ISO: Previous Traders and Veterans FT: BA Cakes

I think you might also be finding the scenario that @Haywire mentioned where vets often don't want to take advantage of that status, @Donkster46 is a case in point from a recent "FT Free Beer ISO Reason Why" thread:

So, since he's going to be modest about it, while I won't share a story that isn't mine to share, I'm going to encourage you to keep @Haywire in mind, this is absolutely something 'meant for him', whether he likes it or not

 

With all the craziness going on with all the BA Mexican Cakes and what people want for them, this is amazing. Well done!

 

Ok, not sure if OP has gotten any entries but he definitely needs to be rewarded for his extreme generosity and recognition of our service members. I'd hate to see his generosity go unrewarded. I'm not a big fan of telling stories about myself when I served. I don't really like to go into details with civilians. But when I do open up, it's usually to discuss the life lessons I learned when I served, lessons that I've been able to bring with me into the civilian world.

I served in the USMC from 2001 - 2005. I was an 0311 (infantryman) with the 2nd Light Armored Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. I did two tours overseas in Iraq, with the last one being in Fallujah from February - September 2004. During my second tour, I experienced more than I had ever imagined, things that most civilians never dream of. Things I took for granted in the past became things I cherished when I got home. Unfortunately, everything I experienced was overshadowed by the loss of eight of my fellow Marines and the injuries to countless more. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of them and their families they left behind.

As far as a story, I will tell one that is one of the stories I learned a life lesson from.

Halfway through my second tour, we were doing a patrol down one of the side roads on the outskirts of Fallujah. Up to that point, our platoon had been very fortunate not to have been hit directly by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). We had found quite a few but never got hit by any. The other platoons weren't so fortunate. I'd estimate that we were finding (either on purpose or by getting hit) about 3-5 IEDs per week. Anyway, on this particular day, we were doing a mounted patrol on a side route. I was the Scout Section Leader for my platoon with 8 Marines under my command. As we patrolled down this road, I, along with my saw gunner, was standing up in the back of our vehicle. On the main road that ran parallel to the side road, one of the other gunners in our platoon noticed a suspicious looking vehicle stopped about 200 meters down the road. As we couldn't do much without evidence, we continued on our way but kept a close eye on the vehicle. Within a couple minutes, our suspicions proved true. A thunderous explosion rocked my vehicle as we were enveloped in dust from the sand road below us. Instinctively, I dropped to my knees inside the vehicle. My ears were ringing uncontrollably and a clear liquid began oozing out of my ears. I yelled to the others in my vehicle to check their health. Everyone rogered up so I began checking myself, going straight for my balls to make sure they were there before I checked anything else. Other than the liquid from my ears and the intense ringing, I was fine. I deployed my scouts from the vehicle and we began scanning the immediate area for any insurgents that may have set off the IED. About 100 meters off the side of the road, there were a few small houses. So, we decided to go there to talk to the locals to see if they could give us info as to who planted and set off the bomb. The one thing we did notice is that the suspicious car was gone. As we headed to the small village, I noticed my adrenaline rush from being hit by the IED was starting to wear down and I was extremely dehydrated. I took a quick sip from my camelbak and realized I just took my last sip. It was over 100 degrees and I was beginning to overheat. We reached the small village and I split my scouts into two sections, my squad taking one building and the other taking the other building. I was trained as a limited Iraqi translator so I walked up to the first house and began talking to the man who greeted me at the door. As I began to get info from him, I noticed my vision was becoming narrow. The man we were talking to probably noticed I was dehydrated as were my fellow scouts. He said something I couldn't comprehend and went into his house. My situational awareness shot through the roof because I didn't know what the hell was about to happen. For all I knew, he was going inside to get a small army. Probably didn't help that I was about to pass out. A minute passed and the man emerged from his house with a medium sized metal bowl. As he approached, he motioned for me to come closer. He handed the bowl to me and I looked inside. It was full of ice cold water (they don't have ice but at the time and under the circumstances, the bowl seemed like it was freezing). He motioned for me to take a sip. I looked at the water a bit closer and noticed small bits floating about. But, at that point, it was either I pass out from heat exhaustion or I start drinking. So I began to drink it down and it felt soooo good. I passed it around and shared it with the other Marines. We polished off the bowl in minutes and then man went in to get us seconds. After we downed that bowl, we began talking with him some more to get more info. He gave us a good bit of info and thanked us for being there. I rounded up my small group of scouts and headed over to the other building expecting them to be waiting in a defensive position until I could start talking to the building occupants. Instead, they were all sitting down with the Iraqis, sharing some water and playing with the kids (two of the scouts were providing security - we weren't that stupid). I spoke with the owners of the house and got a good amount of info out of them as well. I thanked them for their generosity and we made our way back to our vehicles. As we waled back, I couldn't help but be amazed by what we just experienced. Despite all the chaos and hatred that surrounded us in that hell hole, we found a little piece of calm.

