Locke: A few visual clues

[foggylogic]

I don't usually post on boards, just read them, but I though that you guys might be interested in a few of my findings... Maybe they are nothing, but they kinda caught my eye...

My first observation...

There is a sign on the wall behind Locke's coworker in the breakroom. It's says VZ-LIFE... A quick search on Google points right to Verizon's Life Initiatives For Employees website.

www.verizon-media.com/iweb/hr/vzlife.shtml (http://www.verizon-media.com/iweb/hr/vzlife.shtml)

Does Locke work for Verizon?

http://www.lost-tv.com/pictures/albums/lost_walkabout/normal_lost_walkabout_253.jpg

Ok, here's my second observation...

While Locke is on his bed the camera pulls back to show his entire room... There was something right in center frame on his table that caught my eye...

http://www.lost-tv.com/pictures/albums/lost_walkabout/normal_lost_walkabout_327.jpg

Look a WHOLE LOT like this...

http://www.galleria-e.com/isroot/Colemans/SiteImages/1137.gif

Know what it is??? A Gamma Radation / Geiger Counter...
What does Locke need with one of there???

Have fun with this one :-)

[walkingcarpet23]

That's pretty interesting, though it's hard to tell from that picture if that's really what the object is. If so, kudos on the find, it would certainly be open for speculation.

Also, nice pick up on the Verizon thing... I think you're the first to mention that.

[Trueogre]

He's just wondering how many rads are in his coffee. :rollin

[cccourt]

If Locke is shown from the side of any of those mountains, caves, with his head tucked down, hand to ear, and starts saying, "Can you hear me now?" I am leaving!!

ccc

[Ghettoblaster]

Locke strikes me a survivalist type, the kind of person who would read soldier of fortune magazine and overprepared for the Y2K bug, he probably has a gieger counter in case of a nuclear war or something.

[Badger]

That is what it is. Here is an enhanced (brightness, contrast and Gamma correction) copy of the photo:

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/LockeRoom.jpg

[tavella]

I have to give you major points for catching that, fuzzylogic. That's some sharp eyes there!

I'm not sure what it means, except that Locke is two pounds of nutty in a one pound bag, and checks his breakfast for excessive radiation, but it's certainly *interesting*...:rolleyes

[ccmerlot]

...now, where's the wheelchair in that picture? Crutches??
Folk are debating on another page about Locke's miraculous cure, or whether indeed any cure was necessary.
(Tho it looked like, in Australia, he definately was in a wheelchair).
Maybe the thingy from Victoreen Instrument Co., on the table, is something he uses in his job?

[Trueogre]

He probably lives in a care home or something.

[Wynter Zera]

Importaint clues indeed: toast (slightly burnt), coffee, sandwich, and peanut butter.... Wonder if Charlie's tried him yet?

[kimjoy85]

The wheelchair could be folded up by his bed and we can't see it. But thats a good point.

[yung23]

very good point, perhaps set designs fault ?

[99Percent]

I did some research on the geiger counter, mostly because it seems to expand on my personal theory about Lost (which I will reveal soon).

The geiger counter is a Victoreen CDV-710 model 5. The CDV models where used for "civil defense" during the cold war. These types of geiger counters were dispatched for the public at civilian centers (schools, government offices, etc) in case nuclear war broke out.

southernradiation.com/cdv710.html (http://southernradiation.com/cdv710.html)

The model Locke has is from the early 60's I think. I am theorizing that his disability resulted from some sort of nuclear source or experiment.

[drabauer]

99, I eagerly await your theory!

[940BOY]

Look at the picture on the wall above the couch.
Compare it with the Logo on the top of this page.
Coincidence?

[cwis24]

Cool

[MikeRowe]

The pic on the wall is defintely similar, but it was noticed earlier and found to most likely be a Band of Brothers promo poster. In the pic of Locke's room there is also a rifle in a case, it's not really consequential I just noticed it. I have a handicapped uncle -- no arms because of thyladimide(sp?) -- and he is an avid hunter/redneck. He shoots with his feet, which is also not consequential to Lost, but is illustrative of the theory that the handicapped can be quite capable.

