Newbee Senior Uniforms?

[JohnKachenmeister]

Jack:

I didn't see it as aimed at me. We just posted at the same time.

By the way, I'm "Overweight," but can still (as of two weeks ago) carry 40 pounds of gear over two miles into the swamp and back out again. At 57 years old.

CAP standards do not take into account body fat and muscle mass.

[Major Carrales]

I...can still (as of two weeks ago) carry 40 pounds of gear over two miles into the swamp and back out again. At 57 years old.

Well, I guess some people just don't read "The Adventures of Smilin Kach and Sparky!" 

[SARMedTech]

There is just so much here with all the mud slinging that trying to quote specific instances of absolute nonsense would take forever, so Im just going to make a list and Im sure if an item refers to you, you will know who you are. By the way, being both "fat" (Im 5'9 and weigh 215 pounds after an auto accident...my target is 175 and am working on it with my doctor because its creating health problems, which after all is the only legitimate concern that people should have about being overweight: the health problems it leads to) and "fuzzy" I am truly shocked at the level of egotism presented by the "lean and clean" crowd. (There, now the fat and fuzzies can call names too! but i want a copyright on "lean and clean."  Here is my list. Consider it tacked to the church door (in no particular order):

1. Im not sure wear the statistic comes from that 90% of the EMS world wears blue BDUs but it is not an accurate statement. I think in my EMS career so far I have seen a grand total of 3 agencies/departments wear BDUs and one of them was one I worked for in the desert Southwest and they were sage green. Just because the pants have cargo pockets doesnt make them BDUs. In one of my part time EMS gigs I wear BDUs because I do tactical EMS for a private security contractor. My BDUs are grey.

2. I have a hard time believing that ANYONE in CAP is carrying a 100 pound field pack over a distance of many miles. Im a complete gear-geek and as such I carry alot of stuff when I do SAR, including a trauma kit. I spend the extra dough and by ultra-light gear and will NOT carry a pack that weighs more that 45 pounds. It is not good for the body, it is tiring and overall just plain stupid. However, being a part of the fat and fuzzy crowd and at age 33 having had a heart attack 3 years ago (when I was MUCH heavier than now)  I will pit myself against anyone who wishes to take me up on the challenge to carry a 100 pound pack over a distance of 3 miles. The only stipulation is that you must also carry all of the awkward gear I have to carry for tactical EMS. My LBV weighs about 17 pounds fully loaded and I carry a CLS pack that weight another 26. So we will be carrying 143 pounds of battle rattle. Ill even throw in free CPR for one of the "lean and clean" crowds when they collapse. One of the physical EMS requirements is being able to lift and carry 150 pounds unassisted. Not a problem despite the fact that some of you are "asshamed" that I wear the CAP uniform.

3. The cult of the uniform has not been created by the membership. It has been created by CAP-USAF so dont start pointing fingers at those who are concerned when they look in the mirror.

4. This one is for WINGNUT: if I were a pilot, I would be embarrassed to be in the same organization with you. You're condescending attitude makes me want to vomit, let alone the fact that you are just plain insenstive and cruel. Should I assume then that if you crash, you would prefer that I, as a "Big fat CAP slob" not care for you as an EMT either with CAP or with another agency. If so, please feel free to hang a black triage tag around your neck and I promise that my crew and I wont annoy you further by trying to save your life. I wouldn't want you to be "asshamed" when I saved your life and you had to thank my fat slob self. Oh by the way, can you do CPR compressions at the rate of 100 per minute for 25 minutes? No?  I CAN!

5. ALSO TO WINGNUT: A very large component of obesity has been linked to genetics. Would you like my family's names and addresses so you can write to them and be insulting and cruel?

6. Those of us with ES Ground specialties far outnumber pilots in CAP. The statistics from CAP itself support that. Having been involved in SAR and EMS for some time now, I have to say I will take a well-qualified, squared away ground team than a pilot ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. I have a great deal of respect for pilots and I admire them...I dont think I would want to be in control of an object flying through the air, let alone be responsible for my observer and spotters safety. But the fact is that there are SAR organizations all over the country that have NO planes or pilots. Pilots may fly over and spot wreckage or even see the body of a person if flying low enough, but its the ground pounders who put their a** over all kinds of terrain in all kinds of weather to rescue a survivor or recover a body, all the while carrying gear that they need, plus what a survivor might need. And when was that last time a SAR pilot zipped a crash victim into a body bag and carried them out on a Stokes? Ive done it three times now...along with some other fat SAR slobs.

7. Fortunately, compassion and the desire to serve our fellow human beings isnt weight based. Its attitude based.  When I recently stopped a small child from choking to death, the mother hugged me and thanked me. I dont recall her saying "but you could stand to lose a few pounds and that goatee has got to go.

Im probably already going to get spanked for the length and content of this post. I find myself a little queasy that I feel so blessed to serve my community and my country through CAP but that I have the misfortune to have to do it with many people who think that overweight or bearded people dont deserve to be given the right to serve because we dont appear on the cover of a fashion magazine.

