Military service

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I got a medical discharge due to a bad elbow when I was 19 and now I am diabetic and completely ineligible for service. If I was asked to service, I would probably end up being an officer involved with IT in one way or another. Given my Master of Science in Computer Information Systems, 8 years of IT experience and medical history, I doubt they would put my anywhere else.

If I hadn't gotten that medical discharge, I had a solid plan to obtain my dream job in the military. I enlisted as an Intelligence Analyst in the Reserves. I was planning to go to college after AIT and join the ROTC. Halfway through college, I planned to take a year off and do AIT for Counter-Intelligence Ops. I would then finish college and take a commission as an Intelligence officer. That was the plan until I lamely got tendonitis in my elbow and couldn't do push-ups. Its just as well. I've had a great life, gotten to do some really interesting things and never would have met my wife had things worked out differently. Besides, diabetes would have brought my career to an abrubt end at the age of 30 anyway.
 
Get your money's worth

Service schools these days are great things to have under your belt. Many of the courses will transfer to a college upon discharge. Don't settle for anything less. I enlisted in 1967, went to electricity & electronics school, then to weapons systems and nuclear physics, then into the Nuclear Weapons Specialist rate. I still might glow in the dark a little. All very worthwhile experiences.
 
If you'd like to be personally involved in deadly fighting, this is the order of probability.
v v

Marines
Army
Navy
Air Force
Coast Guard

^ ^
If you'd like to serve but stay safer, this is the order of probability.
 
I'm thinking of doing a couple of years as a digger in the engineers, then going for officer. I've always thought it's better to be an enlisted soldier before going officer than just going straight to officer.
Ended up picking the army because boats, err...ships, arn't for me, and the air force really didn't interest me.
 
Semper Fi ... STA Platoon!

I joined in '99, almost EAS'd in 2003, but when I saw what was back at home, I enlisted for another 3, which I wanted to become an Officer at that time and walk on thier red carpet ... after kicking doors in in Fallujah, and leading my teams into a blood baths. I decided I'd never give it up ... got the taste now, it's all about training and experince.

If nothing else; I can say " I am a Leader of Men "
 
20 years in the U.S. Army. Worked on everything that rolled on the ground. From an M151a1 Jeep to an M1 Tank and excelled at what I did. Now I teach at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Knowledge is Power and a Great Attitude is King:)
 
One military career...

If I could do it all over again. Think about that one a lot. :)

My 'plan' was to make the military a career. I joined the army reserves and went to basic (Fort Dix, NJ) between my junior and senior years of high school (quick aside: high school gym class is laughable after basic training :p), the AIT (as a supply clerk, Fort Lee, VA) between senior year and freshman college. I figured (with recruiter help) that I could start gaining rank, help with college, and figure out just what exactly I wanted to do in the Army. The AIT school ended up being longer than I believed (told? Sure, but I didn't question it or read the fine print) so I missed all my orientation and such. I cratered at college and found myself out of there.

So I read a whole bunch of Tom Clancy and figured I'd go active duty AW (avation anti-submarine warfare operator) in the Navy. They saw my ASVAB scores and tried to get me into nuke school. Didn't want it; wanted AW. They couldn't give me AW but said if I went in under this 'Airman Apprentice' program they had I could get in, then select the job during basic (or at the latest during airman apprentice training); with my ASVAB scores I'd have no problems (I was told). Oh, plus I signed up for four years instead of three as AWs were required to sign four year commitments, and why not get it out of the way up front? :p

So I do Navy basic (Great Lakes; been gassed three times between Army and Navy :p) and try to get AW school. No openings. So I go to apprentice school (also Great Lakes) and try again. No AW slots.

Navy types: remember the firefighting video you watched about the Forrestal? Guess where I got stationed? :p Yep, CV-59 USS Forrestal (aka USS Zippo), V-2 division (waist cats).

As I didn't have a rate, I was a professional floor waxer, wall painter, and urinal scrubber. I ordered the books for AW and started working on studying so I could apply. Only to find out that AW was 150% overmanned; people had to DIE to make rate. :p

At that point I was less than impressed with the military. I worked the system and got out on an administrative (under honorable conditions) discharge.

If I could do it all over again, I'd go enlisted Rangers with the possibility of going OCS. I was much too immature my first time around. Funny how wisdom is wasted on the old, huh? :banghead: What I didn't realize at the time was I wanted to test myself and build my confidence. Even if I hadn't stayed in as a career it would have been something I could have pointed back to for the rest of my life and said 'I did that'.

