Air Force

[K2fender]

I've been thinking a lot lately about joining the military. I've been thinking more about going into the air force. I just turned 20, and have my highschool diploma. Havent taken any college courses. Anyone in the air force, or former air force? How did you or do you like it? Anything you can tell me about it that would help me out? Thanks...

 

[stewie]

I was in the USAF as a Security Forces Member (Cop) for four years 2002-2006. when i was able to do my job, i loved it.

your experience will varry greatly depending on what career field you choose. there are some that hardly deploy and when they do they sit in a nice air conditioned office all day. then there are others like my old career field that deploys every year for six months or more working in the heat and sand.

overall, if your looking for quality of life then the AF and Navy have it hands down (except Naval Corpsmen). the Army and MC have the highest ops tempo, the most deployments and overall the lowest quality of life services of all the armed services.

Personaly, i feel that the AF is going through a phase right now like a child. right now its all about the petty BS. a good friend who is still in, got back from Ballad (sp?) AB Iraq a month ago. he got an Article 15 (reduction of rank, pay and extra duty) for getting his D*** sucked by a female on their off duty time.

it takes a special kind of a person to be in todays military. doing research before hand is a great move.

no matter what path you choose in life, best of luck to you. and if you become a trigger puller, keep your head down.

hth

 

[ECKSJAY]

I've been thinking a lot lately about joining the military. I've been thinking more about going into the air force.

Well hell, make up your mind. :doh:

J/K

I think it's a great idea if you've got nothing tying you down. Great experience and I recommend it for anyone. I went active duty in the Army for a few years, so I can't share any AF stories...other than we used to smirk at the chubby SPs when we'd drive by in our fancy MP cars.

 

[IH8RDS]

I have about 16 years in now. It was a good decision with the AF, I'm just winding down now. The hotels we stay at are kick a$$ and room service is second to none!!!

J/k The Air Force has been really good to me. I am in the aircraft maintenance side of the house. I have had 7 tours to the sandbox. I tour to Korea. More TDY's to Las Vegas then I can shake a stick at and there is not to many countries I haven’t been too. Watching water go the wrong way down the drain was just an added bonus. Most of the people I grew up with are still back home. It has its cost though too. I have missed all of the major holidays’ at least 5 times, and allot of time away from family. I missed one birth too. On more that one occasion I can remember watching the sun come up on Thanksgiving Day with a cold turkey sandwich in one hand and a wrench in the other.

My Dad was Navy and he said "Go Air Force" they will treat you right, I have never known my Dad to give me bad info and he hasn’t yet.

 

[90Blue_XJ]

I personally was in the Navy (corpsman)before you were born, but worked in the capacity of a civilian contractor @ Wilford Hall AF Hospital for awhile a couple years back. Most of the enlisted guys I worked with said they joined just to get a career that would transfer to the civilian world. Most of the ones who loved the AF were either Tech Sgts or above. I guess that after you eat dirt as an Airman for a couple of years trying to decide your path that you either love or hate it. I was in during Vietnam attached to the USMC and was already in healthcare before I went in, so my experiences were different than those you will encounter. Well BEST of Luck either was you choose.

 

[swany]

i served 6 years in the air force as a mechanic on the c-130 talon 2's. it was a wicked awesome job working with special forces and seeing some of what they get into. I got out due to force shapping and am now in the air guard. if i could get back in i would in a heart beat.

 

[K2fender]

i served 6 years in the air force as a mechanic on the c-130 talon 2's. it was a wicked awesome job working with special forces and seeing some of what they get into. I got out due to force shapping and am now in the air guard. if i could get back in i would in a heart beat.

I'm actually thinking an air craft mechanic is the way i wanna go. Seems like one of the better jobs they have to offer for me.

 

[GAJeep]

I joined the Air Force at the age of 21, after screwing around in college for a couple of years, not really going anywhere. I went in with a guarenteed position in computers and spent 8 years writing some kind of code or another. I seperated in 96 - mostly due to Clinton budget cuts and the associated loss of benefits. At the time, I was very negative about the experience and the fact that (I felt) the government failed to live up to their half of the bargain.

Today, I am a VP in a large public company and I make a great living playing with computers. I do not think that I would be where I am today without the time I spent on active duty. Add to that the facts that I lived three years in Australia, traveled the world, made great friends, served my country in a time of war, ended up with loads of BDUs, etc., etc. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat...

 

[GAJeep]

Recently, I was at a breakfast being held in honor of my company's veterans. One guy who had been in the Army was going on about how he was up and running at 4:30am every morning. I informed him that I used to run in the Air Force - every time the BX put beer on sale, I would have to run over before it ran out...

Go Air Force...

 

[Cornflake]

........he got an Article 15 (reduction of rank, pay and extra duty) for getting his D*** sucked by a female on their off duty time

i could easily make my decision just off of that........HELL NO!!!!!

 

[Rev Den]

Older bro was in the Air Force. Went in at 18 re-fueling B-52s in Thailand, retired a couple a years ago a full bird, highest rank without flight time. He would not trade it for the world.

