Glad I can help....

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: : : How much of your real life do you have left? You're posting here, so thats good... : Well, it varies. Because I been involved with Operation Iraqi Freedom so much, and was just deployed since Nov., it's been alot of working lately. But before all that, it was fairly normal. : : I don't want to travel anywhere that I'm going to get shot... I mean, if I say that will they call me a sissy, then pack me off to Iraq? : No, its not like the Vietnam draft. : : I was told that Army is the most beneficial, and highest paying service (by the Army recruiter of course...) Is that true? : Most beneficial? Definitely. We do all the peacekeeping and big missions. Best paying? Well, that's debateable, but not really an issue, all the base pays are the same. There's different bonuses, best money for enlisted guys is probably being a nukie in the navy, but who wants that? : The differences between services: The army is the only one which is an end in itself. The Air force you have the best chance for a life, but they don't do anything worthwhile. Basically, the WHOLE air force supports their tiny number of pilots, and everyone else is secondary, plus you can't do the real good in this world by dropping bombs from 50,000 feet. The navy supports the army/marines by holding sea lanes open and providing naval air power, again to support troops. The marines are good but don't do a whole lot. They do the initial entry mission, but that's all. You have to get on the ground defeat the enemy, and stick around to capture bad guys, play soccer with the locals, help them build schools, provide security, defeat their armies and control territory. The Army does all these things. : : The training... what exactly is that like? All I can picture is drill sargeants yelling, and my beatiful hair being shaved off... : Well, the first six month or so (Basic and Advanced Training) is very rough, it will be a shock. That's because they can't expose you to combat and gauge your reactions. So they'll treat you bad and stress you out, see how you deal with that, and it'll give an idea of how you'd deal with combat stresses. And the haircut isn't that bad :) : : If I have anything else, I will be emailing you... thank you. : Please do. : : : : : here's the very abridged version of how and why.... : : : I joined up right before my 24th birthday. Same situation as you - I was working, going to school (Univ. of Maryland), money was tight, didn't know what I wanted to do when I got out, and didn't want to get out untill I knew. : : : So I started thinking about what general fields of endevour interested me, and I was thinking alot about State Dept and the Intel Services. Did a bit more research, and found out intel guys in the army, enlisted ones without a degree do the same work as degree-holding civilians. Did some more research about what jobs were in each of the services, and in intel, and I figured that I wanted to be an intel analyst in the Army, cause the army does most of the things the military does, has the broadest mission, and the general Intel Analyst (96B) is in every unit and involved in every mission. So I enlisted, my college credits (100) got me in as an E-3 paygrade (Private First Class). Money's not great, but its plenty to live on, buy a car, and save a bit (but I wouldn't want to have four kids as a private). Now I've been in 4.5 yrs, I spent a year in training, a year in korea, and I spent the past 2.5 yrs planning and executing operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. I'm a sergeant, and I bring home 3 grand a month before taxes. (rent in FL is low, if I lived somewhere like DC, I'd make an extra 500 in housing money). It's the best damn job on earth - I don't get shot at unless I volunteer to be in that kind of unit, and whether I'm pushing a desk or an M4 Carbine, I'm involved in everything. : : : Now, I plan on finishing my degree next year, and possibly getting out and becoming a civilian analyst. The money's better, and so are the hours. But it'll be a tough choice, cause there's alot of good stuff about wearing a uniform. : : : Feel free to email me if you want further info about possible MOS (job) choices or other help. Oh, and it'll behoove you to wait till January - we'll be hurting for bodies then and bonuses will be higher. : : : chuck-d : : : : : : : Alright, so I'm 20, heard the recruiter spill whenever I was graduating HS, but I talked to another recruiter yesterday while I was at work. He wasn't saying anything new or anything, I just seemed to be listening a lot more. I think I'm just kind of bored with my life. I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything. I work full time, go to school full time, and have talked about getting married to my girlfriend here in a couple of years... but I just feel... Like there should be more. : : : : The recruiter brought up a good point about how a lot Buisness students (my current major) are graduating, and then having nothing to do, can't get a job or anything. Besides, I go to the Univ. of TX @ Arlington, nothing fancy that will pull a lot of weight in an interview. : : : : I don't really know what I want out of life other than to be happy, and he was taking the approach that the Army would make that easier. Just kind of saying that you're guaranteed what you want out of life. : : : : I've never felt the urge to join before; I don't have OVERWHELMING patriotism for my country or anything of the sort, but I'm really uneducated of what joining up would entail. If anyone could give me their opinions, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

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