Looking for a little help for a soon to be vet

[Garyc42660]

My brother is coming home from his 3rd and final tour in the middleast. The dude loves bikes like no one I ever met. I bought a bike to build so he has one to ride when he gets home. He's been dreaming about riding it coast to coast when he gets back and I am trying to make it happen. But, I ran out of money to finish the bike. I recently had a baby girl and she is spending all my money(any parent here can attest to that). I have been trying to sell stuff with any value in Craigslist but not luck. So I set up a gofundme for him. If you can help out that'll be awesome. My brother and all vets deserve anything they want when they get back. So I'm trying to do a little something special for him. Thanks ahead of time. If anyone wants to post the link on their Social media. Feel free. I personally don't have a Facebook/Twitter or whatever else is out there.
Here's the link- gofundme.com/957enwpe

[deathmetaldan]

yeah, that sounds completely legit.....

part out your bike, that should get you some money to finish

[Braaap]

i hate crowdfunding. shit is a cancer to society...

maybe work more?

[SlyJJ]

Legit or not, I don't care if the guy is a vet or not- don't give me this "hes fighting for my freedon" George Bush bullshit. Im not that gullible and it sounds less legit when you use that phrase for a go fund me.

Try setting up an ebay account and posting a few classifieds on this site (I got several bites within minutes of parting out my sporty). You'll find plenty of people that are willing to help, but theres a difference between help and charity.

[farmall]

AF retired vet here, he has plenty of help he can access before (online) and after he returns.

Read and heed this and the many other advisories like it. There is a theme for good reason:

He should get at least one HARD COPY of ALL his medical records.
He should hit the base hospital/clinic while deployed to document ALL exposures such as burn pits (he knows what those are), chemicals, etc. He should document any injuries he was treated for, then he should get HARD COPIES of all that because documentation can get accidentally missing between TDY and CONUS duty stations. He should get HARD COPIES of every deployment order and cling to them for dear life for the rest of HIS life to ensure he never sees a quibble about "boots on ground".

He should understand that the VA is not an obstacle but he'd best become an INFORMED veteran because knowledge is power. Waiting for providers to telepathically mind meld makes no more sense than bringing yer chobber to a shop and saying "hurr, durr, eets broke can u fix?".

If he separates/retires near a CONUS military base I suggest retaining whatever the Army calls a Primary Care Manager and taking care of as much of his health management ON BASE as practical. The services have a usually young, rotating pool of providers while the civilian world often has fossils who are overloaded and also have to run their practice as a business. I've been retired since 2008 and do it that way.

He should visit vet forums like hadit.com, and sites like https://www.vawatchdog.org/. Jim Strickland helped me with (free) info when I appealed my disability rating. If a vet is reasonably intelligent he should IMO do that himself so he learns the system.

The military medical folks speak one language. Civilian medical folks speak another. VA is different so STUDY the C&P checklists they MUST go by BEFORE getting a C&P physical and study on forums how to interact with the examiner in a productive useful way. A documented disability with a low rating can be upgraded later, but it's much harder with no rating.

There is no excuse for a separating vet (who is not severely disabled) needing more money. That's part of having your shit together. If he goes to college/community college/trade school he can get that paid for and make a profit. Financial aid folks are in business to find students money. I'm using G.I. Bill plus Lottery money but there are many ways to go. His duty to himself is to learn them!

Unless he has issues, I also suggest separating vets look into switching to a service (USAF or Coast Guard) which doesn't treat its troops like cannon fodder. Many troops switch to the Air Force when they regain their sanity and it's a vastly better life. Retirement is magnificent because you get the last third or even half your life to enjoy with financial independence/"fuck you money". However sick anyone is of the Army or Marines (the Nam vets I grew up around bluntly told me to avoid them) the Air Force is totally different. I get the pride in service thing, but in the end a career with potential for a second career is what to aim for. The civilian job market sucks, the economy sucks, and only government retirement is serious protection against getting your shit destroyed by (periodic, inevitable) Recessions. I don't notice Recessions because I joined during one and haven't felt any since. Life is a shit sandwich and the more bread you have the less shit you taste.

