I’d say : don’t pay attention on others and believe in yourself
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- Make your own opinions on things and don’t let others make them for you
- Wear a condom…
Besides the fact that changing anything would change the life I have now - and I wouldn’t give up my wife or children for anything - if I could talk to any past version of myself it’d be my 19 year old self, and I’d tell him not to join the Marines. Yes, I got a ridiculous work ethic that has propelled me to a managerial position in every job I’ve had since then, but I get pats on the back all the time for signing up, like I did something patriotic or selfless, when in actuality I was just a bored college kid who was too afraid to put in the work that gave my mother, father, brother, and sister PhD’s in neuroscience. That’s the funny thing - I think college was scarier to me than war.
On the flip side, I was gonna be an English teacher so I might have ended up broke as shit, but at least I’d have knees that don’t crack and shoulders that don’t sound like there’s sand being crunched inside of them.
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So many things I’d tell him…But it wouldn’t matter a lick, because he was too stubborn and dim-witted to listen. (Still struggles with this, TBH.)
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I used to compete in Muay Thai, and at a pretty high level. Unfortunately, I couldn’t always keep up.
I would have told my 20 year old self to be more serious about lifting, and enjoy Muay Thai, also train BJJ, and eat more. Would have also advised him to be less worried about attention from women.
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And here I was thinking “ruck back” was something unique to IDF training.
Same symptoms, 25+ years after discharge. I blame our heavy-as-crap body armor.
We have a draft, though. And are surrounded by people that want to kills us. So it wasn’t optional.
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Your mother, father and grandparents yes all four of them. Every word of advice they gave you is 100% accurate.
The song “Simple Man”. It pretty much covers it.
There will be a very cute young girl who comes into your family like she is a member of it. You will have the opportunity to help her. And all you need to do is forget a bit of advice your father gave you. Tell her no and say goodbye to what would be your biggest mistake in life.
When in doubt remember the first thing I told you. Yes they were right.
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Hi Allberg. Thanks. It’s been awhile, but to clarify. I was on a roll that day. The post in this thread is the one I said was dark, and it is.
The creepy post was a joke in anther thread about how “I may or may not have seen a lot of handsome men in their underwear in the Transformation thread.” Only creepy because it sounds a bit naughty. I have kids about the age of many of the younger men here, so that’s a bit creepy and I try to rein in my slightly bawdy sense of humor. Usually.
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Same here. But I needed to get citizenship(not going to say where). The military here is run by clowns from the mildly incompetent to complete buffoons, much like every other government department over here. I really wish I had never seen that. The standard is so low that judging from my current reservist rank, I would be a fucking colonel now at 38yrs old if I had stayed.
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It’s funny, I was just thinking I’d tell my younger self to stay on active duty.
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I’m 19 right now, But idd ask my future self how stuff is one year from now for us/me
Your not big and you don’t eat a lot you skinny little prick. I probably would not listen though and spout on about how I eat like 5000 cals.
Follow a career path you want to follow, not one other people think you should.
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September 11th 2001 is a fucking huge disaster. Do something to stop it even though you’re just a dumb 19 year-old
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You couldn’t have been that dumb if you were 20 at only 19 years old. That is honestly pretty damn advanced.
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Attempt to stop it, fail, it happens, your prior knowledge of it makes you suspect #1, you get thrown into Gitmo and grow old there, arrive at 2018 and wish desperately you could speak to your 20 year old self and let him know to just let it happen. That’s the only way this could turn out.
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It was some of the best, funniest, craziest, scariest, and realest times I’ve ever had, and I don’t regret it, I just think there are better reasons to do it than the ones I had. Plus, I thought I was a badass and I was kind of just a dumb kid. Once enough friends died war stopped being badass.
Ya, I hear you. I just miss the camaraderie sometimes.
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GREAT thread. Thanks to OP for starting it.
I have had one hell of a great life so far. I simply cannot complain about anything. And if I do, I should kick my own ass to frickin’ wake up and put things in perspective.
I would honestly tell my 20 year old self that it’s OK to be afraid, and go ahead and take on those challenges you were so anxious about. Because when you do, and when you fail miserably, you will gain and learn more than you will ever know. And your life will transform, you will transform in a way you would have never imagined.
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Mandatory service is the difference between military and mercenary, and I respect it. I’d love it if the US mandated one year of service, provided individuals had the choice to choose between any branch, including the peace corps - there are many brave and challenging ways to provide help that don’t involve hurting others, and I respect that too.
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Bang more chicks before you get married…
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