I’ve been meaning to reply to comments and questions for a good while now.

Why has it taken so long? Partly because I’ve been doing things around the house, partly because my first attempt ended in disaster when a family member “borrowed” the computer from me and subsequently closed all our browser windows (which clears our cache and cookies automatically), and partly because whenever I get on lately I’m either immersed in rule research or knee-deep in intensive conversation with certain people or surfing various cheezburger sites. So, in short, being busy, being busy, and being lazy.

But I did ask for responses on that second one, and I figure since you did me the courtesy of answering, I should return the favor. So here we are.

General note first. A lot of you mentioned the mortality angle of the armed services, which I suspected was going to happen—or at least something like it. And while that is a very real possibility, not only are the Army and Marines generally more prone to injury and such, but my chosen occupation is by nature very risky, and as such is much less dangerous. As my recruiter put it, Navy boys go to the ground-fight when asked, but every one of them landside volunteered to be there. On top of that, as a Nuke, I’m either going to be on a carrier, which is the single most blatant and vulnerable target on the surface of the ocean and therefore goes nowhere without a fair-sized escort who have orders to intercept torpedoes in the water, or a submarine, which are usually hidden somewhere around the world explicitly trying to remain out of combat unless they can make a kill after they’ve already left.

I’m not trying to disregard the concerns about my well being. I appreciate them, actually. Makes me feel wanted. Which is nice. But at the same time, and now in the words of my mother, “If everyone going into the armed forces died, then who do we have manning all these ships and vehicles? Are we fighting with zombies?”

Thanks, Mom. =P