thats about how far i got in reading this. anyway, if the thread was a question as to wether or not i/anyone would be joining, the answer for me is FUCK NO!

edit: i will NEVER serve this country. or any other.

Brutal

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Praise Jesus Hallelujah! Another useless citizen!
Don't worry bro. If and/or when you pay taxes you will in fact be serving your country just like everyone else does... (Assuming there IS a federal tax "In the Forest of Moonlight". )


Brutal? Weak is more like it. I won't be thinking of this wimp next time I listen to "Do or Die" by Testament...

Why join the Army?!?!
You're just defending the man, man!

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That gator was awesome, I think I saw more reptiles there than attractive women. Not trying to say all chicks in the navy are ugly, but a damn good amount of the nukes are. I also must comment on the good memories that the map of Ballston Spa brought up. There's lots of people actually in Ballston Spa that have no idea that there are nuclear reactors there, and it's not really even a big secret. I downloaded an aerial picture of the site from somewhere on the internet.

Anyway, more on the actual topic. Nothing in the military is that hard to achieve, provided you have a degree of motivation and can dedicate yourself to the benefit of a greater cause than just yourself. It can do an awful lot for you, right now I'm 14 classes away from my bachelor's in Nuclear Engineering, and I've never stepped foot in a college. Most of my remaining classes I can either take for free or test out of anyhow. Additionally, I've found quite a feeling of pride in the fact that I have been trusted with very secret information, and have run a nuclear reactor, and I just hit 21. I'd say that's a pretty big accomplishment, since I'm not very far along in life yet. I can't say that I'd be happy doing anything aside from the nuclear field, most of the other things I've seen in the Navy would be boring for me, but I'm lucky I got into what I wanted. Not every part of the navy is wonderful, and it's damn hard to say goodbye to your loved ones over and over again, but I know it's the best decision I've ever made, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Oh, by the way, PETA is pissed at the navy because we keep testing our torpedoes on the dolphins...they sure as shit can't outrun a submarine

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for some reason i seem to know a lot of people who ve been in the army, tis weird, all my philosophy teachers seem to have been in the army at some time which is very weird

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yes, i am a VERY useless citizen. i have yet to pay taxes. and when that time comes it will be ONLY because taxes will be automatically drawn from my paycheck. so, actually, the company i work for will be serving my country for me. and the raise they plan on giving me when this happens will make it so that my paycheck amount will not decrease due to this fucking horrid thing called tax. Im not fucking serving my country. And there is NO tax in this forest of moonlight, bitch.

Right on Dragon. Seriously, as long as you're into extreme metal you're alright with me. If you had wasted your time reading this thread you would have seen that I'm ambivalent towards the military in a love/hate kind of fashion...

though i do nothing with my time, it still seems precious. i would have read your long post, but it was on a topic im not too fond of.

the navy shoots dolphins with torpedos?, i thought the recent outrage was some big sonar tests off the coast of west africa, people think its connected to why alot of whales were beaching themselves in that area, it all happened at the same time, it made the news for awhile couple months back, animal rights groups were pissed off

pfft people would try and link anything

"so and so farted at the exact moment the pope died! he killed the pope and hes anti-christian!"

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If you honestly think that the Navy shoots dolphins with torpedoes then you're about fucking retarded. I'm going to hope that you were kidding, so if you weren't, please don't tell me

Anyway, as far as the actual outrage, I haven't heard anything about it, so it must not concern us submariners too much.

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it was a question asked in all skepicism. the things ive heard pertains to the sonar usage as it affects whales, as far as the navy shooting dolphins, seems unlikely but then again sometimes real ugly shit happens,you know like military CO's torturing prisoners to death, not suppose to happen but it did

I don't know the details, but I've heard that the US Navy uses dolphins for certain things because of their intelligence and mobility.
Wally's bro told me there's a good article in the current Natl. Geographic on orcas. They are actually dolphins and not whales. I did not know that.

Wally, you're the shit. It's kind of weird to have your sons as role models, but hey, we're not a normal family. (Speaking of --"Gayson's" here.)

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That is true. I know a girl who trains dolphins for the Navy here in San Diego.

Whether or not it goes beyond basic reconnaissance, mine sweeping, and bomb detection is something that no one can ever tell you without having to send highly trained dolphins to kill you!!!!!