Wall Street sends us to war, we should get fucking PAID as agreed and get CARE as agreed. If the taxpayers didn't love wars for Wall Street they'd stop them. Inaction is support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-qAqtZopo

If a vet learns and uses the benefits available he/she/it can do quite well. My fathers generation went to school on the G.I. Bill after serving in WWII and that's boosted many vets into all sorts of good jobs, businesses and so forth. VA home loans (keep it small and pay it the fuck off) and business loans are nice too.

I expect other vets to hustle and perform. They learned how if they didn't before enlisting.

[fraggle]

Got to say farmall that is a kick ass post.

[DannyBastard]

Got to say farmall that is a kick ass post.

+1

[Dinnertimedave]

+1

And another.....+1......
Although I am ex RAF so I'm biased........

[metalheart28]

AF retired vet here, he has plenty of help he can access before (online) and after he returns.

Read and heed this and the many other advisories like it. There is a theme for good reason:

He should get at least one HARD COPY of ALL his medical records.
He should hit the base hospital/clinic while deployed to document ALL exposures such as burn pits (he knows what those are), chemicals, etc. He should document any injuries he was treated for, then he should get HARD COPIES of all that because documentation can get accidentally missing between TDY and CONUS duty stations. He should get HARD COPIES of every deployment order and cling to them for dear life for the rest of HIS life to ensure he never sees a quibble about "boots on ground".

He should understand that the VA is not an obstacle but he'd best become an INFORMED veteran because knowledge is power. Waiting for providers to telepathically mind meld makes no more sense than bringing yer chobber to a shop and saying "hurr, durr, eets broke can u fix?".

If he separates/retires near a CONUS military base I suggest retaining whatever the Army calls a Primary Care Manager and taking care of as much of his health management ON BASE as practical. The services have a usually young, rotating pool of providers while the civilian world often has fossils who are overloaded and also have to run their practice as a business. I've been retired since 2008 and do it that way.

He should visit vet forums like hadit.com, and sites like https://www.vawatchdog.org/. Jim Strickland helped me with (free) info when I appealed my disability rating. If a vet is reasonably intelligent he should IMO do that himself so he learns the system.

The military medical folks speak one language. Civilian medical folks speak another. VA is different so STUDY the C&P checklists they MUST go by BEFORE getting a C&P physical and study on forums how to interact with the examiner in a productive useful way. A documented disability with a low rating can be upgraded later, but it's much harder with no rating.

There is no excuse for a separating vet (who is not severely disabled) needing more money. That's part of having your shit together. If he goes to college/community college/trade school he can get that paid for and make a profit. Financial aid folks are in business to find students money. I'm using G.I. Bill plus Lottery money but there are many ways to go. His duty to himself is to learn them!

Unless he has issues, I also suggest separating vets look into switching to a service (USAF or Coast Guard) which doesn't treat its troops like cannon fodder. Many troops switch to the Air Force when they regain their sanity and it's a vastly better life. Retirement is magnificent because you get the last third or even half your life to enjoy with financial independence/"fuck you money". However sick anyone is of the Army or Marines (the Nam vets I grew up around bluntly told me to avoid them) the Air Force is totally different. I get the pride in service thing, but in the end a career with potential for a second career is what to aim for. The civilian job market sucks, the economy sucks, and only government retirement is serious protection against getting your shit destroyed by (periodic, inevitable) Recessions. I don't notice Recessions because I joined during one and haven't felt any since. Life is a shit sandwich and the more bread you have the less shit you taste.

Wall Street sends us to war, we should get fucking PAID as agreed and get CARE as agreed. If the taxpayers didn't love wars for Wall Street they'd stop them. Inaction is support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-qAqtZopo

If a vet learns and uses the benefits available he/she/it can do quite well. My fathers generation went to school on the G.I. Bill after serving in WWII and that's boosted many vets into all sorts of good jobs, businesses and so forth. VA home loans (keep it small and pay it the fuck off) and business loans are nice too.

I expect other vets to hustle and perform. They learned how if they didn't before enlisting.

great post. my son is getting interested in joining the military and I've been telling him to consider the USAF.

