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What did you want

As a child it always went from firefighter to police officer to astronaut, to who knows what. In early high school I was seriously considering joining the Navy to become a Navy SEAL. Then when I got closer to graduation in '99 I settled on being a mechanic of some sort. I did try to enlist in the Air Force, and was DQ'd from serving for hearing loss and was given waivers for hardware in my elbow. I am now a tractor and heavy equipment mechanic at a Kubota dealership.
 
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^^^LOL

I had no clue coming out of high school. Tried to enlist in the Corps but had a recurring UTI that kept me out. Traveled and looked the cuntry (thats not a mis spell) over for a while. Got into the logging business and cut timber in the northwest, then got into stone masonry and started a business. Retired, went back to college and became a philosopher. Now Im a worn out, totally worthless, unit who sits around contemplating the lint in his navel.
 
The first thing I can honestly remember wanting to be was a Marine, obviously I achieved it. The old "The Few, The Proud" commercial hooked me by age 8. I was also very hooked on flight and astronauts, but my nearsightedness always kept me from going after that one.

Greatest life achievements (to date), in no particular order... Good American, Marine, HOG, leader, father, worker, and I like to believe just being an all around good person.
 
Initially I wanted to be a firefighter. One particular night I was badgering my mom to take me to work.” It was late at night & she packed me a lunch & dropped me off at the fire house. As she pulled away I started chasing the car. I was like 4 at the time. I gave up on being a firefighter.

My dad caught me trying on his Dress Blues when I was like 8 YO. In no uncertain terms, he told me to take off the uniform. He told me that if I wanted to wear Dress Blues I had to earn my own set. Conversation over. I checked that box right out’a high school.

I wanted to be a professional boxer. It was constantly in my thoughts & drove me to bust my ass doing PT & making it to the gym. I remember my buddies busting on me because I wouldn’t go out & drink w/ them so I could eat clean & live right. Broken bones in my face due to work related accident changed those plans too.

It’s not important what I do now, but my chosen career path has been good to me.
 
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Wanted to be a surgeon when I was a kid

Became a EE with a specialty in Communications and RADAR systems morphing to Executive VP in charge of R&D

Getting my MSEE, having 5 terrific children, a fabulous wife (2nd one) and most of all being successful enough to provide a better life for my family. The last was my Dad's barometer of success.
 
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to be as a child?
What did you become if different, an why?
What to you is your greatest life achievement to date?

As a child, i wanted to stay a child and never have to grow up. Crocodiles and pirates, no school, and all that. Really wanted to see Wendy naked.

I don't think I grew up to anything different. Never got my pet croc, closest I got to a pirate was a woolworth's pirate flag and Halloween costume, quit school. Went to work. Never saw Wendy naked.....

I'm still alive to hunt crocs, pirates, and naked Wendy..... got a couple of gators, does that count ?
I can still hear the clock ticking. Might get that croc after all.

I don't believe anything I've done is/was a great achievement. My eight seconds are still running. I will let the comments at my leaving ceremony be the judge of that. I'd like at least one person to say, it was a long eight seconds and he rode it well.
I know at least two of my friends will smile and say, "he was a s.o.b. when was alive, and now hes a dead s.o.b." but, they will be smiling...


And ewe, Gunfighter?
 
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As a kid a B-29 then B47 Pilot. At 14 a Electrical power generation tech (EPG) After uncle I started down the EPG path with Resip engines first, both gas an diesel. Then moved into Generators via engine ability, then advanced controls ect. Advanced into Turbines then Paralleling all types of units togeather. Finally retired in 09 from what was never boring most of the time. Seen a lot of the world for uncle in civi rags an was tied at the hip via cell phones the last 10 years I worked. Now in retirement teaching for uncle, as well as some large corps's.
One of my Greatest life achievements, married to a wonderful lady for 39 years before the good Lord called her home. Second greatest was building a device at the UF/Gainsville(circa 1979) to provide a life stable environment, for a couple who had lost 2 children shortly after birth do to massive immune system deficiency's. The researchers were 100% positive they could rebuilt the childs immune system if they could get the time. Built the device an the child was doing good last I knew (2003) A few regrets like most but, all in all, have done everything I have set my mind to.
 
I forgot greatest achievement. Just living to 68, I reckon, but having a couple people come to me and say "thanks, you changed my life." was big.
 
So tell us GF what do YOU want to be if you ever grow up?
Timmy from Lassie. Started life that way, but got a dose of reality during my stupid years(not sure those are over BTW)
I would like to leave this world knowing all children could grow up w/o fear an with the hope an dreams they too will become what they want to be.
 
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Timmy from Lassie. Started life that way, but got a dose of reality during my stupid years(not sure those are over BTW)
I would like to leave this world knowing all children could grow up w/o fear an with the hope an dreams they too will become what they want to be.

Thats about how I started. Shit went down hill quick.

As to your second line....AMEN.
 
