Taken Down a Notch

[Anarax]

While this was going on, a young fella hauled up, listened for a bit, and then said "Wow, Bill. You mean to tell me you're a Marine, a Black Belt, *and* a Linux God?" I started to say that no, I'm not a master of any of those things, but then I realized mid-sentence that he wasn't praising me; he was mocking me. He's more than half my age; I'm older than his parents by a good bit. He was saying that I'm well past it. And I am.

Most people like that younger man has never and probably will never push himself as you did to become the things he was ignorantly trying to poke fun at you about.

I started feeling bad about myself. But really, the victim here is my own ego. I start to believe the hype. Ooh, a Marine. Ooh, a black belt. The truth is I was never that good at being a Marine, and I'm an average black belt at best. I know Linux pretty well, but I've been doing it for a living for 20+ years.

Bill, you made it through boot camp when(from what I've heard) was much more difficult. I'm sure the young man from earlier never would come close to making it through.

If I have a lot of life experience, it's because I have lived a life and it's getting a bit towards the old part. Most people who live long enough will have a few tales to tell as well; I'm nothing special.

We don't have to be special, but it's fair to say you've experienced more than the average person.

 

[Steve]

How do you know if someone is a marine?

Wait ten seconds and he will tell you.

Ha. That’s like the vet bros. Their motto is, “Thank me for my service.”

 

[Rich Parsons]

The ego around the veteran community is one of its biggest issues imho, and marines are the single worst (USMMC is refusing to offer enlistment bonuses and said being able to call yourself a marine should be good enough lol)

I always remind myself that karate black belts are a dime a dozen and no one cares lol. Only time I mention it is if I’m talking about karate and someone tries to correct me and they’re confidently incorrect.

I am confused as to who the current enlistment process affects current Veterans.
Can you bring these two points together for me? I am missing something.

How do you know if someone is a marine?

Wait ten seconds and he will tell you.

To be honest, @Bill Mattocks , posts crayon jokes more than once a month . This to me is a way to tell people without telling them.
And also another point that he does not have an over rated opinion of his life experiences. That is my opinion.

 

[GojuTommy]

How do you know if someone is a marine?

Wait ten seconds and he will tell you.

10 seconds? That’s a little too much self control, more like 3

 

[GojuTommy]

I am confused as to who the current enlistment process affects current Veterans.
Can you bring these two points together for me? I am missing something.


To be honest, @Bill Mattocks , posts crayon jokes more than once a month . This to me is a way to tell people without telling them.
And also another point that he does not have an over rated opinion of his life experiences. That is my opinion.

The current enlistment process hasn’t changed, their refusal to change how they recruit and their reasoning for refusing to change is the obsession with being a marine is ingrained into new marines in bootcamp and maintained all throughout their service.
This obsession tends to persist into their new civilian lives.

In my experience the happiest veterans are people you don’t know are veterans until you get to know them pretty well, meanwhile the people who have service license plates, bro-vet bumper stickers, who dress like the cliche bro-vet are the ones who have the most problem assimilating back into normal society.

I was that person for while myself. I was a pretty miserable person after the navy for the first few years, and I surrounded myself with other bro-vet types, who looking back didn’t seem very happy.

Edit
Just saw a person on FB their profile pic was of their VA ID card, and by reading his post I could tell he’s not a happy person in general lol.

 

[Darren]

I am 57 years old was out of the arts for 28 years, I am only as young as I feel baby!!!!!!!! I get out there and move and groove I roll with guys 17-20 years younger I take karate then after that I roll with the flow roll with with ladies I am all over the mat!!!!!!!! Then I come home and wonder what the hell am I doing?????!!!!!!! With my hurting joints, my sore muscles, my sore everything then I come to the realization I am just ape **** crazy but at least it’s fun!!! Always wondered what it was like to not to be able to walk! Oohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yokozuna514]

Osu, Bill. You’re of course entitled to feel the way you do but as many have said, you needn’t have to feel wronged or wrongly about it. The fact that you did is a reflection of who you are or have become. Is there anything wrong about looking at an event in different ways to see if you may have acted out of hubris ? I don’t think so. Upon further reflection you may come to feel differently.

A similar incident happened to the last week. I was playing a sport that I’ve been playing for years and so I do have a better than average understanding of the game. At the end of the game a young man came up to ask me if I used to be a professional player which is preposterous to me but I indulged the conversation. When he saw my tats he asked me what martial art I had done and started to call me ‘Master’. I of course said I was no master and that he shouldn’t refer to me in any other way than my name. We talked for a bit and in the end I figured it was just his way to try and relate to me as awkward as it sounds.

Perhaps this young chap was just awkwardly trying to join your conversation or relate to you in a similar manner. In any event, any future dealings you will have with him will show you what his true colours are but it should in no way depreciate you in any way.

As a guy who has also been around a block or two it is hard to talk about oneself without someone thinking you are trying to say more than you are but I think that speaks more about them than you.