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MEGA - Thinking about joining the military.

My dad joined the Navy because he knew there was no way he was prepared for college and claimed to also be confused about the direction in his life. He became a yeoman and credits the time in service as an invaluable experience. It's a personal choice though... everybody's different.
 
I almost joined the Navy myself; I've loved ships and the ocean my whole life, and already came from a military family. I was too overweight at the time, though. :(

Still wonder how different my life would've been if it had worked.
 
drscience: that 9 years for for regular officer entry plan here in canada includes your time in school where you only do military training during the summer...4 years of that, and 5 years active.

But dont join for the education or paycheque. Join because you want to for a reason other then sundry bonus things...because unenthusiastic Officers looking to get it over with just make things harder and more dangerous for everyone else. your heart/mind has to really be there, you need to give above and beyond of your will and desire, not just knuckle drag to the minimum you can do and not be charged for disobey lawful command...other people are really counting on you.

I don't much care for shipboard life myself...but I'm sure my brothers on the ships would say the same about plundering around in the scotching sun for weeks on end...if you want join the forces, make sure to pick the service enviroment and job you feel you'd be best at. the other pro/cons of the military are fairly even across the board. But don't go navy if you don't confined places for long times, don't go land combat arms f you cant tolerant being out the elements, ect. thats something alor of people forget to think about.
 
Ive posted this in quite a few threads in here....So here ya go

Well i've spent almost 7 years in the Air Force now and im actually working on separating back into civilian life...

If you join the Army or Marines...there is no doubt inm y mind you are going to Iraq or Afghanistan....

Depending on how well you do on your ASVAB (military aptitude test) will depend on what jobs are available to you....In the Army it doesnt matter if you are computer tech, mechanic, ect....You are a soldier first and at any moment they can take that keyboard out of your hand and replace it w/ a rifle....

In the Air Force....your job is your job no matter where you go

I currently am an Aircraft Maintainer.....Specifically Avionics (Aircraft electronic systems) and have worked on Bombers, Aerial Refuelers and Cargo planes....Its a cool fucking job...can suck at times....cuz its challenging and you have alot of responsibilty but is very rewarding for that very reason....

Ive actually gotten extremely lucky in the deployment and assignment department....I was stationed in North Dakota for 3 years and in that time I deployed to both Guam and Diego Garcia (small tropical island in the Indian Ocean...was beautiful there) the bomber I worked were long range so they never are at a combat zone base....they fly to the action and come back to somewhere calm

My next 3 years were spent in Germany and I was fortunate enough to skip out on the desert and was sent to Cyprus (think Greece) for 4 motnhs....Even if i was deployed to the desert I have piece of mind knowing I wont be on the front lines with a rifle in my hands....Id have a soldering iron and ill most likely make it back safely...

Im currently in the Mid East now.....But its not that bad since im not in a combat zone....It hard fucking work, ive sweated my ass off...but I dont fear for my life either...And Ill have about 20k in the bank when i get home...

I have the utmost respect for what the Army, Marines and the people on the front lines do....But that just isnt what i wanna do....Not to mention Ive received college credit and FAA certification that i can bring back to the real world when i get out in a few months...Again no disresepct to any soldiers...but what kind of job can you get in the outside world w/ combat training? Club bouncer??

My advice would be to go into the Air Force or Navy and get a technical job that will benefit you on the outside world and not to mention keep you out of harms way...

My military experience has benefited me tremendously and i do not regret any of the time ive served....Ive traveled the world, learned valuable skills and matured quite a bit....But again the military is not me and i feel im ready to get back to civilian life again....

Whatever your choice...think more long term than just trying to get away from your problems...

Also half of what recruiters tell you is BS....you are nothing more than their quota for the month.....If at all possible have a prior military friend to help you weed out all of the bullshit....

Best of luck bro....Hope you mke the right decision
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I was in the Navy and I bloody LOVED IT! I never got ship duty, but I was posted to shore duty in the UK where I met my R.A.F. Husband and still live.

Its a great place and you make friends that you tend to keep for life. I miss a lot of what it had to offer.
 
My husband was in the Army when we met. He often says it was the best thing he could have done; he earned his place in society and was able to better his life while serving our country. I think any form of military service is a great thing, especially if you need a new direction in your life. The only thing I'd say is be sure you make the right choice for you when deciding which branch you go with (there are significant differences beyond the superficial), and make sure you speak to a third party to confirm any promises your recruitment officer may make to you.

Also, your MOS (or whatever it's called in other respective branches) is a big determining factor in whether you'll be deployed and for how long. Because of the job my husband chose, he was the only one of his friends to be able to ETS at his scheduled date while the rest were stop-loss and sent to Afghanistan. I say that not so you can skirt your duty, but because there are some jobs that are somewhat stationary or are more valuable to our military if their duties are performed in the states.
 