[csx321]

I think the wheelchair is visible at the far right.

[Yorke]

I thought the rifle case looked more like a soft shell guitar case...hmm...Locke did say he heard of Driveshaft, perhaps a jam session is in our future, providing Charlie doesn't die and Locke isn't as nuts as some folks think. Sorry, just the musician's whim of hope in me:p

[drabauer]

Yes, I have been pumping for an island band from the beginning. I'm sure there's a couple of singers in that crew, and they could always make mbira and steel drums out of wreckage.

I'll bet there's good acoustics in that cave.

[ennui]

Locke strikes me as the type who would collect odd objects used in times of war. I doubt he has any radiation measuring
purpose in mind for that thing- it's just a collectible.

[Wynter Zera]

Locke: "A steal thing. #)*$, I KNEW should have taken my geiger counter on this trip..."

Does anyone else think it might be the bottom of the coffee maker?

[qfufs]

i got intested in this forum, and replied to a different thread about sawyer/kate...the pevious coment w/picture caught my eye... my reply says kate might actually be "helen" whom he tries to take on the walkabout...think about it, he says the experience melds man and nature, at a higher level. his gain of walkability after the wreck may show he now has bigger powers via the crash. In the piglet gore scene, Locke stunned by the fall calls kate "helen". I re-listened to the phone conversation with the obvious liasion with a 1-900 girl he calls helen, and when she says John's name, it sure sounds like kate. This guy stikes me as an ex cia type or maybe on a witness protection gig. Anyway there might be something to do with Sayers 4 year old dream to have Kate on top of him, vs Locke's 4 year old disablity.

[Australopithecus]

^
yes, i'm sure kate was acting as a phone sex operator while she was in the custody of police or working on a farm. think about the timeline a little bit first.
Look at the picture on the wall above the couch.
Compare it with the Logo on the top of this page.
Coincidence?
damn, beat me to it.

[apocalypsepenguin]

Pretty cool that the Geiger counter pic there has the 'CD' symbol on it. (cf this thread (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm29.showMes sage?topicID=1424.topic))

[azteclady]

Allow me to welcome you warmly, apocalypsepenguin!!!

You are my favorite kind of newbie poster - it's evident you have been reading around, and your very first post is devoted to direct others to existing threads!!! *beaming* Thank you!!!!

I have a feeling you'll have a really good time here.

Edited to add: you're probably one of the comparatively few who has read the Welcome forum, but allow me to direct you to a truly entertaining post (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm22.showAdd ReplyScreenFromWeb?topicID=360.topic) by a newbie, directed at newbies.


Beto
Got a question/problem/complaint? Follow the link in my signature first, read the entire Welcome forum second, then PM me.

[sawyerhasbestlines]

re: geiger counter

Looked around online, and found this article on how radiation can help to cure parallysis:

----
"NEW YORK (CNN) -- Four to five months after researchers severed its spinal cord, one laboratory rat exhibits the expected result: splayed rear legs and a complete lack of muscle control beyond the point where the cord was cut.

But another rat, whose spinal cord was similarly severed, has regained enough control to support its hindquarters.

The difference, according to researchers, is a dose of radiation applied to a small area around the injury some 17 or 18 days after the cord was cut.

The radiation destroyed a type of cell that starts to block the natural repair process of the spinal cord, a process that allows nerves to begin regeneration."

----

Just thought maybe Locke was going through radiation therepy and that he was using the geiger counter to check himself.

[flatlinejos]

There's a lot of clues in this foto - if you're Big Sandbox Vet...(Gulf War 1)

Two Critical ones come from the Pictures.

1)The picture near the center of frame is not a Band of Brothers promo pict, but a picture of either Marine or Army Infantry moving into Kuwait in 1991. The smoke on the left of the photo is from a burning oil field. I'm trying to track down the original, but it's not an AP or official Military foto.

2)The Picture above the bed is of some sort of US Special Forces, Ranger or Airborne soldier....probably Locke himself. It's probably at least ten years old, since the Rangers now have tan berets, and that model of M16 is no longer in the Regular military inventory. I'm also going to guess that it's from the 1st Gulf War, based on the light-colored "Chocolate Chip" pattern uniform, the sand & the dark tent in the background.