What's the easiest job in the Armed Forces?

I don't think any of them are easy.

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Well I'm sure there are a few in which you don't need to have all your brain cells operating to do. I'm thinking of joining after University, just to get some cash.

yes they are, some people get paid to run the on base recycling places, where as others deal with high tech nuclear shit. now which is easer

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That's the spirit GD! Come up with some more ideas..

Basically my aim is to work the least amount possible for three years while being fed, clothed, housed and paid roughly £14,000 a year.

Ok, some are way easier.

I would say that if you join and want to be an officer then join the supply corp. Supply officers might work 4 hours a week. Easy easy.

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Cheers Soul, Logistics it is then!

Edit: Hmm...

http://www.army.mod.uk/careers/logi...l_storeman.html

http://www.army.mod.uk/careers/logi...r_operator.html

http://www.army.mod.uk/careers/logi...t_operator.html

http://www.army.mod.uk/careers/logi...dispatcher.html

I'm particularly attracted to the 2nd one, delivering mail by motorcycle? I'm in!

b_b--You're liable to get into it and absolutely love it. Figure out what you'd like to do and talk to some x-military people if you can in the branch you're interested in so you hear pros and cons. If you aren't 100% sure then take your time. You never know what exact situation you'll be in.

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Haha the army's a long way away for me yet. I'm planning to join after Uni, at around 21. Thanks for your advice though mom.

Kind of funny I stumbled across this page tonight. I've been debating a lot about getting out or staying in lately (the army)...because I have one year left to do. I could get out and pursue a career in music, go to college for computers or whatever...or I could re-enlist and go Special Forces. Tough decision. There is always the chance I could get called up on the inactive reserve within the next 4 years..if I did decide to get out...which would brutally suck ass.

On the army side, I am about to make E-5 (sergeant) in my third year of duty, which is pretty good if I do say so myself...Soulinsane's opinion would shed more light.

Also, I just completed Air Assault training, where I learned how to rappel out of helicopters at 90 feet and above in combat situations....pretty intense shit. In a way, that opened my eyes to more of the potential I have in the army....which could take me a long ways....
So I've come a long way, but I don't know what to do now....its very difficult to decide....

I want to devote my life to guitar as well....so thats where the crossroads begin....I'm stuck here

As far as some of you youngins....(lol) thinking about joining, maybe you should consider it. It has done a lot of good things for me in the past 3 years...helped me grow up a lot...learn responsibilty and respect. As well as develop as more of a person....well....take it however you will.

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Where are you serving Philkilla? Special Forces? What unit?

I'm not in SF...I'm just thinking of it right now. I'm in el paso...fort bliss to be exact. Part of all the patriot missle crap...and I hate this shit with a passion. I know the rest of the army isn't like it here...but its fuckin gay here...lol. Right now I am serving in Charlie 1/44 AMD Battalion...if that helps any

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im going to Musicians Institute and becoming a studio artist so i can ad a human aspect to music these days ( ) or going to millitary stuff... probably Navy or Army... if i cant play guitar il get blown up!

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Oh brother...Canada here I come!

A human aspect to music? I'd say that's done unless you're a bird.... and actually my cockatiel is singing away right now. Silly bird.

I'm just messing with you. What field would you like to get into militarywise?

philla--First of all thanks for what you do. "In a way, that opened my eyes to more of the potential I have in the army....which could take me a long ways....So I've come a long way..." That's basically what I was saying to blizzard_beast. As far as you getting into guitar more, Bob talked about opening a guitar shop when he gets out of the Navy. He'll probably work at a power plant or something to do with them, but that's years away right now. He said he might do that just for fun. He still plays a lot and wants to take more theory lessons. I'm glad of that.

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You know...My Father was a Master Gunney and did quite well for almost 3 decades. I was born as he was retiring. He had many talents he developed during those years so I'd say stick in there and keep guitar as a part of you always. There is alot of honor in serving...especially enlisted guys!
My dad wasnt fond of most officers...heh heh

What you say about other young people joining...I agree, though I'm not cut out for it it has huge potential in alot of young peoples lives.

i think the major thing about serving in the military now is seeing combat, its one thing to serve during peacetime,get an education, move on with those skills, its another to get shipped to iraq and fight a war on that magnitude, come back and move on

so i was wondering, since we have people in the military on this site, what do you all think about the wars in iraq and afganistan? do you know people out there? have you heard firsthand accounts from people coming back?

