OT: Joining the Military.

[Gunn4r]

I'm thinking about joining the military in a couple years to help pay for school, but also to serve my Country, and open doors to other opportunities.

I'm not quite sure what branch I'd like to go into however. My family has strong military ties, with all but 1 brother having been or still being in one branch or another. Out of my 5 brothers, one is currently a Marine Corps Gunnery Seargent and runs a recruiting station in Idaho, another is a National Guard specialist with an Artillery Company (formerly he was a Fire Fighter attached to the 222 Airborne and served in Iraq), another is a former Captain in the Army Signal Corps, and the 4th served as a Linguist for the Army.

Of course they all have their biased opinions, but based on my experience with Computers and Technology, I was leaning toward the Airforce or Navy. I am A+ certified, and am well versed in a few programming languages including HTML, CSS, PHP, C++, and C#. With this technical experience I figure some sort of hi-tech job with AF/Navy would be a good fit.

Only problem I have is that I have chronic Asthma. Which normally instantly disqualifies you from joining any branch... however, I talked with my Marine Corps Brother who has been a recruiter for over 14 years now, and he says if you can get through Basic without an inhaler you are good to go. After that no one cares in the slightest. Ive found with a strict vegan diet and a lot of exercise I do very well without my inhaler and I believe I could make it through Basic. (with enough prior training)

Okay so now you know my life story, hahaha... vote! Where Should I go?

Oh and I say 2 years from now because I will be leaving in the next couple of months to serve as a missionary for my Church, which is a 24 month commitment.

 

[Max Blackoak]

that vegan diet you need might be a problem...

i would fear that most of the time you'll have nothing but salad to eat...at least that's the experience i had when i was in the army a couple of years ago. we had special meals for muslims (no porc), but i can't remember vegan meals.

it makes basic training somewhat harder, when you're out in the woods. no great choices there. i remember trading in my non-vegetarian food for my buddys cheese and so on...


just a thought you might want to consider...

 

[Blindside]

marine all the way--oorah :gun::gun::gun:

 

[Czarina]

With your computer know-how id say go air force. I think it has the most to offer you. not too mention you only do 3 month rotated deployments hehe. Im army and they seem to put you into the MOS that you arent skilled in. (im a medic) hehe anyways think about it and wiegh all the options, benifits, and downfalls before you do. free college, afghanistan deployment, food, time, and so forth. Theres gunna be alot of hard work and stuff to **** ya off at first. but if you stick with it you will make alot of good friends and have fun. Just gotta push pass the stupidty of how our military is run. Its been like that forever and will never change. Ive been in for 11 years now and hate every minute of it but i keep reenlisting go figure.

 

[Farsight]

Ex Navy electronic tech here.

If you go in, I would recommend the Navy. If you can make it through boot camp, then there shouldn't be any trouble with the asthma.

What you do have to keep in mind is that with the highly technical jobs, they will ask for extra time at the outset. My original tour of duty was 6 years, where the first two were simply going to school. There is no way out of that that I know about. So if time is an issue, then perhaps the reserves would be a better choice.

And unless something changed in the last 15 years (I was in boot camp in 93), trying boot camp on a vegan diet is all but impossible.

The best thing about some branches (like the Navy) is that you can get your job guaranteed in writing before you even begin. Which brings me to my biggest warning. No matter what branch you get into, make sure that all promises are made in writing, in triplicate, signed by anyone you come across. And make for absolute certain that you read and understand every last word of anything you sign.

I served for 8 years, mostly overseas. I didn't even go near a ship during that time (but if you plan on making the Navy a career, you have to go on the ships for some odd reason). Instead I played with some rather unique electronic toys that make all my engineer friends green with envy. I loved the technical aspect of what I did, but despised the military and the politics that went with it. Even so, I wouldn't trade a minute of my time in service of my country.

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

12 years between Air Force and Air Force Reserves...I'm biased...la

 

[Gunn4r]

I would be fine not being vegan during boot camp/basic training because it isnt an extended period of time.

 

[Gunn4r]

12 years between Air Force and Air Force Reserves...I'm biased...la

How was AF Basic Training?

 

[Shakaja]

Of course they all have their biased opinions, but based on my experience with Computers and Technology, I was leaning toward the Airforce or Navy. I am A+ certified, and am well versed in a few programming languages including HTML, CSS, PHP, C++, and C#. With this technical experience I figure some sort of hi-tech job with AF/Navy would be a good fit.

html, css and php arent programming languages.

 

[Gunn4r]

html, css and php arent programming languages.

Semantics.

edit: /shrug - All are on this list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabetical_list_of_programming_languages

not sure what you'd call them besides programming languages.

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

How was AF Basic Training?

Relative to the other branches...cake.