An additional clue is the Morroccan/Berber style dish on a display stand (below the American Flag), which is pretty close to the crappy ones they tried to sell every GI on leave in the region, either in Qatar, Dubai or on the Love Boat.

Another clue is in the screencaps section for the episode, pict# 327. The box on the table is NOT an alarm clock or DVD player - it's some sort of Biomed monitor. Maybe a precision IV Drip, or some sort of dialysis machine.

Based on this, LtCol or Colonel Locke is a Gulf War vet, and probably has some form of Gulf War Syndrome. 4 years ago, the nerve damage debilitated his nervous system to the point he can't walk.

Since the Special Operations guys were all behind the lines in Iraq, the possibility he blew up or called airstrikes on one of Saddam's WMD facilities, or Republican Guard Command sites.....which may end up leading to a connection between Locke and Sayid.

I know that the line goes he "had an accident," but it could be his way of avoiding having to answer The Million Dollar question(s) about what he did in the war.

We all agree that Locke is cool under stress, seems to be comfortable in the wild, has no problem gathering food....sounds like an Special Forces or Ranger to me!!!

[Hodgepodge]

May I welcome you Flatlinejos, to Lost-TV. Those are some great catches you made from the pictures. And, from your conviction, I'm willing to buy into your theory. I do have a couple of questions that maybe you can answer.

If Locke was in the armed forces, and the Gulf War to be exact, would his participation be kept such a secret that his boss wouldn't be able to find a paper trail? Also, are you speculating about the Gulf War Syndrome, or can it manifest in paralysis?

And, welcome again!

[thoughtform]

I have been waiting for a post like this. I think you are dead on with your observations. Gulf War syndrome could definately be what caused Locke's condition. And depending on the way his boss went about looking for info on his backround also may be why he didnt find anything out about a military career. The military is not always so quick to give information. I feel we are dealing with government and defense expermentation with non-lethal weapons against certain people on the show. Sayid will be important also due to his experience with Saddam's tactics against his countrymen and also because of the tunnel systems Saddam used, which will tie in with Locke and the hatch. This is going to be very interesting!

[Gambit980]

I've been on this site for 3 months now and I am still finding sections I've never been to, and probably should have. Anyway I just wanted to back up Flatlinejos about lock military background. If you look at this link picture of medical device (http://lost-media.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=22&pos=377) you can see a Stein with two flags in it. Most people in the military have been to Germany and they always seem to buy these steins. My dad who is former navy has three of them. I think in this pic another angle (http://lost-media.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&album=22&pos=378) you can see there is a black and white flag. This may be a special forces flag if I am not mistaken. And I am unfamiliar with the white flag with the red X on it.
Also it may be trivial but the device went from glowing to not and it is not connected to him in any kind of way.

[Gambit980]

Also Locke characters use of knives reminds me of the Movie Hunted with Benicio del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones. Benicio character and Locke are way too much alike. Except Locke hasn't lost it. At least I don't think he has.

[Oswald]

And I am unfamiliar with the white flag with the red X on it.

I beleive that flag is the Cross of Burgandy

seen here
http://www.nps.gov/saju/Infozone/burgubdy-cross.JPG

There is some info on it here
San Juan National Historic Site (http://www.nps.gov/saju/faq.html#1)

[Coyote1066]

Okay this is weird. Check my recent posts: Here (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm29.showMes sageRange?topicID=1424.topic&start=121&stop=140)

You know, I never check these character boards because I thought they were more fan oriented...I didn't realize there's speculation going on in here.

[azteclady]

This is interesting, Coyote - I was going to link your discussion over there to this thread and the other thread similar in this forum.

[Coyote1066]

Get out of my mind AZ...it's creepy in there! ;) Good to see you're back!

[sawyerhasbestlines]

Since the Special Operations guys were all behind the lines in Iraq, the possibility he blew up or called airstrikes on one of Saddam's WMD facilities, or Republican Guard Command sites.....which may end up leading to a connection between Locke and Sayid.


Great theory! There will totally be a Sayid/Locke back interaction.

