Ask Jer: In Which Jer Answers A Whole Bunch Of Questions

Ok, here we go!

"Which are best? Bears, Velociraptors, or Tanks?"

Why does there have to be a best? It seems to me we could simply combine some or all of these wonderful things. After all, there is a CatTank. Surely we could have a BearTank... manned by Velociraptors. BearTank could definitely simply walk into Mordor.

"Are you horde or alliance? What server are you on?"

I play Horde on Suramar. I used to raid quite a bit, but eventually stopped due to the time it took. I don't really have a main anymore as I tend to split my time across multiple toons. None of them are anywhere close to being geared. I don't play as much since I don't have a group of people I like playing with.

"Are you still on active duty? Will you be able to remain in , or do you even want to? What kind of support do you get from them?"

Yep, I am still active duty and I intend to remain so. My ability to remain in the military depends on my capabilities when my healing plateaus.

The process whereby the Army determines if an individual can remain in the military is a two part system called the MEB/MMRB. The MEB and the MMRB are two boards which include a variety of medical doctors, an individual's medical care manager, and a military representative (usually within the individual's chain of command).

In order to be in the Army there is a task list you must be able to perform. These tasks include things like digging and constructing a fighting position, carrying a weapon and using it effectively, and carrying a certain amount of weight over a certain distance. If someone is unable to perform these tasks then they will be separated from the military and receive some sort of disability payments. The ability to perform all these tasks doesn't mean you can remain in the military however. There are also implied tasks that are not listed. For instance, if you are on massive quantities of morphine for the rest of your life or you have had significant behavioral changes, the doctors on your board can find you unfit for military duty, even if you can complete all the necessary tasks. This is the first board you go through as if you are unfit for military duty there is no reason to go to the next board. The second board is composed of a very similar group of professionals. It will attempt to place the individual within an appropriate job in the Army.

The various jobs in the military have task lists as well. The more violent jobs like infantry, armor, and artillery have very physically oriented tasks, whereas less violent jobs like finance and quartermaster have less physically intensive tasks. During this board a significant factor is the needs of the Army. An individual might be able to physically do a particular job in the Army, but if the Army doesn't need anyone else in that job the individual will be separated with disability payments.

The military has undergone a massive change in regards to how they care for wounded Soldiers. This is not to say that previously wounded Soldiers received inadequate support, but rather the methods used to support the Soldiers have changed.

When a Soldier is seriously wounded they are placed into a type of unit called a WTB (Warrior Transition Battalion). A WTB is composed of a military chain of command, medical care managers, and general care doctors. The purpose of the WTB is to provide a unit where the Soldier can focus on his/her recovery and to provide management and oversight for the many appointments that may be necessary. The Soldier's job in this unit is to heal. How the individual spends their time in the WTB depends entirely on the requirements of their treatment.

An individual with numerous weekly medical/therapy appointments or who is low functioning will report in every day and then attend their appointments. Individuals who are higher functioning will perform low stress work within the WTB or, if they intend to leave the Army, will be begin working for a local civilian agency. Soldiers working for a civilian agency receive their military paycheck and are not paid by the civilian job up until the day they separate from the Army. Many of these civilian jobs are actually used to retrain wounded individuals and provide skill training.

All Soldiers have medical insurance provided by the Army. The insurance covers both the military medical system as well as any civilian medical care that is necessary. The amount of support provided by the WTB and the military medical insurance is quite substantial.

"What is your favorite book? What is your favorite book to read to Connor?"

I rarely think in terms of favorites. I tend to read science fiction and a bit of fantasy. Within science fiction I tend to read military sci-fi more than most. The concept of fighting a war in space has always fascinated me as many of the physical characteristics of it would be very un-earthlike. I have just wordified un-earthlike.

I read to Connor whichever book he prefers. I add my own interpretations of course. If the book involves some sort of happy, loving, non-violent predatory animal I correct the book so that Connor doesn't become confused. I consider this one of my fatherly duties.

"Do dads have a need to connect with other dads?"

I don't.

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

If by chuck you mean throw the answer would surely be very little. A complete lack of opposable thumbs would certainly limit the creature's chucking capability.

"How do you really *feel* about life?"

My feelings on life are that far too many stupid people have it. I feel that more predatory animals such as BearTanks, velociraptors, and very hungry caterpillars are needed to thin out the population of stupid people. Much of what I do in life centers around avoiding stupid people and promoting breeding programs for various predatory animals.

"What does the color blue make you think of?"

Unfortunately, that stupid techno song that makes liberal use of the word blue. I don't remember the name (it surely involves the word blue) or the band. I only remember one line that went, "I'm blue (long string of jibberish)." If you really want to you could probably look it up on youtube.

"How many unicorns can fit on the head of a pin?"

Congratulations! You have divided by zero! The universe explode!

"What were your thoughts when you first realized the extent of your injuries?"

It went a little like this: "HMM, things look a little messed up down there. Guess I better go back to sleep." Massive quantities of morphine make you very sleepy.

When my brain wasn't quite as hazy, which took a while, I did have a bit of fascination with the nature and extent of the damage. I'm a kinesiology major so that kind of stuff interests me.

"What can you tell us about Jess as a mother that she wouldn't tell us herself?"

Jessie hates unsolicited advice givers.

I'll save the rest of the questions for another day.