just a thought

[ClickityClack]

Hello again.

Don't trip over yourselves welcoming me back.

So, here's a thought: with the incentive pay caps being raised and all, and considering that we are the ones with the talent.... why are we still the ones tracking down the scholarships?

Not necessarily advocating recruiters going door to door on campus, but why are we doing the DoD's work for them? The general schpeel about the schol. process is that only the "worthy" go through the hassle of applying/going to the recruiter/worrying about acceptance/etc, so the DoD gets it's pick of the litter.
Does anyone other than me see the incongruency in the limited number of available scholarships and the military's whine of "not enough dentists are joining"?
http://www.usmedicine.com/article.cfm?articleID=1404&issueID=32

And, at the same time, we're the ones sending (or will be sending) in the reimbursement forms, etc. I know I'm being a schmuck by joining again after the crap I went through in the military, but do I really need that type of headache while trying to get an A in gross anatomy?

And the idea that we're getting so much out of it, with the loan repayment thing:
If I want my house painted (this is the loan I want repayed, for metaphorically-challenged), do I really need to petition a painter to consider my house over another, and then drive around getting his supplies for him?
We'll have more education than the commander in chief, but rolling over like school-girls.

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[ClickityClack]

I know we've come a long way since the looting and pillaging days, but it seems to me that we're in a pretty powerful bargaining position that's not being fully taken advantage of.
Some might say, "Oh, but look what you're already getting." And, yes, we're getting alot. But, why hasn't the available number of scholarships been increased, and why do we still have to do the footwork? Why are we only first commissioned as lieutenants, the same rank as an undergrad ROTC graduate? Why doesn't the scholarship pay BAH? Why aren't we given cars like NONcommissioned recuiters, or per diem for food?
Look at how much a university football player is given: cars, housing, money under the table, free tuition, you name it... Then look at what we're getting: a crappy little stipend, loan repayment, commission as a 2LT just an art history major undergrad, a nifty little summer JOB, and all the paperwork/anxiety we can manage. Aren't we just as talented? Everyone says we're the smart ones, but it looks pretty dumb to me. Especially when nobody pays attention when the DoD says they don't have enough incoming dentists/physicians.

 

[ClickityClack]

And note, I said summer JOB. J-O-B.
Sit around in tents, play soldier all day, whatever. It's still a job. And, a crappy paying one, at that. Learning how to throw grenades, shoot rifles, and jump over obstacle courses, things that we'll be doing every day as dentists. Time that could be spent in externship, or somehow otherwise learning our trade.
Now, ask yourself, do you see university football players taking a summer research fellowship in genetics? But, we'll be putting ourselves down next to washed out football players, jumping over logs.
This stuff may (or may not) be important, given the "every soldier is an infantryman" routine (even though women still aren't allowed into the infantry, so that doesn't really make sense) or if you're trying to impress your dad/spouse/girlfriend/etc. But, how important is ALL of this, considering that most dentists choose to pay off their own loans and do quite well for themselves. And, again, given the DoD's need for incoming/retainable medical professionals.
There have been quite a number of nice changes made to the policies this year, and while pleased, I'm not really satisfied. Considering how easily those policies were changed and the budgeting available, we're still getting screwed.

Now, I've been enlisted before, as many might know. I've looked at military dentists and wondered how much they were getting paid. I always thought it was some extravagant amount compared to others of the same rank, but it's really not. The bonus is pretty lame. I had a $25K bonus as a private just out of high school (or $20k, can't remember), so it's not all that much, in comparison. So, we'll be making pretty much the same as a desk-jockey "Power-point Ranger".
Some argue that we're saving on malpractice insurance, which, again, isn't really that much. Private practice dentistry doesn't seem to have a very hard time on that front. Dentistry malpractice lawsuits tend to be quite low, anyway, compared to medicine. Also, the military doesn't allow their physicians/dentists to be sued for malpractice....so it's not like they're doing us a favor. It's not like a loan repayment, with the military paying our malpractice -- they don't have to pay anything at all. Admittedly yes, we're all saving a certain amount with that, but, we're not getting paid well in the first place. So......
The BAH is nice, but the available houses and neighborhoods are usually crap. We would be paid the same BAH as regular 2LT Jackoff, which everybody seems to have missed. I don't very much look forward to living next to the idiots who got C's and D's in freshman English (online).
Giving up the right to free speech (which I've come to know and love) and the ability to hire/train/manage our own staff (and the fact that many of them make more than what they're offering us)... this is all starting to weigh pretty heavily on me. I'm looking at what could be offered and the fact that I'm considering all of this just so my wife doesn't have to work in retail any longer, and I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty dumb about it all.

