Greetings Me Droogs N Droogettes!
This’s going to be short to address some of y’alls questions regarding the ‘Potential New Gig.’ I’ll quote them as I feel needed. The first is from Hesher in a reply from JimmyPX:
Do you miss the ragheads that much to leave your family without you at home during these interesting times? Sorry to be a dick, but it’s a fair question.
Hesher
Miss the Goatfuckers?
No.
Family back here?
Dude, it’s at the forefront of my thought process.
Believe you me, part of the reason I don’t have a relationship w/my kids is I was gone from essentially 2004 to 2014. Yeah I was home, but the critical years back when they were 4-8 respectively? Yeah… gone forever… and let me tell you NOT my choice. The amount of pressure to keep at it (being overseas) was GINOURMOUS from the Ex AND the Demon-in-Laws… not that they’ll ever admit it, nor say anything to either Spawn. I’ll carry that guilt to the grave for missing out on such formative years, and that what they did get was a mentally broken, spent and used up drunk of a father. I got no excuses, but, as they say, it is what it is.
This gig?
Gretchen already knows I got shit locked down. I’m never getting fucked over by a female again. It’s not her, and she gets upset with being lumped in with what happened with the Ex, but I tell her, “Baby, it ain’t you, it’s the entirety of the female specie.
Deal with it.
Then:
What will you miss out on by taking that job ?
JimmyPX
Dude…
Literally 3x times what Glorious Tractor Factory is paying me, I’m going to miss out on a lot. Being Underpaid for my troubles is the biggest. Being Underappreciated, despite growing the business. Being Overworked and told I need to better.
Any Questions? /sarc
Doing this gig? I can have the car paid off in less than 5 months, while saving shekels. I know I’ll miss out on some ‘growing times’ with Addy as well as the Redhead.
However, this’s a pretty good opportunity to try and at least better my financial position while everyone else is drowning. The same. exact. thing. happened while I was overseas in 2007… My family thrived and survived while others crashed and burned during THAT financial fiasco. Also in this case, video chats are FAR more common, so I’ll at least have that, whereas I didn’t when I went over back in the day…
Would it have helped with my relationship(s) with my family??? Not sure. Call it “Lost to the Mists of Time” I suppose….
Then from the MOST respected Berglander:
Don’t do it. It isn’t worth it-in any way, shape, or form.
Berglander
Bro… I dig it. Believe you me.
TOTALLY agree to a certain degree.
Problem is?
I can earn MOAR in 3 months than I can earn in 6 here stateside.
Greed is Good
Gordon Gekko
And not only that, the overseas $$$ is TAX FREE.
There’s also a certain problem with this whole issue. I knew that IF I got the offer I was going to go for it. It’s a basic issue. Baseline deep seated programming. Granted Kuwait isn’t in the shit.
Yet.
However, it is in the middle of the Middle East Fuckfestivus which may or may not catch fire… I’m not one to miss out.
Think of me as a Fully-Trained Coon Hound who’s smelling a fresh trail of a trash panda… I got the ‘scent’… it’s going to take an Act of God to deter me.
God Help Me I Do Love It So….
And not only that, I got 60 days before I actually have to leave.
AND
I am, unlike the DotMil, am NOT held and bound to this contract.
I can fucking “Throw Deuces” at a moment’s notice.
I did it before… doesn’t bother me to burn a bridge, as folks like me are hen’s toofuses in this game. There’s always going to be a demand for a lucky and good mercenary, of which I am both.
In fact the guy I talked to today and hired me, told me at one point during our mutual bullshitting session that “Oh my fucking God, it is so nice to talk to a fellow professional for once…” Seems hiring and vetting newbs was wearing on him, hence why it went so well. We got along very well. And he even told me “It’s not like the ‘old days.”
Apparently no one from the “old crew” AKA former Full Time Contractors and Mercs from MY particular group of ‘Contracting Pros’ are willing to go anywhere, anymore, for any price these days… hence my lack of In Real Time Intel… Guess the majority aged out or died off, or just did the “fade” as I call it when they vanish into the ether of a third world retirement…
Meh… I figured that shit out when I started having MY people ‘drop off the grid’ post-COVID.
