Looking to join Military, have ?'s though.

[03cobraracer]

well lets see, my career path hasn't been that wonderfull so far in my life, im 26 yrs old and im an auto mechanic. its a terrible career and i wanna get out of it. i just got layed off as well. im trying to become a police officer currently but its not easy to get in, specially with alot of veterans comming home. im already an auxilary police officer in my town which is great for the experience but its volunteer and only part time here and there. ive been looking at either Coast Gaurd, National Gaurd, or Air Force. i wanna do military but im not really looking to get deployed to iraq/afganistan, just not what im looking to do. i know coast gaurd doesnt get deployed there but im pretty sure they other two do. im just trying to find out which of these would be the best for me. i wanna do my 2-4 years whatever they require then come out and get a law enforcement job either local or government. right now im just working out alot and trying to get in shape as im 5'10 and 230 lbs so i gotta lose like 30lbs. anybody have any advice as to what brance would be good for me? would like to try to even get a job as a MP or some sort of law enforcement position while im in the service. i currently have only 25 college credits so i need some more before i get my Associates but i figure i can use the military also to help with school since i cant afford it anymore.. thanks for any info or advice you guys give me. i like to here it from people who already know how it works. thanks

i was also wondering which branch would be best for bringing your wife along with you on base, as im currently engaged and once we get married i know id like her to live with me if i get permantly stationed somewhere else in the US.

 

[Sapperstang]

I would go with Air Force. But of course if you're not willing to deploy then the military isn't for you. You could be deployed to any number of places. Honestly, you sound like one of those guys who is afraid to leave home.

 

[5spd07gt]

Definately sounds like the Air Force is the branch for you. They take care of you and your family better than the rest and your deployments arent near as long as most branches. I was in the AF and never deployed. Alot of if depends on your career field. AF bases have some of the nicest family housing as well. My wife currently works with all the branches and her job is to find service members a place to live when they move in to this area. She works on an Army base but being close to he Pentagon and DC every branch is here. I have heard it time and time again that the AF is by far the best when it comes to familys and relocations. If you persue the military post up when you get some career choices and i'm sure we can give you feedback.

 

[03cobraracer]

thanks guys, im mainly looking to go into law enforcement when i get out one day, so if i could do something like that in the military that would be great, but i gotta find out what other jobs they offer.

and sapperstang its not that i dont wanna leave home i do im willing to go anywhere in the country they send me, i just dont wanna be sent into the full out war zone that were fighting right now. i have no problem going somewhere else. i wanna get away from home if anything because im not happy here at all.

 

[5spd07gt]

well if you are looking at law enforcement then security forces would the equivalent in the AF; however, they deploy more than anyone

 

[TrevorR90]

Air Force, they have it wayyyyy better, I wish I joined the Air Force, but Joined the Army instead, and now I'm here in Afghanistan.... Coast guard is here in Afghanistan as well, but not sure how long their deployments are, Air force only get deployed for like 6 months I think same goes with Marines, The army however have year long deployments which is stupid.. 8 more months to go.... for me....

 

[5spd07gt]

Air Force, they have it wayyyyy better, I wish I joined the Air Force, but Joined the Army instead, and now I'm here in Afghanistan.... Coast guard is here in Afghanistan as well, but not sure how long their deployments are, Air force only get deployed for like 6 months I think same goes with Marines, The army however have year long deployments which is stupid.. 8 more months to go.... for me....

from what i hear not only are AF deployment shorter but deployment bases are much nicer as well. Swimming pools and fast restaraunts are not uncommon.

Trevor, thanks bud for the service. :beer:

 

[evolve]

Stay away from the Navy, deployments are 5-7 months now, BUT training is normally done at sea, which is like another 3-5 months out of the year.

 

[03cobraracer]

well if you are looking at law enforcement then security forces would the equivalent in the AF; however, they deploy more than anyone

where do they usually deploy to, overseas or just other parts of the country? i just saw on the Air force site the listing for security forces and it really sounds like its right up my alley. any info helps guys as im still learning about all of this. i havent talked to a recruiter yet because i wanna make sure i wanna do this first. Is it really hard to get into security forces? i already have some law enforcement experience which would hopefully help me get in. im certified by the state of NJ and the state police, i have my cpr certification, im very familiar with firearms, and im a certified auxilary police officer.

Yeah from what i have heard air force has some of the nicest living conditions out of any branch. i saw they offer the security forces brand in the texas base where boot camp is as well. would be nice to finish my college there also and get my degree.

 

[5spd07gt]

security forces is very easy to get in to...atleast if its still the same as when i was in.

 

[ssj4sadie]

I was going to quote a lot of these guys, but I'll just say what I have to say.

This is for the AF. Security Forces is the career field that people either go into because they want to do "LE" work or they are too ****ing stupid to get a different job. I'm not necessarily talking shit about these guys, but it is what it is. Most of the SF guys I've talked to don't do any sort of "LE" work and in most cases (from what I've been told) it does not put you ahead as far as getting into LE as a civi.

