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Getting On : Career
Army Life? | from Samuel - Wednesday, November 08, 2006
accessed 1519 times I've been working on a Christmas story about a soldier who is coming home to be with his family for the holidays. When I did some research for the story, I found something interesting.
I had picked up a brochure about the army before, and had gotten as far as filling out the form for more information. I stopped when I got to the last question (Do you have asthma?). I saw my asthma as a roadblock, and threw the form away, laughing at myself for thinking I was cut out for the army.
But when I did my research for the story I found out there are many careers available in the military. And not all of them necessarily deal with combat. I started thinking, is it possible that I could still join the army? At the moment I'm just a bit curious about it. I have a few questions:
Does anyone know if asthma would be an automatic block to joining the US army? Has anyone served with someone who has asthma? The other question I have has to do with is defined as "full time" military service. In civilian life, one expects to "full time" to mean 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and have weekends off. How is the military different?
Any advice you can give me would be nice too. |
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Reader's comments on this article Add a new comment on this article |  from JP200
Saturday, January 19, 2008 - 10:04
(Agree/Disagree?)
If you really want to get in then don't tell the docs at MEPs that you have asthma or allergies or that you did drugs or anything. I know active duty people that have asthma. The entry process is the hardest part so just don't tell. However, make sure you get into some cushy MOS. You wouldn't want to be on a death run or hike and then get hit by an asthma attack.
(reply to this comment)
| from AndyH
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - 14:17
 (Agree/Disagree?)
Sarcastic answer #1: Perfect venue for this type of question. Next you should go to McDonald's and open a bank account, and order a cheeseburger from Wells Fargo.
Sarcastic answer #2: What a mystery! Wouldn't it be nice if there was an easy way to find out? The Army really should train some of their soldiers to specialize in recruiting new soldiers, they could be able to answer questions like yours. They could set up regional offices, maybe even a website and a toll free number. Until they do, I guess the Army will just have to do without you. What a shame.
Sarcastic answer #3: Hi, I'm an Army recruiter and my job is to monitor this website and answer your Army-recruitment related questions. To find a local recruiting office you can go online to goarmy.com or call 1(800)USA-ARMY. I hope I've been of some help.
(reply to this comment)
| from Hmmmm....
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 16:50
(Agree/Disagree?)
You could always apply for a job as a bagger at the TSO store on the base!
(reply to this comment)
| | | |  From Shaka
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 08:42
(Agree/Disagree?)
lol, you're priceless dude. You might want to brush up on your sarcasm since that is the language of the drill sergeant. The last thing you wanna do is give a literal answer when someone is being sarcastic with you. I can see it now;
Drill Sergeant: "You think you're fucking special Private?"
Pvt Mercuri: "Well Drill Sgt, I think we're all special in our own way."
DS: "Oh, you're a goddamn comedian, I guess you wanna spend some time at the beach,huh?"
PM: "Oh, is there a beach near here Drill Sgt?"
30 seconds later an entire platoon of 60 pissed off guys is low crawling in full battle gear face down in the sand back and forth across a 1000 ft. sandpit aka "The Beach" in 110 degrees. Yes, it happened to my platoon many times. There was this Jehovah's witness kid who was completely oblivious to sarcasm. Nice kid but not in the right occupation. We had to save him one night from a blanket party.
Dude, I really don't think you're gonna like what you find in the army. I'm not saying you can't do it, you'd just be completely miserable. I still think you should look into the coast guard or air force though. Lots of opportunities. (reply to this comment) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | From Shaka
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 10:57
(Agree/Disagree?)
I was smoked just once for something I did. Of course I was smoked every 10 min for something somebody else did but just once it was my fault. It was the first day. We're in line at the chow hall standing at Parade Rest while the DS's walk up and down doing the usual, you know, screaming if our eyes move to the side, making sure we have our hands in the small of our backs right over left etc... So this one DS is giving us this lecture about staying away from the short order line saying "Some of you fat motherfuckers need to stay away from the fat cakes. That's why you shitheads are garbage, cause you eat garbage! You are what you eat, Privates! Remember that! You are what you eat!" So I mutter under my breath, "I guess that makes me a pussy" and feel a gorrilla hand land on my shoulder and jerk me out of line. DS Kirk, biggest, baddest asshole there, was standing right behind me. I was very tired and dirty two hours later.(reply to this comment) |
| | From smashingrrl
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 11:15
(Agree/Disagree?)
