MILITARY LIFE and contact thread (NO TROLLS! None at all)

[mongo75]

Hey Wolf- waddaya think about expanding this- sorta like a sitcky that's automatically organized, where we can put out local area (city & state) with a contact number (cell or home) ? The only problem I see is that if spammers got a hold of said phone numbers, but it might be a good way to have help easy to find. What say ya'll??

[JoeTrotter]

I'm all for organizing it some - we could list members by general area, and leave e-mail and telephone numbers for PM's.

[Greywolf]

Fasten your seat belts shipmates!

I'm seriously considering proposing an Armed Forces Chapter to the webmaster, to be open to all active, reserve, and retired Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard people and their dependants. - Including allies such as Australia, Great Britain, and Canada.

The one thing I haven't figured is that folks are only allowed to join one Chapter at a time - usually based on the state they live in. But for us it's more of a nationwide thing, and on acdu you don't have a whole lot of choice where you end up.

I was on acdu when I found my way here to FTE, I'm retired now and not definitely sure I'll stay in Tennessee for life. So it doesn't really bother me much one way or the other.

I think it's the logical extension of all this though, even if G2G's were in FORMATION...

How does that sound to you?


CORRESPONDANCE so far:

Originally Posted by PM to IBAdrian

Mate - I'm kicking an idea around. An ARMED FORCES Chapter

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I'm seriously considering proposing an Armed Forces Chapter to the webmaster, to be open to all active, reserve, and retired Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard people and their dependants. - Including allies such as Australia, Great Britain, and Canada.

When I first came to FTE - I was on active duty (acdu) stationed far from home. One major driver for me when it came to pushing for a tennessee chapter was to get word from home somehow, but that didn't work out at all.

Military folks and their families tend to be rootless - they migrate around from one duty station to the next. But there is a great deal of pride in them! The legacy we have of pitching in and helping eachother is a hallmark of our service traditions, and in keeping with that I can think of no better way to organise a support group for those of our people who also happen to be FORD TRUCK owners.

Military folks and their families may also be the most likely group to travel and have lots of resources for mutual assistance IF THEY are aware of what they have available. I think such a chapter may be unusually capable, incredibly helpful, will likely grow fast, and have an essential 'Esprit de Corps" unmatched anywhere.

Do you think it can be done?

~Dutch

[Greywolf]

Originally Posted by mongo75

Hey Wolf- waddaya think about expanding this- sorta like a sitcky that's automatically organized, where we can put out local area (city & state) with a contact number (cell or home) ? The only problem I see is that if spammers got a hold of said phone numbers, but it might be a good way to have help easy to find. What say ya'll??

I think any such phone list would have to kept strictly off of the forums themselves, but might be forwarded by PM's if the dashes and () are left out of the numbers. That way a web-bot could not spot it as a recogniseable telephone number, it would just be another number on the web.

[bigredtruckmi]

Greywolf, You was surely up late or up early this AM.

I think this would be a great idea. Communications would have to be worked out before launch. Using the private email option instead of a PM might be another option.
Seems like there could be an automatic way of programing when a phone number pops up by accident it would put in XXX-XXX-XXXX and transfer the number to moderator.

[stu37d]

This is a terrific idea! Not only do we move around a lot, but we also tend to travel back to former area to visit our families and friends that we left behind. This might be a vessel for additionally helping out folks traveling to other areas; where to stop, what roads to avoid, heavy construction, etc.

[fabmandelux]

I think this is a great idea Dutch! It might have saved a young solgers life a couple of weeks ago here. I wanted to post this story a couple of weeks ago, but didn't want to bum people out, but I'll explane it now.

A couple of weeks ago a young Marine committed suicide here in Arlington in his car late one night. Seems his car broke down in the middle of the night. He was from somewhere back east on his way to California, broke, knew nobody, was late in reporting at Camp Pendleton. Long story short, he was so despondent he took his own life............My best friend found him the next day. If there had been a system like you're proposing and somebody could have contacted me, I would have done anything in my power to get him going again. It still breaks me up to know that I was only a few miles away, and didn't have the chance to assist this young Marine. I have to quit typing now, can't see the monitor very well...............Any help you need with this brother just let me know.........................Don.

