If you had an opportunity

[DCSooner]

Say a guy was offered a position as a government contractor, to work in Iraq. This job would pay double his salary, huge tax breaks. Here's the rub though. It would be for a year, and this guy has family. After the year, he would still work for this company, but stateside, with the chance he would have to do another round over there.

So wouldja?

[jk the sooner fan]

i've had 3 offers, said no to every one of them

[DCSooner]

i've had 3 offers, said no to every one of them
Why?

Mind you, I would be in an office. I mean he would. I wouldn't be playing football in gas masks or anything.

[crawfish]

My family loves me more than my money. At least they say they do to my face. :)

[usmc-sooner]

I'm in the same camp as JK

The only way I'm going back there is with a Marine Infantry Unit with me. I wouldn't even want to go as an MP or someone training the Iraqis.

You'll be a sitting duck for some crazy *** Muslim terrorists. It's too dangerous.

[JohnnyMack]

Is this kinda like that scene in Clerks when they're talking about the risks associated with being a contractor who worked the Death Star? Cause I would sssooo work on the Death Star.

[Harry Beanbag]

I've turned down an offer too. The thought of having my head cut off with a butter knife on videotape outweighs any financial benefit.

[Sooner_Bob]

My wife went nuts while I was deployed for only two weeks. I doubt she'd care how much money I made if I had to be gone for a year.

[Mjcpr]

My wife went nuts while I was deployed for only two weeks. I doubt she'd care how much money I made if I had to be gone for a year.
I'll say she did.

She's what, about 40, right?

:D

[Sooner in Tampa]

DC,

I would do it under two conditions...one) my *** ain't riding around Baghdad, I want to stay in the wire as much as possible
two) I would get two breaks during my year, and they would fly me to see my family.

Iraq is not a joke, but it IS getting better...especially if you are not standing in line somewhere.

Just my 2 cents.

[GottaHavePride]

With family? No. Without? I'd think about it.

[Pieces Hit]

I had an opportunity to make big $$$ doing claims adjustments for FEMA flood homes in LA.
Went down and got the job.
Came back home.
Missed the fam too much and vice versa.
What a wuss.

[usmc-sooner]

remember the scene in "Spies Like Us" when they catch Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd and they say were Americans!!!!!!!!!!

Next thing you know they are hanging by their ankles.

[jk the sooner fan]

Why?

Mind you, I would be in an office. I mean he would. I wouldn't be playing football in gas masks or anything.

so you're saying you'd never ever leave the office, you'd be in there the entire time?

i'd go in uniform, with a weapon....as a civilian? not no but hell no...

want me to post the pics of the civilians who died violent deaths over there?

[Mjcpr]

I had an opportunity to make big $$$ doing claims adjustments for FEMA flood homes in LA.
Went down and got the job.
Came back home.
Missed the fam too much and vice versa.
What a wuss.
Sounds like a good opportunity for you to rest up.

[DCSooner]

DC,

I would do it under two conditions...one) my *** ain't riding around Baghdad, I want to stay in the wire as much as possible
two) I would get two breaks during my year, and they would fly me to see my family.

Iraq is not a joke, but it IS getting better...especially if you are not standing in line somewhere.

Just my 2 cents.
Thats what I am saying, I am not going to be leaving the base, or whatever. I will be in an office, not a Humvee. The housing is on base.

[crawfish]

Dude, don't do it. We'd all be mildly disappointed if you died.

[DCSooner]

remember the scene in "Spies Like Us" when they catch Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd and they say were Americans!!!!!!!!!!

Next thing you know they are hanging by their ankles.
Ya, but then they hooked up with hot Russian chics!

Hey!! You got a tent?

[Sooner in Tampa]

Thats what I am saying, I am not going to be leaving the base, or whatever. I will be in an office, not a Humvee. The housing is on base.And make sure that they allow you to take a weapon. Contractors and civilians CAN take weapons under certain circumstances.
You can stay inside the wire for a year...I know alot of dudes that have done it...they have everything you will ever need inside there.

[Pieces Hit]

Sounds like a good opportunity for you to rest up.No rest for the wicked.

[Sooner in Tampa]

top o the page :D

[crawfish]

I'll say she did.

She's what, about 40, right?

:D

I think DC's wife is close...

:texan:

[oumartin]

More to life than $$$$!

But god bless you if you decide to go!

[JohnnyMack]

Ya, but then they hooked up with hot Russian chics!

Hey!! You got a tent?

Exactly what I was thinking!

[1stTimeCaller]

Funny, I was just looking at KBR's website this morning thinking of applying for a job in Iraq or Afghanistan.

[Sooner_Bob]

I'll say she did.

She's what, about 40, right?

:D


Nope . . . :mad: :cool:

[usmc-sooner]

This is my sister if you let me go you can all have her. I hear she's very good.


