A VTR. This thing is a wrecker on tracks. It was designed with the intention of servicing the M113 personnel carrier. I hated this tracked vehicle. The powertrain configuration was an 8V71 detroit with a transfer and transmission.
You could never extend the boom. I have seen many a use while changing out M113 personnel carrier engines and transmissions. I prefer the 800 series 5 ton wrecker any day.
I remember one day while stationed in Hanau, Germany. We were conducting field training at a site called Campo pond. I was leaning on a steel guard rail and noticed a vibrating that startled the hell out of me. I jumped off and looked down the length of the rail. This VTR was chewing off that same rail. the driver was oblivious.

By the time I got him off that guard rail he must have eaten 40 foot.

The Venerable M151A1 Jeep.

I must of replaced more than my share of engines and transmissions in these things. As far as transportation they weren't designed for the soldier in mind. Combat gear always competed for room. Always cold and wet. Developers and the Army had better opinions.

Steering those at a breakneck speed of 45 MPH on the Autobahn was always a touchy thing. I remember when convoys were conducted. A long line of slow moving trucks would clog up the Autobahn. In an Army convoy there was always a jeep in the front and usually one at the rear with a radio. I always felt sorry whenever one of the Germans plowed into and killed the commander and driver of this little M151A1 Jeep. They never had a chance. On this type of vehicle I first learned how to time a gas engine. Learned how to bend pushrods as well. By the time I built up some experience after those two years were up I could swap out the engine with a new one under an hour and fifteen minutes with another good mechanic.

My unit fought to keep one of the last remaining M151A1 jeeps in Europe. I would go with a buddy of mine and gauge weapons from Kaserne to Kaserne. We never seen any more of these on the Autobahn. Just ours. A Kaserne is a Military post. A maintenance unit had to gauge weapons in all units it was responsible for. Verifying the serviceability of each M16, M2 50 cal and M60 machine gun. You name it.

How we used money back in the day vs now.

I went in the Army in 1981. Every payday we had to form into a line. Step up to a pay officer. Salute and recive our cash. Walk over and turn it into travelers checks just incase it got lost. I remember earlier than that the American express commercials. Travelers checks. If you lost them You got your money back. Well I lost them in the Airport as a private and didn't bother to fill out the check stubs. I wonder how much money American express made off from the public.

In 1988 between stints in the Army I met up with a guy who would buy travelers checks and sell them off for half price. His reasoning was the same. He would then claim the loss. What a crook.

Back in the day it was hard enough to cash a personal check if you were out of town. If they didn't know you then you were out of luck. I once went to my own bank who refuse to cash a check I received because I already signed the damn thing and not in front of them. I pulled my money out of that bank. I was 24 years old.

I went back into the Army. Sure pay stopped problems. It was a way to pay soldiers through electronic transfers. I remember a guy flushing another's paycheck down the toilet during my first tour. Another time a soldier had his paycheck intercepted by someone in the financial system and cashed. He never seen his check. He got a copy of the cashed version and showed me. He was singing the blues for sure. Sure pay stopped all kinds of problems.

Electronic transfers nowadays created a few more issues for some. I researched for lost money. Found out that my brother was owed some. I notified him and he was grateful and He collected. Last week I did the same for another, a coworker.

Electronic transfers are like speech. It vaporizes the second it leaves your mouth. Write it down and record it.

Now you can pay your bills online, tranfer money between banking institutions and pay bills. Its archaic to write a check. When I was a teenager I Must have written a boat load of checks. As more than a few of us can remember We bounced then like rubber balls. Speaking about fiscal responsibilities and kids. Start a prepaid card for your kids and do it whilt they are young teen. they will appreciate the master card logo. Learn how to manage money and you can track their expenditures right online. USAA is one of the few institutions that will allow the program. Do it.
I am a member of a bank that is slow as mollasses when it comes to transfers. Paying another member through online transfers sucks. I go online and pay into her account. They write a check and mail it to her address. Stupid is as stupid does. their excuse is just before you hit the send button you will be able to see when it transfers. I let them know this is 2010. Deer in the headlights.
I will be removing my business. They know that as well.
Back to the availability on how we spend it?. Cash is still king but it is easier to access.