 

[makushin]

And note, I said summer JOB. J-O-B.
Sit around in tents, play soldier all day, whatever. It's still a job. And, a crappy paying one, at that. Learning how to throw grenades, shoot rifles, and jump over obstacle courses, things that we'll be doing every day as dentists. Time that could be spent in externship, or somehow otherwise learning our trade.
Now, ask yourself, do you see university football players taking a summer research fellowship in genetics? But, we'll be putting ourselves down next to washed out football players, jumping over logs.
This stuff may (or may not) be important, given the "every soldier is an infantryman" routine (even though women still aren't allowed into the infantry, so that doesn't really make sense) or if you're trying to impress your dad/spouse/girlfriend/etc. But, how important is ALL of this, considering that most dentists choose to pay off their own loans and do quite well for themselves. And, again, given the DoD's need for incoming/retainable medical professionals.
There have been quite a number of nice changes made to the policies this year, and while pleased, I'm not really satisfied. Considering how easily those policies were changed and the budgeting available, we're still getting screwed.

Now, I've been enlisted before, as many might know. I've looked at military dentists and wondered how much they were getting paid. I always thought it was some extravagant amount compared to others of the same rank, but it's really not. The bonus is pretty lame. I had a $25K bonus as a private just out of high school (or $20k, can't remember), so it's not all that much, in comparison. So, we'll be making pretty much the same as a desk-jockey "Power-point Ranger".
Some argue that we're saving on malpractice insurance, which, again, isn't really that much. Private practice dentistry doesn't seem to have a very hard time on that front. Dentistry malpractice lawsuits tend to be quite low, anyway, compared to medicine. Also, the military doesn't allow their physicians/dentists to be sued for malpractice....so it's not like they're doing us a favor. It's not like a loan repayment, with the military paying our malpractice -- they don't have to pay anything at all. Admittedly yes, we're all saving a certain amount with that, but, we're not getting paid well in the first place. So......
The BAH is nice, but the available houses and neighborhoods are usually crap. We would be paid the same BAH as regular 2LT Jackoff, which everybody seems to have missed. I don't very much look forward to living next to the idiots who got C's and D's in freshman English (online).
Giving up the right to free speech (which I've come to know and love) and the ability to hire/train/manage our own staff (and the fact that many of them make more than what they're offering us)... this is all starting to weigh pretty heavily on me. I'm looking at what could be offered and the fact that I'm considering all of this just so my wife doesn't have to work in retail any longer, and I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty dumb about it all.

You know what, you are the jackoff. I hope you don't do HPSP, because I don't want to be surrounded by ungrateful idiots like yourself. You are going to be a dentist, not a rockstar. Your **** still stinks. If you want to be treated like royalty, this is definatly not the profession for you.

The program is still a pretty good deal, and if you don't think so, then just don't do it. Nobody will care.

 

[ClickityClack]

Troll, I was helping to deliver babies in Kosovo while you were still in Fundamentals of Biology. I'm the closest thing to a rockstar that you're ever gonna talk to.

But, please- invite all your other little troll buddies over to curse and tell me how much of an idiot that I really am. And, make sure to tell them to leave their conceptual understanding at the door and completely look over the fact that I'm not just talking about myself.

But, it's the way of the world. Can't change something when there are enough idiots standing in line to take meager little handouts. I was really, really hoping that I left all that behind when I decided on dentistry.

I've got this pretty little blue ribbon that some guy gave me. Had his own helicopter and guys following him around in suits. Somebody called the commander in chef or something. Pretty funny that some kid still trying to learn how to spit-shine is trying to call me a jackoff.
You guys have fun.

 

[jmick101]

Dude, you are just trying to show off that are more "prior servicier than thou." I know your type. You did some time in the Army medical corp and have the equivalent of short man syndrome. You feel the need to brag about it and try to cow other people who haven't been in the Army yet so that you come across as some kind of Delta Force operator. But if you were actually in the same room with an SF guy or a Ranger, you wouldn't utter a peep, and we both know it. Spare us, ok.

If you think that the sacrifices imposed are greater than the rewards, then dont do it. Its that simple, so stop whining about the obvious.