Now?
Fuck it.
Unlike ‘other’ jobs I’ve had which were “Unarmed but I was Armed” officially/unofficially, this gig?
I’ve been in the warehouses that I’ll be working in.
In your head, imagine a football field sized room, slightly broken down into smaller rooms, if only to make sure the armored roof doesn’t fall in. Now… That’s the Arms Room.
FILLED with every. single. weapon in the US DotMil Inventory.
That’s 57,600 square feet.
That’s a lot of fucking weapons.
The other similarly sized warehouse?
That’s the spare parts and shit to repair and maintain alllll the weapons in warehouse #2. Enough spare parts, receivers, and fiddly bits to completely reproduce warehouse #1.
I’m comfortable with that.
Especially since I’ll be nominally in charge of all of them.
Queue Daffy Duck:
Yep. Mine…. ALL Mine!!!
God I love when stuff like this comes together.
And to the absolute Doomers out there?
From SemperFido, another who I respect:
Now is NOT the time to be anywhere other than stateside.
SemperFido
HOWEVER
Just how many fucking times have we been told “this is it!!!”
That the wheels are going to come off?
THIS TIME FOR SURE!
TBH I can’t live my life on what might happen.
I took chances over a ten year period that caused me insane harm emotionally, physically, and mentally. It destroyed my first marriage, and by proxy, my relationship with my kids, who I miss desperately.
I literally have already shed a ton of literal blood, sweat and tears for what amounted to bupkiss. In this case, if… nay when I go, I’m going for me.
Unless Holy Mother Mary shows up and tells me “BCE, thou shalt not deploy!” I’m going.
NOT for Gretchen or the Grans per se.
Call it pure selfishness.
I haven’t done a fuckin’ thing for myself in 30 years.
I purely LOVE doing shit like this.
They will be the recipients of my sacrifice, but dammit, “A Mans gotta do, what a Mans gotta do.” Otherwise I may as well lay down and die. Not only that, but as I said IF I think shit is going to go sideways, I can always come home right there, and right then.
Right now?
I truthfully do NOT see anything but “more of the same” retardation against OrangeManBad. Then the whole up and coming backlash about the whole JQ in that they’ve went and done something utterly stupid by making a Law to question various Zionist/Jewish Interests, in direct violation of the 1st Amendment? Yeah…. not a good thing.
Either way it’s going to be another interesting summer, and IF things go sideways, I’m a 12-18 hour plane ride home in worst cases…. Like I said, I got two months +/- to kill this bitch of a contract IF things go cray-cray before I leave, and go back to People’s Glorious Tractor Factory.
My cause is righteous and just.
And… if I play it right, things will be better overall in general during this fucked up timeframe. I mean FFS, the timeline alone tells me that a “Higher Power” has it’s hand in this… As I poasted on my infrequently visited FecesBook:
“SO. I got a brand new Gig everyone. “Back in the Saddle”
so to speak. Camp Arifjan, Kuwait as a Gunmaster 3. I’ve got about 45-60 days before I mount up.
Fastest contract EVER.
Applied last Thursday.
Friday Morning: Got an Email to confirm my background info to reactivate my Clearance. Did it.
Monday Morning 11:30: New Email “Can we talk and when?”
Monday Afternoon 12:41: “Yeah, tomorrow is better, what time?”
Monday, 12:42 (yeah, THAT quick a response) “OK, Tuesday, 13:00”
Today: Interview which was more like “Old Home Week”… the guy and I hit it off… to the point I gave him shit about being a Marine and asked him what his favorite flavor crayon he preferred?
Needless to say, I got the job.
Holy. Hells.
My head is spinning.”
To give y’all unfamiliar with the contracting process;
NORMALLY I’d get Interview #1 with at least 2-3 follow ups.
