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"Is it a good idea to join the military" If you need to ask, you probably can't afford it 
'The idea reveals a price, its you that must bear it'
'The idea reveals a price, its you that must bear it'
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Is it a good idea to join the military.... In need of advice
- Thread Starter zerocool319
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for the 1st time in my life I cannot endorse becoming an American soldier and it breaks my heart
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I spent three years overseas away from those I loved. And I missed them in a way only someone removed could.
As I get older. I grow increasingly thankful for my time in the army. It was not great fun. It started out about me. But like veterans learn. It's about your countries needs. I made a sacrifice. I did not start out to sacrifice anything! My plan was to exploit an opportunity for myself. Yet somehow having everything taken away. Gave me something back. Something that shaped me. And stayed with me my whole life.
I'm not trying to glorify my service. It was frustrating, uncomfortable and even a bit terrifying at times! It felt like it was taking too much from me! It did however leave me with a unique education. A perspective on life many don't get to see. A kind of functional scar?
I am a richer person for my time in the Army. Not in the way I might have thought. But in the end it gave me all the things I love and enjoy. The things I already had but did not fully appreciate.
As I get older. I grow increasingly thankful for my time in the army. It was not great fun. It started out about me. But like veterans learn. It's about your countries needs. I made a sacrifice. I did not start out to sacrifice anything! My plan was to exploit an opportunity for myself. Yet somehow having everything taken away. Gave me something back. Something that shaped me. And stayed with me my whole life.
I'm not trying to glorify my service. It was frustrating, uncomfortable and even a bit terrifying at times! It felt like it was taking too much from me! It did however leave me with a unique education. A perspective on life many don't get to see. A kind of functional scar?
I am a richer person for my time in the Army. Not in the way I might have thought. But in the end it gave me all the things I love and enjoy. The things I already had but did not fully appreciate.
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Best post so far. That is exactly the way I feel.
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While on the surface, it might not seem like a good idea to join NOW, you'll appreciate it in later years, after you RETIRE.
So my advice, if you're gonna do it, do it for the whole 20, not just one hitch.
It'll seem like a b!tc# while you're in, but you know what, it ain't a whole lot better in the civilian world.
...and who says you HAVE to be an infantryman.
If you're interested in some occupation, the military will teach you to do it, then put you to work so you can gain experience doing it, AND pay you for it, the whole time you're in.
Not trying to "romanticize" it, just sayin', there are some positives to consider joining up.
I'm 51 now and I kinda wish I'd done it when I was 18.
Dean
Don't know about the guard. Just go regular and get it full bore instead of strung out for so long. It builds strength of character and the educational, housing, medical benefits you get after are excellent also. Many benefits to going regular mil vs guard.
Joined the corps at 17 and never regretted it.
Now in my older years they also saved my life and gave me a new heart. You pay up front, but they reciprocate for life. They also teach pride, strength, morality and how to survive in any environment you come across the rest of your life.
Standing strong for your country is never a mistake. Look at how many stood before you. They did it so you still have choices. You do it to make sure your children still have choices.
The current administration is the only negative, but we will overcome him. Just always remember the roots to the oath you take when you join.
Joined the corps at 17 and never regretted it.
Now in my older years they also saved my life and gave me a new heart. You pay up front, but they reciprocate for life. They also teach pride, strength, morality and how to survive in any environment you come across the rest of your life.
Standing strong for your country is never a mistake. Look at how many stood before you. They did it so you still have choices. You do it to make sure your children still have choices.
The current administration is the only negative, but we will overcome him. Just always remember the roots to the oath you take when you join.
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Some facinating posts here, Gentlemen, some bitter, some reflective, some wistful and some just ornery. I served thirty-three years all but ten days fulltime in the Army - no reserve time.
Some of it was good, some was bad, some was really bad, and some was just too bad.
I'd do it again, though, only next time I'd be nastier.
tac
Some of it was good, some was bad, some was really bad, and some was just too bad.
I'd do it again, though, only next time I'd be nastier.
tac
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Well Zerocool have you made your decision yet?
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As long as you would disobey an order to shoot at Americans. It straighten me out when I was going the wrong way and this was back when they would act like obama lying right to your face to get you to join. The recruiter told me I would be setting at home for a month before I started basic. I was promised aircraft maintenance and be able to get a GED diploma while in basic. 2 days latter I set at Fort Ord with a bald head, never got that GED and became a radio operator but no one ever told me life was fare.
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If your'e not sure - no.
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...so whatever happened with zerocool319?