Now as far as deployments SF is so low manned right now that they are doing a 6 home 6 gone cycle. That is anywhere between iraq/afghan/Horn of Africa/shitty place in the world you want to name. The 6 on 6 off may not apply to every SF member (just like the rest of the military) it's a luck of the draw thing. When I deployed my first time I was with MSgt/Maj/LtCol/Col that had never in their careers deployed, me being an A1C (E-3) at the time.

I've been to many Army/AF bases and both have very nice/shitty bases. I'm so totally amazed at all the grass is always greener on the other side people

I'll come back with a better response for you, just a little with some of these guys.

 

[5spd07gt]

I was going to quote a lot of these guys, but I'll just say what I have to say.

This is for the AF. Security Forces is the career field that people either go into because they want to do "LE" work or they are too ****ing stupid to get a different job. I'm not necessarily talking shit about these guys, but it is what it is.

i was trying to be respectful for the SF guys but from my experience i found the above statement to be true. when nothing else is available and someone scores low on the ASVAB they go to SF.

 

[03cobraracer]

i also saw a job for a nuclear weapons apprentice. that sounds like it could be interesting. im sure its very hard to get in though and get clearence.

 

[cobrkilrl]

I spent 21 years in the Air Force. Best 21 years of my life. If I was your age, I would do it all over again. I always had a desire to go into medicine. So I joined as a medic. This was in 1971. It afforded me the opportunity to travel all over the world, finish my education and become a Registered Nurse. I retired in 1991 and have worked for the last 18 years as a Surgical/Trauma ICU nurse. Without the Air Force, I would never have been able to do this. Security Police in the Air Force, depending on what area your AFSC is in, can be a boring no end job. That said, I deployed several times with AFSF's in some places you can't imagine. These men and women were smart, well educated and professional individuals. Don't think for one minute that you are dumped in SF's because you can't cut it anywhere else. The best advice I can give you is to talk to a recruiter and by all means do not sign anything until you have read the fine print and fully understand what the recruiter is telling you. You will not get a permanent assignment until you have finished basic training and tech school. Deployment in todays military is just something your going to have to deal with. The world has changed a lot from when I was active duty but not the mission. And yes, the Air Force takes better care of their family's than any other branch of service. JMO

 

[99navert]

From a real SF not just hearsay...

I was SF from 2004-2008 & I scored around 90 on the ASVAB. SF has two kinds of people in it, the shit bags & the guys who want to be LE. My first deployment was to Iraq for seven months as an ILO Army MP. When I was back stateside I won BTZ out of a dozen or so other airman so I was able to put on E-4 six months early. From then on all I worked was patrol and the law enforcement desk. My second deployment was to Kandahar Air Field for six months where I was the JDOC (Joint Defense Operations Center) controller. I was never able to leave the wire there, unlike Iraq, but we had 3 SF squadrons there. One that worked outside the wire, one that worked the gate, and one that did base security/patrols. If you have any specific SF questions let me know. It seems SF is a polarizing career field & you either love it or hate it.

 

[97desertCobra]

If you want a better shot at a LE job ask some of the guys in the Donut Shop what they recommend. Don't be surprised to hear that a degree in criminal justice is a waste of time and a degree in accounting or phychology are degree's that set you apart and get you a job. I agree with Sapperstang, if deployment is not for you than neither is the military. In todays day and age deployment is not a matter of if but when. We are fighting 2 "declared" wars on two battlefields and many "undeclared" wars on dozens of others. You may not get deployed to Afganistan or Iraq but maybe you will have to spend 6 months in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Great Britian, Africa, Philippines etc.

 

[JohninMD]

If you are considering AF you need to lose more than 30 pounds. I think they have one of the strictist policies on bodyfat. Things may have changed since I was around them but you need to check on that first.

 

[03cobraracer]

yeah after thinking about it and listening to you guys i know im just gonna have to deal with being deployed a few times.. i really do wanna serve my country and feel like i accomplished something with my life. i really think this would be good for me. i wanna finish school also and get a good career which i dont have right now. on the weight thing yeah i wanna be under 200lbs but for now my goal is to lose 30lbs. i also like to lift weights and build muscle so thats where some of my weight is from to.

 

[Sapperstang]

yeah after thinking about it and listening to you guys i know im just gonna have to deal with being deployed a few times.. i really do wanna serve my country and feel like i accomplished something with my life. i really think this would be good for me. i wanna finish school also and get a good career which i dont have right now. on the weight thing yeah i wanna be under 200lbs but for now my goal is to lose 30lbs. i also like to lift weights and build muscle so thats where some of my weight is from to.

LIke was already mentioned. Deployed doesn't mean just Afghanistan or Iraq. It could be many places. Not to mention conus deployments and field problems.

 

[03cobraracer]

yeah i saw all the possible places i could be sent to, where ever it is im sure it will be an adventure. at least i would get to travel lol.

i was wondering also before if you have any pets do you have to live off base? my and my fiance have a small dog that would have to come with us of coarse. was just wondering about that.