You're officially my hero. My mouth got me burned once too. Only once but it was worth it. That fuckup I mentioned was my bunkmate. She was a fatass and forgot EVERYTHING. So when she started really screwing us, I was assigned to keep her in line. I had to check her shit before every inspection and if she failed, it was my ass. So we're standing at attention in front of our bunks during an inspection. The drill sergeant checks my shit and I'm good to go. Then she got to Guzi's shit. Everything seemed fine and I almost started breathing again. Then she lifted Guzi's BDU blouse to check the gig line. There was no gig line. Her fucking belt wasn't clasped, just dangling. So I had the drill an inch from my nose spitting into my face about "what the fuck is her belt undone for Brown?". "Tell me there's some major malfunction with her belt and that you didn't just forget to check her uniform". So I finally had it and said. "No ma'am, she just exceeded the maximum weight limit for the belt."
The sergeant almost lost it. She had to look away. I paid dearly but god it was fucking worth it.(reply to this comment) |
| | From Shaka
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 11:34
(Agree/Disagree?)
Lol, I wasn't in a co-ed basic so we could do a lot of fucked up shit. In the middle of the night we would dress in Kevlar, LBE, boots, weapon, and Charlie Browns. That's it. Then we'd go running through the other platoon's bay, howling and flipping bunks while they were sleeping in them. Till one night the Drill walked in right before we were gonna do it at like 2 in the morning and yells, "Toe the Line!". Only one kid was dressed up in the shit so he jumps up and stands up at parade rest with the rest of us in his underwear and full battle rattle. We're all snickering as DS's walking down the line till he gets to the kid standing there perfectly still with a straight face. He just stops and stares at him for 15 seconds. Then he turns around without a word and walks out. We can hear him laughing his ass off for like 5 minutes then he comes back in and smokes the living crap out of everybody. It was great.(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | | | | From JP200
Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 19:08
(Agree/Disagree?)
Actually that movie is about Marine Corps Recruit training and our recruits call the DI's "Sir" they're not Marines yet and they don't rate to call them Drill Instructors or anything else..just like they don't rate to be called privates.. I'd like to be the fly on the wall if he said "Drill Sergeant" instead of "Sir"..but it looks like the dude is gonna be headed down the pussified route so he won't have to worry about Marine bootcamp..too bad! (reply to this comment) |
| | | | | From smashingrrl
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 09:18
(Agree/Disagree?)
There is no right answer. Lot's of wrong answers just some are more wrong than others.
Everyone had the class fuckup. Ours was airman guzi. God we hated her. She showed up with a teddy bear. It was all downhill from that point on.
The hardest thing really is not laughing at some of the shit the drills come up with. They're funny as fuck sometimes. They wouldn't tell us who'd won the superbowl. Then they started a rumor that Joe Montana died of a drug overdose.
I actually went to morman services in boot. Are you kidding? Their church is four hours long....that's a damn good nap. (reply to this comment) |
| | | | | from smashingrrl
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 15:30
(Agree/Disagree?)
Okay, honest answer. Yes, asthma will keep you out of the Army. It will keep you out of the military in general. There's a reason for that. All services require a lot of physical training. Asthma doesn't exactly help you run 5 miles.
That being said, I have asthma. I served five yrs in the Air Force. Now the funny thing about the Air Force is that most jobs don't require much physical exertion. There are some exceptions ie: security forces, PJs, load-masters, or really any job on aircraft. However, most jobs in the Air Force really have nothing to do with planes. There's intel, communications, and a hundred other AFSCs that don't fly. The reason I bring up flying is that the pressure changes affect the lungs and can bring on asthma attacks. What you're qualified for and what jobs you can get depend entirely on how well you do on the ASVAB test.
Did I tell the Air Force I had asthma? Hell no. I told them I had hay-fever seasonally. If they had found out before I joined, it might have caused a problem but they didn't.
If you can run 2 miles in under 18 minutes once a year and during basic training, you'll be fine.