Had I joined right out of high school I would have definitely gone to the sandbox right away to iraq. I graduated the year the twin towers were hit.
Have very high respect for those that do/did serve. I've seen it make men out of boys and I've also seen it leave men horribly scared for life. And not the visual type of scars.
My uncle is a vietnam vet. He rarely ever speaks of his time in vietnam. It horrifies him and haunts him to this day. He suffers from night terrors because of his time there.
Have very high respect for those that do/did serve. I've seen it make men out of boys and I've also seen it leave men horribly scared for life. And not the visual type of scars.
My uncle is a vietnam vet. He rarely ever speaks of his time in vietnam. It horrifies him and haunts him to this day. He suffers from night terrors because of his time there.
I spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, 1968-72.
My advice is, DON'T DO IT.
It's not that military life cannot deliver positives to you. It's that HUGE negatives may accompany those positives, for example, medical problems for the rest of your life; or, for example, how would you like to live without legs? And it's that the positives you can get from the military, can generally be gotten in other, less stupid ways.
Don't believe any recruiter. THEY ARE LIARS.
Don't believe that you would be fighting for freedom. That is pure BS, and has been for centuries. Wars happen because those in the ruling class, and their cronies, will be benefited. Not ordinary people who end up doing the fighting.
My advice is, DON'T DO IT.
It's not that military life cannot deliver positives to you. It's that HUGE negatives may accompany those positives, for example, medical problems for the rest of your life; or, for example, how would you like to live without legs? And it's that the positives you can get from the military, can generally be gotten in other, less stupid ways.
Don't believe any recruiter. THEY ARE LIARS.
Don't believe that you would be fighting for freedom. That is pure BS, and has been for centuries. Wars happen because those in the ruling class, and their cronies, will be benefited. Not ordinary people who end up doing the fighting.
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Overall, I enjoyed my time in the service. Yeah, there was some hard work and some challenging times, but overall, it was worth it. I'd lean toward going full-time to start, and after your first enlistment and you decide to stay in or get out, then if you get out, consider guard duty.
My story... (Skip down to "My Advice" if you don't care about this, but some of this helps explain some of my advice)
The Plan
I went in the Air Force about 9 months after I graduated high school, and I had a plan... The plan was to get through basic, then tech school, the OJT (On the job training), then apply for the AECP (Airmen Education Commissioning Program), where you stop "working," go to school full time (while they continue you to pay you), then after finishing college, go to Officer Candidate School, then serve as an officer for double the amount of time you spent going to school (presumably about 8 years, then decide to stay or not). So, that was the plan; It's good to have a plan, but sometimes plans change. ;-)
What actually happened...
I went in with a "guaranteed electronics" career field (in writing... as others have said, be skeptical of recruiters, and be sure anything you care about is in writing). That meant that near the end of basic training, you got to select what jobs you want to apply for, based on what they had available, and I was guaranteed to get one that was in the electronics field, and if they couldn't provide that, I could select something else or leave the service. I had high scores on my ASVAB, so I qualified for everything they had available. I had narrowed my choices down to two missile jobs (electronics jobs that required security clearance), and since my goal was to get as much free schooling as possible, I selected Air Launched Nuclear Missile Maintenance (which had a 6 month tech school) instead of ICBMs (only a 6 week school).
I went through tech school, then about 6-10 months of OJT, during which, Desert Storm started. I just kept working, and while the convention weapon guys started deploying to Saudi Arabia, we continued our jobs, but also started working 12 hours shift off and on and working the conventional weapon troop's state-side jobs while they were gone (e.g. unloading bombs from crates, loading them on trailers, and sending them to the flightline to get loaded for bombing missions). Also during this time, I met a girl, Desert Storm ended, and Clinton continued closing bases, including my base. (There were ~14 bases where my job could be done when I went in the AF, and 7.5 years later, there were 3, and now only 2). So, to recap, 3 1/2 years had passed, my base was closing, I got married, and hadn't even started school or applied for AECP. About 3 months after getting getting married, my based was closed and I had a choice: Get out early (at 3 1/2 years), extend my enlistment by a year and a half (so I'd serve 2 more years), or I could reenlist early. I went with the latter option, and moved from my base in Michigan to a new base in Washington.