[Greywolf]

I have some positive feedback from IB Adrian, yes it can be done. He's going to run it up the flagpole with the other mods and admins, see who salutes it, and work out some ideas that may be issues (or so I imagine) like the phone number ideas for one.

I dunno how it works in other than Navy commands, but in the USN every base has a Navy Wives Club that already has a phone list offline. Of course, it's on base mostly, and only serves to connect the navy wives.

Being a little bit different, I think we would develop along other lines. I've swapped numbers with mongo75 in what I think is a secure format, and any such info I will keep on file cards OFF OF my computer. Sort of like a farley file system...

The major advantage I can see at once - is that people don't need expensive phone cards to use the internet, which is world wide. So TAKE THAT, AT&T!!! I once knew a young sailor with an eleven hundred dollar phone bill, there's no need for that. Most hotels, including the navy lodge at Coronado, and all major truck stops also have internet access for a few bucks to go online however many minutes.

Libraries also often have internet terminals, and so do many ships these days. In fact, pierside, most carriers and other ships as well have online service through any computer in a work center. Some have internet access even at sea!

I will say this - as Ken Payne has the PM system set up - I trust it a heck of a lot more than any E-Mail server out there. It is also centralised & easy to use once it is enabled. Plus there are no pop-up ads or spam...

I can forsee a chapter forum with threads for pictures from home, ongoing help threads to see people through issues with wheels, sticky threads covering major topics such as services available on bases, news threads when COLA, benefits, pay issues, or anything like that has a major change, it's mind boggling...

Intramural sports
Space available flights, and pictures from travelling that way
Get Togethers on base and elsewhere
Pictures from around the world
The SCOOP on MWR Recreation facilities like NAVY LAKE here in Millington TN
How to book a room in Hawaii at the Armed Forces Hotel

And it would be very organised!

The possibilities are as endless as we are creative...

[Greywolf]

Originally Posted by bigredtruckmi

Greywolf, You was surely up late or up early this AM.

Frankly - I bounced bolt upright in my bed around 3:30 because I suddenly realised that with how well this thread was going, an Armed Forces Chapter was not only possible - but we have already demonstrated that it can be troll-free. With a dedicated chapter forum, the moderators would ENSURE it.

I think we already have at least one success story to our credit too!
Creole_69 will be going to the Auto Crafts Shop in Fort Stewart monday, saving a whole truckload of cash in the process. Her man is presently forward deployed. We can be justifiably proud if all goes well with that!

Much of what we can do does not even need for shared phone numbers, as much as it does a pooled "BODY of KNOWLEGE" that we can use to get people over humps and binds while spouses are deployed or in transit.

But we can help eachother to play together too!!!

[mongo75]

Damn Fabman, that sucks, losing a fellow Marine... where have you been? long time no see...

[fabmandelux]

I'm still here.....................Still playing the "what if" game. Hell, I'd of driven him to Cali.............So Sad.

[Greywolf]

It kind of shocks me that a Marine would do that. Must have been young - but that only makes it worse. If we can get a network going with this, maybe we can prevent things like that. I sure hope so...

[fabmandelux]

19 years young.........Dutch you just have to get this going. I've watched you do some great things in the past, but this is the greatest thing I've heard in many years and I hope it grows into a forum that all of FTE will point to with pride!

[Greywolf]

Brother - we can do this, I just know it.

There may be a few bumps in the road, but from what I can see this has more pure potential than anything I have ever considered before.

It may be what I should have done from the very beginning, but I expect such an idea would not have even been possible in early 2001.

The time is right, the people are here, the means is available.

"Devil take the hindmost..."


Small question here:
Who should lead such a Chapter?

I have a few years of experience at FTE, but there are a lot of senior ranking people available too.

I would be outright busting with pride to be the RPIC (Retired Puke in Charge), but there may be others more qualified than I am.
The flip side of that is that I learned how to "Delegate" when and where necessary a long time ago...

[fabmandelux]

No one I've ever "met" could be more qualified than you Dutch, or would give as much. I hereby nominate YOU!

It's your baby, let's watch it grow!