I can understand why you want to join the military. But really, do you want to be cannon fodder? Join the Army and you will. It's almost a certainty at this point. Join the Air Force or Navy (except as a navy corpsman, they do see combat) and you'll likely never be near combat. Will you still be serving your country and all that bullshit, yes. The difference is this, in the Air Force or Navy, you'll be treated better and be more likely to make it out alive. You'll still have cool stories. You'll still get the military experience. But you'll be more likely to get some training that will actually be useful to you afterwards and hell, air force tents are air conditioned.
Take that advice for what it's worth. Oh, and bonus points, they hate gays too! But you'll still have to shower with them.....we love the uniforms.
(reply to this comment)
| | | | | | | From Samuel
Monday, November 13, 2006, 16:38
(Agree/Disagree?)
Just today, actually, I was helping a customer out to her car. She was a smoker, the smell inside her car gave her away. I had to try to inhale while I was outside getting the groceries, and avoid inhaling while I was putting them into her car.
Yeah, I could try to avoid telling them I have asthma, but I think they'd probably figure it out soon enough. I can't be around cigarette smoke, or people that have just smoked.
I don't completely understand the pay scale. It appears that depending on your job you start at a certain clasification on the pay scale E-1 through E-9. Or maybe every job starts at the same, I don't know. I understand that Basic Training is at E-1.
I also don't understand how the pay system works because it's set monthly. The Navy website says most of their jobs are regular 8 hours/5 day jobs. At the moment I can't seem to find it, though. They can't be making the same as the ones who are in Iraq now, working 12 hours a day without weekends. Is that considered overtime or something?(reply to this comment) |
| | From smashingrrl
Monday, November 13, 2006, 17:03
(Agree/Disagree?)
Overtime, now that's funny. There's no overtime. Remember what we said? They own you. You can work 12hr days seven days a week. You can work 12 hrs 3 days on, 3 days off. It all depends on your job and what's going on at the time. I once worked a 49 hour shift because I was in the desert and the only other guy trained at my position had salmonella. It happens. It's not a job, it's a duty. The sooner you understand that, the better off you'll be.
Pay doesn't depend on your job, it depends on your rank. Some jobs do earn more pay by way of hazard pay, language pay (if you're a linguist), etc.. The job I had was shift work and since the chow hall was closed when I was awake, we got seperate rations to eat (I think it was like 250 a month). Things like that can affect what you take in.
You start basic training at E-1. What rank that is depends on which service you join. In the AF, it's an Airman Basic. The pay is the same no matter what service you're in. After basic training, you'll likely still be an E-1 until you get promoted. Promotions depend on time, skills, learning, tests, fitness, medals, etc. You can go in as an E-2 or E-3 in some services. This would be based on college or if you sign up for six years instead of 4, etc. You wouldn't sew on that rank until after basic though. Don't sign up for six. Most jobs have a re-enlistment bonus and you don't have to wait another two years to get it. Likewise, you don't want to be stuck in an extra two years if you hate it. It's not as though you can quit.
The navy website is bullshit. All military websites are bullshit. You've been warned. I wouldn't go into the navy if you have issues with your lungs. water=damp=mold Lay down flat and put your hand in front of your face. That's how much room you'll have to sleep at night on a ship. If you value fresh air, it's not going to be fun for you.
If you're on a base here in the states and say you work intel, you'll likely work 6 to 3 or 7 to 4 and have the weekends off. I wouldn't count on any job ever being 8-5 if it exists, I never heard of it. Get used to early mornings is what I'm trying to say. Most jobs though are shift work of 12hr shifts. You'll get days off but don't count on them falling on a saturday or sunday. When you deploy, everything goes out the window. The bad guys don't take the weekends off. You'll work when they need you.
You need to also understand that when you're not at work, you're still working. You have uniforms to take care of, you have to keep in shape (that IS your job), you'll be volunteered for other work, you'll have plenty of shit that will eat into your free-time.(reply to this comment) |
| | From Samuel
Monday, November 13, 2006, 17:50
(Agree/Disagree?)
Thanks for the info, Smash. Wow, they sure know how to make it sound good on the websites.
That's why I was thinking it didn't make sense. The bad guys don't take weekends off, how can the military? So the pay is all the same no matter how much they work you. I get it now. I also get why they had that article in the paper about how the soldiers in the army are being given "Go" pills and "No-go" pills.