[Garyc42660]

My bike is in parts, it was wrecked. Been putting stuff on Craigslist and that how I came up with the money to get a bike for him

[Garyc42660]

Legit or not, I don't care if the guy is a vet or not- don't give me this "hes fighting for my freedon" George Bush bullshit. Im not that gullible and it sounds less legit when you use that phrase for a go fund me.

Try setting up an ebay account and posting a few classifieds on this site (I got several bites within minutes of parting out my sporty). You'll find plenty of people that are willing to help, but theres a difference between help and charity.

Like I said. I don't do this kind of stuff. I do work. I am a firemen, so I do have a job. Just don't have a lot of cash to float the build. Just had a baby and she's eating up my cash

[Garyc42660]

i hate crowdfunding. shit is a cancer to society...

maybe work more?

I do work. I am a firemen. I wouldn't have done the gofundme but was suggested by a few people to try it. Just had a baby girl and she's eating up my cash

[Garyc42660]

yeah, that sounds completely legit.....



part out your bike, that should get you some money to finish

My bike is in parts, it was wrecked. Been putting stuff on Craigslist and that how I came up with the money to get a bike for him

[Garyc42660]

AF retired vet here, he has plenty of help he can access before (online) and after he returns.

Read and heed this and the many other advisories like it. There is a theme for good reason:

He should get at least one HARD COPY of ALL his medical records.
He should hit the base hospital/clinic while deployed to document ALL exposures such as burn pits (he knows what those are), chemicals, etc. He should document any injuries he was treated for, then he should get HARD COPIES of all that because documentation can get accidentally missing between TDY and CONUS duty stations. He should get HARD COPIES of every deployment order and cling to them for dear life for the rest of HIS life to ensure he never sees a quibble about "boots on ground".

He should understand that the VA is not an obstacle but he'd best become an INFORMED veteran because knowledge is power. Waiting for providers to telepathically mind meld makes no more sense than bringing yer chobber to a shop and saying "hurr, durr, eets broke can u fix?".

If he separates/retires near a CONUS military base I suggest retaining whatever the Army calls a Primary Care Manager and taking care of as much of his health management ON BASE as practical. The services have a usually young, rotating pool of providers while the civilian world often has fossils who are overloaded and also have to run their practice as a business. I've been retired since 2008 and do it that way.

He should visit vet forums like hadit.com, and sites like https://www.vawatchdog.org/. Jim Strickland helped me with (free) info when I appealed my disability rating. If a vet is reasonably intelligent he should IMO do that himself so he learns the system.

The military medical folks speak one language. Civilian medical folks speak another. VA is different so STUDY the C&P checklists they MUST go by BEFORE getting a C&P physical and study on forums how to interact with the examiner in a productive useful way. A documented disability with a low rating can be upgraded later, but it's much harder with no rating.

There is no excuse for a separating vet (who is not severely disabled) needing more money. That's part of having your shit together. If he goes to college/community college/trade school he can get that paid for and make a profit. Financial aid folks are in business to find students money. I'm using G.I. Bill plus Lottery money but there are many ways to go. His duty to himself is to learn them!

Unless he has issues, I also suggest separating vets look into switching to a service (USAF or Coast Guard) which doesn't treat its troops like cannon fodder. Many troops switch to the Air Force when they regain their sanity and it's a vastly better life. Retirement is magnificent because you get the last third or even half your life to enjoy with financial independence/"fuck you money". However sick anyone is of the Army or Marines (the Nam vets I grew up around bluntly told me to avoid them) the Air Force is totally different. I get the pride in service thing, but in the end a career with potential for a second career is what to aim for. The civilian job market sucks, the economy sucks, and only government retirement is serious protection against getting your shit destroyed by (periodic, inevitable) Recessions. I don't notice Recessions because I joined during one and haven't felt any since. Life is a shit sandwich and the more bread you have the less shit you taste.

Wall Street sends us to war, we should get fucking PAID as agreed and get CARE as agreed. If the taxpayers didn't love wars for Wall Street they'd stop them. Inaction is support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-qAqtZopo

If a vet learns and uses the benefits available he/she/it can do quite well. My fathers generation went to school on the G.I. Bill after serving in WWII and that's boosted many vets into all sorts of good jobs, businesses and so forth. VA home loans (keep it small and pay it the fuck off) and business loans are nice too.