That would normally stretch over a period of two, three weeks, maybe even a month. THEN you’d move on to the “Final Boss” so to speak, and THEN get an offer letter. That’s with me having a pile of “Overseas Experience under Austere Conditions and Environments” meaning I’m used to almost dying while trying to take a shit as the Bad Guys are dropping Mortars and Rockets on us…it’s how it went when my old Platoon Sargent brought me on in Affy to Honeywell…. he was the PM (Program Manager) and it still took two months to get me on board…
However: In this particular case?
Not so much.
Like I said, this shit happened so fucking fast my head is spinning. SOMEONE or SOMETHING wants me there.
NOW as it seems.
Who am I to argue with The Fates/God?
I Report.
You Decide.
Your Voat Doesn’t Count
(Much like Our (s)elections)
More Later
Big Country
The respect is mutual bro. You made up your mind. Fuck it and hey diddle diddle right up the middle then. I wish you the best if it all comes to pass.
BTW my favorite flavor of crayon was black. Makes my teeth match my heart.
I’m getting bad juju off all this. But as you so wisely said, “my voat doesn’t count!” Desperate employers offering that kind of money just sets off my bush radar but…but you seem to know the people you’re dealing with so I know?
The short term looks good… whaddya long term plans, Tiny? How long will you be in? Can you blow your debts away? What does your retirement look like?
None a my business of course, and you can tell me to go jump in the lake for asking… I’d rather see you do what I did and just walk away into the sunset.
If it happened so fast, then either the situation there is totally fubar, or its a setup.
I get a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, but at your age you are really just chasing shekels bro, while leaving your family behind.
For what it is worth, money is going to get harder and harder to come by. Plus, taking this gig gets you back in the that samesaid money saddle, so not only the take from the 6 months ( tax free twice what you’re making now? No brainer doing something you love )) also even greater viz into possible future gigs. Who knows what any of us will be doing to survive one, two yrs from now, that future could be virtually anything. Hell, you’ve already been told you are an extremely valuable persona, no newbie you. That will only increase as time goes on.
If it was me, I’d be in for sure, relieving money stress is a biggie.
Strike while the iron is hot.
You’re not some thrill seeker or glory hound with visions of Rambo in your head. You’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt, as we used to say.
For a 3x pay increase, tax free no less, I’d jump on that like a duck on a June bug.
Good luck, stay safe and keep us posted. Send updates from the sandbox if you can.
Sounds like you’re committed to going…
Outhouse on the patomic is still looting our treasury through the krain and other methods and places…
foreign troops are being let in our country…laying the ground work to Enforce marxist tyranny…
dotmil is sending our guys overseas…through all kinds of “lures” to reduce the amount of resistance to the marxists tyranny…especially guys who’re trained, experienced, vocal, and have a viewing audience…
IF you decide to come back…do you “really” think they’ll let you…that is “if” the ways and means are still available at that time ? Getting back won’t be as easy as driving across state lines…
Sure, we’ve ALL been hearing and waiting for things to go sideways…some of us for decades…with each time things were walked back from the precipice, just at the last moment…
This Time, events and circumstances are Very different…
being financially debt free or greatly reduced would be nice…but it really doesn’t matter when things kick off, does it…
http://www.libertytreeradio.4mg.com
M-F 5,6, & 8pm
Mongo,
Sometimes a Man has to do what a Man has to do, keep your head down over there, my friend.
BCE, I wasn’t trying to rain on your parade, I was just playing devil’s advocate because of everything that has happened in your life the past 2 years.
You obviously have thought it all out and I am as happy as can be for you.
That sounds like a great job and I know how it is to work at a place where they don’t appreciate you and won’t reward you but “work slave work”.
Congrats !
Arifjan? Lol I creamed their speed limit sign on that long-ass dirt road in 2006. Barely dented the ARB bumper on my Landcruiser and I hit that shit at like 60mph.
And then one morning went there from the KBR villa at Khalifa (we’d give them rides out of Iraq in exchange to stay there. Or we’d go to the FDC at the Hilton in Kuwait City) to get fuel. As we were leaving the Whackenhut (lol) security guard asked us if we were armed because Kuwait is dangerous.