Do some jobs start off at higher ranks then? It doesn't make sense to me that say: a cook has the same rank and pay as a Navy diver just because they started at the same time. Maybe that's where special pay comes in, to compensate in jobs that are more skilled than others.
Also, I don't see how a nice personality would hurt in the military. I can understand trying not to put it out there during basic training, but it appears to me that someone with a nice personality would be a refreshing change for most people in the army. I'll defiitely think about all this. I know there are some people that will try to take advantage of it, there always are.
I'm lerning a lot more for my story from you guys, by the way, than I did looking at military.com and the different army branch websites. I've already had to change a few things.
Thanks for putting things in a realistic light. So just about anywhere you could end up working 12 hour days, and you might not always get days off. Wow, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. I don't know how you do it, John.(reply to this comment) |
| | From smashingrrl
Monday, November 13, 2006, 18:16
(Agree/Disagree?)
The problem with being nice. Alright, picture the most macho environment you've ever encountered. Now multiply that by 100. It's not "nice" that's really the problem. It's just not the type of world wherein you want to come across as gullible, innocent, or easy to use. Yes you'll make friends. You'll make incredible friends. You can be as nice as you want to them. But that sweet facade will just mark you as a target. You have to realize that the military is full of all kinds of people. You've got hillbillies, rednecks, bullies, criminals, wannabes of every sort, punks, jocks, sadists, masochists, more criminals, patriots, farmboys, mama's boys and everything in between. You live, work, play, eat, shit, and shower with them. You want to show weakness before you've established your worth to your unit, that's your choice. I wouldn't recommend it. Cursing and swearing is the only language most of us understand. You can love god all you want, just don't be the "altar boy". Really, I'll let Shaka try but it's just not something I can explain. No one likes an asshole but everyone likes to fuck with the guy who just lets himself be fucked with. (reply to this comment) |
| | From Shaka
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 05:42
(Agree/Disagree?)
Yeah, it's kinda hard to explain. After all the training is said and done, no matter how sadistic your instructors were and no matter how much you hated them, soldiers tend to somewhat become like them in that we see that there was a method to their madness and we want to be sure our peers have the same level of mental toughness that we have since they'll be the ones watching our asses when shit hits the fan. It's not that we hate the ones who stand out because they're overly nice or easy to fuck with, we just somehow end up fucking with them, lol. When there's that much testosterone in one place it becomes like a group of dogs with a pack mentality. You have to fight for every scrap of recognition cause that's how you're noticed by your superiors and that's how you get ahead. (reply to this comment) |
| | From geo
Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 12:50
(Agree/Disagree?)
i dont know, i never bought in to that at all. ive always been polite to people while in the military regardless of rank. even while working as an instructor i dont think i was ever unprofessional in my demeanor. i always thought the yelling and smoking people was a little lame and it never phased me that much. but i noticed the weaker soldiers usually the ones that struggle the most are the first to put on that act, especially when theyre in a position of leadership or outrank someone. i mean you need comraderie and i guess some of the hazing and stuff does toughen up weak people or better prepare them for the military and maybe war but it also tends to promote a sort of sado masochistic ignorance, its the sort of mindset a couple of pathetic mps working at abu graib probably had.(reply to this comment) |
| | from AnnaH
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 15:24
(Agree/Disagree?)
Samuel, I'm sure you have this wonderful romantic view of being a soldier, but I really think you're mistaken in wanting to join the army right now.
I was a bit of a tomboy growing up and I would go play soldiers with lego guns in the woods with the other boys. I too had this idealized view of serving my country and being a hero(and the uniforms are hot--I'm shallow, okay?) and when my older brother Andy joined the army I seriously considered it. When I was 17 I went and applied for the Army, they tried really hard to get me in cause I scored really high on the ASVAB but unfortunately I've had about three ear surgeries and have a slight hearing loss so they rejected me. At the time they were at 110% enrollment so they could afford to reject a girl on something like that. I also applied to the Navy and the Air Force and they all rejected me too. Now I have no doubt that they would take me.
This was right before everything happened in Iraq. At the time, I was all for going to war, that was my dream. Now I thank god every single day that I got rejected. It's not glamourous, it's not romantic, it's a horrible war with awesome consequences. As much as they tell you it's about "liberating" Iraq, no one at the top got into this war for that reason. They could really give a shit less about the Iraqis or their freedom. You cannot trust them, they've lied their asses off to the American public.