About 9 months later, I still hadn't started school, but found out my wife was pregnant. I quickly realized I needed to get started with my schooling, and finally did. Fortunately, between my 6 months of tech school, and basic training (which counted as college credit for PE), I had about 1 year worth of college credit. I completed about 2 more years before my 2nd enlistment ended. I had been going to school for Computer Science and computers were getting big, and having had my 2nd kid, I decided to get out and get a job in computers/networking (BTW, I took on a special duty assignment as Squadron Computer manager, and thus had some training and experience from that). I got a job as a Windows NT/Network SysAdmin, making notably more money than I'd been making in the AF. I worked that job for 4 years, had my 3rd child, then moved to another job where I've been since. About 6 years into this next job, I decided to complete my Senior year of college (using both my employers TA, as well as my GI Bill), taking one class at a time (having a busy job and a family), about 3 years later, I finally completed my BS in CS. Not quite the original plan, but it worked out well.
My Advice...
Note: Some of this assume that somethings are still basically the same, but I can't guarantee they are, so take this with a grain of salt and apply what I suggest to the extent it can be applied.
-Make sure you either get a guaranteed job or guaranteed job field in writing when you enlist, or you will be at the mercy of whatever they have available.
-As soon as you can (e.g. after tech school and OJT) start going to school and make use Tuition Assistance (When I was in, TA paid for 75% of your tuition for all classes; That's a great deal).
-When picking a job, consider how the skill you'll learn might apply to a civilian job. Yeah, there isn't a lot of nuclear missile jobs in the civilian job market, but I learned good electronics/mechanical skills, and my security clearance looked good on resumes.
-I found my employers (in the semiconductor industry) appreciated military experience, discipline, attention to detail, pride in your work, etc. These days, there is a lot of pressure to hire "Under Represented Minorities," and as just your basic white guy ;-), that puts you at a bit of a disadvantage, but at my current employer, veterans are classified as a minority (or something that looks good in their hiring statistics), so that's nice.
-Sign up for the GI Bill, and make sure you use it after you get out (save the GI Bill money for when you get out, and just use TA while you're in). IIRC, you have 10 years to use it, and that time starts either on the date you get out, or the date you start using it, which ever is earlier.
-Realize basic training won't be a ton of fun, but just recognize it's only a month or two, just listen close, do what you're told.
-The only thing I'd volunteer for in basic training would be "Chappel guide," as there's a little relaxing time while doing this duty, so do that even if you're not a religious person. You'll thank me. Other than that, keep your head down, don't stand out, and don't volunteer for much of anything else (though laundry duty wasn't too bad).
-Whatever you do, be the best you can be at it. Learn everything you can. I went into it for what I could get out of it (e.g. education), and learned to be a patriot from that experience years after I got out. The older I got, the more I understood the sacrifices I'd made (in personal freedoms, etc) while serving, and the more I appreciate others who have served.
My story... (Skip down to "My Advice" if you don't care about this, but some of this helps explain some of my advice)
The Plan
I went in the Air Force about 9 months after I graduated high school, and I had a plan... The plan was to get through basic, then tech school, the OJT (On the job training), then apply for the AECP (Airmen Education Commissioning Program), where you stop "working," go to school full time (while they continue you to pay you), then after finishing college, go to Officer Candidate School, then serve as an officer for double the amount of time you spent going to school (presumably about 8 years, then decide to stay or not). So, that was the plan; It's good to have a plan, but sometimes plans change. ;-)
What actually happened...
I went in with a "guaranteed electronics" career field (in writing... as others have said, be skeptical of recruiters, and be sure anything you care about is in writing). That meant that near the end of basic training, you got to select what jobs you want to apply for, based on what they had available, and I was guaranteed to get one that was in the electronics field, and if they couldn't provide that, I could select something else or leave the service. I had high scores on my ASVAB, so I qualified for everything they had available. I had narrowed my choices down to two missile jobs (electronics jobs that required security clearance), and since my goal was to get as much free schooling as possible, I selected Air Launched Nuclear Missile Maintenance (which had a 6 month tech school) instead of ICBMs (only a 6 week school).
I went through tech school, then about 6-10 months of OJT, during which, Desert Storm started. I just kept working, and while the convention weapon guys started deploying to Saudi Arabia, we continued our jobs, but also started working 12 hours shift off and on and working the conventional weapon troop's state-side jobs while they were gone (e.g. unloading bombs from crates, loading them on trailers, and sending them to the flightline to get loaded for bombing missions). Also during this time, I met a girl, Desert Storm ended, and Clinton continued closing bases, including my base. (There were ~14 bases where my job could be done when I went in the AF, and 7.5 years later, there were 3, and now only 2). So, to recap, 3 1/2 years had passed, my base was closing, I got married, and hadn't even started school or applied for AECP. About 3 months after getting getting married, my based was closed and I had a choice: Get out early (at 3 1/2 years), extend my enlistment by a year and a half (so I'd serve 2 more years), or I could reenlist early. I went with the latter option, and moved from my base in Michigan to a new base in Washington.
