Rollins, you don't even have a Porsche do you?

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Kurt, No, at the moment I don't have a Porsche. I sold my 944 a little while back. I have been looking for a good replacement since, but haven't found much in my area. I am looking for a 951 specifically, and all I find here are NAs. I am going to USMC boot camp in a less than 2 months. In the end, all the training will take 5-6 months. Therefore, I have deemed it smarter to wait until I get back to invest in another Porsche. Then I will have more money, and obviously more options. I haven't even ruled out a 911 yet. If you feel that this makes me un-qualified to post here, or if that makes me un-welcome here, then sorry, but f*ck you. :D
-Tim

Rollins-

It makes me glad to hear of another youngster stepping up to serve. The fact that you don't have a Porsche now doesn't preclude your owning one in the future. I kinda feel that once a Porsche owner, your outlook on other cars is changed forever. I recently took my oldest son to a PCA race weekend. We have been trying to spend a bit of time together before he ships out to basic at Lackland. His current plan is similar to yours, finish basic, move on to tech school, save up and buy a Porsche. I think it's a wise course for both of you. In my book, any person serving this country is welcome to post and we hope and pray for your success and safety.

Dave951M

Dave, thanks for the kind words. I agree with your philosophy. Before I owned my Porsche I was totally interested in Mustangs and Camaros and I didn't know jack about cars. When I got my Porsche I learned a lot, and I fell in love with the 944. I have had a bunch of circumstances which prevented me from buying another 944 when I had one in sight. It's almost as if it is pre-destined that I will not have another. Anyway, the details of my forthcoming service with the military are kind of interesting. I am going to boot camp at Parris Island early in February. In May when I finish I will have a few days off and then I will go to Camp Lejune in NC for 18 days for Marine Combat Training. After that I will be going out to California to go to tech school. After I have completed all this training I will be returning home and finishing off my degree in college. At this point I will be in a program called the platoon leaders class. This program enables me to complete college and go to officer candidate class over the summer. The REALLY cool thing about this program is that I will have a guranteed spot in flight school. So, with any luck, in about 6 years I will be a marine aviator. I am REALLY stoked about this. I can't say that I am looking forward to boot camp, but I know I have to do it and that the benefits are definitely there. Which branch is it that your son is going in to?

Sounds like a great plan. Oldest son has enlisted in the USAF. He starts zero week on 12/18 and basic on the Monday following, grads about last of January. I will NOT miss that. From there he goes to Kessler AFB for tech school in avionics (23 weeks long). The kid is a whiz at electronics and should do quite well. Along with being an Eagle Scout, he also had 3 yrs MCJROTC. From what I've been told, that's good for E3 after basic. On 9/11 he donated blood at the Red Cross, volunteered about 14 hours there as well on subsequent days (in addition to working two jobs), and when the reserves were called up, he announced to the wife and I that he was going to join up. His rationale was "why should guys with families, kids and other responsibilities go when guys like me are the perfect ones. No family or mortgage." Can't fault his logic. Most of our family on both sides were military, career and otherwise. Wife's side is AF and Navy, my side was Corps and Army. Young guys like you and my son make me extremely proud to be an American if for no other reason than your type seems to have a sense of what's important at the right time. Some my fellow PCA members are already talking of ways to keep their kids out of the possible draft. Having come of age during the Vietnam era, you can only imagine how ill that made me. Personal philosophy, if the country is good enough to live in, it's good enough to serve when needed and maybe die for if necessary. Boot camp will seem tough at first, just remember to do your best and you will succeed. The DIs want you to (even if it doesn't seem like it at times). My other son tried his best to get us to allow him to drop out of high school so he could go too. We both nixed that one quickly. We told him to graduate first and then we'll discuss that one again. Be glad you're doing basic in early spring, eastern NC weather is awfully hot in summer, worse than anywhere in FLA I've ever been, including Tampa in July. Again- best of luck to you and all of America's sons and daughters in uniform.

Dave951M
Carolinas Region PCA
86 951
too old to enlist too

Sounds like your son is a pretty good guy. His motivation for joining shows that he has good morals. I respect that, and think it speaks well of you as his father. Personally, the events of 9/11 were not really a determining factor for me. I have wanted to do this my entire life. I also was in the JROTC here, however oddly enough I did AFJROTC. In the Air Force that is equal to an E3. In the Marines it is an E2. And I again support your philosophy. I work with a bunch of ungrateful people and often hear them talking about how they don't like this or don't like that about the US and it pisses me off. They don't know or respect what they have here. In some countries, Germany for example, you are required to serve at least two years. I don't know if they still do that in Germany, but they did in the 1980s. They oughta do that here as well if you ask me. Let your son know that Keesler AFB is a good place to go for tech school, it is in Biloxi MS. I know a couple of people there, and it is a really nice area. Biloxi has the whole "Friendly country folk" thing going on. Anyway, take care!
-Tim

My Defence Force couldnt do crap right now. my squadron is pretty much gone- has been shifted to another base to close the first one down. I attended the final parade for the disbandment of the Air Combat Force- 3 Sqns: 2 sqns of skyhawks ands a sqn of macchi's... Lost alot of friends to o'seas forces, mainly RAAF and RAF.
The guys at work call the Prime Minister: Uncle Helen (she looks kinda manly) or 'The Minister of Disarmment'.
I just call her a b!tch :D

...sigh...