Thoughts about joining
- Thread starter Mustang71
- Start date
word of a advice... DO 4 YEARS i have a ton of friends who are doing six years and they regret it. don't buy into that bonus and extra stripe crap after like 20 weeks in.
AF security forces here. and trust me. the AF isn't laid back and easy like most people think.
AF security forces here. and trust me. the AF isn't laid back and easy like most people think.
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Its your life. I only had two people in my entire family and friends who were behind my decision to enlist. Both of my grandfathers. But you know what? i did anyways, and everyone was still there and still supported me after the fact. No mother wants their son going to war, and i can only imagine that your twin brother and you are close and i can see that fear. But its your decision ultimately. Your family and friends will support you no matter what, and if they dont its a good indicator of their friendship.
I say active is the way to go if you want the full experience. Most people i know who were NG or Reserve hated it and wanted to go to AD.
Its your life. I only had two people in my entire family and friends who were behind my decision to enlist. Both of my grandfathers. But you know what? i did anyways, and everyone was still there and still supported me after the fact. No mother wants their son going to war, and i can only imagine that your twin brother and you are close and i can see that fear. But its your decision ultimately. Your family and friends will support you no matter what, and if they dont its a good indicator of their friendship.
I say active is the way to go if you want the full experience. Most people i know who were NG or Reserve hated it and wanted to go to AD.
active.. you'll get the mnost experience. reserves.. you still work for the government and you'll deploy.... A LOT. NG for the army? i'm pretty sure it's similar to the air national guard.. you work for the state. so you get to do some cool stuff if something happens like any national disasters. and you can volunteer for deployments..thats with the air force.. not sure about the army. meh... i should of gone ANG.
Thanks again fellas, the only thing I am having difficulty in now is what MOS should I pick if I enlist? Was thinking infantry but a lot of people are telling me to pick a job where I can learn a skill to use as a civilian when I get out. That's the issue though, if i knew what i wanted to do after the military i would most likely do that right now instead.
If your worried about having regrets do whatever you feel you need to. As far as the training goes that all depends on the unit you become a part of, your initial training has very little to do with it. You don't learn the 'cool guy' shit till your part of a unit. I've talked to a lot of former Marines and they all seem to agree that there are much more opportunities in the Army. Remember this is from Marines who joined the Army so they may be biased. For example Airborne, Air Assault, Ranger, Sniper, and SF etc.... The Marines have opportunity to go to these some of these schools too, but is a lot harder for them. From what I've seen apart from the brainwashed ones (Army has them too) the Marines have a good attitude and are highly motivated. there esprit de corps is awesome. I'll have is from what I've learned in the Army Infantry. I can tell you right now my entire company have M4s with ACOGs/Tac Lights/PEQ15s to include the POGs lol. So we are pretty well equipped here in the Army. As far as the Army VS Marines BS goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. One thing a lot of people fail to realize is that a lot of who you become in the military is individual. Marine has shitbags, Army has shitbags, all branches do. When I was at Sniper school there was an Air Force guy there, I was like WTF is he doing here. Turns out he was a real cool guy and graduated towards the top of the class. With that there where 3 Navy SEALs and only 1 passed. You'll only get out, what you put in. I look at myself sometimes and wonder what will I do when i get out and nothing comes to mind which is true for a lot of Infantryman, but I wouldn't trade my training and experiences for the world. Now about the MOS I suggest Infantry, don't let people tell you that you'll get Infantry training in basic no matter what. It's not the same, whatever you do in your military career only join for the minimum contract that way it's kinda like a trial phase. Well good luck with your choice. Be Safe.
Oh yeah, the Air Force has some really hot chicks. just some food for thought.
Oh yeah, the Air Force has some really hot chicks. just some food for thought.
You ever thought about getting you EMT while you decide on your military career? It would come in handy with all those MOSs.
Combat engineer!:rockon: All though I am biased. Sappers lead the way!
thought about it, I was a nursing major in college but it just wasn't for me.
I am volunteering at my local fire department right now so I will get first responder training, etc.
how do you like the mos?
I hear that they do route clearance mostly right now is that true?
Yes its true most of us Sappers get stuck doing route clearance. I chalk this up to infantry company commanders not knowing how to use us properly. I don't think that many really know what it is we know and are capable of. We can move just as fast and far as the infantry and when it comes to mobility, countermobility, or survivability we are the men for the job. We also have a wider variety of skills compared to the normal grunt for all the breaching and demo we do. Also due to the fact that IED's are ****ing every where and EOD simply can't get to everything every where in any kind of timely manner. I love the MOS. But if I had to choose a job other than combat engineer I would look at forward observer, cavalry scout, EOD or infantry.
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sorry for all the questions but I want to get a perspective of people who have been there and done that other than going to talk to a recruiter themselves. Im still stuck on which job to do but do you think its very important to pick a job that could translate well on the outside? but heres the catch, i only seem to want to do military and not really sure what id like to do in the civilian world, if i did i would not join the military lol
another serious question and i hope i dont get flamed or yelled at by this but how prevelent is PTSD among soldiers returning from war zones?