Joining The Army.

I have thought about it for many years. I live in a very small town and I am stuck here with little resources. I am also going in circles in terms of jobs, life, college, and drugs.

I joined the Army because I do have a bad criminal record but its a little bit higher up that the marines. I passed the asvab entrance test so its just a matter of time before I begin the process.

I mainly just want to know what people think based on personal experiences... Negative ones are good but don't scare me too much because I've already made my decision and theres no turning back.

Also.. I probably will do the physical stuff soon, and there will be a drug test involved and I smoked pot everyday up until a few days ago.. I can handle it though, should be fine.

Yeah just tell me whats up and what to expect. My main worry is boot camp because I heard you cannot smoke cigarettes and I'm just overall dreading it. The main thing I am looking forward to is shooting guns. I love shooting..

Will I most certainly go to iraq?

Also..They said obama is cutting funding to the army so I won't be able to expect much of a sign on bonus.. Is that just bullshit? Is there anything I can do to ensure a better sign on bonus? I just have soo many questions, PMs would be awesome too..

Cant wait to hear some stuff.. Thanks!

PS> I forgot to add..I have some pretty bad track marks and bruises.. When I am getting my physical, is this going to effect anything or disqualify me? I do not beleive I have any kind of disease (HIV OR HEP) but I am kind of worried. Please help because this is my prime concern.
 
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What the hell dude? Why is it that 25 people have looked at it and noone has replied? Is this the wrong forum are is everyone just ignorant? Sorry but that is pretty frusterating and this is very important to me.. Hasn't anyone been in the military? Mods, if I'm posting in the wrong forum can you move it or message me and tell me what im doing wrong? Thanks..
 
soundsystem00 said:
What the hell dude? Why is it that 25 people have looked at it and noone has replied? Is this the wrong forum are is everyone just ignorant? Sorry but that is pretty frusterating and this is very important to me.. Hasn't anyone been in the military? Mods, if I'm posting in the wrong forum can you move it or message me and tell me what im doing wrong? Thanks..
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You asked a lot of specific questions in your OP so maybe people were just too lazy to address them all. I'll see what I can do %)

soundsystem00 said:
I have thought about it for many years. I live in a very small town and I am stuck here with little resources. I am also going in circles in terms of jobs, life, college, and drugs.

I joined the Army because I do have a bad criminal record but its a little bit higher up that the marines. I passed the asvab entrance test so its just a matter of time before I begin the process.

I mainly just want to know what people think based on personal experiences... Negative ones are good but don't scare me too much because I've already made my decision and theres no turning back.

Also.. I probably will do the physical stuff soon, and there will be a drug test involved and I smoked pot everyday up until a few days ago.. I can handle it though, should be fine.
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You better find out exactly WHEN the drug test is gonna be and drink some detox juice to cleanse your system out. If you're a daily marijuana smoker that shit stays in your system for months. When I was trying to join, the recruiter gave us a "preliminary" drug test before the official one, just to be sure we'd pass the official one without wasting their time. I don't know if your recruiter will be so kind.

Yeah just tell me whats up and what to expect. My main worry is boot camp because I heard you cannot smoke cigarettes and I'm just overall dreading it. The main thing I am looking forward to is shooting guns. I love shooting..

Will I most certainly go to iraq?
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There's really no way of knowing that, especially since we are in the process of pulling out. What MO's have you chosen? I do know that the recruiters want you to have 2 or 3 because you do not always receive your first choice.

Also..They said obama is cutting funding to the army so I won't be able to expect much of a sign on bonus.. Is that just bullshit? Is there anything I can do to ensure a better sign on bonus? I just have soo many questions, PMs would be awesome too..
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What have you done that will get you a bonus? Do you have college experience? Are you an Eagle Scout? There are certain criteria to getting signing bonuses, I don't think they give them to just anybody.

Cant wait to hear some stuff.. Thanks!

PS> I forgot to add..I have some pretty bad track marks and bruises.. When I am getting my physical, is this going to effect anything or disqualify me? I do not beleive I have any kind of disease (HIV OR HEP) but I am kind of worried. Please help because this is my prime concern.
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Yeah, I don't know about the track marks and bruises. When I tried to join the army 8 years ago they performed a pretty thorough medical exam so that might send up red flags. If you go to goarmy.com there is a chat room where you can anonymously ask recuiters questions; you may want to ask someone about those needle marks before going to MEPS.

Good luck, man. I tried to join right after 9/11 but couldn't pass the hearing test - too many loud concerts I guess.
 
