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'37 Plymouth


Xlarashun

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Stupid stuff like putting lug nuts in the socket on an impact wrench and trying to start threading them with the impact on a customer car. I know of at least two times he did this and got the nuts started cross-threaded after doing it the first time and being told to not do it again.

 

To be fair, "stupid" isn't a recent phenomenon.  Back in '68 a kid in my neighborhood got a job as a "gopher" in the local  Dodge dealership.  Remember those Dodge "mag" wheel covers with the fake lug nuts?  The kid was fired after he took an impact wrench and removed the nuts.

All twenty of them.

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22 minutes ago, RNR1957NYer said:

Stupid stuff like putting lug nuts in the socket on an impact wrench and trying to start threading them with the impact on a customer car. I know of at least two times he did this and got the nuts started cross-threaded after doing it the first time and being told to not do it again.

 

To be fair, "stupid" isn't a recent phenomenon.  Back in '68 a kid in my neighborhood got a job as a "gopher" in the local  Dodge dealership.  Remember those Dodge "mag" wheel covers with the fake lug nuts?  The kid was fired after he took an impact wrench and removed the nuts.

All twenty of them.

all twenty eh?  some folks learn at a different pace than others...some don't learn at all...with today's youth it seem they do not want to learn..I know I should not lump all the younger folks in one bucket...but with the dealing I have had with them on the job site civil service and again in the military toward the end of my career....it's hard not to...

Edited by Plymouthy Adams
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3 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

all twenty eh?  some folks learn at a different pace than others...some don't learn at all...with today's youth it seem they do not want to learn..I know I should not lump all the younger folks in one bucket...but with the dealing I have had with them on the job site civil service and again in the military toward the end of my career....it's hard not to...

I LOVED the army the whole 5+ years I spent in SF. It was after getting medevaced from VN on permanent physical profile and because of that no longer being able to remain in SF that I started hated the army,and got out. I spent my last 6 months or so in a conventional airborne signal battalion,and I was no longer a combat leader NCO. I was a combination of babysitter and prisoner chaser.  I had no idea people that stupid existed outside of institutions,but they do. This was when the draft was still going,and about half the people in that unit where borderline retarded. It did no good at all to tell them to do anything unless you stood right over them and supervised. That wasn't what I joined the army and re-enlisted to do,so I got out. I honestly have no idea how anyone else was able to tolerate it for long enough to put in 20 years. My best guess is that once you hit SFC/E-7,you almost never had any personal contact or discussions  with anyone not an NCO,so I guess that made it tolerable to most people. It wasn't for me,though. Prior to that assignment,I don't think I had heard the words "that is a direct order" since basic training. If something needed to be done,whoever spotted it did it. If he needed help he would ask people to help  him and nobody would ever refuse. Officers would help fill sandbags if that's what needed to be done. I've flown in to the local airport at Kontum and called up the camp to tell them I was back and needed a ride,and had a O-3 show up driving the jeep to pick me up. Not because I was special in any respect,but because someone needed a ride and he was the only one handy not doing anything else. It's amazing the things you can get done when everyone is working together.

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4 hours ago, windsor8 said:

My first love (old car speaking) .Wish I still had it. Good luck.

 

Same for me 37 Plymouth business coupe.
Stupid !! Kid then, maybe less now. :rolleyes:

DJ

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Harley I stuck it out for 23 but it was tough.  I was in intelligence so it was a bit better as far as IQ but lots lacked common sense.  Once I hit E-7 and then especially E-8 the politics started.  You are correct in saying that at that level we dealt mostly with junior NCO's and let them handle stuff but the politics from higher up was pretty bad.

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1 hour ago, casper50 said:

Harley I stuck it out for 23 but it was tough.  I was in intelligence so it was a bit better as far as IQ but lots lacked common sense.  Once I hit E-7 and then especially E-8 the politics started.  You are correct in saying that at that level we dealt mostly with junior NCO's and let them handle stuff but the politics from higher up was pretty bad.

The politics in the regular army from O-3 to GO are so bad I refused the chance to go to OCS and become a SF team leader when offered the chance. West Point officers ALWAYS got priority for promotions,and that made it even tougher.

In SF it was a little different because it didn't start until O-5 because there were so many O-3 and O-4 slots,but back then there was only 1 GO in all of SF,so the competition for O-5 group leaders got pretty brutal. O-5's were the Group Commanders,and there were only 7 groups in the entire army. When you add outside of the army political influence to the list of group leader contenders,it became unbelievable. For example,I knew of two Group Commanders who got those positions without having ever served ONE single day with SF. Both came out of reserve units,and one wasn't even airborne-qualified when he got the eagle and the assignment. He went through the special senior officers jump school,and landed on Okinawa to take over the 1st Group with a total of 5 parachute jumps. The infamous "Splash" Kelley from Boston. Kennedy family connections got him his AD eagle and assignment. 

I know of one of these reserve political appointee clowns that actually committed several felonies white trying to get a MSG kicked out of the army for being caught for drunk driving off-base while carrying a concealed weapon. The MSG had a NC CCW permit,but this newly minted LTC SFTG Company Commander was also from Boston,and hated the idea of anyone legally carrying guns,and stated to the whole company when he took over that anyone in his command being found in possession of a privately held weapon would be court-martialed. When notified the MSG had been arrested,he ordered the company SGM to go with him to the man's house,and literally broke into the house and stole all his weapons and ammunition and dumped them in Lott Lake. I was working as an advisor for SFTG at the time I heard about this,and almost slapped that silly MoFo  in the mouth one day when he forgot I wasn't in the army and started to get mouthy with me. People got between us,or I would have. Instead of being given the boot for the felonies,the MSG agreed to drop the charges if he were given an immediate honorable discharge with full retirement benefits,so the charges were dropped and he was sent to Tawian instead.  I heard later that when he came back from Taiwan,he was promoted to full bird and given some sort of administrative command. IMHO,the SOB should have been shot.

 

Edited by knuckleharley
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Politics in the military are still in full effect but people these days are not so blatant to express their devious ways. You only find out after the fact most of the time now-days. I'd rather be in the position of finding out later on than being the man with a secret. People are out trying to make crazy money and do crazy (usually illegal) things to get there. I'll pass and just stay in my garage with my car and plan my next build. The military of today is so competitive it'll drive you to choose family or work and the consequences can be harsh for either side and that's not even including the real military life of deployment. I've unfortunately experienced both and have chosen college and family as the pastime to carry me through to my full 20 and do what it takes to make my leaders mostly happy to get there. Hopefully commission some day and make it worth all the time put in.  

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BTW, thank you to everyone who has served in the military to make your/our country a better place. Coming from more of the youthful perspective attending this site, what you've done in deeply respected and gratefully appreciated! RAH!

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1 hour ago, Blaine said:

BTW, thank you to everyone who has served in the military to make your/our country a better place. Coming from more of the youthful perspective attending this site, what you've done in deeply respected and gratefully appreciated! RAH!

You will find this thread interesting.

 

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