Rules of inference and symbolic logic.

Take, for example, the following argument with 1 as the original premise, and 2 through 5 as rules of inference:

1. A
2. A or ~B · addition
3. ~B or A · commutative
4. ~(~B) → A · material implication
5. Therefore, B → A · double negation

Now replace A and B with the following statements: A = apples taste delicious, and B = Batman exists. Let’s translate the above argument:

1. Apples taste delicious
2. Either apples taste delicious, or it’s not the case that Batman exists
3. Either it’s not the case that Batman exists, or apples taste delicious
4. If it’s not not the case that Batman exists, then apples taste delicious
5. Therefore, if Batman exists, then apples taste delicious

It makes no sense. But it follows the rules of logic.

Yes. A 15-year-old girl should carry anything permissible and that she feels confident using. I’ll guess that at 15, her options probably range from a pocket knife to collapsible baton or pepper spray.

Of course, permissible limits to where she is and what rules apply. If she’s going to say that criminals don’t follow the rules because they’re criminals and will carry whatever they want anyway, I agree. She’ll just have to weigh the risk-reward of her situation between protection against violence versus protection against legal action.

In addition to carrying a weapon, she should realize that everything is a weapon. She should carry several friends with her, a cell phone, sobriety, awareness, alertness, mindfulness of likely threats, backup transportation, a quick exit plan, several contingency plans, a well-rehearsed set of responses to the threats she’ll most likely face, and her dad and his friends carrying weapons.

It sounds overboard, but hey, I have a 15-year old daughter. I want her to have every advantage in coming back home to me. If she’s not allowed to carry a weapon, I’ll carry it for her. And if I’m not allowed, a real dad would carry anyway to do everything he can to protect her.

Depends on the route, but at least a few years while you complete (or get close enough to) a bachelor’s degree. I’d say it depends on whether you’re active or reserve, whether by an officer you mean W-grade or O-grade and on which of the four officer programs if you mean O-grade.

Generally speaking, if you’re on active duty, either the military will send you to college, or you’ll finish it on your own. If the military sends you through some commissioning program like ROTC, awesome. But then you owe some years after that.

If you finish a four-year college degree yourself, it’ll cost you money and sleep, and you’ll still need to complete the equivalent of OCS.

Whether active or reserve

I’ll presume that you’re starting from basic and not entering the military (as some do) later in life and with an advanced degree, but who just want to do their time. I’ve known of Soldiers in the Army (for example) with law degrees, medical degrees, other doctorate-level certification, who said, “Forget all that. I want to be a Private (E-1).” Oh, they exist.

If you just graduated high school and have successfully entered the military at Private (E-1), then congratulations. You made it. If you’re on active duty, good luck. It’ll be difficult but not impossible to complete a four-year degree while juggling your workload.

I did so as an active duty U.S. Marine, enlisted, Sergeant (E-5). I don’t believe I could’ve finished without stopping while as a junior enlisted Marine.

If you’re in the reserves, I think you’d have an easier time. But that depends on what you’re doing when you’re not drilling or conducting annual training (AT).

There exist four types of commissioning programs, which I’ll get to below. One type is a direct commission, which usually means doctors or lawyers. Direct commission means no equivalent of boot camp to commission. In the Army Reserves and Guard, one can direct commission from enlisted to officer without being a doctor or lawyer.

Whether W-grade or O-grade

There exists a high school to flight school program, that will, if you succeed, bring you into the Army as a Warrant Officer (W-1) and a helicopter pilot. I think it sounds awesome.

But if you’re already an E-1, it’ll take some years to go Warrant Officer, and it depends on the job. Most military jobs require between 4 years to 8 years to go Warrant. I knew a Specialist (E-4) who got accepted into flight school on his second application, and he was only in year three of his military career.

If you mean O-1/O-1E (Second Lieutenant or Ensign), it’ll take a few years. Depending on current policy and the commissioning program, you don’t have to have a bachelor’s degree. You can commission with an associate degree, but with those programs, the rule is that you must soon finish a bachelor’s degree.

Four commissioning programs

There exist many different names and different programs, and they vary per branch. Generally, there exist four categories of commissioning programs: direct commission, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Officer Candidate School (OCS), and the five service academies (West Point, Annapolis, Colorado Springs, New London, and Kings Point).

Direct commission

Usually for doctors or lawyers, but open to other jobs in the Reserves or Guard. There have also existed (although very rare) battlefield commissions, where enlisted members have been commissioned on the spot.

ROTC

Many four-year colleges offer the program. You’re probably better off attending ROTC before joining the military.

If you just arrived at your unit and serve on active duty, your unit will seem reluctant to release you to attend an ROTC program, such as Green to Gold in the Army, but it could be an option. By the way, once there, you could possibly ride ROTC out through a master’s degree.

I remember that the Marine Corps had a few programs available to active duty Marines, such as MECEP, which serve as the equivalent of ROTC programs. The Marine Corps makes it tougher for Marines to commission than for civilians off the street. Why? Don’t know. So I commissioned into the Army. I get paid the same.