Well I came back and I will never be the same. It sucks over there. I freak out sometimes because I just feel very scared without any reason. I'm getting help, but they say I will have to deal with it forever. Feels kinda cool sometimes though.

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Wearing CBR suits 24/7?

You never left the ship did you? I was floating in the Gulf during Operation Desert Strike doing 6 on 6 off missile/radar console watch, but that was nothing compared to what's going on now. We had a full band setup in one of the radar spaces I was in charge of and played two concerts on the flight deck. You got anything like that going?

If you have the time...this is PBS documentary about the average combat soldier comming home. It's streaming video and can be watched in either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player format. Commercial free and about an hour broke down ito 4 parts. High and low bandwidth options.
I enjoyed it and leaned much from it.


A Soldiers Heart - Comming Home Aired March 1st 2005


FYI. streaming vids can get quite annoying with lagging. I suggest if you watch it...use the realplayer mode and pause it as it starts...wait about 5 minutes...it will load way ahead of the stream and you can view uninterupted.

That might be difficult on a sub. They'd do things like that on the FF's and birdfarms that Denny was on.

Bob's on a surge boat he told me today so they have to be ready to go at a drop of the hat. Is that standard ballastics proceedure? Or should I be worrying about something new now?

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i may know a dude out there in the army, he served in bosnia, not sure if he was sent, last time i talked to him was a few years ago and he said something to the effect that he may be sent, i think, it was awhile ago and my memory is fuzzy. beyond that i dont know anyone there, and all i know about the war is what the news tells me, and i dont trust any of it.

so yeah, sorry to hear that shit soulinsane, didnt mean to touch a nerve

It's no problem. I'll be fine in the long run. Others are in far worse shape then me. I still have all my fingers and other body parts. I just had way to much stress while over there for Afganistan and the first part of Iraq. I think I had 6 hours of sleep in 7 months while over there. Having shit shot at the ship, standing 6/6 hour watches, having qualifications, Joanna being pregnant back home alone, being at Battle Stations with all that damn CBR gear for countless hours, never sleeping, near constant manover board drills, and never sleeping just had it's price on me I just got stuck in a "fight or flight" mode one day and it never went away. Great while in battle but hard to live with when safe back home. I'm not 100% disabled or anything, I just have to keep a handle on it.

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If you were asked to go back, would you? I'm just curious.

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Sure, I'd go. I got to go back one more time as it is, perhaps. I would be back in a environment that works well for me. I hate it but love it at the same time. I will just make it a point to sleep and relax more once I go back. Even a War zone or a mosh pit is best suited for me I'm normal in those places.

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I can't imagine the adrenelin and other stuff that goes through the body during situations like you've been through. Were you on a sub when you went before or a ship? I don't know why I was thinking you were on a sub, too, but I think I was errored in that.
I'd asked about the "surge boat" thing recently, but you never answered, but I talked to Bob yesterday and he said it's not normal proceedure so I don't know what's up with that. I didn't ask any more questions. He did say he's going on a long cruise soon though.
to you guys.

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i used to work for a guy who was a Lurp in vietnam, he was a sniper who did 3 tours,18 years old when he got drafted. i just cant fathom shit like that, fighting a war at 18. the stories he told me we're completely fucked, he had a way about him that i knew what he was telling me was 100% true.

he told me when he came back he had a hard time getting back into normal life, he was sent in the late sixties and came back during the early seventies, america had changed,people didnt care, the govt was in PR crisis mode and acted indifferent to the people comming home, didnt acknowledge the shit thier own soldiers went thru. it seems that history may be repeating itself, i know vietnam and iraq,afganistan arent the same but i see alot of paralells with how the media is treating it. paralells with circumstance of a long protracted war we'd be damned to pull out of and damned if we stay.

