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Joining the Military

Military service will open a lot of doors for you later on. Even if you retire out of the service you can still begin another career while you are still pretty young. Really cannot add much more than what has been posted here. Ask plenty of questions, that is what recruiters are there for. Have someone with you because you WILL forget to ask something. Get EVERYTHING in writing and do not take no for an answer. Yes, if you take someone with you the recruiter is likely to "recruit" your partner as well. Best advice... keep your head and think! Remember if it sounds too good to be true it is! Find what you like and give it 110%. If you become an officer, lead by example! If you walk the walk your soldier, sailor, or marine will follow you without hesitation. If you have their back, they will have yours. Lastly, trust your NCO's. They are the backbone of any unit. Good Luck.:patriot:
 
ill offer my 2 cents at 6 and a half years active duty navy. does not matter what branch, all pay grades are the same pay, as a e5 i make as much as any other e5. but i get sea pay. navy advancement sucks for everbody but SEALS, EOD, Special Boat, and crypto techs. Marines are a strong nit bunch, most my friends are, well, was... now, AF lots of funding, army too, navy not really, usmc not much. it doesnt sound important, but when your getting chewed because you cant fix something because navy cant afford to replace it and repairing it isnt going to happen. if i could do it again, id prob still go navy, but do something other than gas turbines, 100k horsepower ships caught me. However, after 5 years i was offered work back home at a power plant operator, starting 80k a year, without a degree, my big brother, 23 years AF is now a GS14 for alaska airlines and is making bank. my marine friends, one is in school, another prison guard another cant find work. best luck out there. and again, if its not in writing it was never offered. and dont worry about going in as a e4, yea youll catch shit, but one of the biggest pay jumps is to e4 and e7, so just remind em oyur making another couple hundred.
 
TJ Rat said:
I am a retired Marine. Received a bonus for initially signing up for combat arms (a long time ago). The military is an excellent organization to get into. I believe everyone should do at least one hitch. It gives a sense of discipline and belonging. When s#%t hits the fan, you are covering the guy next to you, just as he is for you. We all bled Marine green. It made no difference who or what you were as long as you did your job.

Whatever you elect to do, make damn sure you get it in writing BEFORE you sign the final papers. Recruiters will make promises to the end of the world. It only matters what is on the paper when you sign it.

As far as killing people, that is liberal BS. No one forced the opponent to pick up a rifle and shoot at you. Don't wanna come back home? Do not shoot back. Think of it as somebody breaking into your home and potentially harming your family. What are you going to do? End the threat or let the perpetrator do as he pleases?



I 100% agree, finish your degree first, then go in as an officer. You will be glad you did every day.
Like stated above, look out for your people and they will look out for you. Listen to your Staff NCO's or Chiefs. Some of them have been doing the job longer than you have been alive. Do not be afraid to get your hands dirty. You will lose respect real fast if you only show up to give orders then disappear.

My son is a senior at Texas A&M. He got a full ride (scholarship) from the Navy. Gets his comission May, 13, 2011. The Navy seems to be the best if you want to actually learn and do while still being semi-safe. Sorry I am partial, no way would I ever recommend the Army or Air Force. Join the Marines or Navy. Not the Army or Air Force. Want proof, how many retired Army or Air Force stickers you see on cars? Compare that with Marines or Navy. Case closed. The Army allows you to choose your job, but then your stuck with that job. I was a Marine tanker. Held every posistion on a tank. Was also the supply NCO, and at another time, the company clerk. So yes you do get a broader range of jobs in a smaller outfit like the Marines. We used Navy corpsmen for gunners. So yes, jobs outside your MOS are there. Not so with the Army I knew. Might be different now though.

