US Armed Forces... Which Branch???

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kriz

New Member
So I've finally made up my mind about joining the armed forces, something I have been considering for a very long time. I've always leaned towards going into the Army, but it seems whenever I bring this up with anyone who has been in a branch other than the Army I get a 30min lecture so as to why I shouldn't join the Army. In any case, I was wondering if there's any people in here who are in the armed forces and would care to share some of their knowledge/experience and maybe provide some pointers, it would be much appreciated.
 
I'm going to start off saying I'm not in the military yet.. but, I've been trying to for almost 2 years now. The biggest thing holding me back is that I didn't finish High School. I got a GED instead, thinking that since it's "equivalent" then I should be fuckin gravy.

Well, I found out that it's not equivalent. You need to have a HS Diploma if you want to get in with no issues.

Did you finish High School?

Also, when you go to take the ASVAB test, make sure you do some major bruching up on your math skills. I am pretty good with math, but still struggled a bit on some of the harder problems. I still got an 87 on the test though, but not everyone is so lucky.
 
I'm IN highschool lol. I'm going to be a senior this year, wanted to start boot camp this summer but my mom freaked out when I told her I had made up my mind to go in the military so I decided to feed it to her in small doses...
 
Okay, still got the info I needed. So you're on the right track. Just do what you have to and get through High School. After that you'll be able to join whatever branch you decide to.

But to answer your question about what branch to join... Well, I can't answer that. That's something you've got to decide on your own man. Nobody would be able to tell you what branch to join.

I find it annoying when I'm told not to join whichever branch, but that's just me. IMO It's your decision to live with so make sure it's YOU making that decision. That's how I see it.
 
I agree with you 100%. It annoys me greatly when I tell people I want to join the Army and they make me feel like a dumbass by saying that the Army sucks and all this other crap and that I would be wasting my life by doing it. I just want to hear people's opinion on the matter because it is a big decision and I like to be informed before I do anything major. If that means sitting through a 30min lecture on why being on a ship is better than being in the front lines then so be it I shall take it with a grain of salt.
 
If I was to join it'd be the Air Force. If not that the next choices would be Army or Marines. I'll pass on the Navy.
 
My first choice would be Coast Guard. With Navy or Air force next
 
Air force. I was raised in the air force, and if I could Join up I would in a heart beat. They treat families better, you have more of a tech-y position than a "shoot people" type position. You won't get stuck on a boat for months on end. You won't be the first into war fighting toe to toe with whoever we happen to be pissed off at at the time. Its really a matter of personal choice though. Go talk with all four recruiters and make a decision. Just realize that ALL recruiters are going to blow loads of smoke up your ass to try and convice you to join, so take everything they say with a grain of salt.
 
hehe I'm gonna go see a Coast Guard recruiter today.. that is if I can find out where the fuck they are.
 
See the only thing I could see myself doing in the airforce would be fighter pilot, and I simply don't think I have what it takes for that. I probably wouldn't even physically qualify for it lol.
 
If you want to be a pilot, you'd better be planning on graduating high school. You had also better be writing letters to your congressmen and and state representatives to get into The Academy.

Go airforce, but take everyones' advice and do college first.

If you want to talk to someone about it, I'm pretty much always available to talk, as are many other folks here. Personally, I went the civil service route to serve my country. Benefits aren't as good or immediate, but it's still a good life, and I feel good at the end of the day.

Which service ultimately depends on what you want to do... Do you like the idea of killing people with your bare hands? Marine Corps. Do you like being stuck in one place for months at a time? Navy. Do you like being yelled at and being just a cog in the machine? Army. Do you like being treated like you matter? Airforce. Do you want to be respected? College.
 
Which service ultimately depends on what you want to do... Do you like the idea of killing people with your bare hands? Marine Corps. Do you like being stuck in one place for months at a time? Navy. Do you like being yelled at and being just a cog in the machine? Army. Do you like being treated like you matter? Airforce. Do you want to be respected? College.

I was starting to come up with my own post, but you pretty much can't beat that one right there. Teh reps.

My Dad was in the Navy during Vietnam, but he was a codebreaker and didn't see much direct action. He was off the coast of China most of the time intercepting encrypted Chinese Morse code.

He still has things he won't talk about, but the one story he likes to tell about the secret stuff they used is how amazed they all were at the computer equipment... that they had computer systems with trackballs on giant projected color displays, in the late 60's. They would airdrop big black trailers onto destroyers where his team would do their work. He was seated near the door and the Captains of the various ships usually wanted to check out what they had on board, but most of the time they didn't have proper security clearance to do so... He would always get to slam the door in the Captain's face. :)
 
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Yeah, my parents were on some missions doing data logging for missile and aircraft testing. Occasionally I'll get a kick and read about the missions. Interesting stuff. It's strange that they have stories about places that the US wasn't allowed. heh.