How we used money back in the day vs now.

Politics: One of the few ways I can explain it.

The elected serve those who elect them. The problem is that politicians have been targeting those who have no money while at the same time spending hell out of something that is not there. Doing it at a frightening pace.

I can explain it the only way I know.

In Washington State were I was stationed in the service.

In 2002 a 1,200 foot long, 60 foot wide, and 10 foot deep logjam in the Deschutes River threatening to seriously damage 22 properties. Homeowners were going to lose their homes.

Thurston County officials spent more than $100,000 to figure out that it would take another two months and $1.6 million to clean up the mess. The homeowners pulled together to clear the logjam. Knowing the county decided that was too much to spend on private property. Those homeowners spent $8,000 and unclogged the river in less than three weeks. They were able to keep costs low because many services were donated. They were given a free hydraulic permit and found a jail work crew to clear a roadway, a local logger who was willing to donate his time, and a local church to cut wood for low-income families. For some reason the county couldn't find a way to use these low-cost solutions. Maybe they didn't look very hard. But maybe there's no incentive when they're writing checks from someone else's account.

That's right folks your elected representatives seemed to have lost touch with people. Thurston County sent in a consultant at a price exceeding $50,000 if I remember the news. Just to go over there and look. Assess the cost and report back. There was a stuffed shirt with a tie who accepted that assessment and told those homeowners "sorry we can't help you" The homeowners claimed it was the county's responsibility to clear the logs. Legal wrangling ensued.

Those homeowners were losing homes because the water was backing up. They did the job for $8,000.00 instead of One Million Six hundred thousand dollars plus the assessment cost.

A damn good lesson for a politician.

The tax base is still paying the bill but dwindling as a voting base. Don't lose touch with your constituents. Most often the only time we see you is when you need a vote. Your funding for municipalities will dry up because we who pay these taxes will vote with our feet.

Military Service and People Skills

When I first stepped into uniform in the service the Vietnam war was over by 6 years. Sentiments were still carrying over and remained. Being in the Army wasn't exactly glorious. You were looked down upon. A guy who couldn't get a job. Go to jail or join the Army.

I met some of those who were "cleaned up by the judge"

We weren't thanked alot for serving and I wasn't thanked alot until after 9 11 2001. We were thanked alot right after. For those who thanked me, thank you. I tell them the green eagle comes by every thirty days and thanks me.

I come from a small cotton farming community in Georgia. Opportunities didn't exactly abound So I joined the Army. The service offered me a small town country boy redneck lot of opportunity.

Opportunities are made by people. They are practically placed in your path and you are stumbling over them and not know it. You might be handed responsibility or you sieze it.

You learn not only your job in the military but responsibility. In my experience I was handed alot of crushing responsibility.

Accounting for millions of dollars of equipment, Developing other soldiers and missions. Becoming accustomed to having to account for your actions. The actions of others. Growing into leadership and working with others above and below you.

In the private sector outside the military it's a known fact that organizations will compartmentalize and limit you. There is no place for comparmentalization in the service. As a leader need leadership under you. You have to trust those under you to handle responsibility. You can get into big trouble if you can't trust others.

When I entered the work force after retiring one of the first things I noticed was the lack of accounting of one's actions. The lack of developed responsibility of most people my age. Its my opinion that management needs to groom and develop more of its employees to handle the flow. Management shouldn't be tasked to death.

In the military an E-6 who could be 26 years old carries more responsibility and makes more decisions than 95% of his contemporaries.

An E-7 even more so.

I retired as an E-7. I mentored thousands. Taught thousands.