Also, talk about a tight fraternity. 'Marines' on your resume is hands down better than any fraterninty. I got my first engineering job from a retired Marine. His comment was 'A former Marine, come on in'. Ever been in the control room of a nuclear power plant? I have. They were all ex Navy nuclear officers. Oh yeah, the lowest guy there made over $100K for a 40 hour work week, and that was 10 years ago.
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First off, the bumper sticker thing... I see way more Army than anything else, I've always figured it was just because the Army is bigger than Marines, better than the Navy, and well, nobody wants to brag about the chAir Force :D

As for being stuck with your job in the Army, I dunno where you heard that, but you can change your MOS to anything you qualify for, whenever you want to (IIRC, its up to 4 times per contract).

And yes, Marines as a whole are a tighter group than the Army as a whole, but that's because the Army is a helluva lot bigger. Tight fraternities in the Army are more job-specific, but you can bet its there. Two Marines might have closer camaraderie than two Soldiers, but two Army Tankers will be tighter than two Marine Tankers. Tankers, Rangers, Special Forces, etc. all have tight connections within their own groups.


XJ_Vikings said:
Ive said this a few times but it has fallen on deaf ears apparently. You can "DEP" into the military, that is join the delayed entry pool. This means that you join, make it official, but have up to a year before you need to start training. Or, like I have also said, Join now, go to OCS over the summer, finish school, take your commission right after you graduate.
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X10 on DEP, I did it. You also get a bonus for doing it (with the Army at least).
 
mcantar18c said:
First off, the bumper sticker thing... I see way more Army than anything else, I've always figured it was just because the Army is bigger than Marines, better than the Navy, and well, nobody wants to brag about the chAir Force :D

As for being stuck with your job in the Army, I dunno where you heard that, but you can change your MOS to anything you qualify for, whenever you want to (IIRC, its up to 4 times per contract).

And yes, Marines as a whole are a tighter group than the Army as a whole, but that's because the Army is a helluva lot bigger. Tight fraternities in the Army are more job-specific, but you can bet its there. Two Marines might have closer camaraderie than two Soldiers, but two Army Tankers will be tighter than two Marine Tankers. Tankers, Rangers, Special Forces, etc. all have tight connections within their own groups.




X10 on DEP, I did it. You also get a bonus for doing it (with the Army at least).
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In the Navy I had 2 primary NEC's and 2 secondaries and when I went Army I picked up 6 more so I could do pretty much whatever I wanted. I just happened to like blowing things up with artillery, naval gunfire and close air so I took to 13f pretty well. :D :D :D
 
SWEET! I spent 362 days on the DEP!!
 
shelbyluvv said:
I retire from the Marines in 2 years. Please tell me what the DEP did for you?
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I enlisted January 10, 1975 while still a senior in HS, started boot camp after graduation on June 2, 1975. My pay base date, anniversary year and all my eligibilities for promotions were centered around January 10th. In January 1995 got my 20 year letter and when retired this past June the retirement was based on service beginning on January 10, 1975. So got six months of credit...Free!
 
TJ Rat said:
Join the Marines or Navy. Not the Army or Air Force. Want proof, how many retired Army or Air Force stickers you see on cars? Compare that with Marines or Navy. Case closed.
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Your proof is in the number of stickers you see on cars? Seriously? Damn if this isn't funny. :) If I were to use this methodology in my area, the clear winner would be AF. So much for anything resembling analysis.

People can do well in any of the services as long as they have initiative. I agree that the type of job you want should be at the top of your list. Also consider the other implications: Does the job you want mean more deployments? What opportunities will you have for continuing education? They all speak about it, but will you actually have time to do it?

For me it was about obtaining a marketable high-tech skill, the oppotunity for off-duty education, stability, and a few other things. I narrowed it down to the Navy or Air Force. As I didn't want to be on a boat for long periods, I opted for the AF. I'm not advocating the AF over any other service--as I said, all offer the opportunity for you to excel--I'm just sharing my personal experience. What I won't do is badmouth another service. Good luck.
 
Well decided to go back to school for at least one more semester. I'm still looking at the Navy heavily right now. They are currently doing my FBI background check. I'm trying to get in to the Dive school so I can learn underwater welding. But who knows. While I am at school I can start working out and train at the REC center.
 
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