6 weeks in San Antonio. They play more head games than anything else, but due to the short period of time, they don't play them that long. Physically, if you can run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes...it will be easy for you. The rest is hospital corners and learning how to iron your underwear into 6" squares...la

 

[Shakaja]

Semantics.

edit: /shrug - All are on this list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabetical_list_of_programming_languages

not sure what you'd call them besides programming languages.

html is a markup language and css is a stylesheet language. they are merely discribing languages, so they dont fall into programming languages at all. for php the line isnt as clear. php is a script language. so it has some similarities with a programming language. its still a script language and not a programming language thoo.

on the german version of wikipedia, its noted that html is not a programming language, but a markup language, css isnt listed at all, php they have listed thoo which in my opinion is wrong. but thats the thing with everyone being able to contribute to wikipedia, with enough people backing your opinion up, you can get alot of info on wikipedia that might not be correct.

 

[Corrupted Goblin]

You forgot to add DONT DO IT!!! to your poll

 

[QueenZen]

My twins both went US Navy. . boy and girl. Our son had no clue he even had any asthma found out about that later one after he got out. But both our son and daughter were thrown in a lot of water for basic training. *not sure how asthma will work with water training... but they both got their jobs *in writing* and our son got his university monies via US Navy. He then graduated in.....go figure nuclear energy/engineering, after being nuke engineer for the Navy on a subarine. Our daughter never went out when her turn came to do so like our son had done. She loves jets planes etc. and is still in the US Navy Reserves...she may end up our *lifer* working on bomberjets planes and transporting personnel. *part of her wanted to be a civilian commercial airline employee and she basically gets to do all that in her US Navy job and her civilian job both since she is nav reserves for ages now.

With your qualifications US Air Force, Navy, possibly Marines.

There be many whom say *DON'T* as well due to our own being sent all over the planet for this or that .......peacekeeping situation and many do not get to come home again. But everyone joining pretty much knows that up front...anyways..there still assorted benefits to joining..if one is so inclined to do so.

*but yes GET IT ALL IN WRITING* ...........not just words of promise for what job skill profession you may be lookin for with them..also will go towards the civilian profession later.

 

[QueenZen]

You also have to be pretty sure you can put up with chain of line of command and the bs........our daughter is very feisty but even she will salute and say quietly something like permission to call you an ahole SIR !! lol She does it properly but she has run into issues sometimes with 4 star generals whom think they own the world and enlisted lower life forms esp. females. :gun:

 

[Troop]

The button for the U.S. Coast Guard is missing.

 

[RedDaTeef]

what about mind-controlled military assassin...thats a really popular branch these days.

 

[Thangorodrim]

html is a markup language and css is a stylesheet language. they are merely discribing languages, so they dont fall into programming languages at all. for php the line isnt as clear. php is a script language. so it has some similarities with a programming language. its still a script language and not a programming language thoo.

on the german version of wikipedia, its noted that html is not a programming language, but a markup language, css isnt listed at all, php they have listed thoo which in my opinion is wrong. but thats the thing with everyone being able to contribute to wikipedia, with enough people backing your opinion up, you can get alot of info on wikipedia that might not be correct.

While lame, php is a turing complete, full featured, modern programming language.

 

[Ole Cheapy]

i would fear that most of the time you'll have nothing but salad to eat...

Would that be tossed salad?

 

[Gunn4r]

Would that be tossed salad?

lmao man... loling irl.

 

[Gunn4r]

The button for the U.S. Coast Guard is missing.

Isnt coast guard just kind of a offshoot/division of the Navy? Sorta like the National Guard?

I have no idea, just asking.

 

[Freelsy]

With your computer know-how id say go air force. I think it has the most to offer you. not too mention you only do 3 month rotated deployments hehe. Im army and they seem to put you into the MOS that you arent skilled in. (im a medic) hehe anyways think about it and wiegh all the options, benifits, and downfalls before you do. free college, afghanistan deployment, food, time, and so forth. Theres gunna be alot of hard work and stuff to **** ya off at first. but if you stick with it you will make alot of good friends and have fun. Just gotta push pass the stupidty of how our military is run. Its been like that forever and will never change. Ive been in for 11 years now and hate every minute of it but i keep reenlisting go figure.

There not all 3 month deployments, it might be career field specific, in my field (1N451) we do 6 month and 8 month deployments with a minimum of 3 months training so your basically looking at a 9-11 month deployment. But i cant mouth the Air Force its been great to me and i love every minute of it. basic is pretty darn easy like someone already said, if your running is fine you got nothing to worry about. just do what your told and do it good. Life in the military is just like life outside with the exception of wearing your green BDU's to work...or Blue if you got the new ones. But yeah, i would go Air Force especially with the new GI bill that just got approved, 80k towards your degree and its free while your in...too me, theres no reason why anyone would not join...take care and good luck in your decisions

if you want shoot me some personal messages i can help ya with any questions your might have...only been in 3 years but i can answer anything you want to know.