I'm qualified for subs and still work on them here while they are in port and some sea testing, but the Navy put me on a carrier while over there because that is were they needed me. They needed reactor operators because the carriers were short of them. I will never be allowed to spend a whole deployment on a sub now that I had a panic disorder, and it also seems I may no longer be able to operate a reactor for the Navy either. You know how the the nuclear Navy can be I'm sure. If your belt buckle is on crocked they throw you out of the program

The good news is I get to chose another job now. I still keep my security clearance and all that stuff but the Navy just can't live with someone that isn't perfect operating a reactor. I can work on them, sure, but not operate it, so they would rather see me do something else completely. I can still operate a civilian reactor once out if I want because they are not as strick about things as the Navy, but I'm not so sure I would want to. Maybe a power plant but not nuclear. Just far to much stress.

Anyway, it is normal to have surge subs and ships. It is just the Navy's way of being ready to send a force out at a moments notice. The ships and subs all take turns as some have maintaince that involves vital systems being shut down and taken apart. That makes them dead in the water so another ship will be ready to go in it's place IF needed.

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I'm sure my dad had some horrible battle fatigue after the kamikazee hit his ship. He was in R & R in Florida for that. He lied about his age when he went in because his mother was a widow and he helped her out. Once he was out of the Navy he got a job on the Lake boats. The car ferry he was on was right outside the breakwall when the drunken captain hit something and sank that ship. Dad was the last one off and for years we had the life preserver hanging in the garage. I talked him into donating to the local Marine Museum before he died. His Navy ship wasn't sunk, but a lot of his friends died on it. And then to have the next one sink it's no wonder he never talked about it.
My mom saved a few of his medals and his uniform from the trash. He said the Navy never did anything for him so he didn't want the stuff anymore. I wish I could talk to him about all that stuff now, but I didn't know back then.

What you're saying and what low-tech said is exactly why I get so bent out of shape when people diss our military. You guys and girls in the service are all heroes to me. People just don't realise the magnitude of what military people do.

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I don't see the problem with posting it here. It's about the same as what I said about talking to people that have been involved in the military before enlisting. I've found this thread to be pretty interesting myself.

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my greek grandfather fought in ww1 in france, army i think

the other was a medic in the pacific against japan wwII

my father was in the army during vietnam but was stationed in germany,never got sent

i have a vietnam era green canvas poncho, its the coolest thing in the world, 30 years old and looks slightly worn

blizzard, kid i grew up with, his father has a soviet uniform,pins and everything, the guy was in the russian army or something, the uniforms look badass, i was really suprised the guy was allowed to leave russia with the uniform when it was still the ussr

Surprised? Why exactly?

I've got various bits and bobs of WWII militaria, a few badges and medals, and a deactivated Mosin Nagant rifle.

Grandfather was a medic in WWII and in France most of his time there.
Believe it or not...there are a pair of Nazi Officers Field Glasses in a safe deposit box somewhere with a family member. I have seen them many times in my youth...they are huge binoculars with crosshair range finders in them...but are in metric. The case is hard leather and has the Nazi emblem with eagle and swazstika stamped into it.
I fear a family member will want to sell it or something....it should be out where people can see it.

My Grandfather was on a carrier in WWII. It's kinda cool that I was on a carrier too now that I think about it. He ended up becoming a real bad alcoholic that would hide away in the woods after WWII. It killed him some years later. He got really drunk, fell down, and hit his head I never got to met him because I never seen my father until I was 17 and learned all kinds of cool stuff about that side of the family.

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the soviets usually took anything of value you had before you left, thats what i was told, i figured they didnt want the medals and uniforms to leave the country especially with people leaving for good, then again it is something of more a personal value, so yeah, they may not of cared

Bumping this thread. I miss Kylito, he was such a great poster.

Anyway, yar, I'm still considering joining the military after I finish university, probably as an officer. I'm thinking the Royal Armoured Corps. Funnily enough, if I didn't wear glasses I would probably go for infantry.

So yeah, any other Brits here considering joining?

I commend anyone who joins the military. I only know of tmfreak and Soulistane (I think that was his name) who have been/are in the military. I couldn't do it. I can't even get through 4 hours of working without being all, "GOD, I'm so tired!" In the military, I'd be, "DEAR GOD! Help me out of this circle of hell!"