:D :D

[jk the sooner fan]

if you were single and childless, i'd say go for it

[Howzit]

Can you get beer in Iraq? That could potentially be a deal breaker for some people.

[DCSooner]

Every four months you get two weeks leave. Anything under $80K is non-taxable.

[soonerhubs]

I personally would not go. The reasons why?
1) I have a top priority to spend time with my wife regularly and often.
2) Although the job is on base, risks are risks, and it seems more dangerous there.
3) I can't take money with me in the end, so I just enjoy what I've got here. The wife and the dogs and me :)

[crawfish]

I personally would not go. The reasons why?
1) I have a top priority to spend time with my wife regularly and often.
2) Although the job is on base, risks are risks, and it seems more dangerous there.
3) I can't take money with me in the end, so I just enjoy what I've got here. The wife and the dogs and me :)

Spoken like a true man who's wife reads the board. :D

[VeeJay]

Being married w/ a five year old a 19 year old at home, (forget it, Stanley) it would be nearly impossible. Just saying goodbye not knowing for sure if I were coming back would be tough. Don't want to put my family through that (they act like they want me around, I dunno..).

I had a chance to go to Kuwait in '92 after Gulf War I to work in getting their supply chain up and running. I was single and should have done it.

[Fish]

Single...no children...WTF...I'd go

[Stanley1]

Being married w/ a five year old a 19 year old at home, (forget it, Stanley) it would be nearly impossible.

I'm really a nice guy. You'd like me if you knew me.

[Stanley1]

If DC goes, I got dibs on his crib.

[jk the sooner fan]

how does your friends wife feel about it?

that would probably give me the answer.......

[crawfish]

If DC goes, I got dibs on his daughter.

No way he goes now. :eek:

[Stanley1]

No way he goes now. :eek:

DUDE.....she's like 12.

[DCSooner]

DUDE.....she's like 12.
11. :mad:

Oh, and my friends wife doesn't know yet.

[Howzit]

nuh huh.

[Stanley1]

nuh huh.

Heh.

[DCSooner]

Geez. Like I am really gonna listen to you people.

[OklahomaTrombone]

So you're going?


:(

[DCSooner]

So you're going?


:(

70% now.

[OklahomaTrombone]

:(:(

[Stanley1]

70% now.

70-40?

That makes me sad in my pants.

[proud gonzo]

from your perspective i can see how it would be really tempting because of the benefits. Whether or not there are risks, looking at it from your wife's perspective I would say don't go. it isn't worth it.

[Stanley1]

from your perspective i can see how it would be really tempting because of the benefits. Whether or not there are risks, looking at it from your wife's perspective I would say don't go. it isn't worth it.

You're married to DC????? :confused:

[nmsoonergirl]

So you have one 11 year old. How old are your other kiddos? You can miss A LOT in a year. Think how much your kids have gone through and have changed this year. Now imagine if you hadn't been there for any of it--none of the good times, none of the crappy times, none of the holidays, nothing. Your kids will have a year of their lives that will only involve memories of phone calls and emails from you. Maybe if you were going to come home for everyone of your breaks it wouldn't be so bad, but you are still talking about a pretty huge hunk of time.

I can seriously understand why you are tempted, but unless you feel like you NEED the money to feel like your family is secure, I would say that in 50 years you may well regret leaving your family for a year.

Unless your kids mostly irritate the crap out of you. Then you should go.;)

Good luck. Sounds like a hard decision.

[jk the sooner fan]

no amount of money.....

dude, seriously.....think about it

[proud gonzo]

You're married to DC????? :confused:
<sigh>

[picasso]

will you be on a base? if not, no way.

I've got a friend who did it last year. he was nearby when that mess hall was bombed. freaked him out big time. he left. now he's in Afghanistan as far as I know.

[usmc-sooner]

So you have one 11 year old. How old are your other kiddos? You can miss A LOT in a year. Think how much your kids have gone through and have changed this year. Now imagine if you hadn't been there for any of it--none of the good times, none of the crappy times, none of the holidays, nothing. Your kids will have a year of their lives that will only involve memories of phone calls and emails from you. Maybe if you were going to come home for everyone of your breaks it wouldn't be so bad, but you are still talking about a pretty huge hunk of time.

I can seriously understand why you are tempted, but unless you feel like you NEED the money to feel like your family is secure, I would say that in 50 years you may well regret leaving your family for a year.

Unless your kids mostly irritate the crap out of you. Then you should go.;)

Good luck. Sounds like a hard decision.

I'll tell you this it's very hard to watch your kids grow up in pictures and videos. You may think a year is short time but it goes by real slow. I'm really proud of every minute I've served but I wish I spent more times with my kids.

[Stanley1]

<sigh>

:D

[OUthunder]

More to life than $$$$!




bitches!