For those who may be wondering, take it from someone who is actually a dental student on scholarship, I have NOTHING to complain about monetarily with the HPSP. Full tuition (72000 a year) and fees and $1900 a month stipend (thats right suckas) is pretty dang good. Sure the military doesn't pay what the average dentist is supposed to make, but they seem to try and keep their personnel happy while balancing the needs of the Army. There are a litany of financial and personal reasons to like the scholarship. Think about this: the relatively lower pay keeps out *****s like the OP, thats gotta count for something right?

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

.

Hello again.

Don't trip over yourselves welcoming me back.

So, here's a thought: with the incentive pay caps being raised and all, and considering that we are the ones with the talent.... why are we still the ones tracking down the scholarships? (It all depends on who the recruiters in a given location are. If a recruiting area has a great recruiter who actually cares about recruiting, then there is no need to be "tracking down" the scholarships. AF fills theirs yearly, have people tracking them down and have plenty of people to choose from, so they don't have to spend all their resources tracking down people. People will seek them out. The Navy - well, some years they meet their goal and some they don't. In some areas, they have to do a lot of searching to get their numbers. In others, they don't. The Army on the other hand, not many want to join the Army, so they have to fight to get help. They put a lot of pressure on their recruiters to get numbers in areas of the country, so it is not uncommon to find them out there going to dental schools a few times per year (the schools will only allow them to visit so often.) Plus they will go to undergrad schools all the time. In the end, the recruiters can only do so much. There are only so many resources available to them. The whole purpose of advertising is to get the attention of people like those who visit the military dental forum here at SDN and make us want to look for them and apply for a scholarship. Just because there are more incentives and special pays has no affect why the recruiters should be the ones searching for us. If you think about it, when the word gets out that the military offers bonuses, raises special pays, etc., we should be the ones who think "damn, that doesn't soud so bad. Maybe I should find out more about the scholarships." Not the reverse as you suggest.)


Not necessarily advocating recruiters going door to door on campus, but why are we doing the DoD's work for them? How are we doign the work for the military? Are you referring to those of us who are a part of SDN? If yes, then we aren't doing the work for the military. We are freely participating in a forum that just happend to have a place for those who are interested in being doctors of some sort in the military. It has no affiliation with the military. Now, don't think that the military don't know this site exists because they do. There are a few big wigs in the Navy Dentistry at least who do visit and give imput from time to time. I got one of them to join here a year or so ago. We aren't doing the work for them. We are just helping others who have the interest get the information they need because we want to help others who are interested. They (the recruiters) have plenty of other work they need to do to meet their needs. The general schpeel about the schol. process is that only the "worthy" go through the hassle of applying/going to the recruiter/worrying about acceptance/etc, so the DoD gets it's pick of the litter.
Does anyone other than me see the incongruency in the limited number of available scholarships and the military's whine of "not enough dentists are joining"? No matter how much need their is, the military still is only allotted so much money yearly for scholarships and can only commission a certain number of people per year as designated by congress. The money could be made available for more scholarships, but unless they are allowed to commission the scholarship holders, it does no good. In order to get a commission, it takes an act of congress.
http://www.usmedicine.com/article.cfm?articleID=1404&issueID=32

And, at the same time, we're the ones sending (or will be sending) in the reimbursement forms, etc. I know I'm being a schmuck by joining again after the crap I went through in the military, but do I really need that type of headache while trying to get an A in gross anatomy? If you want to have a scholarship, then yes, you want to deal with the "headache". How is it a headache sending in the forms and receipts? If you have any organizational skills, then it is a simple process of filling out the right forms and sending it in with the receipts. For the money you get and the feeling of relief that you get for not having to pay for school or have to worry about most if not all of your living expenses, you should be happy to send in the receipts. If you don't want the "headache", then don't rejoin the military. it is that simple.

And the idea that we're getting so much out of it, with the loan repayment thing:
If I want my house painted (this is the loan I want repayed, for metaphorically-challenged), do I really need to petition a painter to consider my house over another, and then drive around getting his supplies for him? Actually, some contractors (including painters), you do need to convince them that your house (job) is the one they want to do. If they have a good rep, then they have enough business that they can be selective! As far as the supplies go, if you cannot make up your mind what you want, they will make you pick them out and get them yourself until you can prove that your decision is not going to change.

