Hey everyone! My name is John Bates, I'm from Okmulgee, OK, I like to run, race BMX, and watch Supernatural in my free time. I am a senior Communication major here at OU and I plan on graduating this Spring of 2017. As for my plans after college, I will be commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps the day after I graduate. Then, upon successful completion of all my basic officer schooling, I will more than likely be heading to Okinawa, Japan for my first duty station.
BMX Supercross World Cup 2007
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In addition to the above, my favorite food is pizza, which I could eat all day every day, despite my fiancé doing her best to limit me to eating pizza twice a week. Also, I’m a big Star Wars nerd. I’ve watched all the Star Wars movies, most of the various series that are out, and I’ve read a lot of the books too. With that being said, if any of ya’ll ever want to chill and talk Star Wars, I’m down. Did I mention that I also have Star Wars games? Well I do!
Something that I didn’t mention earlier, I am already in the Marine Corps, and have been since 2012. I am currently enlisted as a Corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve. Before anybody asks, my MOS (or job) is TOW gunner. Basically, I’m trained to identify and destroy (if needed) enemy armor, which range from anything from IFV’s (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) to tanks. Although that’s my MOS now, it will not be that whenever I commission and receive my new MOS, because officers take a more administrative role as opposed to the down and dirty role that I fill now.
Wikimedia Commons
So, that’s me in a nutshell and I look forward to reading about all of you guys!
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Thank you for your service, John: that real-world infantry experience means you have a different take on Star Wars than the average person. Like a lot of people, I watched the original trilogy over the holidays after Carrie Fisher died, and it was great to revisit the movies after not having seen them for a while! Star Wars is a wonderful storytelling theme you could use for this class (like imagining Yoda using wisdom stories as he teaches Luke or other would-be Jedi Knights!), and Supernatural also provides tons of possible leads to follow in this class. One fun project someone did was a Supernatural-BrothersGrimm mash-up; here is a link to that if you are curious: Brothers Cross Paths: Winchesters Meet Grimm - you might get some good ideas from that one!
ReplyDeleteHey John! Oh, I love Supernatural. I personally think they should have stopped at season five, but on to season 13! I grew up watching Star Wars with my step-dad, he recently gave me the VHS tapes of the originals since I have a working VCR, and I binged watched them. My step- dad and I really bonded over Star Wars, so it is special to me. When I heard Carrie died, I was heart broken and called my dad to grieve in a way. Unfortunately, I haven't read the books or watched the many television series.
ReplyDeleteMy uncle is a retired Naval Intelligence Commander, he traveled all over the world and spoke with numerous dignitaries during his time in office. He jumped out of helicopters before taking an Intelligence position. Good luck!
First and foremost I would like to thank you for making the decision to serve our country, it is greatly appreciated for you to do such a thing. Concerning your stationing in Japan, my roommates older brother is currently stationed there now with the Navy and he has loved every minute of it there. As for your love of pizza I am in the same boat as you, I would likely eat pizza four times a week if my girlfriend would allow me to. I make a point to stop by the Original Hideaway in Stillwater whenever possible, I highly recommend a double sausage pizza there, hard to beat.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteThat is really cool that you will be commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and get to go to Japan. I really want to travel some day as well. It is also very interesting that you race BMX as well. I feel like that'd be really scary or tough. What kind of pizza do you like? I am a huge food lover as well.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
That is awesome that after your graduate you will be a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Thank you for serving our country! I also really enjoy eating pizza. If it wasn’t so bad for you I would eat pepperoni pizza every day. I too enjoy Star Wars. I thought the last Star Wars movie was actually pretty good. I am excited for the Last Jedi to come out. It was nice meeting you and good luck this semester and after graduation.
Hey John, nice to meet you. Your MOS right now sounds pretty intense so I applaud you for serving our country and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors! I'm actually behind when it comes the Star Wars movies. I've only seen the first three so I really need to catch up. I do have the video game, Star Wars Battlefront and it's probably one of my favorite games! It's because of that game that I have decided to finish watching all the movies. If I could eat pizza every day, I probably would.
ReplyDeleteHey John!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for your service to our country. Second, I love that you already have what you want to do after graduation figured out, how cool! Japan will for sure be awesome.
Also, who doesn't love pizza? Why does it have to be unhealthy? But I mean, oh well, it's good and that's all that matters! Good luck to you in your future, sounds like it will be a great one!
Hey John, I think that’s so cool that you race BMX. That must be a really intense sport! How long have you been riding and racing BMX for? That’s also cool that you are in the Marine Corps, and that you might be stationed in Japan. That’s a long way away from home! I can’t say I am as big of a fan of Star Wars as you are, but I can relate to your enthusiasm! I love Disney (mainly the Disney Parks) a lot, and I could talk to people about them for hours. (If anyone was willing to endure that!)
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to meet you. Congrats on being a senior! Thank you for serving our country now and in the future. Japan will be quite an experience — again,thank you for serving out country. I think it's great that you like Star Wars and pizza so much. I am not a huge fan of either, unfortunately. I eat pizza every now and then, but my favorite pizza is one that resembles genuine Italian pizza. It was nice to meet you.
One of my friends really loves Supernatural too! I watched the first episode and it was pretty intense! Anyway, that's so cool that you do BMX. I always thought that stuff looked so amazing. Thank you for your service as well! That's really cool that you're already going to be a 2nd Lieutenant. Did you get to pick your MOS when you joined the Marine Corps Reserves? Have fun in Japan when you go too!
