Ok so.........
 

I'm joining the military sometime this year and I was wondering if anybody here who has past/present military experience can give me any info?

Im still deciding what branch and even if I want to go active duty or not (Reserves/National Guard).

Any info is greatly appreciated, I've talked to acouple recruiters and friends who are in, but I'd like as much info as possible so I KNOW i'll be picking the right branch and field.


Thanks!


Dustin

It really depends on why you want to join. If you want to be a soldier, then look hard at the Army, or Marines. If you want a skill that will transfer back into civilian life, look into the Air Force, or Navy. Take a technical job, in computers, or aviation. Trust me, they'll give you whatever jobs you qualify for, you'll just have to wait for an opening. There are jobs in the military you wouldn't believe. To include TV & Broadcast Radio.

If you're going in to be a "Rambo" forget it. You could get into a combat unit, but damn few get into Delta, Seals, or Force Recon. Remember, you're always a part of a team.

Yeah and unless Bush or the next President can con us into Iran you won't be seeing any action anyways.

That is unless you are chosen for one of those takeover "drills" that take place secretly in civilian towns, defying the Posse Comitatus Act.

If I were you, I'd take Air Force and try to get stationed at Eglin AFB. Nice place, Eglin.

Keep it in the Political forums, and dont thread crap, thanks!

With that, I have 8 Years Active USAF Service, feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have.

I'm really interested in the Air Force because I wanted to try to go for Aircraft Maintenance. But really I want to know what more of my options are for each branch. I'm not really sure what kinds of different things I can do in the different branchs.

What are some of the other mechanic type jobs in the AF?



Dustin

(My brain is kinda blank right now, I'll be back alittle later with more questions)

Well, lucky you!

I was an aircraft mechanic!

I was a Hydraulic / In Flight Refueling Systems Specialist.

We also had Avionics, Communication/Navigation, Jet Engine, Life Support, and Crew Chiefs.

Do NOT be a Crew Chief (on Heavies) unless you enjoy filling planes with gas, changing tires, and emptying the lavatory!

Crew Cheifs on Fighters do the majority of the maintenance, however.

Dustin,
I retired from the Army in 1986 - I know, that makes me really old:rolleyes:. I enlisted for four years and ended up going to Officer Candidate School (OCS) and stayed for over 20 years. There is not much I would do differently - I was in tactical intelligence. And the retirement check each month isn't bad either .... But you will earn it if you stay in long enough to retire.

Just keep in mind that ALL of the services have many, many different kinds of jobs / training. Know what your interests are BEFORE you sign on the commitment line. And I believe you should be able to take all sorts of tests prior to signing up. So know what you are interested in and know what you qualify for, BEFORE signing up. A number of special jobs have a signing bonus - check that out so you know what they are. In other words, don't blindly go into service without knowing your options. Take your time too. The recruiter will want to sign you as quickly as possible - take your time! Also, look at the future too. Do you want to make the service a career or just a few years in? Regardless, look at what you can do with the training you will get while in service AFTER you leave the service. Can you turn that training into a career in civilian life? I can not recommend enough to look to the future and what you want to do. It's hard to do when you are young, I know (from personal experience), but try hard to do so. Also, be sure you know what retirement options are as well - a lot has changed since I was in service ......

Personally, I enjoyed the intelligence work - and a special security clearance (if required) will mean lots more money on the outside if you decide to use that training in a civilian contractor job supporting the military after you leave the service.

If you have any specific questions, let me know either via a PM or on this thread ..... and Good Luck!!
Harry

What kind of stuff did you get to do? In-flight refueling seems pretty cool, but i'd like to get into more of the mechanics of it (so later after i'm out, I can get a nice job with Boeing or something :)).

My friend in the Army Nation Guard is in Tactical Intelligence, she really likes it but now I think she's wanting to go more for a tech type job.

I really don't think I plan to make a carrier out of the military (probably just one or two terms). And I'm still thinking of the National Guard so I can go to college as well (I just really like all the added benefits of active duty).

As stupid as it is, the new girlfriend and I get along great, and even though its been 1-2 months, I "could" see myself with this one. So i'm trying to consider that part of my future as well, and with that in mind, active duty sounds really good.

A friend of mine has a brother who used to be a recruiter and he said that the recruiter's will pretty much tell me whatever I want to hear to get me signed up. I've heard acouple "not so good" things about recruiters and this is why I decided to get my information else where.

Where would I go to take some of the test's to see what I'd qualify for?

Thanks alot, both of you!



Dustin

All of these are good things to remember, but one other to keep in mind is get your promises they give you in writing. It is too late after you sign if they send you to a different school or training. You want to make sure that you get what you want. Good luck :)

Yeah, a friend of mine went into the Army with his GED, the recruiter told him he would get the sign-on bonus ($40k right now) if he passed a certain test. Well he passed it, and got screwed out of his sign-on bonus, now he cant do anything about it. He said that most of the people that went in with just a GED ended up in the same boat! Only three of the guys who took the test with them (out of 50+) got their bonuses.




Dustin

Air Force has the best food.

if you don't choose a school before you get to basic training, you can consider yourself security police. i know a lot of people whose recruiters told them to "pick something when they get there", and they were all told "didn't pick a school? Security Police!"

i wonder how different my life would be if i hadn't destroyed my knee 4 weeks into basic training? :confused: i'd probably be poorer, but well-traveled and better stories to tell!

Dustin,
Check out the recruiter's office for taking the tests. I don't know what the procedure is now, but years ago, one could take the tests there before signing up - that way you knew what you were qualified to do. And keep in mind too that the service will provide the training to do the job - one just needs the aptitude to be able to learn it.
And also keep in mind that the intelligence field takes in to account all sorts of skills - computer and electronics have become critical in almost everything done in the service these days - to include a mechanic's job - most are called technicians for a reason. Key here is to not LIMIT yourself!! Get all out of the military you can - and by default, you will contribute more too. Thanks for even considering going into the service of your country!

And whar Earl said too - get EVERYTHING in writing!

Harry

Is the ASVAB I believe ^^ a lot of people in my school took it.

Contracts
 

The advice on WHO can put promises in writing BEFORE you enlist is the best advice, if a particular skill training is your goal. It used to be that ONLY the Army could actually promise you a specific training prior to enlistment. The others were mostly contingent on passing additional tests after enlistment.

If you are looking for mechanic training--most of them can provide that. Aircraft mechanic is a limited private industry field. I have a son that was an attack helicopter mechanic (Cobra). There is not civilian counterpart. If you are really interested in mechanical work, I would suggest something in the diesel mechanics field--the money is better in heavy equipment repair.

Generally, the living conditions are best in the Air Force, but advancement is usually faster in the Army. (I leave out the Navy and Marines because I was never interested in the possiblity of spending a lot of time on a ship--just think what you miss on a ship :) well unless you like that :p) Of course, the faster advancement depends on the total number of people in the particular service with a certain skill and the actual working level of that skill. Like, there are a lot of Infantryman in the Army and promotion is pretty good, but there are very few Broadcast Specialists, so you stagnate.

The advice on long term goals is also good. The military is a HARD life for a family. Very difficult for an officer and damn near unbearable for an enlisted man.

Joining the Reserves or National Guard gives you other options. You are a part time soldier/airman most of the time, but still have the option to go on active duty for a longer term if there are openings in your field. Of course, as you have seen during the Iraq/Afgan Wars, many of these citizens soldiers have spent a lot of time on active duty. In the Guard or Reserves your military pay is not significant and you will still need to hold down a full time job. Full time work AND military duty can be a drag sometimes. While you do gain some educational benefits--check them out carefully. Work, military duty AND school can be a killer. Talk to your g/f and other Guards/Reservists about this part.

I also spent 25 years in the military and don't regret a minute of it and would do very few things differently. But---it is not for most people.

Lee

I'm in the Coast Guard. Been in for 13 years now. If you have any particular questions I would be happy to answer them. I do know that ithe Coast Guard is the branch that will most likely keep you near home and least likely to send you to a war zone of all the branches. You also get all the benifits of all the other services. It's a small tight net service. You are very likely to run into people several times during your career.