About 9 months later, I still hadn't started school, but found out my wife was pregnant. I quickly realized I needed to get started with my schooling, and finally did. Fortunately, between my 6 months of tech school, and basic training (which counted as college credit for PE), I had about 1 year worth of college credit. I completed about 2 more years before my 2nd enlistment ended. I had been going to school for Computer Science and computers were getting big, and having had my 2nd kid, I decided to get out and get a job in computers/networking (BTW, I took on a special duty assignment as Squadron Computer manager, and thus had some training and experience from that). I got a job as a Windows NT/Network SysAdmin, making notably more money than I'd been making in the AF. I worked that job for 4 years, had my 3rd child, then moved to another job where I've been since. About 6 years into this next job, I decided to complete my Senior year of college (using both my employers TA, as well as my GI Bill), taking one class at a time (having a busy job and a family), about 3 years later, I finally completed my BS in CS. Not quite the original plan, but it worked out well.
My Advice...
Note: Some of this assume that somethings are still basically the same, but I can't guarantee they are, so take this with a grain of salt and apply what I suggest to the extent it can be applied.
-Make sure you either get a guaranteed job or guaranteed job field in writing when you enlist, or you will be at the mercy of whatever they have available.
-As soon as you can (e.g. after tech school and OJT) start going to school and make use Tuition Assistance (When I was in, TA paid for 75% of your tuition for all classes; That's a great deal).
-When picking a job, consider how the skill you'll learn might apply to a civilian job. Yeah, there isn't a lot of nuclear missile jobs in the civilian job market, but I learned good electronics/mechanical skills, and my security clearance looked good on resumes.
-I found my employers (in the semiconductor industry) appreciated military experience, discipline, attention to detail, pride in your work, etc. These days, there is a lot of pressure to hire "Under Represented Minorities," and as just your basic white guy ;-), that puts you at a bit of a disadvantage, but at my current employer, veterans are classified as a minority (or something that looks good in their hiring statistics), so that's nice.
-Sign up for the GI Bill, and make sure you use it after you get out (save the GI Bill money for when you get out, and just use TA while you're in). IIRC, you have 10 years to use it, and that time starts either on the date you get out, or the date you start using it, which ever is earlier.
-Realize basic training won't be a ton of fun, but just recognize it's only a month or two, just listen close, do what you're told.
-The only thing I'd volunteer for in basic training would be "Chappel guide," as there's a little relaxing time while doing this duty, so do that even if you're not a religious person. You'll thank me. Other than that, keep your head down, don't stand out, and don't volunteer for much of anything else (though laundry duty wasn't too bad).
-Whatever you do, be the best you can be at it. Learn everything you can. I went into it for what I could get out of it (e.g. education), and learned to be a patriot from that experience years after I got out. The older I got, the more I understood the sacrifices I'd made (in personal freedoms, etc) while serving, and the more I appreciate others who have served.
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LOL, just realized this thread was over 2 years old. D'Oh!
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Be that as it may be my opinion hasn't changed in these two years; I feel that joining the military is a great idea. Further, I kind of wish that a minimum of two years of military service was mandatory for all graduates right out of high school.
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If I was a young single man I would have joined yesterday. The military helped to form who I am today. I would join today but my age and health makes me ineligible. One word of wisdom get a skill out of your time in service that will help your civilian life. I learned electricity computers and electronics. Good luck. Oh yeah if the recruiter asks you if you want to do something exciting it may not be on your nest interest.
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For me, and many of my relatives, yes. It is a chance to learn discipline, team work, and being involved in a worthy endeavor. Plus as an enlisted person, some good educational benefits. Also there are an amazing variety of jobs you can do. Choose one that you are interested in making a career of whether in the military or in the civilian world. You might like it a lot and stay in for 20 or in 4 years get out and do something similar in the civvie world for probably more money. Military benefits are pretty good. Few civvie jobs give you 30 days paid leave. You might have a hard time getting that time off, but one way or another you will get it, or, back in my day, we got paid for it as I recall even if we couldn't get away.
Brutus Out
Brutus Out
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Well, all this talk about what folks got up to in the military, I guess I'll just have to admit that while I was in
following day, and then
they were unable to
trumpet
fell down the
whistling as
Which
Nevertheless, it was
windmill, and
otter
never been.
Good eh?
tac
following day, and then
they were unable to
trumpet
fell down the
whistling as
Which
Nevertheless, it was
windmill, and
otter
never been.
Good eh?
tac
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