All my friends who enlisted had several chances to pass their drug tests. The military was bending over backwards to let them in.
One of my friends got in and then wanted out so he started failing drug tests on purpose, but that didn't matter to them, they still wouldn't let him out.
 
Enlistment bonuses depend entirely on how hard the Army is pushing for certain MOS's. When I joined the National Guard as a combat medic, they were in short supply, so I got an $8,000 bonus for joining under that MOS. I wasn't even out of high school yet. Then, when I re-enlisted 6 years later I was offered $7,500 for a 3-year re-enlistment or $15,000 for a 6 year re-enlistment. I took the 3 year re-enlistment, and now that one is up too. They tell me now there is no re-enlistment bonus, because the Army is up to where it wants to be on medics. It could be that the Army is up to the numbers it wants to be at all around, so no bonuses for that reason. Or it could be that none of the jobs you qualified for or showed an interest in is in great enough need right now to be offering a bonus.

All in all, I doubt the recruiter is going to bullshit you about not giving you a bonus - if the bonus is there to give, they will offer it to you, because the bottom line he is after is getting you in, not cheating you on the bonus. If he says there's not a bonus, ask him if he means for the MOS's you are considering, or for any MOS. Most recruiters have no qualms about deceiving you, but they won't do it for no reason, and I can't see any reason for him to deceive you about a bonus.
 
CoffeeDrinker said:
All my friends who enlisted had several chances to pass their drug tests. The military was bending over backwards to let them in.
One of my friends got in and then wanted out so he started failing drug tests on purpose, but that didn't matter to them, they still wouldn't let him out.
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He could still fog a mirror.
 
I lived so many hundred feet from a naval base, whidbey nas, and my personal friends and family who were in or left,,, despised it. lots of people would pump out babies for some extra money at tax time, and consider this wise... the recruiters will lie lie and then say things didn't work out... from a silly honest jehovahs witness, he would tell me this is how they are inadvertently trained, to help their pockets, hah.

it was always alcohol, cheating on each other, spiteful arrogant kids, barbaric cocky unqualified "doctors" "dentists", and "surgeons"; not to real world standards, if they fuck up, move on, as in you are now useless because your broken arm was casted wrong and is numb for life.

you will basically make less then ten an hour. i was changing light fixtures on base housing for $ 22 an hour... federal minimum wage, seem ass backwards?

i knew one man in in his mid 50's that was counting the days till he could retire, then he was offered a sergeants position, the retirement difference was massive, so he said fuck them, ill do this for a year then retire.

oh man i could go on, the happiest people who made a lot more money + the same befits which could be used off base, made $60k managing the bases grocery store, welders $$$, even a base barber, my god the wods of tips and 12.5-$ 15 an hour, a lot more then the guys out on the nimitz, needle gunning, or standing watch for 12 bored to tears hours.

look into what im saying, no it isn't as esteemed or glorious, but i never never met any one who felt that way who currently served, my brother in law accelerated fast in the army, i believe he was in a special forces branch, he has said to us like we could do anything about it, that he would trade back every dime to gtfo, he is good at what he does, and its been a life long dream.

again look into a trade where you could make federal wage, doing "low voltage" electrical work, welding, lots of stuff. if you could pass their intelligence test, and be triple guaranteed to learn and be an engineer, that would be the only way.

the coast guard now, that could be interesting, and not strictly about war and combat, but all sorts of things. like an underwater welder, engineer, obtain a large vessel captains qualifications, and holy shit, make bank and navigate across the pacific so many times a year. dont sell your self to them just yet man, there is oh so much left unsaid.
 
The navy isn't so bad if you pick a aviation rate. I served, I killed, i been shot, i spent a bunch of money on bullshit, now my back is fucked, im disabled, have anxiety and ptsd, and can only function with a fat shot, and not becuase im a junky, but because my back hurts so bad and they won't give me anything other than flexeril and vcodin at the va. And the answer is no, the dope isn't the culprit making my back hurt so i keep using, I havent used in weeks and my back hurts just the same as it did when i was still in the military and not on anything. That's why i got discharged medically. I was thrown up against a building, and before that threw my back out lifting a 355 lbs peice of equipment. I must of been pretty strong, considering I carried it about 50 yds. Do it you want a paycheck, food, and a place to stay. But please join the navy or air force, but neither one of them takes drop outs unless your smart as fuck on the asvab, and you get you ged. and no record of anything .
 
I was in a position like the OP having been unemployed and wandering what to do so joined the Australian Army

The positives for me were I got motivated and went cold turkey from the methadone tabs I'd been shooting and slowly built my fitness up before joining.

Try and find something that gives good civil qualifications or officer, although the guns and explosives in infantry can be tempting.

Try and do something you will not be conflicted and affected by ie be a depressed storeman/driver not a frontline soldier
 
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