We'll have more education than the commander in chief, but rolling over like school-girls (WTF does this comment have to do with anything? Just because a person has gone to school longer doesn't mean jack. And how are we rolling over like school girls? I don't think I am getting screwed in all orifices by any means. If you don't having to deal with life in the military again, then don't join again. It is that simple. Otherwise, quit the whining.)

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

.

I know we've come a long way since the looting and pillaging days, but it seems to me that we're in a pretty powerful bargaining position that's not being fully taken advantage of.
Some might say, "Oh, but look what you're already getting." And, yes, we're getting alot. But, why hasn't the available number of scholarships been increased (because only a certain number of people are allowed to be comissioned yearly based on the number of officer slots in the military as set by congress), and why do we still have to do the footwork (footwork for what)? Why are we only first commissioned as lieutenants, the same rank as an undergrad ROTC graduate? (It has to do with education level needed for that program. A ROTC graduate has a BS or BA just as most people who are on the HPSP scholarship. Once an HSPS holder graduates, they put on the O-3 rank immediately. If you want to compare the ROTC and the HPSP, they get midshipmen rank (I think E-5 or E-6 grade) while in undergrad while HPSP folk get O-1. Why doesn't the scholarship pay BAH? (Because when on the HPSP, you are in the inactive reserves, not on active duty. The stipend is meant to go towards housing and other living expenses. Only when a person is in the Navy's HSCP program do you get BAH and BAS.) Why aren't we given cars like NONcommissioned recuiters, or per diem for food? (That is just a idiotic question that doesn't deserve answering. You've been inthe military and know why.)
Look at how much a university football player is given: cars, housing, money under the table, free tuition, you name it... Then look at what we're getting: a crappy little stipend, loan repayment, commission as a 2LT just an art history major undergrad, a nifty little summer JOB, and all the paperwork/anxiety we can manage. (Don't join if you are that unhappy about the money given. If you don't like the contracted money, then take out the loans and then use your mad business skills in the civilan sector and bake the big bucks you seem to want.) Aren't we just as talented? Everyone says we're the smart ones, but it looks pretty dumb to me. Especially when nobody pays attention when the DoD says they don't have enough incoming dentists/physicians. (It isn't that nobody pays attention. We have a purely volunteer military. You cannot force people to join. Even if more scholarships were made available, you still have to fill them. When only a limited number of people want to join, you will continually have an undermanned military until such a time where people are mandated to serve their country for "x" number of years. This will not happen again any time soon.)

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

.

And note, I said summer JOB. J-O-B.
Sit around in tents, play soldier all day, whatever. It's still a job. And, a crappy paying one, at that. Learning how to throw grenades, shoot rifles, and jump over obstacle courses, things that we'll be doing every day as dentists. (WTF are you talking about.) Time that could be spent in externship, or somehow otherwise learning our trade.
Now, ask yourself, do you see university football players taking a summer research fellowship in genetics? (Actually, there are football players who do research fellowships. To think otherwise is sheer ignorance. Football players aren't all dumb jocks as you obviously feel. Some go on to go to med school, dental school, get their PhD, etc. That said, it is not mandatory that you actually do the 45 days active duty during the summers if your school doesn't allow the time during the summer. Very few people do their fellowships because their school schedules don't allow it.) But, we'll be putting ourselves down next to washed out football players, jumping over logs.
This stuff may (or may not) be important, given the "every soldier is an infantryman" routine (even though women still aren't allowed into the infantry, so that doesn't really make sense) or if you're trying to impress your dad/spouse/girlfriend/etc. But, how important is ALL of this, considering that most dentists choose to pay off their own loans and do quite well for themselves. And, again, given the DoD's need for incoming/retainable medical professionals.
There have been quite a number of nice changes made to the policies this year, and while pleased, I'm not really satisfied. Considering how easily those policies were changed and the budgeting available, we're still getting screwed.