My mother still talks about how there were always fishing boats out there, and when they got close, everything would get jammed.
 
To too went the civil service route. I was very close to enlisting but decided to get a few years of college under my belt first and then I had a kid at 19. I decided that their where other ways for me to serve our country and now I have the good fortune to ensure that our nations vetrans information is secured.

As for which service, that is a decision you will have to make. Think long and hard about it, and keep in mind there are a lot of ways that you can serve your country other than enlisting.

The Navy allows you the chance to see the world but just remember that you will probably end up an one of the support ships for a carrier fleet rather than the carrier itself. Life in the Core is just tuff no two ways about it. The Army is a blend and the Airforce is probably the lest difficult but you are going to put up with shit for the rest of your life. Everyone makes fun of the Airforce.

Why is it you want to enlist? This is a question that you need to ask yourself everyday. You only need to justifie it to yourself but if your sole reason is for college money and the chance to see the world I would reconsider. Because if you end up hating your life after you join not only is it a problem for you it is a problem for everyone else that you come in contact with. And read everything you can about all the services. Read books about the current conflicts, find blogs, watch TV specials just flat out learn. Learn as much as you can about everything the service you decide on has. If you go Army/Marine learn the ins and outs on every weapons system you may come in contact with and learn how to use a topo. map as well as GPS. The more you learn before you get in the better you will do and feel.

In closing, its really up to you. Talk to each recruiter and see what they have to say, and remember just because they say something does not mean jack. If it isnt in writing then it didnt happen.
 
My brother in law just got out of the air force and even though he is happy to be home he loved the 6 years he was in. Traveled all over the world and did a shit ton of schooling and training.
 
It does not matter what you want to do - just do it.
Look into the branches that interest you and make your choice from there. If you want to enlist in the Army, than damn it- do it!

For some more information, talk to the recruiters but word of warning; DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING! Also BE CAREFUL as to what they may tell you. A lot of them get caught up with trying to meet quotas and will more or less 'bend' the facts to entice you to join.

I am Air Force myself. I am going to hit my 3 year mark this upcoming December. The lifestyle is ridiculous to be honest, compared to what I heard about the other branches. Just like Drake says - you are going to get shit. Period.
Last year when I was in Iraq, half the deployment we would get looks from all the Army troops and even the civilian contract workers. Why? Because we are Airforce. Its more jealousy because they treat us better (lodging, gear, etc)
But. All in all, it's not that bad a gig to be honest with you.

I myself don't like a few aspects of the AF, but thats' the same about any job. I have grown and become such a better person since I have been in and honestly I think it would do anyone good to see this side of things.

Score high on your ASVAB and when you get a choice of jobs, ensure you get something you really want to do. Sadly, I had a contract saying I was to do a job but it got mixed in so that 'voided' my contract.
Should I been a smarter Airmen at the time and not afraid of the TIs, I would of just said I want out since I wasn't getting the job I had on paper- got thrown in this on. Not a bad gig, but it be hard to see myself doing it for 20+ years.

One more note - look into the job openings. There are some that are giving bonuses, and some that are ridiculous to get into because they are going civilian contracted. If you need to know anything else, IM, Email, or post on here and I be glad to help get you anymore help or feedback.
 
If you want to be a pilot, you'd better be planning on graduating high school. You had also better be writing letters to your congressmen and and state representatives to get into The Academy.

HUGE MISCONCEPTION!!! you dont' have to go to the academy to be a pilot. You can go to a standard college, get your degree, then enlist to be a pilot. Or you can go ROTC and have the military pay for college and be a pilot and go after, OR you can go to the academy. I knew hundreds of pilots. At most, 10% went to the academy. The big thing you need to know is that if you want to fly, you must be an officer, to be an officer, you must have a degree.

i'll try to ask a few questions to make this easier. i'll list them out, you just reply. in number order like how i post them.

1) why do you want to GO in the military?

2) what do you want toDO in the military?

3) what do you want to do AFTER the military?

4) why not go to college?

5) where do you want to live while in the military?

answer these, and i'll help you decide which branch (if any) would be good for you. and i'll give you some advice on some of the careers to choose from too.
 
One more note - look into the job openings. There are some that are giving bonuses, and some that are ridiculous to get into because they are going civilian contracted.
one thing i would suggest is to stay away from enlistment bonuses. most people that i know who took the 6 year bonus would have given it back to get out 2 years earlier.

also, you can make 6X-8X that bonus when you re-enlist after your first term. you will get a lot bigger bonus if you are in a mission critical field.
 
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