Enlisting into the Military

[crib86]

My 2 cents. Stay away from the marines. The recruiters are assholes. Join the delayed entry program so if you change your mind you can back out. Theres no shame in it. Its your fucking life. Coast guard man, trust me.

[Lucky13]

Originally Posted by joerockhead

If you do go officer, just remember - the E-7's and up know more then you do. treat them with total respect, they will teach you the job.

Wrong, if you're an officer they are paying you to think, the E7s are payed to babysit all the other enlisted who they aren't paying to think. If you go into the service you should treat all your fellow servicement with respect, but don't go into the Officers club talking about "yeah, those cheifs sure know a lot more than me" It'll show up on your fitrep. Don't go on an asshole powertrip when you've been there for 2 months, but never forget who's higher up on the chain of command, if you're assigned to a project with some enlisted and a chief and you're the only officer the success or failure is on YOUR head.

[skyNet]

nflcc, what experience do you have in the military?

Any officer who doesn't listen to a PSG or better is ignoring a soldier with over twice the military experience they have.

[menace2yerbrain]

Have you taken the ASVAB? The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Its a long test about what you might be good at. It won't determine what kind of work you do, but it may give you a pretty good idea where they will use you. After you have taken it, ask them where they see you. If it sounds like something cool, it may be an opportunity. If it sounds sucky, you better believe it will be. I have friends who went to corpman school and are now in the medical field and grateful, I have friends who did the most absurdly boring and useless things in the service. Once you sign up, they OWN you. That may or may not be a good thing, so DO YOUR HOMEWORK. good luck.

[Sekhmet]

Originally Posted by menace2yerbrain

Once you sign up, they OWN you. That may or may not be a good thing, so DO YOUR HOMEWORK. good luck.

No, once you swear in the second time and ship they do. One you sign up but before you ship, you can back out or renegotiate your contract.

[Kebra]

Does anyone know about the army corp of engineers? I hear it is a good employment opportunity for people interested in engineering but I don't know anyone who has done it so I am not sure.

[facepeeler]

GO AIR FORCE!!!

I'm coming up on the end of my enlistment, and Im counting the fucking days until Im away from the fucking Army. I should have been smart the day I went to MEPS instead of going in with a hard-on and wanted to be hardcore or some shit...

[facepeeler]

Originally Posted by Kebra

Does anyone know about the army corp of engineers? I hear it is a good employment opportunity for people interested in engineering but I don't know anyone who has done it so I am not sure.

I work for an Engineering firm here in Arkansas, and we deal a lot with the Corps of Engineers...mostly they're cool, they really know their shit, but if you're fucking around they won't hesitate to string your ass up. You really gotta be on top of your game to get a job with them though. And from what I understand they pay pretty well.

[sqrlmstr8]

I'm currently in the Navy serving onboard a ship. I've been in the Navy 4 1/2 yrs and onboard ship for the past year. So far I've been to Puerto Rico, Curacao, Cuba, Norway, Holland, England, Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Albania. I'd never been able to see all that without the Navy. The military definately teaches you to stop making excuses though. If your sick...guess what...you still go to work until you go see the doc and maybe he'll let you go home for the day. Civilians seem like they complain over the dumbest shit at thier jobs and can quit whenever they want. The military forces you to grow up and take responsibility for yourself. But you will make good friends and I couldn't have enjoyed my job more. Financially it is a smart move as well. I bought my first home when I was 21 and have full healthcare. You can't say that for most 21 year olds. Half of them still rely on their parents working nothing jobs that will never take them anywhere. It allows you to become completely independent of your family and I don't know about you, but I'd rather fend for myself then have mommy and daddy coddle me like a little girl. Navy is great for travel and Air Force takes care of its people best, but be careful with Air Force because they don't promote very quickly at all. In the Navy I made E-5 in just over 3 years. I also had no desire to run around the desert getting shot at which will never happen to me being in the Navy. The worst I have to worry about nowadays is at sea fires, which normally aren't too bad. You just have to know what you want to do but being in the military is a great choice for anyone who isn't a big puss and whines about everything.

[billhamilton]

From a ol' retired army dude - who was a recruiter for five years!

First, the first response is pretty much on the mark, and the Air Force is an excellent choice. With any service, you will get out of it what you put in it. In my opinion, military life is a way of life. You get underpaid, and in most cases are not appreciated. Much like being in the peace corp or a teacher!

Would I do it again? Ya - I guess so.

[inimyaudi]

i applaud your motivation. very few of us ever get to experience the bond that members of the armed forces share, on top of that, it's a wonderful way to exercise the sense of duty, pride, and honor and love of country that you must feel.

a stint in the military will help you later in life no matter what your chosen field.

good luck and godspeed

[wudluv]

I come from a big military family with over 100 years of history in the U.S. armed forces. That being said, my aunt has a big chest filled with pretty red, white, and blue flags all folded into neat triangles. A few date back to before the civil war. Our family is proud of each and every one of the children who grow up to serve. The general thoughts that I gather from my family is that now is a decent time to join if you are going to. Moral is high, benefits are good. Sure there is a war going on but my cousin has made sergeant in Iraq at the age of 21 and hes loving it. (Or is he 22 now?)

Military life isnt for everyone. Its hard and dangerous. If you join go in thinking your going to be in combat and prepare yourself mentally and physically. Even if you become a mail clerk or a cook. Also prepared to be away from family and friends for extended periods of time.

If you join the marines remember that every marine is at heart a rifleman. That means if the shit gets thick and the front lines get breached you pick up your rifle and fight even if your in the rear. It happened to my uncle in Korea, he was a diesel mechanic 10 miles from the front one day and in a foxhole the next.

The navy is full of fun and adventuer but very dangerous. It only takes one person to screw up on board a ship and lots of people can die. I hear life at sea is 6 months of boredom interupted periodically by 30 minutes of terror and mayhem. But you do get to go to some interesting places the other services dont go to. If you decide to go as an officer or not a 4 year hitch in the navy can be a fun and rewarding time of your life.

The army isnt the service to join as an enlisted man right now unless you want to see action. My cousin Troy is reupping in a few months though and putting in for a transfer to iraq, it will be his 5th deployment? into combat in the army. I strongly suggest officer school joining the army.

The airforce is alot like a regular job once you get through school and get into your unit. Unless of course you are a pilot. Most all other jobs have regular set hours you work. If you dont want to go to officers school and want to put in more than 4 years of service the airforce is a decent choice.

I currently have 5 family members in the military with 3 overseas in hot zones. And my 16 year old cousin is talking to marine recruiters finding out what she needs to do to enter officer training for when she graduates from stanford. Shes gonna be the families first female devil dog! Anyways this is just my thoughts on joining up right now, hope it helps you out.

Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck.

[devi]

I thought about joining the army for a bit here in canada. However, i've been told that you have little freedom (always away from home on training/deployment etc...) and hanging on to relationships is VERY difficult.
For those who have/are served/serving, what are your experiences with this? I dunno how i could survive for months at a time without seeing my g/f or getting laid!
Do soldiers seek hookers for help in this regard??