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They teach you right from the beginning that your work is keeping your fellow soldiers alive. You have more responsibility than just yourself and that can be a major motivator. There isn't always a crisis, but you're prepared to react to it if there is. You learn dependence and independence at the same time. Anything can get dull at times. Bloom where you're planted.

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Only if the FD's position became available.

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I can't tell you life in any british service but i can tell you what its like in the most illustrious service that has ever existed.

Oh btw ctl Philkilla used to be in the army i guess he recently got out that cunt.

Looks like i'm the only one as of now thats currently in since Soul got out too.

But anyways an officer in the military is somebody who is at the penacle of his field. Not so much "knowledge" wise as much as making sure the job gets done. Those who don't know anything about the military attempt to compare early lutenients to privates and it couldn't be anything more than ying and yang opposites. An officer is completely and totally held responsible for ever gain and shortcomming of the unit that hes commanding.

This is where things get completely stupid for alot of officers. DO NOT LET THIS POWER GET TO YOUR HEAD. You are only there to serve and ONLY to serve those underneith you. Period. You are basically a servant whos only freaking goal in life is to make sure your troops get what they need to get the job done and to make sure as best as possible they are taken care of in that process.

This seperates good officers from the standard poor officers. The next most important thing is to listen and play by ear your staff who is there to be your eyes and ears and even your advice. They are also the ones who actually get shit accomplished.

So just keep all this in mind. Its not an easy fucking job by any means and i know the Brits is pretty similar to the US so i'm sure they'll definately not put up with sorry officers either.

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Thats right! This niggas a free fuckin man!!!

Souls out too? damn...he was a grade above me too (E6)


If you REALLY wanna join the military. Join the air force. If you still want to join....heh, do some research on current events.

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Another reason I'm reluctant to join is kind of stupid but very reasonable; I don't wanna get shot. And knowing me, I'll more than likely piss off someone who doesn't like Star Wars and get shot by my own troops rather than the enemy.

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Hes in england so its possible its not quite teh same "stigma" that the air force gets here.

CTL thats a pretty stupid reason. Like seriously. I'd probably slap you if i saw you in real life and you said that haha. Do you think ANYBODY wants to get shot? A.

B. Do really think that every mos goes and is put in "danger" in combat?

Ugh. You really need to do more research just like everybody else. I'm glad they have those commercials out now. The one where the kid says he wants to join and the parent (the camera) gets all pissed or whatever then hes like no blah blah blah! Then there is some website or something i totally forgot what it was haha. Like military truth or somethin. You need to visit that.

Its about sacrificing yourself for the better good. I feel if you are going to join you should feel compelled to give your life if needed to defend and protect all that is and has been given to us. Just because you're willing to do it doesn't mean it every happens and you're REALLY unlikely to get killed in combat especially now since it won't be long before the Iraq war is over and we are back to the "clinton" like state of sitting around for better or for worse.

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Don't count your lucky charms so quickly there sir.

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+1 to that!

i should probably know this..but what is mos? i've heard it a thousand times listening to my dad and his friends or whoever, and get the general idea of what it is sorta, but not completely clear and i definitely don't know what the letters mean.

Yeah, those are pretty good commercials.

Don't let the recruiters make your decisions for you either. They are after numbers. If you can talk to other military people that have been in awhile then do so. Even go to chats for specific areas and see what they say online. There's places where sailors from a specific ship register and chat and get reacquainted with old shipmates. Stuff like that only from different branches.

It'll look good on a future resume that you had the military disiplines.

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Trust me its coming to a close. Its not going to be too much longer before significant changes are demanded and done. Its just the things that are. There could be other things that result after teh fact, but not some sort of large scale occupation of an entire country.

And mos is a marine occupational specialty. Basically like your job. Mine is an 0231. The first 2 numbers is the field that you're in then the second 2 is the specifics/designator.

02 is the intel field and 31 is an analyst.

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if i ever joined or was drafted in the military i would want to become a navy SeeBee.

those guys are fucking awesome. any type of construction/engineer unit are fucking heros in my book.

expiditing bridges and building infastructure while taking fire,mortar, potentially being overran is a job that doesnt get much acknowledgement outside of the military.

granted im not even remotely qualified in any kind of construction or engineering field. i just think what they do is awesome.