“Yeah bro we have SIGs, an MP5, four M4s, a SAW, and about 20 grenades. We’re going to the mall, then we’re going to the Hard Rock, then we’re gonna go rent jet skis. Fuck off with this ‘Kuwait is dangerous’ bullshit.”
Man what fun!
Arifjan? Lol I creamed their speed limit sign on that long-ass dirt road in 2006. Barely dented the ARB bumper on my Landcruiser and I hit that shit at like 60mph. And then one morning went there from the KBR villa at Khalifa (we’d give them rides out of Iraq in exchange to stay there. Or we’d go to the FDC at the Hilton in Kuwait City) to get fuel. As we were leaving the Whackenhut (lol) security guard asked us if we were armed because Kuwait is dangerous. “Yeah bro we have SIGs, an MP5, four M4s, a SAW, and about 20 grenades. We’re going to the mall, then we’re going to the Hard Rock, then we’re gonna go rent jet skis. Fuck off with this ‘Kuwait is dangerous’ bullshit.” Man what fun!
Good luck and Godspeed BC. I really hope this gig plays out the way you envision it, and that none of the what-ifs and could-be’s posed previously become an issue. Would be nice if you can update us from there with some regularity, too.
That they fast-tracked the hiring process would send red flags up for me. Something’s kicking off right soon.
You do what you gotta do.
Millions of military aged males crossing over our southern border pretty much put the kibosh on any ideas I had of going overseas and leaving my family.
Yea that was suspicious to me as well… Either it’s kicking of over there soon which means everything over there is a target or it’s kicking off over here where if it does they will shut down flights quicker than you can say boo…
What about bringing the wee woman with you overseas? Sapper can hold down the fort…
Just one question; who will be minding the parents while you are overseas? Did you finally get them in assisted living, or is this now Gretchen’s solo nightmare everytime her mom falls? I understand the money pressure, but your home plate has a lot on it. Think about starting your own gig and taking The Glorious People’s Factory business away from them. Get the client list before you quit. It is amazing how non-loyal businesses are, they will join you in a heartbeat for better ideas that make more money. Good luck.
“God Help Me I Do Love It So….”
Have to be honest, I do too. Yeah, there was a lot of shit to put up with, but with my former specialty and rank, I was a semi-independent baron with a “fuck you” attitude. When out doing my job, I had Fate by the balls and I loved it.
Go do it BCE! My only gripe is that, to an extent, I’m jealous.
You do what’s best for your family & clan.
Nobody can fill your shoes (I might be able to wear your super-canoes over my size 13 boots.) Mercenaries have existed since war was invented (honorable or cut-throats; traitors or warriors, no matter, that was for who was telling the tale). I had ancestors who were “The Landsknechte also known as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations” guarding the Holy Roman Emperor. Don’t know if I have direct ties to the Varangian guard (Vikings body-guarding for the Byzantine emperor).
No one should fault a man for doing what he thinks is right.
You got your emergency escape, bribe, Rolex don’t you? Bit of emergency bullion just in case? You got this.
I get it, man. I don’t like travelling for weeks at a time, working 18-22 hour days with practically no time to even call my wife. But I work in trials, litigation, and when you are in trial, that’s the job, and I do it, because those are the dragons I slay. I suit up, go out, and kill a dragon.
When you are a dragonslayer, you kill dragons. When you marry a dragonslayer, you can’t keep him from the dragons.
Well, hasta luego Biggun. They have changed alot of those working overseas tax laws, might wanna brush up on those. Dont wanna go making all that cheese and lose it to penalties. Stay hydrated cuz I know your gonna be sweating like James fukn Brown. Come back all slim n tan walking off that plane with a pocket full of personality and cock hard as Christmas candy, be cool bro.
I think – as he usually does – Herschel nails it.
https://www.captainsjournal.com/2024/05/14/the-dangers-of-hero-worship-in-the-second-amendment-community-and-in-life/
BCE,
There are accountants that specialize in handling taxes for contractors. There is one in Tidewater (up in Virginia) that is very good. Consider if “bona fide resident” status works for you, how many days per year you are out of CONUS (it matters a LOT) and so on. Good on ya for finding a new gig that suits you! Make hay while the sun shines, it is the way of men.