As a kid a B-29 then B47 Pilot. At 14 a Electrical power generation tech (EPG) After uncle I started down the EPG path with Resip engines first, both gas an diesel. Then moved into Generators via engine ability, then advanced controls ect. Advanced into Turbines then Paralleling all types of units togeather. Finally retired in 09 from what was never boring most of the time. Seen a lot of the world for uncle in civi rags an was tied at the hip via cell phones the last 10 years I worked. Now in retirement teaching for uncle, as well as some large corps's.
One of my Greatest life achievements, married to a wonderful lady for 39 years before the good Lord called her home. Second greatest was building a device at the UF/Gainsville(circa 1979) to provide a life stable environment, for a couple who had lost 2 children shortly after birth do to massive immune system deficiency's. The researchers were 100% positive they could rebuilt the childs immune system if they could get the time. Built the device an the child was doing good last I knew (2003) A few regrets like most but, all in all, have done everything I have set my mind to.

YOU were the guy that built the bubble for John Travolta?

I wanted to be a fairy princess.

And you succeeded!
 
I also grew up watching Sea Hunt and Flipper. Knew I wanted to be Navy or a marine biologist. Enlisted at 17 and served 6 years. Great times, but the end of my Navy career and the greatest accomplishment in my life goes hand in hand. I became a father and was tired of being away from my kids 11 months a year. So my greatest accomplishment was having 3 sons and being the best father I could be. I am proud of the way my kids turned out, 2 serving now in the Navy. Every day I thank God for being blessed.
 
All I knew is that I liked making stuff... Never had a clue... I sort of wanted to be a writer, but they all starved before getting published.

So I settled into a peripatetic life of vagabondery... And grabbed brass rings whenever I saw one... Its been a great ride so far!

Cheers, Sirhr

Oh and THIS ---->
As a child, i wanted to stay a child and never have to grow up.
I think I succeeded in more than a few ways! My Tonka Toys are 1:1 scale.. my cap guns are rather large. And I get to have a lot of fun. Yeah, a lot of hard work involved... but the harder I work, the luckier I get!
 
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As a kid I would stand or sit in the one car garage and watch my grandfather do carpentry , building things fascinated me. My grandfather told me his dad was a carpenter and worked on high rise buildings in Oklahoma City. I decided I wanted to be a carpenter to. I did 3 years in the Marines, 5 years as a laborer in a grain elevator, the rest of the time I have been a carpenter,although I am starting my 31st year as a Commercial Construction Project Superintendent, I have indeed become a carpenter building high rise buildings.
 
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I wanted to be in the military, either USMC or flying a jet in the AF, asthma kept me out. I learned this when I was about 11 when the recruiter for the high school kids told me when I went up and asked a folder..... I still say he was a great guy being honest. Tried hard as a nurse in my 20’s and couldnt get a waiver then either.
I wanted to be a volunteer firefighter and a trauma nurse. Always wanted to be a dad as I love kids. Now 1 of my own and 2 who will be step kids soon enough. Love every minute with them.

Learning along the way has been great.
 
As a child, i wanted to stay a child and never have to grow up. Crocodiles and pirates, no school, and all that. Really wanted to see Wendy naked.

I don't think I grew up to anything different. Never got my pet croc, closest I got to a pirate was a woolworth's pirate flag and Halloween costume, quit school. Went to work. Never saw Wendy naked.....

I'm still alive to hunt crocs, pirates, and naked Wendy..... got a couple of gators, does that count ?
I can still hear the clock ticking. Might get that croc after all.

I don't believe anything I've done is/was a great achievement. My eight seconds are still running. I will let the comments at my leaving ceremony be the judge of that. I'd like at least one person to say, it was a long eight seconds and he rode it well.
I know at least two of my friends will smile and say, "he was a s.o.b. when was alive, and now hes a dead s.o.b." but, they will be smiling...

As I read the responses, I think about phase 2 of childhood.
Pop was an Oklahoma cowboy turned Soldier thanks to Uncle Sam. Yes, I wanted to be just like my dad.
We had cows and horses. I found out how much work cowboying was. From a very early age.... lots of shit too.
I met a bunch of old wore out cowboys in Oklahoma and Texas. I couldn't see me knee deep in shit and wore out/broke down like them, some prehistoric survival mechanism said, pick another path.
There's another post on the hide about Ft. Benning being pops last duty station, and what I got to live through with that, watching all my soldier heroes (pop and his buds) advance, and 4 of 7 not survive Vietnam. When I tried to enlist, those guys unleashed a shitstorm on me. Something said pick another path... so, no cowboy and no soldier.... did the contract world thing and learned first hand why the buds tried to get me to do different from them.

Option 1, permanent childhood really seemed like a better way to go.

But, all my influences in life said you gotta work and prepare for your future, and I remember the broke down cowboys.... so, I had a 30+ year career in LE. I've been told I did some good there by a lot of people. I'm ambivalent to those thoughts. Motivation for that career was a retirement and health care so I wouldn't be a broke down drunk cowboy sitting in front of an Oklahoma service station pissed in my pants.... and barely able to walk.

My wonderful education system told me great achievers were people like Albert einstein. I recognized I was dumb as dirt compared to einstein and would never achieve shit. That may be why I don't see anything I did as a great achievement, UNTIL I read some of you guys talk about raising the kids,

Then I realize, my greatest achievement was raising a bunch, working very successfully every day to retirement, seeing the grandkids, and still being able to keep my dream of pirates, crocodiles, naked Wendy, and when I hear the clock tick, look forward to what's around the corner, pirate, croc, Wendy, or a great grandchild I'm gonna introduce to a pirate...... just sayin.

My first post is me. Last paragraph on this one is me too, still hunting pirates, crocs, andnaked wendy, waiting on hide member Barneydbd to post her pic in motivational pics... ?