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thanks. never knew that bit about the numbers.

about iraq..isn't bush calling for an increase in our presences there? thats what i've been hearing at least. now the guy in charge of the iraqi govt wants to step down early. haha bbc is putting out the question.. "why?"

i've never been there, and hopefully won't ever..but i can probably answer that question! its a fucking mess there, if he has family..he fears for their lives, and last..he fears for his own life.

As long as bush is in office, you can expect more shenanigans.


By your point of the war being over...yah, the war in Iraq....but come on.

CHECK THIS MONOTONOUS BULLSHIT OUT ( I only use the word monotonous because the shit never stops with him....)

To bad that is only a small example of damage that is being done.

While trying to save his legacy at the same time he is also causing a warpath of paperwork to make the next presidents seat pretty hot.

Even if we don't have another money hungry,fascist, retarded president in office to start wars for us, it won't matter. He's already laying the groundwork down.


BTW, I still have 3 years left as inactive ready reserve (basically, if there is some serious shit that goes down, they can call me back) so I guess you could say I have LOTS to look forward to.

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Actually, I'm slightly conisdering it, not sure as yet, I'm gonna start checking it out, I've always thought about it ever since I was little, at the moment I don't know what I want, don't have any direction, I'm gonna look at the educational benefits, i.e. if they'll pay some of my college/uni fees etc... I know a fair few people that were/are in the military, some say it was the best thing they ever did, others say it was alright but I should just get a normal job, quite confusing! One of the guys in my family has been in for about 18 years now, he moves around all over the world as a fitness instructer on skiing, canoeing, climbing, all that shit, my uncle's mate was in the marines, he says it was amazing and made him a better person, my mutter's partner was in the Royal Engineers from 16 to up until a few years ago, he quite enjoyed it but says I should get a normal job.
I'm gonna get the dvd's they send out, check out the information centres, atm i'm 50/50 about joining, maybe not now but in a few years, get my A-levels, work on my fitness, then see about Army Officer training, probably infantry, possibly the Royal Marines, should be interesting anyway!

Join the royal marines!! haha
I've heard good things about our brothers and sisters with the royal marines.

The india thing is an intresting thing. You call it bullshit but i'm almost 150% positive any democrat would have done the VERY same thing.

Clinton of all people sold guidance missle systems to China under the guise of space exploration. As a result the shakey missle systems for ballistic missles are now a hell of a lot more accurate. (which they weren't before)

Also is it really that big of a deal i mean come on? India isn't an aggressive country such as Syria, Iran, North Korea, and so on. Should we share nuclear secrets? Eh I would rather give india nuclear power and them start weaning off coal and other horrible enviornmental bullshits like they use now. Not to mention lets just face it, this world is developing at an alarming rate and the need for nuclear is there.

I can see how you feel phill but maybe i'm just optimissic about it

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the house and senate approved so i guess they would.

edit...yea its not that big of a deal really. india has had nuclear weapons for decades it says. we still can't visit their military nuclear facilities though.

i just think some of the other countries..ie iran and n. korea will start to complain more now..

Lol, I wouldn't fuck with the guy I know, he's an inch shorter than me but he can kick the living shit out of anyone! I used to do Ju-Jitsu and Karate with him, but that's the only time i'd ever try to throw him
I've met a few of his RM mates, they're all head-cases!

You've gotta be. And actually like you said regardless of however the end of my "career" turns out its definately changed me BIIIIIIIIIIG time. For the better of course. I think i see life a little bit more clearly, especially as far as the owrking enviornment goes. Especially for what succeeds. The BIIIIG plus about joining the military especially as an officer is work ethics that you can bring outside of the military. Hence why those that have careers in the mlitary come out and i've YET to hear of somebody being unsuccessful. (not neccesarily talking about people that were only in for 4 years.)

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No offense tmfreak, but I feel your optimism may be biased around the uniform you wear. Still though, the fact that you are serving and fulfilling your commitment(s) gets the utmost respect from me.


I didn't start to do research on the GOV until I got out. I mean hell, above the pics of my chain of command by the orderly room was a pic of grand dipshit himself...so it is pretty much force fed.

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Join the military- I probably never will. If there was ever a draft I would go to Canada like a hippie pussy

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haha wusss

I don't really believe in a draft unless absolutly neccesary for the survival of the country. Granted thats kind of the only time it was used although vietnam.. eh.. kind of an acception to that, obviously where all the hoopla came from.