Does everyone have ptsd or only a few? or is everyone affected but just to certain degrees? Also, is there anyone that is lets say in the infantry that does not get PTSD? is there any cases like that. is there any mindset you need to have in order to overcome ptsd or to lessen the blow of what you see while deployed?
another serious question and i hope i dont get flamed or yelled at by this but how prevelent is PTSD among soldiers returning from war zones?
Does everyone have ptsd or only a few? or is everyone affected but just to certain degrees? Also, is there anyone that is lets say in the infantry that does not get PTSD? is there any cases like that. is there any mindset you need to have in order to overcome ptsd or to lessen the blow of what you see while deployed?
PTSD can happen to anyone, obviously what you go through will affect whether you are more prone to getting it. It can also mean alot of things, not everybody with PTSD goes crazy or is never normal again.
I just want to put it out there, that if you think from the get-go that you will get PTSD, look elsewhere for a job.
As for having an MOS that translates well on the outside, that can mean a variety of things. If you do well and get promoted quick then you will have alot of experience at managing groups of people, being self-sufficient, reliable, and a variety of other things that are MOS independent, yet have a variety of uses for a civilian job. Dont think that ONLY your MOS is what is valuable...all of the other little things that we as military do and learn can translate to perks for a civilian job. Lets say you do two enlistments and get out as an E6, that alone could net you a management position with anything vaguely related to what your MOS was.
Hope this helps. :thumbsup:
hey man, i was in your boat a couple months ago. college wasnt for me, i had a good job and made good money but i just wasnt happy with where it was taking me. i decided to join the Army. didnt tell my family and friends until after i had made the decision just for the fact that they might make me second guess my decision. I leave Oct 25th for basic and chose Combat Engineer as my MOS. im excited to serve my 4 years and see how that goes. i plan to make a career out of the Army and retire after my 20+ years and only be 41. Talk to a recruiter and talk to guys on here. you will get lots of info and so far everyone has been willing to answer any questions that i have asked. good luck and PM me sometime if you have any questions about everything i have been through so far with the enlistment process
Sounds like your exactly what the Marines are looking for. Your heart is in the right place, and your bored with life. You want to serve you country, and while you aren't all too concerned about what you'll get out of it, if you do it right you can reap a world of benefits.
I'm a third generation US Marine, after my father and my grandfather. It was the best thing I've ever done. You could go into the Army or Air Force, but years back when you look back at it you'll consider it "just a job". Army or Air Force is something you do, but being a Marine is something you are - for life.
I'm a third generation US Marine, after my father and my grandfather. It was the best thing I've ever done. You could go into the Army or Air Force, but years back when you look back at it you'll consider it "just a job". Army or Air Force is something you do, but being a Marine is something you are - for life.
Everyone I speak to says Marines are the toughest. I'm going into Army Airborne and should be getting into Special Forces or at least Rangers. I say good luck with what ever branch you decide to go into. I'm almost 29 now and just now going to BCT in October. I can't wait to start a new career. I'm so tired of dealing with the public and them complaining all the time, I work at Nissan dealership. You'll earn lifetime friends you normally wouldn't have because you're risking your life for them and they're doing the same for you. There's a ton of benefits to joining and the lifestyle. Just have to remember that the military isn't a job but a lifestyle.
Just an update for everyone who gave their much appreciated advice, I am staying in school for the next year to finish my Associates Degree. I beleive it would've been a waste or money to leave college now that I am only 2 semesters away from a degree.
I know some of you said to look at every branch and the only two that I am drawn to is Marines and Army. For some reason Navy, Air Force, even Coast guard just don't do it for me. I am still unsure of which MOS I would like to do so I am sure ill have more questions to ask. Thank you to whomever replied to this thread.
I know some of you said to look at every branch and the only two that I am drawn to is Marines and Army. For some reason Navy, Air Force, even Coast guard just don't do it for me. I am still unsure of which MOS I would like to do so I am sure ill have more questions to ask. Thank you to whomever replied to this thread.
goodluck man! i decided this year to join the army and im 26. my career was going nowhere i was a mechanic at dealerships and i hated it. got laid off in jan. and that was the final blow for me, i go to take my physical and sign my contract on weds for Army MP. i know EOD and combat engineer jobs are both open right now as i saw they had openings on the computer. EOD is one of the few giving enlistment bonuses to.
im so glad im doing it though i finally feel like i have a direction in life. i dont leave until febuary for BCT but at least i know something is comming. im gonna finish my assoc. degree while im active duty since they pay for it. then go for my BA after i get out in 5 years probably.
im so glad im doing it though i finally feel like i have a direction in life. i dont leave until febuary for BCT but at least i know something is comming. im gonna finish my assoc. degree while im active duty since they pay for it. then go for my BA after i get out in 5 years probably.
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