military worth it?

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Bezoar

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I love guns, want to own as many as i can and shoot as many as I can. However Im unemployed and everyone in my family is telling to join the naval reserves or the coast gaurd as they think

two associate degrees and a titanium plate will keep you in a desk job on dry land.
and they say that ill get to shoot alot of small arms and machine guns in either of them.

can you help me out with this? Iit is tempting but im leary after seeing so many army construction jobs that are nothing but tricks to get more general infantry over to iraq.
 
There are better reasons for enlisting than shooting. If that is your motivation you will be disappointed.
 
If it's simply a gun Jones you have, there are far better opportunities in the civilian world. Not all the military focus on small arms. Get a high-paying job and spend it on guns. If you do decide to enlist, seek the combat arms specialties in the Army or the USMC and see if you can get into a weapons unit.

TC
 
The military is composed of all kinds of people, not just people who tote guns day in and day out. I'm told it is fairly difficult to get into the coast guard. Nothing wrong with building bridges.

If I were young and unemployed, I would certainly look at the military option. I would join regular military and do your stint. The experience will be invaluable for the rest of your life. It is not just a money thing.

Best deals are to get into the officers training programs and speciality type careers in the military. My nephew is now in the Navy and doing quite well financially and he is pretty much assured of a job making at least 80K a year when he gets out. He's hoping to get into med school on the military tab and I would not be surprised he will turn into a "lifer". Don't ever think the military is filled with a bunch of society's misfits. If I had a choice, I'd choose either the Navy or Air Force.

As others have said, I think you will be disappointed if "shooting guns" is your reason for joining the military.
 
It is a personality thing. If you can take a lot of abuse and still smile about things, than you will probably be fine with it. Be prepared to do more paperwork than you would need to do in law school.

I just got out after 7 years, the bureaucracy and political correctness finally got the best of me, I succumbed to my frustration. I enlisted in the reserves upon getting my DD214, same BS just in more manageable doses. Plus I get tuition 80% paid for by the reserves, and enough money to keep me in scotch for the month :rolleyes: not enough for a truck payment.
 
I went through the same thing as you for a little after high school. I even still considered it after I got my Assoc. After talking to many friends who enlisted(Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy) the general consensus was that the military gives you something enriching but at the same time it takes away some of your life as well. I decided not to enlist and found a good job and never looked back.
 
If your sole reason for joining the military is trigger time, do yourself and the rest of us a favor and find a civilian job. You won't enjoy it. You won't get the amount of trigger time you want. Your few times at the range will be so controlled and regulated that it will be much more of a chore than a joy, and if you have no motivation other than trigger time you will not make it through basic training.

If, however, you want to better yourself by gaining confidence, leadership abilities, patience, real world job experience, and a free education, and you are willing to put in some long hard hours to reach those goals then the military may be just what the doctor ordered. Basic training is designed to weed out the guys who like plaing with guns, and camping, and the ones who see themselves as Rambo in their dreams. You have to want to be a soldier on a deeper level. It is a calling and it is a very select few who are willing to make the sacrifices that must be made. Sure there are a few pieces of crap that slip through, but the majority of military personel honestly love what they do.

You'll know if it's right for you as soon as your feet touch the ground in some basic training facility like Fort Benning, Paris Island, or Fort Sill. Of course, by then it's almost too late. Good luck with whatever you decide. Do some soul searching and make sure the military life is the life for you.
 
IMHO, if you are looking for adventure-be a ground pounder in the Army or Marines. If you are looking for a skillset/job/experience/etc, then join the USAF. I was a 1371 and we got a lot of range time, not only with the guns, but also explosives. It is kind of anticlimatic to set off a 20# satchel charge and not see much more than a puff of dirt, when in the movies a grenade will take out a whole city block. A tripple-shot is almost a spiritual experience. The fiscal year end shoots were always the best.

Since you are unemployed(and have nothing better to do?), I'd say go for it. But four years is along time in anyone's book.

Good luck in whatever decision you make.
 
I heard from a Marine that the best service to enter is the Air Force. Go figure
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I have been to a number of military bases and can state, in my opinion, that the Air Force facilities are the newest and the best. And that the Air Force treats its people better than any other service.

I believe that this is due to the fact that the Air Force is unique among the services in that their Officer’s are the ones who go out and do the fighting. If the system is wrong, if the ground crew are unmotivated, if parts and supplies are not there, it is an Officer’s life that is on the line, not the life of some powerless ground pounder.

I believe this creates an organization that is highly interested in a happy workforce.

Different organizations have different attitudes. If you join the Marines expect to join a kick a$$ organization. Marines are first and foremost infantry. A Marine expects to be in the mud, expects to be unsupported, is happy to eat cold meals, understands he is going to be using worn out Army equipment. And despite this, they love it, because they believe that the Marines are going to team together and wade up to their knees in enemy blood.

If you like your creature comforts, stay away from the Marines.

The Army has a “four square meals” a day attitude. Great people, great managers, but would not make great Rugby players. Not into “good pain.”

The Navy used to the High Tech service, before Airplanes. Ships are highly complex mechanisms, some real high tech jobs there too. Plus, you have showers, hot food, and laundry.
 
After high school I took a semester of college. I was bored. Didn't know what I wanted to be and was not about to take out a huge college loan to find out. I did not want to stay in the small town I was in. So, I decided to join the military.
I skipped the marines. I talked to a few friends that had been there and decided I wanted more of a skill than grunt when I got out. Same with army.
I looked at the navy the 4 recruiters talked me into taking the ASVAB? test. I got like a 96 on it. They were like wolves droolling outside of a hen cage. Their language was all gutter talk and atrocious. I guess they thought it would impress me. It was like they were circling me and pushing me to nuclear technician on a sub. They pushed so hard they pushed me right out the door.