This should be in theory.

Everything makes sense now. I totally believe Locke is special ops - have wondered it before - am sold now.

And the gulf war syndrome, that really fits. Nerve damage. Again, Locke never said he was paralyzed. He said he had a "condition." It also ties into why he wants Sayid on "his side." He understands Sayid's skills and would rather utilize him as an ally than an enemy.

Now, regarding big mysteries. I think Locke has seen a "hatch" like that before.

And Boone, how does Locke see Boone? Is Boone someone he can train to be special ops? Or is Boone bait?

-----------------

Hodge, if Locke was special ops, I don't think there is public record of that - not that his boss would have access too. I think it's kind of like how names of cia spies aren't for the public.

[Feldspar]

Special Ops, depending upon the nature of their duties, are often tracked by the service. Marine Recon, Navy SEALs and others possess deadly skills that they retain when they go out amongst the masses. This wouldn't be information that would be handed out to nasty obnoxious supervisors but local law enforcement may be privy to it as well.

Its no different than how, in some areas, black belts in a martial art have to register with local law enforcement.

As for Boone, I don't see Locke as having any more of an interest in Boone than he does in any of the others. His behavior towards him has been identical. They only appear to be closer because of their shared knowledge of the hatch. If Locke is a special ops guy, which I personally doubt, I don't think he'd be training Boone in anything other than how not to be a dingus. :)

[azteclady]

Well, Boone does need to learn how not to be an idjit, so if Locke can get that much trhough to him he'll be performing a public service!

I agree with Feldspar in that if Locke had a military record as a special forces operative his boss wouldn't be able to simply request and get them. I also agree with him and many others who doubt that Locke had actual military experience of any kind.

My doubt stems from one little detail: remember when Locke is on the phone with his strategy/war games buddy, and is asked whether 'the line is secure'? Locke looks around half heartedly and confirms that the line is secure. Less than ten seconds after that his boss is scolding him for using the phone for personal stuff. Sorry, the whole thing doesn't look to me like true military experience!


Beto
Got a question/problem/complaint? Follow the link first, then PM me

[Coyote1066]

Another thought. A Colonel, medically discharged with near 100% disability would be making his base pay and then some. Not to mention he would have access to VA hospitals...so why on earth would he take such a degrading job? He doesn't need the money, he doesn't need the benefits and he'd certainly wouldn't take his boss' grief for long. So considering that I think he's either a "wannabe" or had a alterior motive for being at the job. I'm leaning toward "wannabe" because his resume/application would still show military service...you don't have to tell an employer what your job or assignments were since you're just proving employment during that time period. I'd also think an ex-special forces Colonel could write his own ticket in the defense consulting field.

Maybe Locke has been inflicted with bad health or neurological problems (recently leading to near paralysis) his whole life. Since he said his father "wasn't cool" this could imply mental abuse at home which led to Locke creating an alter-ego...a bad-a$$ military persona capable of doing the things he could never do. The way he reacts to the man in the walkabout office is evidence, IMHO, that he's been told his whole life that he's not capable of greatness...most likely by his father.

[azteclady]

Coyote:

a) get in chat now!

b) your second paragraph can be condensed using pinnerman's first assessment of Locke: 'legend in his own mind' but I like how you expand it to his childhood.


Beto
see the sig!

[Feldspar]

I think you completely nailed it, Coyote.

There are several aspects that point to him being a wannabe.
1) If he was special forces or simply just an officer, he wouldn't be taking a lot of crud from Randy. I haven't met a ton of them, two to be precise, but the special forces guys I met (One Marine Recon and the other Army Ranger) tended to be pretty macho very self assured, self confident type of guys. I don't see one of them taking the level of guff that Locke took from Randy. His 'standing up to Randy' also rang as hollow.

2) In the episode, 'In Translation', Locke referenced not having a positive relationship with his father. Theoretically this could very well have been from being a wheel chaired bound kid and his father not being able to come to terms with it. Thats highly speculative on my part though.

I think that Locke has been in the chair for a while and that he crafted a fantasy of sorts. Not anything that he believed in but focusing on the things that he feels may have secured him the admiration or perhaps the respect of his father. Namely, military stuff.