There is bullshitting around talk about making it required to have a draft for every conflict that a president attempts to enter (in an act to make them thinker harder and be more sure about it) and although its an intresting idea its just people being assholes.

A draft seems like it trivializes those who join out of free will to better themselves and their country, not to mention those who join to leave the country to help others, because you can definately bet that you see alot more helping action than you would have otherwise seen. Somalia, neos and all that kind of stuff. (neos are non combatant evacuation operations) But then again tahts the marine corps. Alot of people join the marine corps for this.

The classic saying. "A marine never has to know if hes made a difference."

But let me get off my marine corps preaching horse.. give me a break will ya. haha

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Seems like in a lot of ways marines are the perfect warriors. Compared to the average day army soldier....ok, lol...lets not even go there.

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Yeah, but there's nothing like a sailor!

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It's gonna be a hard choice, I don't wanna jump in and then quit on it, i've quit too many times so far, I wanna get in there 110%, do my best and get myself out of the shitty little town i'm in and sort my life out, so far speaking to family members, friends of and looking at peoples posts here it seems pretty good and a challenge. Hell, i'm not stupid (though i'm sure a lot of people would call me that if I joined up), if this will really benefit me job-wise, person-wise then I'm up for it!

For me, being posted to Iraq or Afgahn' doesn't really worry me, maybe I'm mental, obviously i'd be scared of getting my tits shot off but plenty of my past and present family members have been in WWI, WWII, Falklands, 1st Gulf War, if they can do it, so can I!

Don't let someone else's opinions hold you back from what you want to do ever. It is risky, dangerous work...especially if you are sent over seas. However, like I told many a soldier when I was in, suck it up and drive on!!

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This is kind of what i was starting to go towards with my posts at least with the marines. I know the other branches have to be similar. After joining... trust me you don't even think the same anymore. (in a good way)

Also haha lucky or unlucky for you the military you can't just "quit" haha. Not to mention like philkilla said don't let some people tell you differently about it, if you're a deceint person you'll gain alot from it. You'll gain confidence like you've never had before.

But i'm not going to talk you into it. Its something you have to decide for yourself man.

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There's a lot of positives about it, but I just thought of a negative from my past. A very good friend of mine joined the National Guard Reserves (quit laughing you guys!) and he went to Ft. Riley for bootcamp. He was about 18 at the time and when he came home he did have a bit of a breakdown about the stuff they taught him. "Kill or be killed," was what he said. It wasn't one of those total meltdowns, but he was upset for awhile. He did his time with the Reserves.

Something else you might want to think about is family. My husband got out of the Navy after 13 years in because they wanted to send him back to the engine room where he was losing his hearing from the drone. Hearing protection wasn't an option because, like a car, the noise can tell you when something isn't working right. His dad was dying of cancer and we were out on the west coast so we came back home. The Navy wouldn't give him any compensation for the hearing loss because they said that was just part of the job hazard. The VA, however, gives him a monthly check. Doesn't amount to much, but it's some extra.

Also, he was lucky when walpurgis was born. He was supposed to leave on a westpak for about 8 months before he was born, but they allowed him to fly to Hawaii to meet the ship and he stayed home til he was 11 days old. He never saw him again except in pictures until he was 8 months old. I wrote TONS of letters to him.

You might not have the imminent family thing going on right now, but it's something to think about. And long distance relationships may or may not work. I never had a problem with them, but I'm just one person.

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This is a grim reality that trust me i'm facing pretty bad. I've lived my entire life on all over the place and although i didn't REALLY have a problem with it i have. Although most everyone i've ever met who lived in the same place feels i'm lucky because i've lived everywhere. I feel they are pretty lucky because they haven't had to start over 100 million times and have had time to create strong bonds with people. THe problem although with that is you also see many many people go down the shitter and you've known them your whole life.

Moving so much appears to trivialize friendships maybe. Also i plan on being A. An officer and B. a pilot. Officers are required to move every 3 years. REQUIRED. (although luckily sometimes moving is just to another unit in the same area) Also as a pilot i'll spent loooooooots of time away and its really tough on me because i remember when i was the chid. But i feel that if this is what i'm going to do i'l do it better and attempt to alleviate and make up for the time gone to my children and family much better.