Now, I've been enlisted before, as many might know. I've looked at military dentists and wondered how much they were getting paid. I always thought it was some extravagant amount compared to others of the same rank, but it's really not. The bonus is pretty lame. I had a $25K bonus as a private just out of high school (or $20k, can't remember), so it's not all that much, in comparison. So, we'll be making pretty much the same as a desk-jockey "Power-point Ranger".
Some argue that we're saving on malpractice insurance, which, again, isn't really that much. Private practice dentistry doesn't seem to have a very hard time on that front. Dentistry malpractice lawsuits tend to be quite low, anyway, compared to medicine. Also, the military doesn't allow their physicians/dentists to be sued for malpractice....so it's not like they're doing us a favor. It's not like a loan repayment, with the military paying our malpractice -- they don't have to pay anything at all. Admittedly yes, we're all saving a certain amount with that, but, we're not getting paid well in the first place. So......
The BAH is nice, but the available houses and neighborhoods are usually crap. We would be paid the same BAH as regular 2LT Jackoff, which everybody seems to have missed. I don't very much look forward to living next to the idiots who got C's and D's in freshman English (online).
Giving up the right to free speech (which I've come to know and love) and the ability to hire/train/manage our own staff (and the fact that many of them make more than what they're offering us)... this is all starting to weigh pretty heavily on me. I'm looking at what could be offered and the fact that I'm considering all of this just so my wife doesn't have to work in retail any longer, and I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty dumb about it all. (No, you are just looking pretty dumb in general right now based on your comments. Do you think you are any better than anyone else? If you do, I feel sorry for you. Just because you may be a nerd or have a natural God given ability to retain information and get good grades doesn't mean that other officers aren't as intelligent or even more intelligent than you are. It does NOT take a lot of intelligence to make it through professional schools. It takes an ability to remember info and it takes perseverance. Just because someone got C's and D's in English doesn't mean anything without knowing why they got those grades. A lot of people party in college and really didn't give a crap about what grade they get in English as long as they passed. If you aren't trying to get into a profession school, why motivation do they have to do well in any given course other than they meet the requirements necessary to pass the class and graduate. Ones grades have correlation to ones intelligence and ability to lead.

If you don't like what the military offers and the freedoms (or lack of freedoms) that you will have in the military, then you have no one to blame and no right to complain if you join again. If I became your department head or CO/XO (which I won't), knew you had been enlisted before you took the HPSP and still had to hear you complain, I would make your life suck that much more while int he military. If you were as obviously disgruntled as you seem or were displeased with the military as you seem yet you still decided to join again just for the scholarship, then you deserve to what you get. I'm don't mean to be a jerk, but you are sitting here complaining about staffing needs, monetary compensation and the fact that the military doesn't think you are better than other officers just because you will eventually be able to be called "Doctor". Get a life. You and no one here is better than anyone else who doesn't have a doctorate degree. It just means you were in school longer and attained a higher degree. How the military sets officers apart from each other based on education level is based on the job they enter and the education level required to enter that job. If all you need is a BS/BA, then you enter as an O-1. If your job requires you to have a masters degree, then you enter as an O-2. If your job requires a doctorate degree, then you enter as an O-3. Now, there are special circumstances that can change this slightly. In critical jobs (like the healthcare ones), if you have performed your job for quite a few years in the civilian sector, it is possible to get an initial rank higher than the typical entry rank because of the experience. For example, if you have been practicing dentistry for 10 to 15 years, a person might be given an O-4 or O-5 rank to join because of their experience. Another example that I have seen - nuclear engineers. I have seen nuclear engineers who have been working in the civilian sector with PhDs who are given )-5 ranks and I heard of someone who was given an O-6 rank right off the street because of his experience and the needs of the Navy. These are examples where it goes against the norm. Otherwise, it follows the normal criteria I mentioned above. The military doesn't look at us as any more special than anyone else because we aren't. We all have our roles that we must fill. In the end, what it comes down to is that if you aren't happy with how the military is ran, how you are compensated, how the staffing is, how you are not looked upon as more special that someone who got C's and D's in English, etc, then don't join. I applaud you in wanting to having the motivation and desire to better your life and the life of your family so your wife doesn't have to work retail anymore. That does show you do have at least some good characteristics other than just being a complainer as seen here. But, if money is the reason you are taking the scholarship is your driving factor, why join? Even at private schools, you can get enough loans (even if they have to be non-federally guaranteed loans from private instituations) to pay for school and to live off. There are ways to get the funding for school and not have to join the military. One way or another, you will have to make decisions and sacrifices to get what you want. You just need to choose which sacrifices you want to make and then stick to them without b itching and moaning about it. You only will have yourself to blame for the decisions you make especially if you choose to rejoin the military and are already unhappy about it. Think hard before you make your decision.!

)

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Sorry folks, that just got to me.