OCS

This is the route I took. The Air Force calls it Officer Training School (OTS). You typically already need at least a bachelor’s degree to attend. It’s officer boot camp.

Service academies

There exist five of them. You can attend any academy to commission into any service branch, but typically each academy leads into one branch; e.g., West Point into the Army.

If you’re already an E-1, you’ll need to jump through hoops to attend, and probably even more so than you had applied as a civilian.

I hope that answers your question. Good luck, brother.

I’ve started using Udimi and it has helped, a lot. It’s a bit of a shortcut in advertising. This is how user-friendly the site is:

1. Find a solo ad provider
2. Give him the link you want to promote

A solo ad is an email promotion. So, a solo ad provider, or seller, is an email marketer. But you’re not paying per email; clearly, because that would be too easy to screw you over with, by just blasting out junk.

You’re paying for high quality clicks to the link you want to promote. You also don’t have to write the email (ad copy) yourself if you don’t want to. You may simply send the link and leave the ad copy to the seller. The better sellers have higher success rates.

You can filter the sellers by how successful they are. The Udimi platform also has a built-in tracking system to allow you to follow along with your seller’s progress.

If you choose a good product to promote, it’ll convert well. I added a link to the sidebar as well as here: Udimi.com (my affiliate link).

Good hunting,

Brian

That being a liaison officer (and brown) at a U.S. Embassy is awesome!

The embassy

My job at that time required that I correspond with the host-nation military to authorize U.S. cargo through the country. Man… these guys never responded to my memos. Not once. Ever! I sent emails and faxed. Did I call? A few times in the beginning, but what for? No one ever picked up anyway.

I could’ve failed to apprise them of incoming cargo, and it probably would’ve gone through anyway. Because it’s America.

Here’s a rule of thumb that veterans secretly carry: The further away from the flagpole, the better. Or as the saying goes, “Cat’s away, mice will play.” And we played!

I didn’t wear my uniform once while there. I’d show up to work later and later, then leave earlier and earlier. I went from suit-and-tie, to no suit, to no tie. And I drove all over the place. I had this apartment that could fit like three families. It was huge.

I did all my work. I just didn’t bother volunteering for more. I had to check into a meeting via video teleconference once a week with my parent unit. I always said that the camera was broken so that I could sleep during the meeting.

Being brown

The security briefs would say to avoid talking to the locals. Eh. Apparently, they didn’t believe I was American anyway. And if you claim to be Canadian, it’s like being American but not as contentious.

But I didn’t even need to do that much. My family background is Spanish-Filipino, and I speak both languages (moderately well). In the Middle East, Filipinos are slave labor. They didn’t see me as worth anything anyway. And so, it was like I was too worthless to become a target.

In the U.S., if someone asks me, “Where are you from?”, he means, “Why are you not black or white?” Or, “What country are you from? Not what state.” Because apparently being brown disqualifies me from being American.

The funny thing is, the rest of the world seems to believe that, too.

Here’s a post I wrote for Quora.com last night. 9,800 views, 32 upvotes, and 1 share in 21 hours.

Most people don’t understand that if you play the game right, you could score big. Your chain of command will give you shit about going to medical, for example, but fuck that. Climb your own ladder.

Will you care what they think when you’re sleeping in and retired early, all while they’re out in the field or on staff duty? Maybe. While you imagine them saying must be nice, you can nod knowing that yes, it is very nice.

Super awesome benefits

• Retirement before 20 years under Chapter 61, and still draw a military pension (2.5% x ret. base pay x years of service). With Ch. 61, you only need to score 30% disabled to trigger this benefit. And that measurement doesn’t affect the VA rating below.
  
• VA disability, on top of that, at which 100% disability is a lot easier than you realize (from $3K/mo to $4K/mo). The answer to this test is Title 38 C.F.R. Part 4 for primary disabilities. There also exist secondary disabilities, which, if you research it, means that you can claim just about anything. Search Google for “easy VA claims,” for quick wins.
  
• SSA disability, too, at which you can use your VA rating to support a claim (amount varies on employed years and number of dependents).
  
• Continued medical coverage, kind of an obvious one, but very helpful.
  
• Army Career Skills Program (CSP), lets you get out six months ahead of your end of active service, still get paid as if on active duty, and intern somewhere. Some of these approved places are at community colleges. Totally sham or at least something you want to do, versus have to.

Additional coolness

• Post-9/11 GI Bill pays you BAH (the housing stipend), which varies by location but probably about $1.2K+/mo, and in effect, it pays you to go to school.
  
• Unemployment compensation, it’s not a lot, but you’d probably say yes to it.
  
• If you’re a female, for some reason, this is all that much easier. I’ve checked. Women score these benefits much more easily. If you’re female, don’t leave money on the table. Take it.
  
• Get a four-plex with the VA Home Loan Guaranty, at 0% down, and rent out the other three units. Even more free money hacks by playing the game.

That’s quite a few sources of income you could collect on, for a very long time, without having to work a job much, if any, depending on what you choose. The first three mentioned above (retire, VA, SSA) you can pull off under 10 years, and net close to maybe $6K+/mo, depending on your family situation.