Rev

 

[XJ_Vikings]

To really decide if its for you you need to think about why you want to do it. If you want a career out of it then the AF or the Navy probably have the most to offer. That being said your best chance for a good career is to get a college diploma and become an officer. If you dont care about the benefits and just want to make a difference hands on i would say go Army or Marines. Picking the service also depends on how mentally and physically tough you are. No matter what you choose, however, its all what you make of it.

 

[ClassicXJ]

I was active duty air force for 6 years and now am a reservist. The best advice I can give you is pick a career field that you enjoy and also that you can use on the outside if you decide to get out after your first enlistment. Because of my time served on Active Duty I was able to get out of active duty and get my FAA Airframe and powerplant mechanics lisence and have a great paying job. The guys I work with now that had to go to school to get thiers have over 25,000 in student loans.. I got mine basicaly for nothing.

Like I said.. pick a job that translates to something on the outside but also that you can enjoy

 

[IH8RDS]

Recently, I was at a breakfast being held in honor of my company's veterans. One guy who had been in the Army was going on about how he was up and running at 4:30am every morning. I informed him that I used to run in the Air Force - every time the BX put beer on sale, I would have to run over before it ran out...

Go Air Force...

Ha HA ain't that the truth. That beer goes quick

If you dont care about the benefits and just want to make a difference hands on i would say go Army or Marines.

Truth is, all military branches make a difference. Every time I launched my F-16 in Kuwait, Saudi, Turkey, UAE, Bahrain....etc when the bomb racks came back clean, It definitely made a difference with somebody.

 

[XJ_Vikings]

Truth is, all military branches make a difference. Every time I launched my F-16 in Kuwait, Saudi, Turkey, UAE, Bahrain....etc when the bomb racks came back clean, It definitely made a difference with somebody.

oh no doubt, dont get me wrong. Im just saying that the benefits in the Marines should be a selling point.

if benefits dont matter to him, of course im going to suggest marines

 

[IH8RDS]

oh no doubt, dont get me wrong. Im just saying that the benefits in the Marines should be a selling point.

if benefits dont matter to him, of course im going to suggest marines

No, I didnt take it the wrong way at all. Just adding my .02

 

[alsodon]

Whatever branch of service you choose, make sure you've got your new career guaranteed in your contract. DO NOT go in open contract unless your test scores don't qualify you for anything at all. When I was in (1980's) all open contract enlistees ended up as grunts or cooks. Here is my suggestion: assuming your ASVAB (they still use that, right?) scores are high enough, look for a good job in the USMC Air WIng. The training for the Marines is much more extensive than equivalent training in the USAF, the air force has always been somewhat over-specialized. I was an aircraft electrician back in the day, we fixed everything on the jets that had a wire except for the fire control radar. In the usaf, there would have been about five jobs doing what my job was in the usmc. I know this benefited me after I joined the civilian work force. Ask some friends or family that work with veterans about this angle on it - I bet they'll agree. While you're at it, ask them who is tighter: former Marines, sailors, soldiers or airmen? When you join the Marines you become part of a group that has meaning for the rest of your life. Some would make the case that this is more important than training, quality of life or anything else. Trust me - always faithful means just that: ALWAYS faithful, even long after you're off active duty. It matters.
OK, I'm back off my soapbox. Like I said, get a guaranteed contract and congratulations to you if you join any branch of the military. It's not for everybody but for a lot of young single men it's a good move.

 

[88-xj-laredo]

This all helps me a lot too, I got one more year of high school and then I don't know what I'm doing, I've been thinking about going into the USAF for a couple years now as either EOD, CC or Security, no flying for me! My brother has been in since he was 18 and recently got back from Iraq, hes EOD and is doing pretty well, from what I've heard from other service men/women is that you need to be physically ready and keep your mouth shut.

 

[XJ_Vikings]

Whatever branch of service you choose, make sure you've got your new career guaranteed in your contract. DO NOT go in open contract

x20

T My brother has been in since he was 18 and recently got back from Iraq, hes EOD and is doing pretty well

EOD is some serious shit, when i see a bomb the last thing i want to do is go pick it up and take it apart.

 

[XTrmXJ]

Ive been in for 9.5 years now and its the best choice Ive ever made.. I came in as Crew Chief for the F-15 (Mechanic).. As what Scott mentioned, the only countries I havent been to are China and Russia.. It was fun for the first enlistment but as time went on, the job started affecting me physicaly and mentally in my second term.. I got bored and I wasnt learning anything new after I got my 7 level in the carrer in 03, it felt like I was working at an airlines and felt that I didnt have a part in the military conflicts.... I decided to change my job to Flight Engineer on the UH-60 Black hawk for Combat search and Rescue and special ops.. I will be getting the adrenilin rushes that I want, some thing new everyday, Ill be flying, I get my Helicoptor pilots leicence (sp), beable to get a job anywhere when I retire, make an assload of money, traveling even more, ect.. And I will feel that I will be doing my part...

What ever you do PLEASE TALK TO US AND ASK ABOUT THE JOB, WE CAN FILL YOU IN AND DONT ALWAYS TRUST THE RECRUTER.. Also look for a job that you can use in the out side when ever you get out and is worth money