Basically, my thoughts/opinions :

1. ONLY JOIN the military if you (a) are willing to settle to a limited (but not bad when you include the overall benefits received from the scholarship and not having to pay off loans and are only doing 4 years and getting out) salary, (b) are willing to accept that you have limited say in how a dental clinic is run/set up, (c) are willing to make sacrifices you would not have to make in the civilian sector and (d) want to serve your country. Otherwise, you will be unhappy and will not enjoy your time of commitment and will make others lives hell while you are at it (I have experienced this first hand).

2. The military is 100% voluntary! NEVER enter into a contract not knowing the facts and details - this includes mortgages, car loans, military scholarships, etc. You and you alone are to blame it you have not done the research to be well informed. If you don't know the answer or feel what you are being told is questionable, find someone you trust who does know the answer. In the end, once you sign your name you are responsible for fulfilling the obligation of that contract. If you are uncertain of something, ask someone. There are enough of us who are on active duty or have been on active duty before as military officers/dentists who can either answer your questions or tell you where to go to get the source. We will also back each other up and correct the info given should one of us be mistaken. Therefore, if you don't ask and you still join not knowing the facts, you have no room to complain of you feel you didn't know something important. Now, there are too many things about life in the military, the ins and outs of military dentistry to state here, but for the most part the important things are covered here. If you don't ask and still decide this is what you want and join, then don't complain you didn't know. I love the military, but there are also things I do not necessarily care about. But you won't hear me complain about them because those things aren't worth complaining about because I love the other aspects of military life or those things are just things that are tied to life in the military like deployments and being away from your family.


3. I love the freedoms we have in the US. Free speech is great. Being able to post in forums like SDN is a freedom that other people in the world would love to have. I understand a person's desire to vent, complain, state feelings of jubilation, etc. This is a great freedom. But if you are an informed person who chooses to enter a contact knowing they might be unhappy or are a person who chooses to be ignorant by not asking questions, then you have no room to complain when you find that life in the military can suck at times.

4. NEVER join if the only reason you want to join is because the attractiveness of the scholarship money is your only reason!!!!!!!!

 

[ClickityClack]

But if you were actually in the same room with an SF guy or a Ranger, you wouldn't utter a peep,

This made me smile.


Knute Rockne - look him up. You might see my post a little differently if you realize it's a generalization. Notice how easily that you can nitpick everything I wrote to pieces. I kinda did that on purpose.
Notice, if you're posting (whether for or against), you are obviously interested in the subject matter. Dialogue should be started along these lines, otherwise the military's never gonna meet it's hopes of higher incoming numbers. Unless there's another nationalism surge in the works, of course. So, since everyone here is much manlier and "more smarter" than me, let's have a few suggestions as to how exactly to entice people a little better. (Wow, I should have put a poll option in here...)

And see, there's a clear social divide which is pretty evident in just these few posts: profit-oriented vs. nationalist. One a given day, I'm one or the other, so I can clearly relate to pretty much everything that's said here. Your posts actually aren't lost on me, navydds. But..... it's pretty easy to snub your nose at HPSP if you're profit-oriented. I'd like to see further dialogue on how to entice them.

 

[jmick101]

If anything you said was worth responding to beyond what NavyDDS has already written, then I would. I wrote what I did to correct any misconception some hapless lurker might get from your convoluted brainfart.

 

[eric275]

I've got this pretty little blue ribbon that some guy gave me. Had his own helicopter and guys following him around in suits. Somebody called the commander in chef or something.
You guys have fun.

First of all, take your meds.

Secondly, I hope your not implying what I think you are with this statement. Exactly what award would you be referring to??? Please do tell. Let me guess, your gonna tell me that it has a bunch of little white stars on it?

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

First of all, take your meds.

Secondly, I hope your not implying what I think you are with this statement. Exactly what award would you be referring to??? Please do tell. Let me guess, your gonna tell me that it has a bunch of little white stars on it?

Wow, we have a MOH soldier here? I thought we all got one of those. It looks damn good on my choker whites!

 

[pietrodds]

Wladziu,
It takes a real man to sit behind some anonymous screen name proclaiming how great you are and about what the world/military owes you. All the cards are on the table and if you don't like the deal don't take it. I feel sorry for anyone who gets stuck having you for their dentist. Our military personnel deserve better. However, someone like yourself will do better working for some entity willing to pay you a set salary as interpersonal skills would leave you bankrupt in the real world my friend.

