spent 4 yrs airborne in the army up in alaska. traveled everywhere. its a little jarring at 1st but once you settle in to your regular unit its a fukking blast. like dante said the stories i could tell would take way too long and a little too fictious for some. especially guam,california,seattle and airborne school.:toast:
Not saying that you gentleman fall into this category, but I live in a pretty large military town. One thing that I did notice is the attitude of some military people. They walk around like they are better than other people, and have that cockiness to them. What is their deal? They think they get a free pass or just become tougher by being in the military? Sorry, but no....
/rant
/rant
There are a couple of things to consider here...first of all I don't know your exact situation but the military will break you down then once you get through that phase they build your confidence as high as they can. Think about it, you have young kids that will most likely be in life and death situations. Once they are trained properly they need to have the confidence to make those decisions. Also, you might have some war veterans in town and they always push the limits. Whether they think they are above the law or just trying to catch up what they thought they missed, or maybe just kids with free time of and money to spend. whatever it is they tend to get into trouble and because of these facts most groups end up losing a soldier within the first 6 months after their return.
As for the military in general. I was in the army national guard, yes weekend warrior, for 7 years than did one tour in Iraq. In my experience I would say just know exactly what your getting into and make the best decisions you can.
P.S Don't ever take their word for it, things can change. And the one thing that I hate about today's war is that you can die without ever having a chance to fight back.
Let Me Preface This With An Admission Of Bias I
was in the USAF for 24 yrs, and loved every minute of it, well almost! @)
There were places I was stationed at that weren't exactly "garden spots", but the comeraderie always made up for it. I was in places from Thule AFB, Grnland, to Hamilton AFB CA, now that was a "garden spot" for me. My job was great and something I translated into civilian life. I was lucky enough to attain the pay grade of E9, which is the top enlisted rank there is. Considering my base pay, housing allow., plus other advantages that rank gave me, we (family) lived very well. Guys experiences in other branches (marines & army) might differ.
IF & that's a biggie, you're not interested in col., or think there's no way you can afford it, there are great chances in the mil. to get an education. I did. I know it's NOT for everyone, but the opportunities afforded in todays mil. are extraordinary. And NO you don't lose your individuality. Just as in civilian life the "cream will rise to the top". If you have the skills and the willingness, the mil. wants you to develop & will assist you. Sound like a "Recruiter", maybe I am. But just going by my life alone, I'd recommend it to most. My Dad, Brother, 2 Sons, & 2 Daughters all spent some time in and all are successful. As I said it's NOT for everyone, but for the guys & gals that choose it, give it your all, most will never regret the choice.:toast:
was in the USAF for 24 yrs, and loved every minute of it, well almost! @)
There were places I was stationed at that weren't exactly "garden spots", but the comeraderie always made up for it. I was in places from Thule AFB, Grnland, to Hamilton AFB CA, now that was a "garden spot" for me. My job was great and something I translated into civilian life. I was lucky enough to attain the pay grade of E9, which is the top enlisted rank there is. Considering my base pay, housing allow., plus other advantages that rank gave me, we (family) lived very well. Guys experiences in other branches (marines & army) might differ. IF & that's a biggie, you're not interested in col., or think there's no way you can afford it, there are great chances in the mil. to get an education. I did. I know it's NOT for everyone, but the opportunities afforded in todays mil. are extraordinary. And NO you don't lose your individuality. Just as in civilian life the "cream will rise to the top". If you have the skills and the willingness, the mil. wants you to develop & will assist you. Sound like a "Recruiter", maybe I am. But just going by my life alone, I'd recommend it to most. My Dad, Brother, 2 Sons, & 2 Daughters all spent some time in and all are successful. As I said it's NOT for everyone, but for the guys & gals that choose it, give it your all, most will never regret the choice.:toast:
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Oh One More Thing
There are very few places where you can retire @ 37, w/50% of your pay. And then still have time for a 2nd career, as I did. I was 41 but the prnciple still applies. 2.5% extra for every 2 yrs after 20, till you get to a max. of 30. And even then if you went in @ 17 you're only 47. Gives you many options for the rest of your life. The widely held notion that the Mil. stifles "free thinking & individuality" is simply not true. The opportunities are there, it's up to you to take advantage of them.
There are very few places where you can retire @ 37, w/50% of your pay. And then still have time for a 2nd career, as I did. I was 41 but the prnciple still applies. 2.5% extra for every 2 yrs after 20, till you get to a max. of 30. And even then if you went in @ 17 you're only 47. Gives you many options for the rest of your life. The widely held notion that the Mil. stifles "free thinking & individuality" is simply not true. The opportunities are there, it's up to you to take advantage of them.
Enfuego
Where are you stationed now Pal? Many of the bases that were active when I was in are decommisioned now. Thank God on some, sorry on others. The very best ZI was Hamilton, just over the Bay Bridge, gone now I believe. Fortunately Keflavik is not as active an AF base as it once was, terrible, tho Thule was worse. Cheap tho, almost everything was free. BOL in your career, what's your AFSC?:toast:
Where are you stationed now Pal? Many of the bases that were active when I was in are decommisioned now. Thank God on some, sorry on others. The very best ZI was Hamilton, just over the Bay Bridge, gone now I believe. Fortunately Keflavik is not as active an AF base as it once was, terrible, tho Thule was worse. Cheap tho, almost everything was free. BOL in your career, what's your AFSC?:toast:
What You Guys Are Saying IS Very True
When I first went in, after talking to a buddy who'd joined the AF a few mos. ahead of me, I chose the USAF. Not the only reasonn, but a consideration. As he said most AF bases at the time were relatively small as compared to Army posts. Plus most Army basesw were in the boonies, near smaal towns, Manhattan, Kileen, Enid, etc.! And they were saturated w/GI's. AF bases barely made with blip on the "locals", except in rare cases. Big difference w/the Ladies. Plus we wore black shoes NOT the ugly brown!!@) The 1st time I rotated home, I was in Mpls/St Paul, as a Reserve support team. No mil. base within 500 miles @ the time. Plus we had Mon/Tues off, we'd go to the beach, like shooting fish in a barrell!! No guys but us. Ahh the memories.
When I first went in, after talking to a buddy who'd joined the AF a few mos. ahead of me, I chose the USAF. Not the only reasonn, but a consideration. As he said most AF bases at the time were relatively small as compared to Army posts. Plus most Army basesw were in the boonies, near smaal towns, Manhattan, Kileen, Enid, etc.! And they were saturated w/GI's. AF bases barely made with blip on the "locals", except in rare cases. Big difference w/the Ladies. Plus we wore black shoes NOT the ugly brown!!@)
The 1st time I rotated home, I was in Mpls/St Paul, as a Reserve support team. No mil. base within 500 miles @ the time. Plus we had Mon/Tues off, we'd go to the beach, like shooting fish in a barrell!! No guys but us. Ahh the memories.
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In 1970, I was in ROTC for five weeks even though I drew #362(my big brother drew #9 in 1969) in the draft lottery. I finally withdrew because of time restraints(played 2 D-1 sports) plus my grades were excellent. Also, because my dad served at Normandy and in the Battle of the Bulge, he came out of World War II with some horrific war memories. He got over many of his demons(Passed away Nov. 11, 2008) going back to some Army reunions(late in life) over the years and spending time with a couple of his long lost buddies.
Served for 3 years in the Army 86-89 Northern Germany. Wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. From age 18-21 I would say I got to see and experience more things compared to the guys who decided to flip burgers after highschool. As said before basic training is not for any momma's boy but if your in half way descent shape and can survive their silly mind games basic training is a breeze. I have my share of stories too that can be passed onto my kids and some that can not.