Then I checked out the Air Force office. There was one recruiter looked very professional. Soft spoken, very organized. Had a little old lady for a part time secretary. And he recruited more people a month than the 4 navy guys combined. I was so impressed I signed up.

I had a great four years of training and some part time college. I got out with the GI Bill and about 45 hours already under my belt. I was able to work night shift as a medical technician and loved the job. I worked pediatric, med/surg, ICU, and ER. It was great experience that I can use for a lifetime. Now, When I knew what direction I wanted to go in it became a little confining. But, I got skills, direction, and college money, and my better half all out of it;)

I would join all over again.

If you decided to join. Look at the jobs they offer and think how it will translate into the civilian world.

MOST IMPORTANT: DO NOT LET THEM TALK YOU INTO SIGNING AND GIVING YOU A JOB AT BASIC TRAINING. THEN YOU GET STUCK WITH ANYTHING.

ONLY SIGN UP IF YOU GET YOUR GUARANTEED JOB IN WRITING!!!

Also, you can take the test more than once. Do that, take your time, get the highest score you can.

Ask about sign up bonuses. Ask about rank and college credits. Ask about jobs that give you rank earlier because of them being specialties.

That is all I can think bout now.
 
I love guns, want to own as many as i can and shoot as many as I can. However Im unemployed and everyone in my family is telling to join the naval reserves or the coast gaurd as they think

two associate degrees and a titanium plate will keep you in a desk job on dry land.
and they say that ill get to shoot alot of small arms and machine guns in either of them.

can you help me out with this? Iit is tempting but im leary after seeing so many army construction jobs that are nothing but tricks to get more general infantry over to iraq.
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don't take this the wrong way, but if you want to sit behind a desk and not be deployed, we don't want you.

also, if you think that you'll shoot a lot by joining the navy or coast guard, you really don't understand what you might be getting into.

nothing personal, just reality.
 
also, if you think that you'll shoot a lot by joining the navy or coast guard...
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Not quite 100% correct, I carried at least a sidearm for 4 of my 7 years in the CG. But small arms range time was rarely more than 3 times a year. I did get to shoot a 25mm chain gun off the coast of Colombia though, that was cool. (BOM_BOM_BOM_BOM_BOM_BOM_BOM, that sound is unreal)
 
two associate degrees and a titanium plate will keep you in a desk job on dry land.
and they say that ill get to shoot alot of small arms and machine guns in either of them.
Click to expand...

Two associate degrees won't get you jack squat. If they need cannon fodder, you can be a PhD grunt.

The titanium plate (assuming it's replacing or shoring up something in your body) will probably make you ineligible.

You'll shoot some in basic. That'll be it, unless you're in an MOS that requires you to carry and qualify with a weapon. Won't make a damn bit of difference how well you shoot, either. You can qualify expert every time, but flunk one PT test and you'll be out on your a$$.

I didn't make friends and influence people by making the observation that if it all dropped into the pot, I'd rather be in a foxhole with someone who knew how to shoot, than knew how to run. :evil::evil::evil:

Just some observations from an old smelly retired Army CW4.
 
The Navy used to the High Tech service, before Airplanes.
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we still are. Not only do we have nuclear reactors onboard carriers and subs, we have advanced avionics onboard aircraft and the related equipment shipboard. pretty tech heavy.
 
that's bad gouge. in my 3 years on the ship, as a firecontrolman who shared the armory with the gunner's mates, we shot plenty. the problem is, if you WANT to spend a lot of trigger time, you'll find yourself volunteered for all kinds of things. gun qual days underway will let you shoot a lot (m14, m16, 9mm, m60, 50cal, 25mm, Mk19, Mk 44, and then the 5" gun, CIWS and Tomahawks). But that can mean you will end up on a boarding party, which will keep you BUSY on deployment.

If you go surface Navy, go gunner's mate and join the Boarding Team on a DDG. That'll get you plenty of time around guns, and relatively out of harms way.
 
I was infantry, stationed over on the DMZ for a good bit (in the '80s). My trigger time took a serious decline during my time in service. But I grew up in Texas. :D

As others have said, don't do it for the shootin'.
 
If you want to join the military I don't suggest the Air Force. I don't know what people mean by it is "better". However I would suggest that you look at all the services and decide what kind of service would fit you best. Just because I know the Army is the best for me does not mean it is the best for everyone.

While I don't believe in the draft I think everyone who is eligible should serve at least once in their life.
 
Depending on your job, your experience in the Air Force can be very close to a civilian life. Especially if you have a medical or administrative job.

I worked the flightline, and I STILL had a very cushy life. Most times it was get to work at 8 am, launch, recover, fuel and fix planes until 5, then home for dinner. I lived offbase 20 miles away in a house I owned. Wife and kids visited the base to see me at lunch sometimes, we shopped on base, saw the pediatrician and our regular doctors on base, went bowling on base, saw movies on base....

That's how it was 95% of the time. But when part of our squadron was sent out on TDY, or when there was a training excercise, you sometimes worked 12-hour shifts with no days off for up to a month at a time. On the other hand, when everyone was on base, and there weren't many broken planes, you might come in to work on your Friday and be sent home right after roll call. The pay never changes, regardless of the hours you work.
 
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