JoesterVT

Connections Puzzle #1147 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪

Wordle 1,869 4/6* 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Any college student, whether a cadet at a school like VT or any other school can apply for the Marine Officer Program. I would assume that a VTCC cadet in the NROTC would be pretty much automatic in if they wanted to. All college students regardless of affiliation with an ROTC program have to do OCS at Quantico, except for students from the Naval Academy. The OCS experience at Quantico normally takes one of 3 modalities... 1) a ten week program after the candidate has graduated college. If successfully completed, the candidate commissions as a 2nd Lt. and heads directly to The Basic School (TBS...also at Quantico, 6 months). This is called the Officer Candidate Course, OCC 2) a ten week program after the candidate completes his junior year of college. Identical to the above, but the commissioning and TBS wait until the candidate graduates from college. This is called the Platoon Leaders Course - Combined, PLC-C 3) two six week programs, one each after the candidate's sophomore and junior years. Again, the commissioning and TBS waits until after college graduation. These are called the Platoon Leader's Course, first and second installment, PLC. The Platoons for OCC and PLC-C are integrated. You have degreed prior enlisted Marines, college graduates, and rising college seniors together in the same cohort. Those college graduates or students might or might not be from an ROTC/corps or cadets type situation. One last twist...in that 10 week group, you have some in on a law contract that are college graduates or already part of the way through law school. Depending on exactly when they get in the program, they may commission before or after completing their JD. My son just completed PLC-C. He knew of some VT and VMI guys in his platoon. His closest buddies were a UT grad headed to law school, a TAMU rising senior in their Corps of Cadets, and a non ROTC kid rising senior at UCF (I think). My son is not a part of an ROTC program. ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/31/2026, 11:03:43 PM

There are multiple pathways to a commission as a United States Marine officer. VT certainly has a number of cadets in these programs.

There's actually a story arc here. Our first unofficial wedding cake offered us congraulations. ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/31/2026, 3:14:30 PM

The local pharmacy allows folks to buy space on the marquee for birthday wishes, big announcements, and other personal messages. The missus designed a nice congratulatory message for the boy to go up today. You fill in a grid space by space letter by letter. You would assume it's fairly idiot proof for the sign guy. The first pic is how it looked for about half the day today, until we popped in for a visit. The other side actually had a third typo (spelled OCS, COS😳). The second pic is after they corrected it, and how she wrote it up in the first place. How you get from what it was supposed to be, to what actually went up is hard to understand...lol. They did fix it and refunded us, and we're very apologetic....I just hope the feller that did the first sign isn't filling any prescriptions today. ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/31/2026, 2:21:20 PM

Connections Puzzle #1146 🟨🟩🟦🟪 🟩🟪🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟦🟨🟨 🟨🟨🟪🟨

Wordle 1,868 3/6* 🟨⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections Puzzle #1145 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨

Wordle 1,867 3/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟨⬜🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I would have guessed that first if I was smart enough to think of it.... ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/30/2026, 7:37:21 AM

Connections Puzzle #1144 🟩🟪🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪

Wordle 1,866 5/6* ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 🟨⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

As in no traps, you have to dive for them? That seems like a weird thing to get all worked up over, but boy do they....

Connections Puzzle #1143 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪

Wordle 1,865 3/6* 🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟨⬜🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections Puzzle #1142 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦

Wordle 1,864 3/6* 🟨⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections Puzzle #1141 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 1,863 5/6* ⬜⬜🟩🟨🟩 ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I've watched a lot of Law and Order and don't see a 4th issue here....

No constitutional issue there.

Connections Puzzle #1140 🟦🟨🟩🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟩 🟪🟪🟩🟪

Wordle 1,862 4/6* ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Had three auto claims in (like) 2010, 2015, and 2021ish. And a MAJOR home claim in about 2017ish. They've been outstanding at every step. FWIW, the last auto claim was after people started complaining and our experience was great. I know, I know... mileage may vary... ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/24/2026, 4:35:55 PM

** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/24/2026, 2:45:03 PM

Instead we get $20 mil for kids drawing pictures of houses? What a waste...

Thinking about the Beamer clan today....

Probably about 90 minutes from Ft. Bragg and maybe 150 minutes to Camp Lejeune....

Connections Puzzle #1139 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 1,861 3/6* ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

He's so much smaller in stature than the other fellas. ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/23/2026, 11:10:39 PM

It was a variation of call #1. He was diagnosed with a grade 3 stress reaction, and shut down for 6 weeks. Sadly, he will not be able to march on the Parade Deck next Saturday with his peers. But has HAS successfully completed OCS. The Marines, with all due expediency have arranged for his care, and cut his orders. He ships home today. The grand celebration we had planned will have to wait untill his commissioning in May. We'll be sure to celebrate him here at home with friends. I'm disappointed for him, that he won't have his day on Brown Field, but mostly really proud. ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/23/2026, 2:03:14 PM

Wordle 1,860 3/6* ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟨🟩🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections Puzzle #1137 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪

Wordle 1,859 4/6* ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

They probably can put you in touch with one of their people willing to do a little moonlighting....

Connections Puzzle #1136 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦

Wordle 1,858 3/6* 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Junior Joester just finished up week 8 of 10 weeks of Marine OCS. But really, less than a week to go. Anything happening after about this time next week is cleaning the squad bay, out-processing, and packing for home and prepping for graduation. We were able to see him on liberty Sat/Sunday. Unfortunately, he's dealing with an injury. He was put on limited duty and sent up for some medical testing Saturday before being released. He and his buddies seem to think he's going to be fine, regardless. Apparently all of the graded assessments are complete, and he's "passing". He's graded at or above the standard throughout. They had 4 more guys in their platoon have to "go see the Colonel" Saturday...meaning they were going to be dismissed...and he wasn't one of them. Still, I have a ton of anxiety. He was supposed to go back to medical this morning to get the diagnosis and prognosis. They have their culminating event, "The Forge", starting Wednesday. He's committed to finishing this thing no matter how much he's hurting, and he's a tough dude. But in theory, I suppose the doctors could shut him down. And I have no idea what would happen if they shut him down. Earlier in the experience injured or sick candidates were disenrolled. His instructors have apparently taken the motto "the mission is attrition" to heart. His platoon started out numbering in the 60s and is down to 41 guys. But at 8+ weeks through what really is a 9 week deal? With all of the graded things completed and passed? Nothing is given and everything must be earned. Not sure if the body of work to date would be considered to have earned it or not. I would think not, actually... So that's the deal. Due to the nature of communication with candidates, we probably won't hear from him until Saturday. So til then, I'm just gonna have to wait for one of two phone calls: 1) Hey Dad. You're talking to a United States Marine. Or 2) hey Dad, this thing I've been chasing for two years and absolutely busted my ass for 20 hours a day for the last 8 weeks didn't work out. What's gonna happen is gonna happen...and that's life. But I can't get it out of my mind. Gonna be a long 5 days here. ** Edited by JoesterVT at 7/20/2026, 5:32:24 PM

Connections Puzzle #1135 🟦🟩🟪🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟦🟪 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦

Wordle 1,857 6/6* ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟨🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Connections Puzzle #1134 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪

Wordle 1,856 3/6* ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟨🟨⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