Don't buy into this "Army of One" crap. They don't care about your individuality, they want you to follow their orders, regardless of whether or not it goes against your values, your morality, anything that might make you object. You will not be able to have an opinion, and certainly not be able to voice it. You will be killing people, killing civilians, whether intentional or not, they are just people trying to live the best that they can given their circumstances, or they will be people trying to fight against what they believe is an unfair occupation. And you will just be killing them because someone tells you to.
I don't mean to undermind the people who are out there serving our country, they are heroes and I pray they come home safely. I just think it's tragic that they are out there dying for some rich asshole's politics that has nothing to do with them. Who is this war benefitting, Samuel? Not us, not the Iraqis. Over 45,000 civilians were killed.
If you want to surrender your individuality and your beliefs to become part of a faceless military force, then all glamour and honor aside, you'd better fucking believe in what you're fighting for. What is that?
(reply to this comment)
| From Shaka
Monday, November 13, 2006, 05:53
(Agree/Disagree?)
While I agree with much of what you are saying, I have to object to your generalization that everyone we are fighting just innocent people fighting what they see as an unjust occupation. There may be some who truly believe in their holy war against the occupation and limit their violence accordingly but the majority of the violence going on now is not even against coalition troops. Muslims are committing unspeakable atrocities against other Muslims for no other reason than the fact that they differ slightly in their beliefs. Children as young as toddlers are being brutally tortured before being murdered along with their siblings and parents. Almost all of the thousands of bodies found in the capital every month bear signs of horrible torture. Gunmen are wandering around at the order of mullahs executing people because their haircuts look too western.
This is not being done by poor innocent people trying to live their lives. I don't even need an order to want to put a bullet through the head of one of those sick fucks. Yes, much about this war is wrong and many lies have been told but most of the fighters we deliberately target derserve to die, not because they're defending their country, but because of the extremes they go to to do it. It's sad that during our larger strikes innocents are often killed but the difference between us and the people we're fighting is that we don't purposely slaughter masses of civilians. Many, many Americans are dead because we fight with our hands tied behind our backs while we try to spare as many innocents as possible and identify beyond any doubt that or target is an enemy. By the time we do it's usually too late for some soldier. Of course there are exceptions and soldiers have sometimes stooped to the level of the people we're fighting but again, the difference is that with us it is not the norm.
(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | From
Friday, December 15, 2006, 22:54
(Agree/Disagree?)
they will never be free. They will fight eachother for generations to come. They will be perpetual prisoners of their ethnicities, religious fractions and all the blood and atrocities that were commited during this war, Sadam's regime and their holy wars. If you don't believe me check Bosnia. And situation in Iraq right now is much worse than Bosnia ever was.(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | from Shaka
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 13:59
(Agree/Disagree?)
I'm not sure about the actual regulations regarding asthma but I know you can get in with it cause I know several people that have it. Nowdays everything is waiverable. But just because you have a non-combat job doesn't mean you won't go to combat. Everybody is a potential frontline soldier. I'm an electronics test equipment/missile systems tech but I was gonna be manning a .50 cal on a Humvee till I got pulled into intel and I'm still gonna be on convoy security in a month or so, just not as often as I was supposed to be. I can tell you this; you join, you WILL go to war. (The Army or Marines at least)
I'm not trying to be a dick but I'm going to be brutally honest since I have no desire to see you in a box. I don't see your asthma being nearly as big an obstacle for you as your general outlook on life and everything around you. Soldiers can and will be brutal in every way and you'll be singled out from day one just for the way you come across. Everything that pisses you off here, i.e. religion bashing, swearing etc...will be multiplied hundreds of times and shoved in your face once you make your views known. It will be an extremely rude awakening for you especially if you've been generally sheltered. I've seen drill sergeants make grown men piss themselves and cry like babies. And your fellow soldiers will not hesitate to exploit your weaknesses to get ahead.
But for others it's not hard at all. I thought basic was a joke because I saw it for what it was, a big mind-fuck game to weed out the weak. It's all about keeping your mind on what you want out of the service and never letting anything dissuade you. As long as you take nothing personally you'll do fine. The drill's don't hate you or have anything against you, it's their job to see if you can be broken and send you back to the civilian world so as not to make the army weaker as a whole. Although nowdays they're so desperate for volunteers they're letting people in who shouldn't even go camping outside their backyard, they're that weak and clueless.