[Hodgepodge]

Feldspar says:
2) In the episode, 'In Translation', Locke referenced not having a positive relationship with his father. Theoretically this could very well have been from being a wheel chaired bound kid and his father not being able to come to terms with it. Thats highly speculative on my part though.

I think that Locke has been in the chair for a while and that he crafted a fantasy of sorts. Not anything that he believed in but focusing on the things that he feels may have secured him the admiration or perhaps the respect of his father. Namely, military stuff.
Feldspar, I hear what you and Coyote are saying, and you guys may be proven right. But, there's a little inconsistency.

Locke mentions in Walkabout, that he's only been in a wheelchair for four years. Also, in Outlaws, he tells the story about him being in foster care. That would probably discount his father's knowledge of his condition.

What does ring true is the idea that Locke is a wannabe. All of the pseudo-military stuff in his room, and Coyote's explanation makes perfect sense. Locke has tried any and all treatments trying to get out of that chair.

So, are you guys also saying, everything that Locke has done on the island, tracking and killing boar. Even, tracking humans. Knowing what amphibians are a food source. Identifying plants that when mixed with other ingredients, will induce a hallucination. And all of the other non-mystical things we've all seen him do, he learned from a book?

[azteclady]

I know it sounds crazy, Hodgepodge, but I think that indeed, most of what Locke has been doing in the island he hadn't ever done prior to the crash - remember when he was first tracking the boar in Walkabout? The whole lecture he was giving Michael and Kate sounded quite funky to me.

[Off topic: which brings me back to Kate tracking boar in Sawyer's second episode]


Beto

[Feldspar]

A good point.

I'd forgotten about the reference in Walkabout. Though, I believe he said 'I've been dealing with my condition for four years.' That may mean he's been in the wheel chair for four years but may have been dealing with the other aspects of it for a longer stretch before that.

Its semantics though on my part.

I think a fair bit of his information could very well come from the Boy Scouts. I'm not sure how far he got but we do know from Hearts and Minds that Locke was a Webelo. They do all sorts of woodsy type stuff. It wouldn't address the 'How to kill a boar' issue but I'm not convinced Locke had ever killed a boar before he came to the island anyway. I think it was really a sort of learn on the job type of thing.

As for the hallucination, I'm still not convinced the poultice that Locke mixed up and put on Boone had any hallucinogenic properties at all. He stated that it was for treating the wound and preventing infection. That is something he could've picked up in any number of books.

You could argue that when he said 'Is that what it made you see?' he was talking about strange goo, but I took it possibly to mean thats what the island made him see.

[Coyote1066]

Hodge,

I think he's probably attended some survival oriented classes or camps, but yes, he's done a LOT of reading I'm guessing.

Azteclady: I'll be in chat after American Idol...lol. Seriously. I'm on Mountain time.

[thoughtform]

If Locke was in the military we don't know how his service ended. He may have been dishonorably discharged and not want that known to others. If in fact he is suffering from Gulf War syndrome he may have been fighting with the brass over diagnosis and benefits. He may have been too interested in finding out what the government exposed the soldiers to that caused this illness. We know that the government and the military detest whistleblowers and people poking around into their secrets. I just think it's too soon to say he isn't a vet.

[Coyote1066]

Here are the acceptable/prohibited questions you can ask a vet during an interview (according to Tulane...the law school I guess):

ACCEPTABLE PRE-EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES:

Inquiries about education, training, or work experience gained in U.S. armed forces as it relates to the particular job.

PROHIBITED PRE-EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES:

Type or condition of military discharge. Experience in other than U.S. armed forces. Request for discharge papers. Under federal law, federal contractors may only invite disabled or Vietnam era veterans to self-identify if it is in connection with an affirmative action effort. Preferring applicants with honorable discharge rather than dishonorable discharge may be race discrimination under the adverse impact theory. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects against discrimination on the basis of military service. However, a less than honorable discharge can be the basis for denial of reemployment under USERRA. Cannot ask about military convictions, unless job related.


