If I have anything to say about it, if I am worth anything at all - it will always be here, and always at hand for all of us.


POP TALL brother - WE ARE NOT ALONE!
*salute*


~ Wolfie sendzzz


PS: Bookmark it, we'll be here

 

Question for the net: I'm looking at ETS in March of 2017, and was wondering who (active or vet employed by DOD) has welding/machine shops that are civilian ran on their installation? I feel my skills are not being properly utilized to help my fellow soldiers in the active service. The new Army maintenance concept has regulated the amount of work I am authorized to do to almost nothing, and I am under equipped in my shop. Open to support any branch, but location is a critical factor. I can't handle cold well.

 

Every post I've been to has had an MWR run Auto skills shop. It's civilian run/Army sponsored to the best of my knowledge. They offer classes, and maybe with your skill set can add to the classes taught there.

 

IMO stay in, reclass to a more challenging MOS, and then retire at 20 yrs.

I have never seen a auto shop on base that really had machine shop capabilities or a place to weld. But it was along time ago since I went into one of those places.

There are military contract/contractor jobs that involve the ability to weld and be a machinist, might be in a bad place like Afghanistan, but at least you will be getting more $.

And or there are welding jobs in the oil and gas field, ever ck out "rigzone" for any future opportunities?

 

It's not a matter of challenge, my friend. My soul is that of a maintainer, and the problem is the unit and Army as a whole. We are shifting to a "part swapper" system of maintenance. There fore forward units are having less call for fab shops. And most MOS's are over strength.

I'm trying to scout some DLA welding/machining jobs across all branches so I can continue to support my brethren with what I am good at instead of flying a desk. I'm sure a few of you can relate to not wanting to be tied to a chunk of steel and wood for 8-12 hours a day.

 

Good morning and God bless, brothers and sisters.

 

I see it every day. The mech's have welders, but I never see them get fired up. Engines don't get rebuilt, they get replaced, and you see more and more queen vehicles, just to be able to order new parts. It's the bradleys mostly, not so much with the 1151's etc.

As far as MOS being over strength, there are still a few of the star MOS out there, and most of the new MOS are cyber related jobs. I don't do well behind desks. I wanted to be a 15T but I ended up going 180* the other way. The only chunk of steel I want to be tied to is the time working on my truck

 

Same is true in electronics. When I signed up I wanted to be a mech, but they told me all the seats were filled in all the schools - aircraft, motorpool, boats....

SO they offered me electronics, and it didn't take me long to say "Sure, throw me in that briar patch"

One of the things I ASSUMED was that it would be an employable skill after the navy.
*GONG rings, hook comes out from side of stage*

For every opportunity civilian side, it seems there are at least fifty guys who can lie better than I can on a resume. I actually took a plant tour of an avionics refurbisher here in Memphis - and from what I saw their IFF transponder guy had no idea how to even troubleshoot a power supply.

Of course - all that electricity and tron training comes in real handy playing with my projects. I don't ever feel rushed either.

But mainstream electronics now is all about module replacement, you don't troubleshoot, you trash and replace.

 

That's the way everything is going. Only a handful of places rebuild things anymore. But, that's why I love my job. I start with bare, unformed steel and create.

 

My heart goes out to you guys getting out and having troubles getting jobs. I am so proud of america's respond to returning vets but as you see here there is a long way to go.

I am retired now, but when I came back from Nam (in country Navy) I went for a job at an Insurance company print shop and the woman read my work form and threw it in the trash say "you were in Vietnam please leave." Other vets told me if I wanted to work tell people you were seeing Europe for the past 4 years. I did and got jobs.

So you see it is better now, but not good enough yet. I hope you will get there, don't let up keep pushing. There is work out there think outside the box.

 

I think that the big push in public feeling has largely played out once again.

The manager at that Avionics place I was talking about had the audacity to tell me that:
"This isn't like the military, you have to actually get results..." when his own guy was obviously clueless.

I decided I didn't need to deal with that, and never went back.

I could tell stories about IFF Transponder backlog and "Y" codes when I first got to Miramar NAS, and the war I fought to get them right and out the door like they should be. Frankly - I have seldom been so insulted in my life, so I decided to let them suffer in their own mess.

Their supposed "IFF AREA" didn't even have any obvious IFF related test equipment set up in it. And AS A MATTER OF FACT I looked under one of the test benches and spotted at least fifty or more non-working power supply modules stacked up under there.


But then, on the flip side those APX-72 IFF units are the mainstay of modern aircraft, commercial and otherwise. They all have them.


Maybe I should take another look at that sometime.

~ and those things have to be troubleshot right down to the transistor or chip, literally.

 

Your thoughts guys?


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14924948

 

We do this - and everything that I have done to hold the fort for veterans here is vindicated once and for all!

It is time. The admin climate is receptive, the results down through the years have shown that we are one of the biggest and most influential groups here, and we have staying power.

The numbers reflect both that we continue to grow and thrive at FTE, and (sadly) that there is a greater need than ever for us all to band together.

We are also a subgroup with a demonstrated maturity of thought and actions.

ALL AHEAD FULL!!!

 

I replied in the other thread, but Don can count on my support.

 

I'm all for it. Like I said in the other thread, whatever I can do to help!