I expect other vets to hustle and perform. They learned how if they didn't before enlisting.

Ill send him your post. Thanks!

[IndianaSlim]

Good job Farmall, even if you were Air Force.
There are also many veteran's organizations that offer help, you may even find one that will help you with the bike. There is a program that does just that, although I don't remember who. CRS

[Garyc42660]

Let me clarify this. Some think this is not legit and your entitled to think that. I'm doing this as a present for him. It's a surprise, he has done a lot for me when we were kids. I'm just falling a little short on completing the bike. With the new baby that we just had whatever I have is pretty much going to her. If you can help-great, if you can't-that's cool too.

[mrhammer2u]

Jeez. The OP has been here since 2011. Does he have an awful reputation? You guys would know, I'm just a noob here. Instead of flaming him why not suggest a little proof if you're skeptical? If you truly are trying to help your bro who has served I'd be happy to throw you a few bones. With said proof of course. Fuck,..even if you could get a few "senior" 33ers to vouch for you that would suffice.

[farmall]

Dinnertimedave posted:
Although I am ex RAF so I'm biased........

I enjoyed my TDY to Gutersloh in the '80s. Our OV-10s FACed for the Harriers and we took up some RAF folks for backseat rides. The only one who didn't vomit was an enlisted mechanic. He came back smiling.

We found the separate junior and senior enlisted chow halls insufficiently egalitarian, so the young Airmen, self included, borrowed shirts and we had three extra "SSgt Westbrooks" at meals.

Metalheart28:

Delayed enlistment program is a great way to get a specific job (never go in under a general enlistment contract!) from your list of preferences if it's not immediately open. If you are a gearhead go with aircraft maintenance. I was comm/nav, then crosstrained to jet engine mech, then the flightline part of that was merged with crew chiefs who work on the aircraft as a whole. Do NOT become a cop or work transportation lest ye get stuck in joint ops in the sand box. USAF sand box deployments are comfy and profitable (Combat Zone Tax Exclusion etc). Anyone who whines about deployed USAF living conditions is a little bitch. (Although I had one traumatic day in Desert Storm when the air conditioner in my tent didn't work. The horror....)

You/he can get with me by private message if useful. If he's interested in the medical fields they lead comfy lives and have great civilian employment prospects. Med Group gets the babes, maintenance only by accident...

All my senior NCO and officer buddies did well after retirement, with some choosing to work while others like self are having fun doing their thing. It ain't Full Metal Jacket. Nowadays even young Airmen think the AF is too slack sometimes. If I did it again I'd shoot for wrenching on airlifters or becoming a flying crew chief or loadmaster. Airlifters have program lives longer than the lives of some people who built them. C-130s first flew in the 1950s for example and are still in production. Fixing fighters was fun as fuck though.

[SpookyCC]

My brother is coming home from his 3rd and final tour in the middleast. The dude loves bikes like no one I ever met. I bought a bike to build so he has one to ride when he gets home. He's been dreaming about riding it coast to coast when he gets back and I am trying to make it happen. But, I ran out of money to finish the bike. I recently had a baby girl and she is spending all my money(any parent here can attest to that). I have been trying to sell stuff with any value in Craigslist but not luck. So I set up a gofundme for him. If you can help out that'll be awesome. My brother and all vets deserve anything they want when they get back. So I'm trying to do a little something special for him. Thanks ahead of time. If anyone wants to post the link on their Social media. Feel free. I personally don't have a Facebook/Twitter or whatever else is out there.
Here's the link- gofundme.com/957enwpe

If he originally signed up for the Montgomery GI bill, tell him NOT to change that to the Post 9/11 bill while he's outprocessing! If he keeps his MGIB, he will be able to use that until it runs out, then is able to apply for more months of the Post 9/11 bill (I got like 35 extra months). If he converts to the Post during outprocessing, he won't get the MGIB benefits at all.

And for schooling, like Farmall said, he can go to a trade school or whatever with that money. In fact, my local university offered a free welding class to vets that covered most processes including TIG, and ended with a cert.

[SpookyCC]

great post. my son is getting interested in joining the military and I've been telling him to consider the USAF.

I went Abn Inf but I also enjoy pain and suffering.