ReplyDeleteWow John, your first paragraph of the introduction packs a punch! You have a lot going on! Congrats on the soon to be graduation! The picture of the guys on the dirt bikes caught my eye. I grew up around that stuff because my dad and my brother are both into all of it. My brother raced for a little while until they closed the track down by us. Also, thank you for your service and I hope you enjoy Japan! I have some friends there now and they love it!
ReplyDeleteHi John! Wow, first of all thank you for serving our country. That takes a whole lot of dedication and bravery. On a lighter note, I love pizza too and I wish it was acceptable to eat every day also! It sounds like you're a very active person and involved in many things. Congrats on being so close to graduating, good luck with your future endeavors!
ReplyDeleteHey John! Congratulations on your graduation coming up and your soon to be new MOS. Pizza though…. I really don't think I've met anyone who could truly say they didn't love it. If they did, they were probably lying to themselves. What's your favorite kind? Are you a Hawaiian kind of guy or just the standard cheese with pepperoni?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service and I wish you the best of luck in the future!
Hey John! I was really excited to see that you are a marine as my boyfriend is a Lance Corporal at Camp Pendleton right now awaiting deployment in November. I am so excited for you in your military career, I know my boyfriend finds so much joy in what he does as I'm sure you do too. He recently got leave and so I took him around campus and showed him the Armory, he was surprised to find the Marine Corps flag hidden behind the trees! Thank you for your service and best of luck in Japan!
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I would like to sincerely thank you for your service to our country. Also, congratulations on your (almost) graduation! Only a few more weeks! I could also eat pizza everyday, and I definitely consider it an accomplishment if I only have it a couple times a week. Sometimes I eat a salad for lunch, and sometimes I forget to eat dinner and end up ordering a pizza at midnight. It’s all about balance, right? ;)
Hey I love running, pizza and Star Wars too! When I do well on a test or a class my dad always treats me out for pizza. That's awesome that you will be going to Japan soon! I've always wanted to go but it just never worked out. Congrats on being a senior and I wish you the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteHi John! I think it is so cool that already have accomplished so much, especially within the armed forces. I totally get the pizza thing -- the best part is that there are so many kinds of pizza that it does not get boring! Also, I am by no means a major Star Wars fanatic, but I do really like the movies. I am kinda curios what you thought about The Force Awakens. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in college and then in the Marines!
ReplyDeleteHi, John! I really enjoyed reading your introduction and getting to know a little bit about you! I also love pizza and could definitely eat it for every meal, though that is certainly not the best idea. I have to admit, I don't know much about Star Wars at all, but I'm a huge Lord of the Rings nerd so I can somewhat relate! I think that's great you love it so much though.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on graduating this semester and that is fantastic that you are going to be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant! What an awesome accomplishment and thank you for all of your service! I also really liked the picture you provided. Best of luck the rest of this semester and happy graduation!
Will you take me with you to Japan? That is such an awesome opportunity that you are taking advantage of! I'm sorry that your pizza intake is being limited, but I think your fiancé really has the best in mind of you when she does that! Thank you for your service and commitment to our country. And congratulations on graduation!
ReplyDeleteHey John! It is so nice to meet you! Firstly, it is awesome that you're serving our country in the Marine Corps! Secondly, it's especially awesome that you watch Supernatural! I love that show and I hope it stays going strong, can't get enough.
ReplyDeleteYour intro felt like I'd known you for quite some time. It's great to know that a fellow pizza-lover is in this class as well. Again, it is so nice to meet you and I wish you the best after graduation!
I didn't think there was anyone left in the class whose introduction I hadn't read, but I think you're the last one. So, nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI love Star Wars and Supernatural too! My birthday is in late December, so for the last three years I've gone to see the newest film on my birthday.
Good luck if you end up going to Japan!
Hi John! That is really commendable that you are in the Marine Corps! Thank you so much for your service. I also enjoy pizza and Star Wars. How could anyone not, right? It’s pretty neat that you do BMX racing. That seems super scary to me. Good luck with the rest of your semester and your future in the Marine Corps!
ReplyDeleteThat's really awesome you want to commission into the Marine Corps. I am actually currently in the Navy Reserves working on my degree, which is also Communication. I am a tad bit jealous though instead of graduating this May I am going to hopefully graduate this upcoming December. I may try and commission as well or spend some time in deployment. Anyways, Fair winds and following sees my friend. I have many friends currently based in Japan so if you end up there it will be a great time that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteHey, John! Thank you so much for your service to this country. My boyfriend is in the infantry and I know that it is not easy on you or the people that you love. Congrats on your almost graduation from OU. We are so close! I love pizza as well. Speaking of pizza, I actually had it for all three meals today. Haha.
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteFirst I want to say you are so brave and I want to sincerely thank you for your service for the United States of America. Being in the Marine Corps is not an easy task and I know there are so many people that are so proud of you! Congrats on an awesome semester you have a lot to take away from this class after looking through your blog.
Erin
First: May the Fourth be with you.
ReplyDeleteSecond: Your professions sounds incredibly noble and privy to experiences not a lot of people get to live through. I'm certain you must have some great ideas in your head for stories revolving around that.
I've been exposed to Supernatural this semester in my Electronic Media Criticism class, and I'm really intrigued in it. I also enjoy myself some Star Wars! Are you enjoying the new films? I greatly enjoyed The Force Awakens and Rogue One.
Hello John! It's nice to meet you! My dad LOVES Star Wars and we would have weekend marathons frequently when I was a kid. I grew to love them too, but I'm not a huge fan of the newest ones that have come out. It just seems weird to watch Star Wars with other people in it. I think I'll just stick with the originals.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on graduating and Japan! My brother would be so jealous. He wants to go to Japan one day, but that probably won't happen for a while. Good luck with your new ventures!