But then again, who knows? You might prove me wrong and be able to play the game. I'll tell you one thing though, if you do make it and do well you'll feel a greater sense of accomplishment than you've ever felt. I'm about as cynical and non-sentimental as you can get and I still feel proud every time I put on the uniform. The more hardship I get, the happier I am to be in the Army cause I know it's only making me stronger. And it for damn sure will make you independent of your parents, I mean even you gotta be tiring of the nest by now. If you think you have what it takes I'd say go for it. It'll kick the shit out of bagging groceries, that's for damn sure. I'd strongly suggest taking a look at the AirForce first if you really wanna stay out of combat. No offence, AF bitches ;).
(reply to this comment)
| From smashingrrl
Monday, November 13, 2006, 15:56
(Agree/Disagree?)
As an air force bitch, no offense taken you fucking grunt. : ) Glad you got pulled to intel. But Samuel he's right, I honestly don't think the Army's the place for you. I'm not saying you can't hack it. I'm saying certain people are cut out for that kind of life and certain people just aren't. It's not easy. Niceness is a quality you'll pay for dearly. Airmen will be just as brutal to you for everything you hold dear. Once a weakness is found, they'll pick it until they see you bleed. Basic training is by no means as physical as it is in the other services, but if you're not tough mentally, it will break you. It's meant for one thing, to weed out the weak. Full time in the Air Force is little different than the Army depending on your job. I never had to wake up to PT once I got to my duty station. I had my own room. But they still own you. Look at it this way, get a sunburn and you can be charged with destruction of government property. I'm not kidding. You're on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week and no, you don't always get Christmas off. You can't leave the area without leave. You have to salute people you despise. You have to follow orders that will never make sense. They own you, every part of you. Oh, and grunts will always give you shit. It's part of the job. So will jarheads and so will squids. But they're just jealous 'cause they know damn well you have it better. And no, you don't get to use any of those words until you're one of them.
The trade off is the feeling you get every time you put on a uniform. Only those who've worn it will ever understand that. You get to be part of something bigger than yourself. The money's nice but it's not enough for what you'll have to deal with. You have to be in it for more than a paycheck or you won't last a week.(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | From Samuel
Sunday, November 12, 2006, 14:20
(Agree/Disagree?)
Thanks, John.
I see. Well, I'll definately consider your advice. I kind of figured that was what basic would be like, fooling with your mind to see who's weak and who's strong. I'm not exactly in great shape, so the army might not even want me.
Wow, Air Force? I assumed they'd be the worst because you don't know where your enemy is. They can shoot you from the ground lately. It's not that I don't want to fight. I've never handled a gun in my life, but I'm sure basic will take care of that. My problem is I have asthma and one of my legs hurts often (mostly when it rains, joint problems). It never fully healed. I don't want to drag the other soldiers down, or have them get killed trying to rescue me. They don't deserve that. I guess I'm kind of nonchalant about dying.
I might still look into it. I could see myself as an air traffic controller or security officer, or even an investigator (as Crime Scene Technology is my degree field right now). I'm a year away from an AS, but it doesn't sound like that means anything to the army, they seem to want BS degrees.
I could also see myself as a Religious Services Enlistee, because I think I could be good at giving advice. And since I was raised in a cult, I feel like people can tell me just about anything and I can hear them out, empathise with them, and try to offer good advice. And no, I didn't write this paragraph just to get you upset : o )
I was hoping you'd respond, because I have another question for you. Does Sarah have to call you, or are you allowed to call her also? And I heard you say something about coming home for 14 days "vacation". Will that be before Christmas?
I also don't understand what a "full time" military career means. 8 hours a day, 5 days a week doesn't make sense to me. (reply to this comment) |
| | From onewhoknows
Wednesday, November 22, 2006, 13:51
(Agree/Disagree?)
Dude when people ask the difference between the branches. A smile comes on my face when I think of the airforce. The food, the quality of life, the women. It is by the far the best branch in the military. CG isn't the military, they fall under Homeland Security now.