[soonerhubs]

Spoken like a true man who's wife reads the board. :D
True, true, true. That's all I got to say about that. ;)

[Sooner in Tampa]

I'll tell you this it's very hard to watch your kids grow up in pictures and videos. You may think a year is short time but it goes by real slow. I'm really proud of every minute I've served but I wish I spent more times with my kids.The hardest thing in the world is to get on a plane going into a hostile environment...it hard to leave my family EVERYTIME I do it. I agree though...you can NEVER spend enough time with your kids...they grow up too damn fast.
I have done several stints away from my family for various amounts of time and the only saving grace in leaving them is knowing how awesome it is when we were reunited.
The bottom line is that you have to do what is best for YOUR family. Each one of us has a different situation at home.
Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck.

[Boffingham]

Hundreds of thousands do it for close to nothing.

[yermom]

only if Jimmy the Fish and Guido were about to break my legs

[jeremy885]

I'd do it, but it's not like they have a need for accountants.

Here is what the State Department is paying if anyone is interested.

http://careers.state.gov/opportunities/iraq/benefits.html

[jeremy885]

Hundreds of thousands do it for close to nothing.


Right. One of my high school friends is over there now. When he gets back, he'll have his house completely paid off. Doesn't sound like next to nothing to me.

[DCSooner]

Right. One of my high school friends is over there now. When he gets back, he'll have his house completely paid off. Doesn't sound like next to nothing to me.

He means the active duty guys.

[yermom]

they do get free boob jobs for their womens though

[DCSooner]

I'd do it, but it's not like they have a need for accountants.

Here is what the State Department is paying if anyone is interested.

http://careers.state.gov/opportunities/iraq/benefits.html

And the jobs in Iraqi have a 55% uplift to those salaries.

[Harry Beanbag]

And the jobs in Iraqi have a 55% uplift to those salaries.


Make it 555% and then we'll talk.

[jeremy885]

He means the active duty guys.


Wow, I didn't know we had hundreds of thousands of active duty troops in Iraq, since the total is what a 150K~ in country.

[jk the sooner fan]

we've had hundreds of thousands go thru there on deployment rotations....regardless of how many are on the ground right now, there is a much higher number who have volunteered to go.....for alot less money, that was his point

[Beef]

How would Marvin get his peanut butter fixes? Think of Marvin!

[Howzit]

I'll still be around.

[OUthunder]

NO!

[TopDaugIn2000]

I absolutely hated it when the boy toy went home (Morocco) for 2.5 weeks to visit his ill grandmother last month. There's always a chance he won't be able to come back, and that thought worried me and made me miserable.
From a wife's (or g/f's) POV, the thought of him leaving for a year with the current circumstances would probably push me over the edge completely. The $$$ may be tempting, but there's no way I'd ever want him to go.

[Beef]

But you're not married to DC.

[TopDaugIn2000]

But you're not married to DC.

Extremely good point

[DCSooner]

Welp. HBD to me. KBR extended me a very nice offer. Camp Anaconda would be my new home. (is that classified?)

I'm giving them my answer in the morning. I would leave Feb. 18th. There is internet though, but no beer. Thats a tuffy.

[Mjcpr]

Welp. HBD to me. KBR extended me a very nice offer. Camp Anaconda would be my new home. (is that classified?)

You're going to be stationed in my underwear?

That is oddly stimulating.

[crawfish]

You're going to be stationed in my underwear?

That is oddly stimulating.

Well, at least that's a better name than "puddy".

[OklahomaTrombone]

Welp. HBD to me. KBR extended me a very nice offer. Camp Anaconda would be my new home. (is that classified?)

I'm giving them my answer in the morning. I would leave Feb. 18th. There is internet though, but no beer. Thats a tuffy.


Yes...the internet that you would be on while everyone else is asleep.

[yermom]

Yes...the internet that you would be on while everyone else is asleep.

yeah, that sucks :mad:

[Howzit]

Iraq does not appear to be heavily wooded. So, that's a plus.

[OklahomaTrombone]

So you couldn't get zima?

[OU-HSV]

I wouldn't do it, so I voted no.

[Mjcpr]

I wouldn't do it, so I voted no.
Thanks for clearing that up....he made that pole so damn complicated.

:D;)

[DCSooner]

Whoa. All this time I thought you guys said you WOULD go.

Uh oh.

[Mjcpr]

It's an honest mistake. Just show your new overlords this pole and I'm sure they'll let you out of it.

[OU-HSV]

Thanks for clearing that up....he made that pole so damn complicated.

:D;)
No prob...I just wanted to bump it up to the top again...next time I'll cut to the chase and say *bump* like normal

[GDC]

As a teacher, I can say kids whose father travels a lot or isn't around at all have a disproportionate amount of trouble of all types at school.