Naw... but I began lurking on Free Republic in the late 1990s, began posting around 2004 and have been an automatic monthly contributor since circa 2010.
Over the years I've make many thousands of posts.
History was my college major, so I'm a history-buff.
I never worked in the field, but I still get very interested in history related debates, especially where it seems to me that one side is blasting away with ridiculous historical nonsense and the other side is struggling to get the truth out.
Rocco DiPippo: "Good luck, Youkazoid! Hope your team wins only because it would be a shame to start reading about Youkazoids jumping off bridges in droves if it loses."
As of today, there seems to be no danger of that, and indeed, the Russians have performed rather poorly, even in the beginning.
Ukrainians have seen three major successes, at Kiev (March '22), Kharkiv (May '22) and Kherson (Aug-Nov '22), winning back around half of territories Russians took in February.
Whether their much vaunted "spring offensive" will repeat those successes, we'll see, I suppose.
Rocco DiPippo: "You really need to get out more; find a constructive hobby, sign up for a Youkazoid dating site (you can now shack up with a chin-haired, Youkazoid gal for a 2 lb bag of potatoes and bottle of Stoli!)..."
Thanks, I served in the US Army, in West Germany for three years, "standing guard" to prevent the Old Soviets from doing there what they're now doing in Ukraine.
That was 50 years ago.
Rocco DiPippo: "...go volunteer somewhere to get out of the house a few days per week or best of all, stop playing fake, online policy expert and military strategist..."
As for "fake, online policy expert and military strategist," you should certainly follow your own advice.
What the h*ll are you doing here anyway?
Rocco DiPippo: "...book a ticket, get on a plane to Youcrayne and go fight, side by side, with your "ORCS.
You will last five minutes, at most, before you're pissing yourself and crying like a baby as the Ruzzziiiaaaannn artillery turns your position into something resembling the moon."
All of the estimates I've seen say the ratio of Russian to Ukrainian battle deaths is at least 2 to 1.
The Ukrainian fighting retreat from Bakhmut over the past nine months is especially noteworthy for giving up very little ground at very high costs to the Russians.
Since Vlad the Invader's "special military operation" began in February 2022, our Russian apologists here have posted as if Russian victory is both imminent and inevitable, and yet, it turns out to be neither, rather more illusory than anything else.
So, Ukrainians seem to be doing just fine without whatever help a 75 year-old man might provide.
Clearly, my calling is elsewhere.
On Free Republic, for example.
Russo-Ukraine war, showing Ukrainian counter offensives: