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Any Army people here? Advice?


scotty

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Yeah I know! Stupid! Here I am willing to leave today for the Navy and I am ONE ticket over. :wtf: I don't understand, but I am sure there is a reason behind this. I will definitely research all the MOS they have to offer to see anything fits me. I would most likely get something in the mechanical area being thats all I really know. :rolleyes: Who Knows though. I am supposed to talk to the recrut tomorow to get more info from him. I wont just jump into this, I thought long and hard about the Navy, so I dont make split second discussions. I try to know all the facts up front so I know what I am getting into. Like I said before, I really appreciate all the info frome everyone here!

Part of the reason for the traffic tickets is every soldier get trained and licensed on a HMMWV at a minimum. They don't want you to wreck or abuse equipment, it costs too much.

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I think you have to ask yourself why you're joining the military, regardless of the branch. If the answer is, "because I don't know what else to do..." Think it over. Hard.

I've not enlisted, so my opinion is just that; my opinion.

But I can't tell you how many people I went to high school with who went to college, didn't like that, so they dropped out and joined the military. I don't know of any who are still enlisted that didn't make it their first choice (i.e. knew they preferred military and never even applied to colleges)

The fact is, your job in the military is to take orders. One of my HUGE pet peeves is people who join the army, and then bitch about being deployed, as if they were never told that deployment was a possibility when they enlisted. It's no different than teachers who complain about being paid shit - if you don't know and accept the parameters of the job you're pursuing, find something else.

That said, I get it when military personnel disagree with the political agendas behind their deployment, and support their right to have (and voice) that opinion - but it's not an excuse to neglect your job duties.

I have a friend who works for Bank of America. He rigidly disagrees with many of their lending practices ...but it's his job to follow them. If he felt that strongly, he could quit.

The same should go for the military. You don't have to like or agree with the reason you're getting shipped to the sandbox; the fact is, your job is to do what you're told. Your life is potentially on the line EVERY DAY you're enlisted. Risk of death (for causes you may not agree with) is part of the gig.

If you go in knowing that and accepting that, the military will be a much less confrontational experience for you.

Edited by redkow97
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Don't trust anything a recruiter says. Unless you have it in writing, it doesn't mean anything.

My military experience is just slightly more than fuck-all (MEPS washed me out), and I can tell you for the stage you are at right now (recruitment), this is the best advice you can receive.

My USAF recuiter "advised" me to my face to withhold medical history (that I have asthma), then when I found evidence of the withheld condition to satisfy the MEPS inquiry into something else from way early on in my childhood, the recruiter advised me to withhold that and have my parents sign and notarize a statement saying it doesn't exist (I had a hard copy from the hospital microfiche in my hand that I placed on his desk) or submit to the MEPS and see what happens. I went for the latter.

In this stage you have to think about no one else but yourself, and you have to stay 4 steps ahead. Assuming I would have lied about the document and made it through boot, my money is that the DSS (or whoever they have now that investigates and grants security clearances) would have easily found my ruse, denied me my clearance necessary for the AFSC I wanted (computer network security) and I would have been well and truly fucked for 4 years, or in a brig in Leavenworth.

For the recruiting stage at least, make sure it's all about YOU. Once you get in that parade formation at the MEPS and swear in the game changes, but until that happens you're on your own.

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and that's because they don't want deadbeats to come in just for the money to pay off the debt.

True...but the real reason is being in debt adds a lot of stress to your life, and they just want your mind focused on the mission. Also, they don't want you to be susceptible to bribery from the enemy.

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I will suggest that anyone going into the military plan for retirement as well.

My uncle enlisted late (22-24?), made it through Ranger school, and eventually retired (the first time) as a Master Sargent. When he transferred into the reserves, he worked full-time at the VA hospital in the benefits department. I assume he had 20 years in at that point, but I wasn't old enough to be cognizant of such things at the time.

His reserve unit was being deployed to Afghanistan, so he re-enlisted to get more of his old rank back, and greater combat pay. As a result of re-enlisting, he was laid off from the VA. Never got his old job back after his tour.

Now he's a security guard in his early 60's, and I don't think he has any hope of retiring at 65...

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