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Been Awhile

Jarhead — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:29:00 +0000

All right all I have gotten a few comments/questions about not having posted for a minute (or a couple of months). So here I am back out letting everyone know what the hell is going on with your Jarhead.

As I posted a few months ago we were tapped to go to AssCrackisStan in May. Well that is still in the plans and I have been doing all that I can to prepare not only myself but my Marines as well.

We did a nice little week long field op in Pendleton about a month and a half ago then I had to go to 29 Palms to prepare for the current field op the week after that. I then went out to the rifle range to make sure that I was going to be able to drop the Taliban at 500 yards (I feel like I am cheating with an the scope on the M4). After that I returned to 29 Palms where we have been for a month now.

The training that we have gotten up here is great and I am confident not only in myself and my Marines but in the leadership of the battalion as well. I know that we are going to be successful in our mission. I am currently just over a month from my deployment (advanced party) but I will make a more conscious effort to get on here and get some posts out.

SEMPER FI

WTF 2010 Already?

Jarhead — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:49:52 +0000

A lot has happened in the past 6 weeks since my last post. We were busy as hell at work during the first two weeks on december then my son came to town followed shortly by my parents, sister, and grandmother. My in-laws came over Christmas Day. I fried a turkey, cooked a ham and between me and the wife we made enough food to feed almost 20 people that day. Things are finally starting to settle down now, almost everyone has gone home (got the son til Monday morn)and the house is mostly put back together. I go back to work tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to get back to some type a schedule for my postings. Hope all of you had a great Holiday and Happy New Year.

Back From Hell

Jarhead — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:27:02 +0000

Just when it seemed that I had goten bck into the groove of things the Big Blue Diamond (1st Mar Div) decided to go play in the desert for a couple of weeks. I must admit that this was one of the most boring field ops that I have been on in recent memory as it seemed like we did a whole hell of a lot of sitting on our asses. We did get some good training in but not all that was needed. I guess that I am partly to blame for this as I am a SSgt and I wasn’t really able to coordinate any outside training but hey we did what we could. Now it is back to the grind here in the rear and make sure everything that got broke now gets fixed. That and gotta make sure we get all the training that we need as looks like I will be headin to asscrackistan some time in the spring. I should get back to a semi-normal posting schedule now that I am back.

VA Loans

Jarhead — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:03:05 +0000

As my regular readers know I recently purchased a new home for me and my family. I used a VA Loan for the financing and it was wonderful. My new mortgage payment is actually less than I was paying for a 3 bedroom apartment. I would not have been able to buy this wonderful help without the benefit of a VA loan. Below you will find a guest article about the benefits of a VA loan.

VA loans represent one of the last remaining avenues for qualified borrowers to purchase a home without a down payment. And these low-cost lending options are becoming increasingly popular as government loans continue to grab a greater share of the overall lending market.

The Veterans Administration provides qualified veterans and their families with one of the most flexible and high-impact loan programs on the market. VA home loans come with an array of financial benefits and can help veterans without sterling credit or huge incomes achieve the goal of homeownership.

The VA guarantees home loans issued by commercial lenders. That protection basically replaces the need for a down payment and often allows borrowers to obtain excellent financing rates. Government-backed loans offer lenders a degree of protection that conventional loans often lack.

VA loan recipients can also forgo monthly private mortgage insurance, which is a requirement on conventional loans for borrowers who fail to put down at least 20 percent. With a VA loan, that’s another monthly cost savings that can go toward paying down your principal.

Some other benefits of VA loans include:

# Negotiable interest rate.
# Ability to finance the VA funding fee
# Closing costs are comparable with other financing types (and may be lower).
# An assumable mortgage.
# Right to prepay without penalty.
# For homes inspected by VA during construction, a warranty from builder and assistance from VA to obtain cooperation of builder.
# VA assistance to veteran borrowers in default due to temporary financial difficulty.

VA loans do have some restrictions regarding the condition of homes that can be purchased. That can be a problem in some parts of the country depending on the condition and market saturation of foreclosed properties. But VA loans can provide a lifeline for veterans and their families who have less than perfect credit.

Veterans and their families must live in the homes they plan to purchase, which means VA loans are not suitable for rental or investment purposes. The VA uses geographic lending limits that change depending on the location of your home. Currently, the VA lending limit tops out around $729,000 in most parts of the country.

To find out about more VA Loan requirements be sure to visit the VA homepage.

Congrats Ladies and Gentlemen

Jarhead — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:20:09 +0000

The Marine Corps has released the approved selections for Warrant Officer in MarAdmin 576/09. Please help me in congratulating these Marines in becoming the subject matter experts in their respective MOS’s.

Even 12 yr Olds Get IT

Jarhead — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:21:11 +0000

So back to my emails and I came upon this and thought that I would share it with all. This is an actual letter that was received in theater by a unit. I can’t say that I disagree with this kid but it is kinda disturbing coming from a 12 year old.

No related posts.

Please Forgive Me

Jarhead — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:05:42 +0000

OK I am pleading with all of you to please forgiv me as it has been awhile since I wrote (over a month I believe), but I have had a whole mess of things going on lately. First I had my son for two weeks so this really was on the back burner as we were havin our fun time. DuUring that two week period my grand mother visited for two weeks then my mother for 4 days. And last but not least my wife and I finally bought our first house. The house thing didn’t go as smoothly as we would have liked but all things worked out and we finally got in it about a week ago (over a month past our original closing date.) I am sure that I will get back to writing cuz I got some stuff that I need to get out so come back and check it out over the next few days/weeks as I should be back on a fairly regualr basis.

It is THAT time of Month Again

Jarhead — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:38:29 +0000

Well it is getting close to the end of the month and it is that time of the month again. The time of month that those young LCpl’s and Cpl’s wait for eagerly every month. You see if everything works out and their hard work pays off they will become the newest Cpl’s and Sergeant’s in the Marine Corps. So congrats to all you young Devil’s that will be pinning on your next stripe on the 1st.

FML

Jarhead — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:32:38 +0000

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of coming to 29 Palms in April let me break it down for you. IT F&%#(N sucks. It was 110 plus the first three days out here than dropped into the 40s last night. On top of that Arty likes to see how many times they can move in a week and get rounds on target. So since Tuesday night I have slept at a different location every night except for one.

As for what else is going on not too much. The PFC’s and boot as Lt’s always make a time out here fun. Have had quite a few rattlesnake sightings but no onw has gotten bitten yet (tank god). I am slowly but surely working my way through my reading material and hopefully will get at least 2 of the three books completed.

My new favorite piece of gear is the self inflating mattress that I bought at Wal-Mart. It rolls up smaller than an ISO mat (small piece of hard foam). and is much more comfortable to sleep on. So between that and my solar shower that I bought last summer I get to sleep comfy and get the stank off my sack what else coud a man want when out in the field.

Please Forgive Me

Welcome President Obama

Jarhead — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:15:11 +0000

Wow I never thought that I would ever utter those words but alas the time has come. Today President Bush will hand over the reins of the world’s greatest country to Barack Obama. This afternoon Barack Obama will take control of the United States of American and as such will become Commander in Chief or in other words my boss.

Today is a day that all will remember for this is the day that America’s first Black President takes office. While I did not vote for Obama it is refreshing to see that America has finally crossed that line. Hopefully this will be a time in which Americans can come together and look past race. Let us hope that we can close the divide and end racism.

Let us pray that the new President continue what ‘W’ started and run down all those that have attacked us. He must run down Din Laden and make him pay for what he did. It is of the utmost importance that he not end this war on terrorism. We must continue to fight so that we are safe.

Do You Trust Me