| Wolfhag | 28 Nov 2015 8:58 a.m. PST |
True story:
My son is a US Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton. One night he and his buddies, drunk of course, got into a hassle with the local Oceanside police and were cuffed and thrown in the back seat. When asked why they are being arrested the police officer replied "Because you are an idiot". Luckily they were taken to the main gate at Pendleton and handed over to the MP's and were to face charges of drunk and disorderly. A few days later he's taken in to talk to the Colonel that is the battalion commander. Somehow the discussion got into playing Warhammer 40K of which my son had been playing and going to conventions since he was 8 years old. Turns out his battalion commander is a big fan of 40K and his son plays too. They spent the next 3 hours talking 40K armies, tactics and the different novels. At the end the Colonel told my son not to worry about what he did that as a 2nd LT he did the same thing. Wolfhag |
| Zargon | 28 Nov 2015 9:04 a.m. PST |
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| Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 28 Nov 2015 10:08 a.m. PST |
Secret handshake. The 40K Marine Secret Brotherhood is real. I witnessed it many times while I was working at Game Towne in San Diego, as well as the Filipina Nurgle Underground (of which no one believed me until they witnessed it themselves.) |
 Legion 4  | 28 Nov 2015 2:57 p.m. PST |
At Ft. Benning, GA, my best buddy and I used to play Space Hulk on the floor of my apartment. And some of my NCOs would read a White Dwarf I would leave on my desk …  Secret handshake?
No secret handshake, just remember to say Sir and salute as you are killing off a Superior's toy soldiers …  |
| 15mm and 28mm Fanatik | 28 Nov 2015 7:30 p.m. PST |
Given 40K's widespread popularity chances are good that there are servicemembers who play it in all branches of the military. |
| Coelacanth1938 | 28 Nov 2015 8:48 p.m. PST |
From Slate Magazine: link
If I had some money, I'd start a hobby shop within spitting distance of Nellis AFB here in Las Vegas. |
| bsrlee | 28 Nov 2015 9:27 p.m. PST |
And there I was, thinking this was going to be a story about how Marines went down to the local urban training complex and played Space Hulk at 1:1 scale. |
| Balthazar Marduk | 28 Nov 2015 11:49 p.m. PST |
I haven't served, but my friends that have always talk about playing D&D at the FOB and some of them are recovered 40k players. |
| Private Matter | 29 Nov 2015 4:52 a.m. PST |
I live near Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune and the FLGS (The Hobby Chest) usually has its four gaming tables filled with Jarheads playing 40k. When I ran some historical wargames there the players ran the gambit of rank from PFC to Major. |
ScottWashburn  | 29 Nov 2015 5:11 a.m. PST |
How can they possibly afford to buy the stuff with a military salary? Or does this secret brotherhood extend to the highest levels and my tax dollars subsidize this? HEY!!! Maybe THIS is why Games Workshop stuff is so expensive! They are secretly US defense contractors! That would explain so much… |
| ROUWetPatchBehindTheSofa | 29 Nov 2015 6:46 a.m. PST |
If GW were defence contractors, for any country, you'd pay and then get a message saying 'the left leg won't stay attached on anything in your order, can we have another billion to fix it?' |
| Sergeant Paper | 29 Nov 2015 8:05 a.m. PST |
If you live in the barracks and eat at the chow hall ALL your income is discretionary… |
| Dutch508 | 29 Nov 2015 12:01 p.m. PST |
We had quiet a few playing both at Fort Knox and Fort Riley many many years ago. My old XO is still in and still plays. My three boys grew up playing and two of them are serving.
I still play although not as much as I used to- my focus now is more on Napoleonics and Horus Heresy time periods. |
| COL Scott ret | 01 Dec 2015 6:58 a.m. PST |
I know several Full Colonels who play various different wargames. Most were more historical, but that could be because I lean that way myself. Thank you for your son's service to our nation. |
| vicmagpa1 | 01 Dec 2015 8:29 p.m. PST |
Wolfhag, thank your son for his service! 40k ok. glad he is ok. |
| Wolfhag | 16 Dec 2015 11:02 a.m. PST |
vicmagpa1,
Thanks. He's OK but did get hit on his last mission. He was the first guy in with his stack clearing a house and bad guys started popping up and spraying his team with automatic AK fire from 10-12 feet away. He said it reminded him of playing paintball. One guy had a round bounce off his kevlar helmet, another took a round in the middle of his SAPI plate knocking him unconscious but otherwise OK. His team leader took out a bad guy that was so close he almost fell on top of my son. They did clear the location and get the guy they were after but it was pretty grisly. After it was over my son felt wet between his legs and though he'd pissed himself but it turned out it was blood. He checked himself out and saw an AK round had hit the edge of his SAPI plate knocking a chunk out of it and slicing open his side below his armpit. Fortunately just a flesh wound and a cracked rib. He said the guy that most likely hit him he dropped with a three round burst to the chest. They did get hit by three IED's that fortunately resulted in only two WIA. No causalities from small arms fire. After it was over he asked the team leader why he was always getting pushed into rooms first. The team leader explained that my son was an attachment (SIGINT) and not part of the team. His job is to get his team back. By not being a member of the team he's expendable. That's just the way it is. My son said he understood and didn't have a problem with it. After all the team lead did save his life. Semper Fi mac! Wolfhag |