So, Thoughform, you have a good point. I still can't think of a reason why he would omit his entire service though...especially if it meant a possible management position.

[thoughtform]

I don't know ,maybe he wasn't interested in a management position. He may have no time for that. Maybe he is working only to get some money to pursue other things like a walkabout or to pay his huge phonebill? HaHa. We will know soon enough. I am pretty sure we will hear about it in the next new ep, where he is having physical problems(hopefully).

[LostInWilderness]

I think y'all are being too literal. Locke studied for years to go on walkabout. I don't think it matters how he studied. I do think that when the plane crashed, Locke became an aborigine Spirit Guide.

It was all he wanted in his life, he was denied in Australia, and it came true on the island. I bet he knows things about being a Spirit Guide on the island that he never knew before the crash. And he is undoubtedly more proficient than he could possibly have been before the crash. He was transformed spiritually in the crash as well as physically. He became who he always wanted to be. He even claims to be touched by divinity through his comparison of himself with Michaelangelo. Many of the things he does are closer to magic than great skill.

I think his previous training became irrelevant when they crashed.

[Gambit980]

Is it just me or is working in a box company the total opposite of working in the military. Maybe he was trying to forget what happened.

[Hodgepodge]

Gambit980 says:Is it just me or is working in a box company the total opposite of working in the military. Maybe he was trying to forget what happened. This is a good point Gambit980! Just like Sayid, Locke may've some things in his military past, he's not very proud of.

[LostInWilderness]

I think the box company is a link between Locke and Hurley. Other than that, Locke's office items are as important as his picking of his nose.

Locke's obsession was to go on walkabout. He was refused in Australia. When he crashes he found himself on his walkabout, maybe his personal DreamTime - defined by being a Spirit Guide to the other lostaways.

Whether or not he had a hangnail before his trip is unimportant to the island and to us.

[azteclady]

LostInWilderness writes:
"Other than that, Locke's office items are as important as his picking of his nose."

Except that many of us disagree with your view of Locke, which makes different things relevant for each.


Beto
Got a question/problem/complaint? Follow the link in my signature, read the entire Welcome forum, then PM me.

[flatlinejos]

Sorry - the real world got in the way of my posts.....here's a quick summary from all the other posts since my last.

1) The machine on the table & the flag- The flag on top may be the Alabama State Flag, which is home of Ft. Rucker - the home of Army Air Assault School and Airborne Pathfinder school. If it's the Burgundy flag, that's seen a lot on Puerto Rico, Home of Roosevelt Roads, where the SEALS have a permanent base.

2) He may have been in one of the Special Ops units, but as a non-combatant. Every one of these units have supply clerks, personnel specialists, armorers, etc. They are an important part of the unit, and yet they are constantly hammered about what a bunch of pogey-bait losers they are that really don't belong there. So, if he spend his military career as a Supply officer, maybe he really is a wanna-be who's desperate to prove himself.

3) As far as degrading himself working in a box company instead of collecting 100% disability from the VA, he could be like a lot of Vets who didn't file for a separation physical when they got out (which is the basis for your VA Disability rating.) If he got sick from GWS four years ago, he could be like a lot of Vets that spend years fighting the VA trying to get their disability rating raised, or even their injuries acknowledged!

4) You don't have to reveal CRAP about your military past when you interview for a job. You don't have to even mention you are a Vet unless you want to...unless you're applying for gov't or defense industry job, it can be a detriment to you getting hired. (I'm sure right now no one reveals to a prospective employer if they're in the Nat'l Guard or Reserve...) As far as finding out if you're a Vet or not by searching thru public records, it could be done...but it'd be damn hard.

5) The Hatch - looks a lot like an offshoot of the original SDI program called the Laser Fleet Defense Weapon. It was a high-energy laser or particle accelerator design to shoot down aircraft or cruise missiles from long range. When used, it would simply cut an aircraft into pieces....sound familiar? Near misses from a Laser/Particle accelerator would produce severe turbulence from the heat of the beam. While it was designed to be mounted on ships, it was also going to be a land-based weapon to protect airfields and ports. One feature was it's use of magnets & mirrors to sight targets and aim the beams.....which, when active, will screw up a compass. In the late 80's (esp 1988!) this would've been an "Above Top Secret" project. Does Locke know more about this than he's letting on?

