I guess I should start with the end in mind: my '68 Mustang was stolen. But that's not where things really start. After coming off active duty at the beginning of '06 and returning to drilling reserve status, I went back to school, did some stuff to the car, not much but tried to concentrate on school as I want to go to OCS at some point. Being in school I kind of hadn't as much time to hang out around here so I've been gone for a long while. Anyhow my unit was called back up ona voluntary basis at the beginning of this year and since I hadn't actually seen combat yet, I volunteered to go. My mobilization officially began June 1st but I'd been working with the unit starting after finals in the spring. June 3rd, my freaking house burned down! To cap this off, my dad's alzheimer's is getting worse. Then a week before I was set to go over seas, I fell form a maintenance platform at work and broke my arm and had to have surgery. A couple eeks later, some bastard stole my '68 - this days after my mom loses her job (I stay with my folks to help out with dad, it's a mutually beneficial situation, mom gets help with dad and my rebellious little brother and someone to do the honey do list dad can't do anymore, I get a free place to stay while I finish my degree.) Oy! So I'm still waiting on insurance to pay out, they decided the car was to high dollar to appraise in house and farmed it out. Most folks so far agree this is good for me. Anyhow, found a '66 (the year I originally wanted) that had a lot of the mod's I'd already made. has a '68 302 in it, recently rebuilt, the original c4, recently rebuilt, all the records, and the original 289 to boot. The guy who was selling no longer had the time or money to fix it up and just wanted what he'd put into it. I just need to give it some TLC, mostly paint as the interior is cherr - he'd completely restored it. Oy! What a year.
If there's one thing I leaned over the past 5 years it's to never say it can't get any worse, because lifes circumstances will soon prove that very wrong. Hope things improve some with your families situation. Some good advice here and I hope others will back me up on this, NEVER volunteer for ANYTHING in the military,lol. If you can I'd advise you to try and get a leave from the military to help out with your family, that's more important than this Iraqi Freedom BS Bush is/ or was pushing on us. Sounds like your the "rock" your family needs right now to keep up with everything going on. As for the Stang getting stolen, if it happens to be "found" but missing most all of it's parts, go to the insurance auction they will have to sell the remains off, the buyer very well could be the theif himself. They buy it back, reinstall all the stripped parts and now have a complete classic Stang and a clear title to resell it now. Seems like there is no end to what scams some of these a-holes can come up with. Good luck on getting the other one, check into a GPS tracking system on the next one and add a few more anti theft devices yourself, there was a recent post on options to do this in the tech section about this. Generally they say when it rains it pours, but the sun does eventually shine again and you'll have better days down the road. Enjoy them when you get them because there's allways another wammy just around the corner, that's life I guess from my experiences. Get the Stang, if your sure you want it put down a few $$$ for him to hold it for you.
Fortunately, I was given leave and ultimately convalescent leave due to my broken arm. Situation is mostly stable now as we moved into a new home the day after I broke my arm. They actually offered to demobilize me when the fire occurred. If I had no volunteered to come on active duty, the situation would have been significantly worse: I would have been at OCS faced with the choice of quitting and coming home to help or sticking it out with my stress level even higher. Volunteering for things usually makes life easier in the Marine Corps.
man that sucks but it sounds like me and you have something in common, if we didnt have bad luck we wouldnt have any luck at all, i had just got a sweet job at a shop my friend works at and then i was in the car with another friend and we got hit by a drunk driver, spent 1 week in the hospital and lost the job.. and thast just a small bit of the bad luck i have.
Hang in there bud, look at it this way. It can get any worse. Get yourself another stang and help out your family. Oh and thanks for serving our nation
Man sorry to hear that. At this point I'd say get your priorities straight and figure out which direction you should go. Sounds like you've got things under control for the most part given the circumstances. JDS...keep the political crap out of the thread. You wanna debate the GWOT...start a new thread and I'll prove you wrong about your feelings. But not in this thread. BTW Thank you for your service to this country.
Actually, already replaced her. Bought a '66. Diamond in the rough for certain. Mechanically, and interior wise she's great. No rust. But she's desperately in need of paint. Aircraft stripper and sand paper soon to come. I tell the story, because frankly I'm not complaining, I empathize with Job in that my life has sucked pretty bad for 6 months, but you know, when it turns around, it'll turn around big! And it looks to be: mom's had a few job interviews, looks like she's going to end up getting paid more actually (in an irony, she was literally fired for getting a college degree - a little more to it than that but that's the basics of it.) While it looks like I will not get to serve in Iraq (unless I am declared fit for duty by 30 NOV), the Marine Corps will most likely be paying for me to go back to school in the Spring. Since I only have 26 hours left for my degree, I should finish up in the summer and from there I can apply for OCS. Things aren't exactly going to plan, but they're going well! Now if all-state would just pay-out on the '68...still waiting on them, I should get enough from it to paint the '66 and do some other stuff. BTW, everyone notice how I ignored the political statement? 5 years in the Marine Corps, I'm well past dealing with politics of it anymore.
5 years in the marines the better pay for your college, and its always good to find some one that will voluntary go into combat, my buddies and i are signing up when the last of us turn 18 next year
Skywalker, that sounds like one of those periods in my life! Just when things start looking real good, somebody dies. Or Mrs StDr gets run over in her car; or the house A/C dies, or Tink ends up crawling out of her upside-down first truck (not her present K1500 4x4, the S10 before that) 5 days before I make the last payment; or one of the horses dies (Mrs StDr's previous horse Streaker) or some combination of any of the above; or..... or...... or...... Things always get better. It's hard to remember that when it's all crashing down on you; but they do get better. As for the Corps and the Middle East; just hold on. All the front-running Pres candidates are admitting to a particular "inevitability" with Iran. Out of the fryin pan into the fire. (BTW; just because I don't like it; doesn't mean I think it shouldn't be done - just that I don't like it.) When that time comes, the Corps and the Army (and you and Tink and SVTCobra306) will undoubtedly be in the thick of it.
Just keep swimming man, life will get better for you. Have faith. Thank you for your service, that goes for everyone here who has served.
My last intention is to get a political arguement going that's for sure. This tread would probably go into 30-40 pages on that issue as I'm sure everyone has an opinion on the war. My don't volunteer for anything statement was ended with an lol, meant as humor, everyone has heard this phrase and I believe it originated in the military. Any friend I have that served (in the Army anyway) has said this phrase at one time or another and joked about it with a story to tell. I personally have the upmost respect for anyone that serves, but my feelings on Bush obviously differ from yours and I can respect that. Eventually a tread on this subject might not be a bad idea as you suggest so long as StangNet is OK with it. I also suggested that if he could get a leave to take it as it sounds like his family really needs him more right now than the military, alzhiemers is going to be a lot for Mom to deal with on her own. Glad to hear things are starting to turn around in his family at least.