Unless you are an Officer you won't be giving anyone advice as a "Religious Services Enlistee". Air traffice controller...I have a buddy who I went to bootcamp with that was going to that school. If you want to work with security/investigator go SP. Or straight CID is more along the lines of your degree.
I don't know about the airforce but in the Navy, Marines, ashma will dq you from joining. There are waivers for most things though.
Full time military means you are active duty. Depending on your job, hours, and location you might love the military life or hate it.
If you want the money/respect, and have a degree go officer. If you want to have fun go enlisted. Talk to a recruiter and then verify everything with someone who is active duty.
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| | From Shaka
Sunday, November 12, 2006, 16:08
(Agree/Disagree?)
I think you have the general misconception about the Air Force. The chances that you'll be on or near an aircraft is slim and you won't be in an attack craft unless you're an officer in top shape. There are more jobs that have nothing to do with aircraft than ones that do.
"Full Time" means active duty. As opposed to National Guard or Army Reserve, who train one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year, on active duty you live in the barracks unless you're married, work at least 8 hours a day(not including getting up at ungodly hours of the wee morning for PT) sometimes more than 5 days a week. In Iraq it's more likely to be 12 hour days, 7 days a week. I haven't had a day off here yet. Back in the world you usually get weekends off but not always.
Actually for you I think I'd recommend Coast Guard if you don't want the full blast of military life but you just want to get out on your own. I agree with a lot of what AnnaH said, the military doesn't really give a shit about you as a person and this war definitely doesn't smell like roses (not that I'm complaining, I'm being paid for a job that nobody forced me into so anything I don't like I can only blame on myself), but there's a lot to be gotten from the service as long as you want it bad enough and you're willing to push yourself hard enough to get it. The Coasties are a pretty safe bet. Not a lot of controversy and you may get to nightstick the shit out of a resisting drug dealer or two, heh heh.
In answer to your question, I call Sarah. Where I am there's a decent amount of phones but there's no way for her to reach me directly without going through my unit command. I'm not gonna be home for Christmas but I'm coming home in April for two weeks. (reply to this comment) |
| | | | | From Oddman
Sunday, November 12, 2006, 14:11
(Agree/Disagree?)
You have my respect Shaka.
Another question some movingoners may have answers to. Is there any military (aside from al-qaida in Iraq) that will take a Japanese national? My problem with signing up is quite different from Samuel's. If I sign with the JSDF, I'll never be drilled, and I'll never see combat. It's like, what's the point? Then again, I'll probably be too short for a combat post anyway.(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | | | | From shikaka
Monday, November 13, 2006, 14:57
(Agree/Disagree?)
Youre in luck, oddman. The french foreign legion accepts any nationality, as long as youre not a criminal or idiot, or have any major medical problems.
Im going to join (or attempt it) in april of 07. Ive already bought my ticket. You should come along. Start training now, and you'll be in shape by april.
Prior to enlisting, you should be able to run 8km wearing a 12kilo backpack in less than 50 minutes, climb a 20 ft rope using only your arms, and do over 70 pushups/situps in 2 minutes. Running is the main part. Run, run, run. The legion prides itself on it's "march or die" mentality, and 15km runs before breakfast in basic training are commonplace.
The legion pays better than many militaries, with the added benefit of you being able to acquire french citizenship after your 5-year contract is served. However, the legion is a frontline military branch, as the french government aften finds it easier to use non-french troops to be bullet sponges. Expect to be posted in africa, or in various countries on peacekeeping missions. Or shooting at marines when france declares war on the USA. j/k.
Anyway dude, Im dead serious about joining, so let me know if you want more info. I have exhaustively (obsessively) researched the legion for over 3 years now.(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | | | | From shikaka
Monday, November 13, 2006, 18:35
(Agree/Disagree?)
Not much detail can be found online, strangely. Ive read dozens of books about the Legion, but by far the most informative, detailed, and unbiased account Ive read is called "Life in the french foreign legion: How to join and what to expect when you get there", by Evan Mcgorman.
Another excellent, albeit negative account is called "Mouthful of rocks: Modern adventures in the Forench Foreign Legion", by Christian Jennings. These books can be had on amazon.com for a few bucks.
Here are some helpful websites, though its mostly general information:
www.foreignlegionlife.com
www.legion-recrute.com/en
www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/legion/index.asp(reply to this comment) |
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