I’m getting off the contracting wheel, and am escaping Samsara for my own reasons. Make that money, you owe nobody an explanation. I look forward to reading your upcoming poasts.
https://youtu.be/E3zBl1R6TWA?si=8y8h4EHD9oWt5qi8
Not a whole lot of good comes out of looking back at what was and what could have been.
Good on you bro.. I wish ya luck.
if ya get a moment over there, go see the little forest down on the coast near the land of Saud. See whats grown back after Delta Battery 2/11 blew our entire ammo load on it in Desert Storm. Cappy said, “Use it all, we ain’t taking none back to ship” 6 Niner-eights dumped 100 rounds of HE and 60 rounds of WP on that little forest EACH. Wouldn’t be surprised if the ground is still hot from the WP,,,,
Again, good luck to you, and keep the home fires burning while off: you’ve done this before, you gotz some tricks I am sure.
Best of Luck BC. Stay Safe and keep bloggin when you can over there.
BCE –
Something to consider is the upcoming “next big thing!” and potential for the Death Shot 2.0. Be awful to be in a position where you didn’t have a choice but to take it. Maybe as a requirement to get back into the country?
Just a thought.
Do good,
J
I fully understand the reasons for your decision. Being able to pay off any credit and save money will take a lot of stress off you and Gretchen. Stay safe and come back in one piece. And don’t worry about when SHTF, it’s already happened and no one seems to have noticed. Reach out if you or the family need help, we are here.
The decline is very rarely sudden, but rather long and slow.
Don’t know if you saw that the Kuwaiti Emir just dissolved parliament a few days ago. Link doesn’t want to post but it was in the Financial Times. Sounds like the natives are a little restless.
The one thing most of us old farts have that the millenials and zoomers don’t is competence.
I think we’ll see more of what you are doing. When things sag, you can’t have slackers and midwits. I once joked with my son that I’d be in demand when I got old.
He said “Heh. Yeah. When”
Good luck. I think it’s probably a good move. I’m being tormented in a gynocentric department in a woke company. I’d run like hell, given the chance. No hetero dude should have to endure this.
follow up to the Kuwait scene… Make sure you got the CACcard that is white. not the green striped one. Green stripe means you left behind if a situation like the Afghan withdrawal.
Also make sure you get that gold card local health insurance. That gets you front of the line at the hospital the royals use downtown. That is where you get literal royal service. It was more like checking into a Scottsdale resort spa than a hospital once I flashed that card. I caught pneumonia cuz I went out without a n95 mask thru a dust storm that blew the powdered shit and piss from the desert campers on the north side of town. cipro and IV antibiotic bacterial pneumonia. Spent a bunch of time there under top notch care.
My employer allowed families to visit, and several of my co-workers did have their families in Kuwait. but again depends on your employer. One of my co-workers him and his wife owned morning-evening restaurant on the seacoast road. There are plenty of employment opportunities for spouses over there. Non military related stuff. A lot of the upper management for the department stores etc is American or Euro. I recall seeing a American woman serving as the general manager of a large supermarket back bout 12 years ago. I would not bring kids unless you prepared to homeschool. When you got your family there, it is more like a regular job and regular life.
Luck to you, I’m glad you’re staying the fuck out of Eastern Europe. ME sucks but it’s the devil you know.
Ever read anything by Larry Correia? If not leave a PO box and I’ll mail you some fun books. Similar situation, Contractor out of the game gets drawn back in. Great story, not really relevant to your situation but entertaining.
Shit, how long is the contract? They hire fixed wing pilots?
Good luck, man. I worry for you but you gotta do you.
Take pics of the gear your working on if they let you. I’d love to see that.
Good luck. Maybe as long as you are over there it won’t go kenetic here. Depends on what happens on Nov 5th.
god’s speed, amigo. Never did the contractor thing but the siren song of prior service recruiters back in 14′ was super tempting. I get it.
Take me with you. I don’t eat a lot and I shower pretty regularly.
Seriously, I would go. 11B. assorted other jobs.