Every time I sign on to SDN I want to kick myself because I can't stand reading posts of people like yourself. I'm embarassed if some day to ever call you a colleague. Since you seem to envy football players why don't you go do that? Show me the info that states any football players in school get cars, money under the table, etc. Get a life... actually, get a degree first so you can quench that inferiority complex of yours and be called doctor.

 

[ClickityClack]

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[ClickityClack]

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[HawkeyeDDS]

And, hey, as to my anonymity: I'm Willam B. Cherry, a junior at NCA&T, lab animal science/mechanical engineering major. I live at 1107 Portland Street, Greensboro, NC, 27403. Eight years of service, Army 1998-2006, 19K. I grew up in Washington, NC. I have red hair, I'm a Gemini, I don't have a cat (but I'd like one), and Wladziu is my wife's nickname for me. I'm in honors, ALD, PKP, AKM, AC, GSD, MANNRS, USNDA, etc. Please call all the dental schools and tell them you don't like me. It will speak volumes to your character.

I'm in tears reading this last part. I can't even type because I am laughing so hard.

 

[jb54ram]

Seriously. I was trying to help, and you geniuses attacked me for it. I'm one of your own, you damn cannibals.



And, hey, as to my anonymity: I'm Willam B. Cherry, a junior at NCA&T, lab animal science/mechanical engineering major. I live at 1107 Portland Street, Greensboro, NC, 27403. Eight years of service, Army 1998-2006, 19K. I grew up in Washington, NC. I have red hair, I'm a Gemini, I don't have a cat (but I'd like one), and Wladziu is my wife's nickname for me. I'm in honors, ALD, PKP, AKM, AC, GSD, MANNRS, USNDA, etc. Please call all the dental schools and tell them you don't like me. It will speak volumes to your character.

I hope all your posts are tongue and cheek---if not, I am glad I will be done with my Army career before you get here.

 

[ClickityClack]

.

 

[jb54ram]

Oh, here you go, JB: http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/neu193288.pdf
Just a little joke for you. Don't take too much offense. I know I'm expected to kiss your ass, since I'm just an undergrad. Please, sir, don't damage my feelings with such hurtful words. I'll do better next time, I promise, sir! I'm really looking forward to serving with such a talented dentist.

I don't expect anyone to kiss my ass---I am learning from many fine dentists how to improve my skills so that I can be capable as a private practicioner. I am certainly amongst the lowest ranking individuals at my post.

In dentistry, in order to be good you must always question your abilities and strive to do better----When you think your **** doesn't stink, your work typically does. Unfortunatly your patients don't know this, and the crown you just sold them instead of the big screen television they really wanted will be have to be replaced.

The other facet of dentistry that is very important is mentorship, if you piss to many people off, they won't want to help you. Fortunately, I find your postings semi amusing and if we ever did work together, I wouldn't mind being friends.



I've really gotta stop expecting any respect from people. I grew up thinking that combat service made you a hero, apparently I watched too many movies growing up.

Respect is earned through actions---your prior actions may warrant everyones respect, but how are we to know what you have done. Your current demeanor toward others on this site haven't earned to much respect.

Good Luck in your pursuit of your dental degree. Looking back it is not amazingly challenging, but it does take time and effort.

P.S. I hope you don't think you can piss me off or offend me via a thread!

 

[ClickityClack]

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[jmick101]

 

[jmick101]

Ok Wladziu, lets talk. I promise to play nice. I can see that some on this board, including myself, have given you a hard time. You are frustrated because you feel a lack of support, or respect from the people on this board you feel is due you because of your combat experience.

Thing is, the one thing that most people do respect on this board is experience. You have that experience, but your manner, the way you put things is so grating, so off-putting that no one cares to listen to you. That is a shame because you might, considering your time in service, have something worthwhile to say. But until you calm down, ease up a bit, and learn how to put things in such a way that doesn't manage to piss off almost everyone who reads it, you will continue to be roundly criticized and dismissed.

It seems that most of the folks on this board have military experience and won't be wowed by anyone unless they have something good to bring to the table. So that is my invitation to you, calm down, dont be so abrasive, and see if you can draw on your considerable experience to bring something good to the discussion. Do that and I (and I think many others) will lay off. Don't do that, and, well... it will be just more of the same.

 

[ClickityClack]

You know, you're right.
You're absolutely right, not being sarcastic at all, I promise.

Every time those old guys said, "they'll never understand", I never really got it until now. What was I expecting out of you guys? You're just dentists, or soon to be. It is a shame on me. I guess I just thought you guys were smart enough. I'm not putting you down, i just thought you all would just get it. All that bedside manner stuff that you hear about.