Semper Vi! That is all.

[Hawk200]

I find myself a little queasy that I feel so blessed to serve my community and my country through CAP but that I have the misfortune to have to do it with many people who think that overweight or bearded people dont deserve to be given the right to serve because we dont appear on the cover of a fashion magazine.

I would hope you realize that not everyone that has responded to your previous posts have issue with your weight or beard.

[Pumbaa]

Yeah.. well..SARMedTech... My Goatee is better than yours!   

[SARMedTech]

I find myself a little queasy that I feel so blessed to serve my community and my country through CAP but that I have the misfortune to have to do it with many people who think that overweight or bearded people dont deserve to be given the right to serve because we dont appear on the cover of a fashion magazine.

I would hope you realize that not everyone that has responded to your previous posts have issue with your weight or beard.

Very true, sir, which is why I said "many" people and not "all." For the most part, the CAP officers Ive met in my short experience with the organization so far are generous, talented and all around good people. There are just some who have the "flight club" mentality or that we are somehow some kind of special ops organization in which every member must be able to stand with his team and hold a log over his head for an hour.

[SARMedTech]

Yeah.. well..SARMedTech... My Goatee is better than yours!   

Yeah...well...well....my dad can beat up your dad. 

PS- Bravo Zulu for your new avatar.   By the way, how do I get myself one of them there cute little guys?

[Pumbaa]

Yeah...well...well....my dad can beat up your dad.

Please!!! Send your dad right away!!!  I would love to have him kick my old mans butt!!! Someone needs to knock some sense into that evil S.O............ yeah well..

That is one of the many Portal People that Tedda did and I grabbed a few when he closed down the portal.  I've just been hacking them up with photoshop, probably insuling Tedda in the meantime...

[Hawk200]

Very true, sir, which is why I said "many" people and not "all." For the most part, the CAP officers Ive met in my short experience with the organization so far are generous, talented and all around good people. There are just some who have the "flight club" mentality or that we are somehow some kind of special ops organization in which every member must be able to stand with his team and hold a log over his head for an hour.

I'm glad we're on an even keel there. Personally, I am a strong supporter of "agreeing to disagree", but I felt lumped into a group that I wasn't part of, and don't agree with anyway. Misunderstanding on my part.

I will agree that there are some over the top types in CAP. Many of the guys in the Army that I have been associated with recently (involuntarily) would consider many of them "ate up".

You don't need a 100 pund ruck for anything in CAP. I don't pack that much for a week long event. Twenty pounds, and a vehicle within three miles is the smart way to do things as far as I'm concerned. Asked my commander one time if he had a pack prepped at all. He said, "You know that comm trailer out there? That's my pack." Seems quite reasonable when you think about it.

[SARMedTech]

Very true, sir, which is why I said "many" people and not "all." For the most part, the CAP officers Ive met in my short experience with the organization so far are generous, talented and all around good people. There are just some who have the "flight club" mentality or that we are somehow some kind of special ops organization in which every member must be able to stand with his team and hold a log over his head for an hour.

I'm glad we're on an even keel there. Personally, I am a strong supporter of "agreeing to disagree", but I felt lumped into a group that I wasn't part of, and don't agree with anyway. Misunderstanding on my part.

I will agree that there are some over the top types in CAP. Many of the guys in the Army that I have been associated with recently (involuntarily) would consider many of them "ate up".

You don't need a 100 pund ruck for anything in CAP. I don't pack that much for a week long event. Twenty pounds, and a vehicle within three miles is the smart way to do things as far as I'm concerned. Asked my commander one time if he had a pack prepped at all. He said, "You know that comm trailer out there? That's my pack." Seems quite reasonable when you think about it.

I too am glad we cleared up any misunderstanding. Im not fond of having bad blood among comrades. As I have often said I am a huge gear geek, but even I am not going to carry 100 pounds around. I have a high school friend (high school was longer ago that I care to think about) who is now a USCG Rescue Swimmer. He is fond of saying that his work equipment consists of a snorkel, swim fins and a switchblade. Do you think CAP could be made to look as glamorous if we made a Guardian type movie?   "Ma'am, Im a ground pounder with the Civil Air Patrol and Im here to...well Im not actually sure what Im here to do, but do you think I look fat in these BDUs?" 

[Pumbaa]

SARMedTech said: well Im not actually sure what Im here to do, but do you think I look fat in these BDUs?" 

OK now that does it!!!

SARMedTech YOU owe me a new keyboard and a NEW monitor!!!  I spit my morning drink all over the place on that one!!!

DAgnabbit! 4:30 AM and my keyboard is all sticky.. uhhh.. now wait one minute.... scratch that one...

Check out my new sig....

[SARMedTech]

Uh Rah, LT.  Sorry about your computer but I just couldnt resist that statement of my feelings about the whole uniform cult. If you ever make it up to Illinois, Ill buy you a beer and a steak and our goatees can have their pictures taken together (in green flight suits of course.)

Semper Vi!