Hi @cooldad
Okay, some very quick tips...
Follow the 3 C's

Content creation - COMMENTS (it's the life blood here) - Curation (upvoting others)

I also highly recommend some of the tutorials I've put together here There are tips on understanding your wallet, formatting, best practices.

Also -- Edit your post tags. Get rid of Steemit (it's a no-no). Instead use the introduceyourself tag. That is the universal tag where people seek new people to follow!

I noticed you're a paratrooper! VERY COOL.
I've got 2 boys on Parris Island right now (3 weeks apart). And we have a growing number of active and retired military. Check out the veterans tag
@lexikon082 is a personal friend and quite active on Steemit too. All best!