joining the us military

[mantis]

anyone here a veteran? i'm strongly considering joining the army as i don't want to go to school as of now (college) and the benefits and physical & mental training you receive are to put it blandly very attractive.

 

i can now sign up on my own as i am 18 years of age but i still want to talk this over with my mother before signing anything.

[Yoda]

PM Scott about that. He's in the military right now. The complaint I've heard the most is that they might not let you out when you hope to be released and you spend a lot of time out of the country these days.

[mYTHmAKER]

Everything has it's price.

You might wind up dead or maimed.

Not my cup of tea

[Aetherous]

Ah I see now that you said you DON'T want to go to school...already PM'd you saying that the main benefits of joining now are so that you can get a degree for free basically.

 

For anyone else reading this...the pay isn't all that great, even with all the special bonus pays they give you in Iraq. There is still tons of stuff to spend money on over there, PLUS when you get back you will want to go on a spending spree no matter how disciplined you are financially. And more...you don't make that much. You can easily earn more doing a full time job in the states, like road construction or cooking at a restaurant, etc.

 

You know, there are still apprenticeship jobs out there if you don't want to do college. Less girls, less parties, but you get paid and you get a decent job at the same time.

 

Anyway back to the military: it's good for physical and mental training in the beginning, with basic training...then most soldiers start eating tons of shit and getting fat, especially in Iraq where they serve you more than as much food as you can handle...and then it's not as easy to work out over there.

 

So yeah I'm kinda about the whole thing after having been in and been over there. If it's about patriotism, well, the war is kinda over and we're just waiting to get sent home right now. Of course people have differing opinions on that, and I used to as well, until I went over there and saw it. We are stopping the Iraqi Army and police from doing their thing, by being there and always doing it for them. Anyway, just my opinion on that.

 

So yeah, what it comes down to is: do you want to experience the crappy life of a prisoner/slave and really earn your way into manhood, only to be treated like you're still a kid by your superiors, who are actually for the most part big pansies? Or do you want to live a comfortable life where you have freedoms, and not worry about being inferior to anyone besides maybe your boss if they're not nice?

[mantis]

i'm still thinking about this all but it seems like i shouldn't join, this is now the second person who's in the military who tells me it isn't a good idea (one of them right off of army.com!) this mixed in with the possibility of coming back with a mental disease or physical trauma (you don't have to die you can lose an arm or a leg or both) are giving me more than enough to consider.

 

whatever decision i choose to make i want to thank you scott for your advice, it's helped a lot.

[Aetherous]

Anytime, glad to be of service.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Sunya]

well aside from everything Scotty said.. i think the biggest drawback is that you're supporting the US Military Machine by becoming a slave to the politicians who push all the buttons. what if US decides to invade Iran because they are such a "threat"? doesn't matter if you disagree, you're going to be there killing people. KILLING. you have no choice, you're signing your life away.

[Taiji Bum]

After 8 years in the Army I'd have to say that was the best thing I ever did. I came out disciplined, strong and with friends that will last a lifetime! Being in the military service is just that.... service. You dont do it for the money or the glory, you do it to serve and say thank you to the universe for being born in the U.S. When you put on the uniform and take the oath to defend the constitution, you are getting ready to accomplish more in a few years that most men do in a life time.

 

Theres a good saying, " Some people make things happen, others watch things happen and then there are those who stand aroung bewildered wondering what just happened." Which do you want to be? You dont have to join the military to be a doer, but it helps and as far as systems of personal development go, its hard to beat.

 

mikaelz.... try repeating, "I am not a victim" over and over. Another good affirmation is "I am in control of my life".

[Aetherous]

but it helps and as far as systems of personal development go, its hard to beat.

 

I will agree with that, for sure. But...

 

i think the biggest drawback is that you're supporting the US Military Machine by becoming a slave to the politicians who push all the buttons. what if US decides to invade Iran because they are such a "threat"? doesn't matter if you disagree, you're going to be there killing people. KILLING. you have no choice, you're signing your life away.

 

I also agree with that.

 

(edit) ...except it's not always as simple as "join the military and kill people". There are a lot of jobs. And even if you're in the infantry, you may not kill anyone.

Edited July 5, 2008 by Scotty

[lino]

anyone here a veteran? i'm strongly considering joining the army as i don't want to go to school as of now (college) and the benefits and physical & mental training you receive are to put it blandly very attractive.

 

i can now sign up on my own as i am 18 years of age but i still want to talk this over with my mother before signing anything.

 

No matter what contract you sign, everything is an eight year obligation. You can be called back at any time after your the initial active time up to your eighth year.

 

I advise that you pick a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) or job that is easily transferable to the regular non-uniformed world.

 

The organized physical training is not nearly enough in order to help you excel or keep your head above water. Not nearly enough people crack open the FM 21-20 and it shows everyday, even in BNCOC. BNCOC is sort of like a mid-level manager's course.

 

If you end up signing up, be sure to crack open the Field Manuals, Technical Manuals, and other publications. There is a wealth of knowledge in there that always seems to remain hidden.

 

DarinHamel was prolly in the Army when "wall to wall" counseling was the way to do business

[Smile]

Getting into military now will be the dumbest decision you will even make.

Read this article to start with:

Veteran Suicides - 18 Every Day, 1,000 Monthly Attempts

 

If you count Depleted Uranium poisoning, post traumatic stress, miserly pay and killing other human beings, the answer should be clear.