My work experience in the military was a personal achievement from practical hands on experience in a vast array of maintenance to managing parts in the Pacific theater. Along with that achievement was the responsibility to mentored it down.

I learned (forced to learn) computer programs I would never had otherwise. To use them effectively. Unix and Microsoft.

In the military you are going to hone some serious people skills. You will learn how to deal with people.

I also understood people. It took time learning insights into people but if you want to you will.

Never let anyone tell you who you are. If you take a verbal reprimand and he calls you inept you know for a fact you are not.

If you are having problems with an individual chances are that individual has the same problems with others.

Respect is accorded to a man's actions and not his mouth. The more he has to kiss up to the boss the less he's doing his job. Doing your job and doing it well should be sufficient. If management above you fall victim to the "Kissers" and the "Backstabbers" than he is a shallow manager indeed.

Everyone has to be polite to the boss. Sucking up to one's boss to supplant your security in the workforce is a no no. Any supervisor or manager worth his salt will call Bullshit on that one. I have been there to call it.

The old saying that actions speak louder than words is very true. It hasn't lost a bit of meaning in today's world. Let your actions on the job speak for itself. A good supervisor and manager will oftentimes know more about what you are doing than yourself.

Grumblers get left behind

I seen many people grumble. Grumbling because they weren't promoted or moved up. They toe the line. Never do anything else but just what they are told. Along comes a guy who does what is expected without having to be told. Handles responsibility accordingly. Companies really need people who can perform. Its not kissing up to the boss to do your job well. He does his job well then he gets promoted over the grumblers.

The grumblers are the kind who believe in entitlements. The world owes you nothing. That word Entitlement holds a dangerous and mislead meaning. It a word fools love.What it means is that typical grumbler is entitled to stay where he is at, going nowhere. You earn what you get. The day you cut those apron strings and left home stops entitlement. You are entitled to work for a living.

Negativity you don't need it.

Negativity: Yes negativity, its poison in the workplace and poison to you. You can't help people until they are ready to be helped. Look all around you. the next time you go to work take note. Way too much of it is going around undetected and you don't need it in your life.

It comes to mind of a personal attitude you want to keep. If you want a positive attitude then keep the negative out. Put the barriers up. Its a natural tendency to be happy so be happy. The more you "suffer" those who are negative the less you are going to be keeping around a good mood.

Mentoring others

Being mentored is a gift that lasts years after the mentoring has taken place. My personal experience tells me that many can mentor but few do. Why? I can't tell you. For those who mentored me thank you. When someone mentors you there is a silent language that takes place. The guy who takes time to talk to you. He is telling you in his own way that he believes in you. Take it to heart because I did. I knew I was hard headed in my youth and maybe I didn't listen then but let me tell you. Sometimes your memory can replay it back for you. When it does that mentor ship 101 mini course is still working on you.
Mentorship is powerful and if you want to change the world through one person at a time its a good way to do it.
I can't recall each and every time I have been mentored. I remember I was mentored by those who seemed to have already been there. Who went the rough course.
If you are a parent doing the mentoring remember this one thing. Your kids really appreciate it even if it doesn't show.
I wouldn't be in the position if it weren't for good people. One of those mentors happens to be my brother Steve.

Why there are building codes. Blizzard damage control

Yes building codes can be a pain in the Ass. For the most part building codes are there for a reason. In this hole in the wall I an renting there is a heat pump. The ice dripping from the gutters right onto the pump will kill it. The landlord who was a former coworker of mine is still blissfully ignorant concerning this. Before I move out you better believe he will know what going on.
In a situation like this there is hope. Take pantyhose and cut the legs. Fill both legs full of ice melt and ley them on top of the gutters. The icemelt will melt off the ice. all the way down to the bottom of the gutter. If you have to you can also create a valley where the roof can channel off the melting snow and ice off the roof. Strech out the pantyhose from the top of the roof to the bottom of the gutter.
It will create a channel.