Moral of this story:
1) If it isn't in writing, it doesn't exist. It's been said over and over and over but it's true. GET THE GUARANTEE!!
2) Basic training is a life altering experience. You will NOT be the same person who went in. I learned a huge amount about myself, and what I was capable of.
3) Don't enter the service 'on a lark'. Be sure what you want out of the military and how to go about getting it. Don't sign anything until you are comfortable with the answers.

I have every respect and admiration for the military. However keep in mind they have a job to do and limited resources to do it with. If you don't have guarantees, they WILL put you someplace where they need you. And it probably won't be something you want to do. :)

Aftermath:
I'm a successful system analyst/programmer, happily married. I've put together a damn sight better life for myself than I ever had any reason to expect. The military isn't required for a happy life. It can be a great test for life, with the cavaet that not everyone passes. :)
 
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Nope, I wouldn't change a thing. Good training, questionable food, sand... a lot of sand...and great people.

And we won.

DFW1911
 
I have 20 yrs in the AF and I'm going to retire next June. Went through college on an ROTC scholarship and the AF also paid for me to get my masters fulltime. Most of my classmates from college have probably done much better financially, but I have had been involved in so many different and interesting things that I wouldn't trade. I've done everything from measuring aircrew radiation exposures at 45 thousand feet to sandbagging tents in Iraq.

Being enlisted first can be an advantage but I've seen some folks who have a hard time adapting to the different expectations of the officer corps. It seems like the prior enlisted officer are either do very well or poorly. I haven't seen many that are middle of the road. One thing about prior enlisted officers -- they are less likely to put up with a bunch of crap and sob stories from their troops and tend to expect more out them.
 
Air Force again.
Graduated high school in Jun. '63 after 4 yr.s of Junior Army ROTC (Cadet Col.) & was, & still am a really patriotic dude, steming from my family's long history of service to this country all the way back to the Revolutionary War.
Attended college for 2 1/2 years in aircraft maintenance engineering and also got my FAA Airframe & Powerplant license. At that time Dad had been in the aircraft industry since WW2 and I guess it rubbed of on me.
In '66 things were getting pretty hot in SEA, and I thought it time to do what I could to help & enlisted in the Air Force.
After basic & Tech School (Jet Engine), I got stationed at Castle AFB, CA., which was pretty cool 'cause I was from LA & could get home on the weekends.
At that time, Castle was the only training base for B-52 & KC-135 combat crews. It was a double wing comprised of approx. 64 bombers & 35 tankers( Thats alot of engines to maintain).
We were a SAC base, but not subject to the round robin TDY's to SEA that all other SAC wings were because of our training mission.
Had it pretty cushy there. Worked the Engine Test Cell nites & was Chief Mechanic for the Aero Club days. Thought I might spend my 4 in the States.
NOT!
Got orders to Kadena AB, Okinawa in late '69. Worked the Cell there too.
Felt a little guilty & sorry for all the guys coming thru Oki. on their way to the Nam, but at the same time had great respect & admiration for them, but unless you were drafted, you chose your own poison.
Chose not to stay in after 4, even tho retention was offering some pretty attractive deals & I might have done well (already a 7 level SSgt with 13 months time in grade for TSgt).
If I were going to do it again, it would be the AF, maybe just a little differently.
I believe that all of us in the "Over the Hill Gang' can say "We did our best, given the circumstances".

Respectfully,
Hud
 
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Once a Marine, always a Marine. Being a Marine is a deeply entrenched part of my personality. I am willing to bet that any serious Sailor, Airman or Soldier would say the same about their service. At it's most clinical level, my personality and the the USMC ethos just match up perfectly, so I can with a fair amount of certainty that even if I was 18 again and making that decision, the USMC would be who I would go with. If I could go back, knowing what I know now? I would run, not walk, to the USMC recruiting office, and I wouldn't take off the uniform again until I was forced to.

The best time of my life was as a corporal
Click to expand...

Man, you got that right....
 
I would not suggest most join the services:
if you want adventure, there are better ways;
if you want money for college, there are better ways;
if you want to serve your country, there are other ways;
if you want to do your duty...

well, consider carefully.

If you do, go in as an officer.

John
 
I got stationed at Castle AFB, CA.
Click to expand...
Me too. Uncle Sam sent me there after my screw-up in 1-2 jet engine tech school. I discovered the military doesn't care about your problems back home, especially in 1968 during the hot time of Viet Nam. Was assigned to AGE from July 1968 to May 1969. I liked being assigned to SAC. Stayed in that command all four years at different bases. If I had to do it again, I'd go AF, but I'd like to try the gunner AFSC on the C-130 gunships. For enlisted, flight status is the way to go.
 
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