 

Also read some articles from this website to understand what exactly you are protecting.

Edited July 6, 2008 by Smile

[lino]

Getting into military now will be the dumbest decision you will even make.

Read this article to start with:

Veteran Suicides - 18 Every Day, 1,000 Monthly Attempts

 

If you count Depleted Uranium poisoning, post traumatic stress, miserly pay and killing other human beings, the answer should be clear.

 

Also read some articles from this website to understand what exactly you are protecting.

 

The pay isn't as bad as it used to be...but getting hit by an IED on a convoy is NO JOKE and not worth it.

[SFJane]

Just a few thoughts about the service.

 

First I have never been in the service. Between being hard of hearing, bad vision and a host of mental problems I would never have made it out of Basic without being discharged on mental health paperwork.

 

That said I almost joined at a low point in my life around age 18 because I came from State run institutions as a teen and was sorely unprepared for the world and taking care of myself.

 

As far as killing people as a guarantee upon being shipped to Iraq, I can't say anything for sure not being in the army and all but I have this tale to tell.

 

Some years ago I met a guy who was a Viet Vet. We were talking about it and he seemed to have no problems at all talking about life in Vietnam in the war. I was surprised because almost all the vets I had met growing up never wanted to talk about it all.

 

I assumed everyone that went to Vietnam came back disturbed. Not true.

 

It turned out this guy was a carpool driver. He spent the war driving generals and other high ranking officers around bases. That was it. He never killed anyone. He said it Vietnam was not so bad, war, was not so bad, if you got a job like that.

 

 

What you can do is like take lino's point a step further, watch the numerous youtube vids of hummers getting blasted to pieces just driving around towns or out side them from running over IED.

 

If you do see some action, you may come down with PTSD. PTSD is no joke. You don't need to be in a war zone to get it, but being in combat there is a good chance you will get it but good.

 

When that happens you will bring home more than a souvenir or a feeling of having served your country.

 

If you talk to people with severe PTSD it is not pleasant, and these people are not pleasant to be around.

 

In fact sometimes they are downright scary. If you think unasked for flashbacks or involuntarily hitting the deck when someone yells or bangs something loud is fun well maybe ptsd is for you.

 

Guys I have met with ptsd from vietnam keep well functioning and well used weapons in their gun racks to this day. Obsessed with safety, security, peace and quiet. If you go the VA for treatment, you probably get crappy meds and those meds might cause you to be even more suicidal. If you get disabled from ptsd prepare for the gov to try to screw you out of your military benes if they can get away with it they will.

 

yea, maybe the army will make a man out of you and teach you useful stuff and make you into a doer and not a watcher. You might also come back with a mental disorder and scare the shit out of your GF, your parents, your family. You might relive your time in Iraq for the rest of your natural life.

 

Then you are going to need some serious meditation training because you finally have good reason to do it.

[Vajrasattva]

anyone here a veteran? i'm strongly considering joining the army as i don't want to go to school as of now (college) and the benefits and physical & mental training you receive are to put it blandly very attractive.

 

i can now sign up on my own as i am 18 years of age but i still want to talk this over with my mother before signing anything.

 

mantis

 

become a cop they pay better, better retirement & you can retire at 48 if you go in now.

 

you will not be thrown in to iraq or afghan warfare and you work 4 days on 3 days off every week. So aside from the occasional drunk, crack head or drug dealer & thug you do not have to worry about bombs or missles flying over your head.

 

peace

 

Santiago

[Prince...]

I don't tell anyone that they should or shouldn't join the military. What I will say is don't talk to a recruiter without doing your homework. I learned that the hard way. I went to the hardest school in my state, which is known for giving out low GPAs. I was told that I could not be a commissioned officer in the US Navy due to my low GPA, and I ended up enlisting. The instruction does not mention any GPA requirement for most officer programs. So I served 4 years in the navy making 1/3 of the salary that I could have earned which would have put me at almost a 6 figure income in San Diego, CA.

 

Do your homework and talk to people before you see a recruiter.

 

Second, someone said to study the MOS book. In the Navy, we call these rates. Learn about the jobs that are offered. I am guessing you have already taken the ASVAB. If you have a high score, you should be good, but if you don't know your scores, take your time when speaking with the recruiter. Ask them for your line scores, go online and look up rates/jobs/MOS and find out what you can get. In the Navy, we say pick your rate, pick your fate. I had friends on my ship, all day long they read people's e-mails. If some guys wife or girlfriend took porn pictures to send him while we're on a 6-month deployment, guess who got to see it? These guys were paid to surf the internet and browse e-mail all day long!

 

Military life sucks, but it can be good or bad for you. Personally I hated my time in the Navy, but I had some of the best times I've had thus far in my life. If it were not for the Navy, I never would have started studying kungfu or learned about Qigong. I never would have visited Hong Kong or Japan. I never would have known that asian women could be so damn hot!

 

On top of that, I have my G.I. Bill, which has been increased to $1380 a month for a full-time student, healthcare from the VA for life, and a my full VGLI life insurance policy for only $30 a month.

 

and well...if things work out...I also may go to law school for free on the VA's tab.

 

It's like anything else, it can either suck or it can be the best decision you ever make, I guess it is really just up to karma, but there will be days you wonder why the hell did i do this to myself?