All of this is dependent on the set dresser working with the scriptwriters to plant all these subtle clues. Just like the promos, it could all just be so much BS to get us to endlessly speculate. However, seeing in how much work ABC put into the subtle (and not so subtle) clues into Push, NV, maybe not.....

[Coyote1066]

flatlinejoes,

You have some good ideas. Some of what you mentioned was covered previously in this thread, but it's still a great post.

I'm going to hold off commenting anymore until tonight's episode is over. I think zero-hour is upon us.

[azteclady]

flatinejos, so glad to see you back here!

I'm literally bouncing around - LOST is on in TWENTY minutes here!!!!

[flatlinejos]

At the end of last night's episode, I was ready to completely chuck the whole military past down the toliet.....being one Kidney down tends to get you disqualified from Airborne school.

But.....thanks to the magick of the web, there's enough info to not clarify anything...

1) Dates. My initial theory can still be true - all of the images in Locke's room are Gulf War I era. The expiration date on Nutjob Mom's Driver's license says 3-20-94, which is 2 years past the last major redeployment date from Saudi/Kuwait/Turkey. Locke acted very calm and mature in the toy store, and my guess for his age was mid to late twenties.

2) Ability - Locke capped that dove with one shot - and he seemed very relaxed & assured when he took the shot. And, he policed up his shell automatically. Most people who shoot for the first time forget about the brass/shells they leave behind.

3) Mannerism - his use of "Sir" sounds like every recently separated Joe I've ever known. I've been out since '99, and I still find myself using the term constantly.

4) Pure bad-ass self - How people people on the board can drag themselves out of bed after having MAJOR SURGERY?

So, I don't think he was career military. I think he did his time, and got out after Gulf War I. I really wonder about what he did - I doubt seriously that a REMF supply clerk would keep a photo of Grunts marching in the desert on his wall...unless it was a random moment when they were out marching for PT, and some AP/Reuters guy took the photo (staged or otherwise.)

If Locke's life hit the crapper after he got screwed by Dad, it makes sense he'd fall back into reliving his life in the military....if it was a good experience.

[Gambit980]

I feel so wronged by him working in what looks like a walmart. Now I have to put my tale in between my legs and move over to the Locke is a wannabe camp.

[thoughtform]

Yeah, me too. What a bummer! I was expecting more from him. I guess he really has done a lot of reading. He seems to be a lonely, untrusting man,even before actually meeting his parents.

[LostInWilderness]

flatlinejos wrote a number of things:
Locke acted very calm and mature in the toy store, and my guess for his age was mid to late twenties.
I thought he looked 40. That doesn't preclude him from having served in the Gulf War though.
Locke capped that dove with one shot - and he seemed very relaxed & assured when he took the shot.
I didn't think that was their first hunt, but I could be wrong. I also thought this scene was only to show Locke has natural ability - special natural ability, not learned ability.
his use of "Sir" sounds like every recently separated Joe I've ever known.
Locke was brought up in foster homes his entire childhood, never adopted. He very well may have learned to use "Sir" because of that.
How people people on the board can drag themselves out of bed after having MAJOR SURGERY?
An obsessive person who was just betrayed by the father he just met and obsessively attached himself to.

Your theory still holds water, but I'm firmly in the wannabe camp.

[LostInWilderness]

I just re-watched Deus Ex Machina.

Pre-island-Locke is too emotionally weak to have been in the military.

[Bigbadbill]

Flame away but I'll stick with lostinwilderness!!!

Not Military, CIA etc etc etc......Can someone from the green beret make glue from a dead pig? Likely not but they'd be the best person to train 12-24 people on fighting a resistance/guerrilla war. The two things are different!

Locke spent his whole life inventing his island persona. Like his story of Michelangelo. He has been in a wheelchair for years,wishing and wanting to be a bushman. He knows all the details and likely has closed his eyes and lived every experience. I've read of prisoners that have built entire castles stone by stone in their mind.