My complete mistake, fellas. There's no way you guys would know what the hell I'm talking about, or the purpose of the thread. If you're happy with what they're offering, that's perfectly fine. I'm not being sarcastic, I completely understand. I wish some moderator would come along and shut this thread down, or move it or something. All I've done here is just make a complete ass of myself.


Holy **** I miss my buddies. Merrick had to go and get blown all to ****, and ******* Jimmy gave in to the pressure and now I've got nobody to drink with. They're all blind as bats.

 

[KOM]

I guess I just thought you guys were smart enough. I'm not putting you down, i just thought you all would just get it. All that bedside manner stuff that you hear about.

Try this...think before you type. Just try it.

I might write something similar to you without really thinking of how it may be interpreted.

For example...
I thought YOU were smart enough to get it. Smart enough to realize there's lots of suffering in this world. Smart enough to realize there are people out there that don't get enough to eat...that fight in wars every single day...that go through way more than what you've gone through. Smart enough to realize that if you're looking for sympathy, compassion, or someone "smart enough" to understand what you've been through then you won't start by saying "I just thought you guys were smart enough."

Your road to recovery will need to begin by treating your fellow citizens with respect regardless of how much you feel you've had to sacrifice or how much you feel they may not understand you. People will be much more willing to listen to your grievances if you do so. I for one am sorry for your losses. I'm also sorry you've developed such an apparent disconnect from your fellow countrymen. We're on the same team whether you believe it or not.

 

[HawkeyeDDS]

You know, you're right.
You're absolutely right, not being sarcastic at all, I promise.

Every time those old guys said, "they'll never understand", I never really got it until now. What was I expecting out of you guys? You're just dentists, or soon to be. It is a shame on me. I guess I just thought you guys were smart enough. I'm not putting you down, i just thought you all would just get it. All that bedside manner stuff that you hear about.

My complete mistake, fellas. There's no way you guys would know what the hell I'm talking about, or the purpose of the thread. If you're happy with what they're offering, that's perfectly fine. I'm not being sarcastic, I completely understand. I wish some moderator would come along and shut this thread down, or move it or something. All I've done here is just make a complete ass of myself.


Holy **** I miss my buddies. Merrick had to go and get blown all to ****, and ******* Jimmy gave in to the pressure and now I've got nobody to drink with. They're all blind as bats.

First of all I appreciate good sarcasm. and you are exactly right, most of us here will never be able to understand what you have been through. It is after all a military dentistry site, and by that standard are not a bunch of bad *****es. But that doesn't mean that we don't appreciate your sacrifice and experience. I would gladly serve with you, but hopefully I will be long gone. Most of us here are either future military dentists who have no military experience, current military dentists just trying to pay back thier time and little to no combat experience, and a few who are hell bent on recruiting. Maybe misery loves compay. (blatant sarcasm).

PS: I've got 2 AAM's and one ARCOM, ok they were mostly just PCS awards.
I think my kids play with them now.

 

[xianexiane]

its 1:40 am and i cant stop reading this thread....

 

[jmick101]

Wladziu,

Dude, I am just going to say this once. Have you had to fold up a flag and give it to your buddies parents while someone plays taps? Sat and listened to "roll call" while trying to keep your composure? I know you know what I am talking about.

It sucks to see friends die and the hell and pain that follows. DONT THINK FOR ONE SECOND that you are the only person here who has seen it. I am tired of listening to your rants as if you had some monopoly on the military experience, and frankly it pisses me off to see you banty it around so that others will pity you. If you have problems upstairs, then get help. If not, then stop using your experience to make yourself look better than others here. As I said earlier, you might be surprised at the level of experience of some of the people on this thread.

 

[UOP_Dentist]

Being a military member myself, i can understand where you're coming from (well, since I'm USAF, i can't totally relate to how much you experienced), but i think the words you wrote could have been better thought out. I think you pissed alot of ppl in here (most are "pre-dental" "dental student" "pre-military" who don't know much of the military). I totally understand with your stance regarding the pros and cons of the military. I've been there, and yes, i've been lied to many times. But its best to role with the punches, make the best of situations, enjoy and learn from your experience, and NEVER regret anything. I've never regretted serving my country, and will do it the same if had to, but I know that there are more lucrative prospects for me in the real world (i just can't speak for everyone).