State-level and local-level greatness

Some more cool free tips while you’re playing the game. There are federal benefits. And then there are state benefits. States like Texas and Florida provide:

• A homestead exemption, or no property tax on your primary residence, but only if the equivalent of VA 100%.
  
• Free tuition for your children up through a bachelor’s degree. So, ha! No need to save for that if you score. But also, only if the equivalent of VA 100%.
  
• Free licenses or permits, such as at national or state parks, hunting and fishing, and in some places riding public transportation. Disability rating to qualify for this, varies.

Why work if you don’t have to? If you want to, go for it. You can find veterans doing all these things. Play the game! There are plenty more hacks, but those are some of the biggest.

I started contributing to Quora.com some time ago. Here’s a post I wrote today in response to Daniel Fidelis (username) asking for ways to prepare mentally for Marine boot camp.

Brother,

Sun Tzu said that a commander wins a battle before ever stepping onto the battlefield; not through magic, but through preparation. Here are my own three tips to prepare to crush any military school:

How to prepare

1. Create flashcards. Use for 30 min upon waking up, and 30 min before bed. There’s an academic portion. It’s no secret. Search the internet. Memorize as much as you can.
   
2. Create a PFT chart. Use it twice a week; make it Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning. You can find an app to calculate your score. The physical fitness test (PFT) consists of three parts: pullups, situps, and three-mile run. Take a PFT a couple times a week. Write it down. Yes. Write it down on paper, and put it on the wall. Try to beat your previous score each time.
   
   Expand your PFT chart beyond to include ruck marching. A good pace means 40+ lbs on your back, 1 mile every 12–15 min (or 4–5 MPH), for 6 miles. See if you can reach 12 miles in under 3 hours. Some tips on ruck marching: Cut your toenails and file them smooth. Wear two pairs of socks; one black dress liner inside, and one thicker green pair outside. Wear your socks inside-out, to point the stitches away from your feet. And here’s a secret to really give you an edge… set a habit and a safe route to ruck while barefoot. It’s dangerous. Especially with the extra weight you’re carrying. Be careful.
   
3. Look for patterns of success. Read books, interview Marines, and watch YT videos. You’re not looking for individual tips. You’re looking for patterns in thinking that lead to success. I’ll guess that success in this case means passing boot camp the first time. Look for patterns that work. Look for patterns that don’t. I’d say that for the time being, anything beyond graduating and helping those beside you graduate, is a shiny object tempting you towards distraction. You may put that off for now. Everyone else’s philosophies about the military can wait until after you become part of the military.

Okay… do NOT read the below if you want to continue to keep the ideal view that the commercials sell. It’s a job. The job is brutal, rough, and aimed more at filtering you out than helping you succeed. These next tips are dirty, but real. Here are those patterns of success while in the middle of the shit:

Dirty but real · Patterns of success

1. Remain invisible. Maybe you want to be the best. You definitely want to pass. The better you do at work, the more of it you’ll get to do – especially if it’s something undesirable. And you can only do so much. Don’t try to stick out too much; that means both avoiding trying to outshine others, and falling too far behind.
   
   This means, too, disappearing as soon as possible. It’s hard for work to find you when you’re not there.
   
   This also means keeping your mouth shut and downplaying all skill. Work will skip you when you’re not available, as well as when it believes you can’t do the work. However awesome you were outside of boot camp (or whatever difficult school you’re in), it doesn’t matter. Bragging will volunteer you for more work. Let others do the bragging, act impressed, and hold them accountable to their bragging by giving them the extra work. “Recruit Smith, you were a CrossFit champion before this. Since you’re the strongest one here, everyone needs you to carry the heavier ammo cans… And to wake up earlier to do [whatever]. Thanks, brother.”
   
2. Sandbag (v.). Sandbagging means deliberate underperformance. Why do this? Uncertainty. Your instructors will push you to 110% knowing full well that you have miles to go. Can you sprint a marathon? Play the game. It is a game. And the game is a marathon.
   
   You don’t need to give 110% to pass; you just need to appear that way. Act the part. Look the part. Sandbagging means pacing yourself and not trying to burn out at each event, especially when you don’t know what the next event is or when it’ll happen. You’ll get smoked anyway. That’s why it’s boot camp.
   
   But never sandbag at the expense of someone else. He’ll notice and find a way to get back at you later.
   
3. Volunteering… it’s up to you. I avoid volunteering for extra tasks at work, usually. In a training environment? If I hear, “Give me [X NUMBER OF] bodies!”, I come running to volunteer! Why? ’Cause it’s a game. Play the game. Sometimes the game is that everyone who did not volunteer gets punished with some nonsense. Playing makes it fun.
   
   Also, this is hard on your instructors, too. When you volunteer, it makes work that much easier for them.

A few more quick tips: Don’t expect anyone to thank you; not with words, but people will reciprocate your sincere efforts to help. Let go of trying to win first place at anything. If it happens, it happens. Remain optimistic. Any craziness you experience makes for a great story later. The crazier, the better the story.

Good luck.