He is a smart man that always solved problems well but was never a physical threat. Thats new to him. In his pre-lost life he was a thinker rarely did things in the physical world. I like the fact that his favorite game is mouse trap what a wonderful way to enlighten us about the inner workings of his mind.

Lostinwilderness I think he;s going to make it through the season now. I think we have to explore more about Locke's childhood, the abuse and his brother.

IMHO the story is better when a humble man with a painful past and a passionate heart gets to live his dream. A story with an ex-spy or lantern jawed killer lives in the woods is to cartoon like for my taste.

What I do believe is that he is no longer a wanna be as he is making a living in the woods (so to speak)!

[LostInWilderness]

bump

[I like to listen]

Pre-island I would tend to agree that Locke was only an admirer of the armed forces. He bought collectibles or they were gifts. He seems as a avid war-gamer and possibly the Col. title is from simulated live battle recreations. This group could have many veterans in the organization that would impart select things to Locke.

His possible book knowledge IMO should not be discounted as a lesser thing vs true service. Patton was an avid reader of battles and tatics and read whatever he could get in regards to warfare. In this he was a scholar, even when he had armies at his finger tips because of his rank of General, he continued to read and study. He was also a man who believed heavily in destiny and drew upon every advantage he could to achieve it. Locke is smilar in this regard.

The island serves as a battlefield commision to Locke and his destiny. On this island, I would rather have the scholar Locke on point, before the soldier Sayid.

[LostInWilderness]

When I mention Locke's book skills I mean making glue, throwing knives, hunting boar. It seems those book skills were shoved to foreground as "experience" in the same way the crash cured his hysterical paralysis.

[norhoc]

Is it just me or does that look like a rifle case on the far wall(black in color) with a DHARMA logo on it?

[Hodgepodge]

Is it just me or does that look like a rifle case on the far wall(black in color) with a DHARMA logo on it?You've got good eyes Norhoc. I saw it as well. But, it's not the Dharma logo. Here's a screencap (http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=431713&postcount=7)of the case only.

[Brian]

Hmmm......interesting. I don't think that's a DHARMA logo, either. It almost looks like a guitar case with a Yamaha logo on it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/Leuthen2/images.jpg

But that doesn't really fit either. Interesting find, I missed this one.

[athywithak]

there was a giant discussion of that logo - if it wasn't eaten in the Great EZ Hack of 05 I will return with links...

ETA: all I could find was this, which may or may not be what I was thinking of:
http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=131859 (post 65 and elsewhere)

[Brian]

there was a giant discussion of that logo - if it wasn't eaten in the Great EZ Hack of 05 I will return with links...
If you find it in the archives, let me know and I'll move it back here and merge this thread with that one. The archives were a product of EZ and we don't need them anymore so I can move anything there, here.

[register]

just something, and i apologize in advance if i say something that has already been stated.
as to john and the wheelchair. there have been implications of john's being paralyzed, or unable to walk for quite awhile. but the chair he uses is more of a mall or hospital chair, temporary not a personal, permanent chair. proabably doesn't matter. ok then.

[LostInWilderness]

I hadn't heard that before. How can you tell?

[Ida Monster]

S3E13: Locke's Geiger counter make another appearance.
In the timeline, this is before "Walkabout". He's kept it around for 4 years.
What's it prove? Nothing much. It may only indicate that he's begun his preparation for his trip to Australia... or Craphole Island.


http://img9.imagepile.net/img9/8591locke-geigers.jpg

It's not a flashlight... he has an orange flashlight of
similar size on his tv table:

http://img9.imagepile.net/img9/39220lockes-flashlight.jpg

Screencap reference:

Walkabout (http://img375.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lockesbdrm10fe.jpg)
Man From Talahassee (http://gallery.lost-media.com/albums/ep-caps/season3/3x13-talahassee/1/talahassee-cap100.jpg)

[Brian]

Nice catch Ida. That's the first I've heard mention of that. Now I'm curious as to what that thing's for....meaning, what the heck is Locke doing with it?

[Hodgepodge]

That is a great catch Ida Monster. :Cheers: Does the one from TMFT, have the CDC emblem on the side? I can't make out what that is! :eye-poppi