Some may not take much away from that simple experience but I took away a lot. Despite the many prejudices we are all filled with, we must try to force ourselves to realize that not all prejudices are true. We must at least give people a chance to prove themselves before we place judgement. I try to force myself to remember this every time I judge someone without getting to know them. It's a daily struggle but this one experience and take away comes to mind every time I start to judge.

As for beer, after I got out of the service, I drank mainly BMC. I graduated to Yuengling around my lates 20s. I experimented with a few craft beers but it wasn't until about 2 years ago that I really got into it. After the service, it was very hard to find friends that I could share my experiences with. The bond that I had made with my brothers in the service was and still is very hard to replace. So it made it very difficult when trying to establish a new group of friends. It wasn't until 2 years ago when craft beer helped me form some of the bonds I missed so dearly. My passion for craft began because of a friendship I struck up with @jpsboom. It was the one thing, imo, that I could relate to easily. We'd shoot the shit about beer all day long, find new beers, share them, and find others to drink with. I started stalking the forums here and really got into BIFs and the mini communities they created. It wasn't until I got caught up in SWTFYW that I became hooked and found a small portion of the brotherhood that I left behind. While most of us over in that shotshow of a thread are horrendous degenerates, the one thing that brings us all together is the kindness, generosity, and overall love for craft beer and the spirit it represents. So, I may not have the same brothers I once had, at least I met some new ones that help fill the void.

 

Thank you for sharing that story @Haywire

Nice job with this thread OP (and other donators)

 

This may be my favorite gesture/thread all year. Real Karma
Thanks OP!

 

Great thread, my best friend is a EOD war vet, introduced me to sours, great beers, and home brewing. I hope to open a brewery with him someday.

 

Here's another story to bump the thread and get some other folks sharing (hopefully). This is the story @Dicers was asking for.

I was on a patrol in the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq one night when we got a call to head over to a gas station where insurgents were reportedly seen firing off weapons. Our platoon headed over to check it out. When we arrived the place was deserted save for a small pack of puppies who immediately start barking at us when we arrived. On e we determined the location was secure, I set my Marines up in a defensive position. But the dogs kept barking and were giving away our position. So I went up to the pack, pulled a MRE out of my patrol bag, tore it open and pulled out a beer jerky (the beer jerky in MREs blows goats so I was t gonna eat it anyway). I held it out as an offering and all the dogs shut up. They just stared at me but would not approach. After a few seconds one of the smallest of the pack of pups started cautiously inching towards me. I placed my rifle strapped across my back, held out my other hand carefully so he could get a good sniff of me, and then ripped off a piece of the jerky for him to eat. He seemed to feel safe so he took the piece out of my hand and started chowing down. The rest of the pack became more at ease so I ripped off pieces for all of them and gave it to each one individually. After that they were all quiet and played amongst themselves. I headed back to go check on my Marines and quickly glanced back at the pack. All of the. We're playing except the little guy who took the first piece. He was following me over to where I was gonna set up in a defensive position. After finding a good spot, I laid down in the prone and the little guy came over and sat right by my side. The rest of the pack was playing around and be just sat there, looking out at the surrounding area with me as if he was just another Marine. We sat there for a good 20 minutes and the little guy didn't move. I was trying to figure out ways to bring him back to base when we got the call to resume patrolling. We headed back to our vehicles and drive off. The little guy and his pack chased us as we left but he was at the front of the pack running hardest. It was hard to leave him because I knew what usually happened to dogs out there. They didn't live long and their carcasses were used to hide IEDs. As we grew further apart, I looked him in the eyes and wished him luck. For a brief moment, I like to believe he said the same to me. I named him Scout (I was a Marine scout) and like to think he watched over me during my time out there. He brought a little bit of sanity to the insanity we dealt with daily. And I like to think he's still alive to this day.

 

So many feels, I actually shed a tear at work. Thank your for your service and thank you to everyone in the armed forces.

 

Thank you @Brdlist for your extreme generosity. I had the pleasure of meeting OP on a trip to Charlotte for one of my first IP trades. Being new to the beer trading world at the time, I was nervous meeting a total stranger so far from home. Something about IP trades are always a little awkward anyway but what I found was a really cool guy who loved beer. Obviously we are all in this for great beer, but the people you meet along the way is what makes this hobby special. The beer is just a catalyst for the great relationships that are forged.

Since I started this hobby, I have experienced my share of bottle releases, Dark Lord Day, and other special beer related events and what I found is I feel very welcome, never judged and a sense of belonging. It is this sense of belonging with a group of craft beer lovers that I find irreplaceable. I promise to share any generous gift bestowed upon me with my grandfather who is a veteran of WWII. And a big thank you to all the veterans who continue to make this hobby possible. - Jeff

 

Just wanted to give a huge shout out to @Brdlist for running this very generous and honorable LIF. Can't thank you enough for the bottle and for honoring those that served and continue to serve.

Sorry I didn't post this earlier but here's the DB Mexican Cake that he sent me.



Huge thanks again dude!