone finally joined the right branch of the armed services! I wanna fly a F/A-22...
My brother is in the Air Force. 
Congrats, menace! |
| I had to put something here. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| sickofpalantirs |
| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 2:28 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 7750
Location: somwhere, over the rainbow way up high. There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
|
missed this until now....
Congrats M64 and many thanks! send a e-postcard  |
 Sop's haves/ top wants
(mm)"SoP: you will always be the Official CC Spammer in my heart"
"DáinIronfoot"
Spammers really are amazing creatures. You can learn all there is to know about their ways in a month. And yet, after a hundred years, they can still surprise you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Ransom |
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:33 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 01 Feb 2007
Posts: 70
Location: Malacandra
|
| Congratulations menace. I’m actually headed to West Point next year. What do you mean the "Right Branch" NBarden? Are you saying the army stinks? If so, I might have to come over and stomp your deck again. Just kidding. It keeps getting better, and is going to beat me one of these days |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| ingold55 |
| Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:46 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 10 Oct 2005
Posts: 1199
Location: Out on the front line
|
Wow, congratulations! The U.S. Military has my respect. Are you going for the F-22 Raptor?
Good luck, the U.S.A. will be praying for you! 
ingold
(you should have joined the Rangers. ) |
There is a power in this world beyond any of us, and Jesus is that power and The Savior.
 this is my attempt to look cool.
Trade list (Want Balrogs and Aragorns) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Forum index » General Discussion » Members' Lounge