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Well, it looks like I'm almost deffinately joining the SAS* as an officer candidate, I could be in Sandhurst by the end of the year!

(*Saturdays and Sundays, aka Territorial Army :rofl

the longest place i ever lived was alexandria, va..we were there for 4 years. not exactly sure what my dad's job was there, but he was working at a building across the street from the pentagon, and then later started commuting down to quantico. now the longest place i've lived is here in boca since i came down in school in 2000 till now.

i don't feel it trivialized any of my friendships, but i did lose contact with most everyone i knew. actually some people i knew from 6th and 7th grade in hawaii just recently found me on myspace, so i guess having a profile there paid off haha.

it does suck leaving everyone you just met a couple years ago, but its kinda cool changing scenery every so often..most of the kids that had always lived in one of the places we lived at would say how much they were sick of it. i definitely liked some places more than others, but i was never really sick of any places. i didn't like living on base, even though it does have many benefits. mostly cause of the gate mps and sometimes their dogs hah.

Well, that's one thing that's very positive about the internet because it lets people stay in touch moreso than letter writing which isn't as easy to do. Moving base to base you can still talk to people much like you're having a conversation.
Military families can keep in touch even when the soldiers are deployed. I've talked to a few moms that are very thankful for that even with the strict communication guidelines there are. Letters are still great things, but the net is a great tool, too.

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You're joining the SAS reserves?!? Are you at the top of your game in terms of fitness? D'you have perfect eyesight?

Apparently they send you to pass P-Coy (paratrooper selection thing) before they themselves consider you.

I don't know much about the british forces. It would probably do me some good to do some homework on them

Edit: Woops. Was looking at wrong pay chart... let me see the active duty....

Is that little L euros or Pounds?

I guess officers make. Eh. Ok money. Probably a little lower in respect to ours.

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dem brits be usin dem pounds

I thought it was pounds.

So wtf no euro for brits? Not part of europe are we? Too fucking good to adopt a lower monitary value?

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Pounds. Your officers are paid quite a bit better than ours.

Starting salary - 2nd lieutenant British Army: 21,880
Starting salary - 2nd lieutenant US Army: 28,992

The difference remains at a minimum of around 4000 for everything upwards. (obviously the pound is stronger than the dollar, but taking cost of living in account, American officers are paid more than Brits)

I hear that you can joing any service in the US military blind as a bat, and they'll happily pay for corrective eye surgery. Is this true? 'Cause over here corrective surgery isn't officialy approven, and if you're below a certain standard of vision you can't join certain segments.

I also hear you cunts get a pretty sweet re-enlistment bonus? Like 60,000 dollars or something? Over here it's around £4000.



We've always been different from mainland Europe, and yes, we're too fucking good for inferior currency.

you may be able to, but there are definite fixed restrictions on what you can do from then on.

Oh ok i was just making sure you guys were better than europe.. phew.

Reenlistment bonuses that big are very fucking rare its probably rare jobs that get it. Trust me its generally around 10,000ish. Like 7-10 which seems comparable to yours.

Yes actually the eye surgury IS true. I know a few people that have gotten it. Not to mention depending sometimes you don't even have to wait long to get it. Definately one huge benefit of being in the military in the US. Although if you want to fly in the airforce they are the only branch still that doesn't allow corrected vision. Oh well Marine corps doens't have that bull crap. If your vision is fixed its fucking fixed.

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Lol, I don't think you got it, SAS as in Saturdays and Sundays, Weekend Warriors, slang for the Territorial Army! I'm joining the TA as an Officer Candidate later this year, looks fucking good! Pretty much exactly what I want to do!

Re-enlistments bonus for some is $40,000 in a guaranteed in writing field, but if something gets screwed up and you get out due to a breach of contract then you have to pay that back in considerable chunks of money.
I'm not sure about officer re-up bonuses.

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Ppppffff! I wasn't reenlisting for less than 1/4 million. The US Navy Nuke reenlistment program was going up to $125,000 last I heard. Still not enough for me. 2 years nuke program= 10 years normal life. Add that plus smoking and drinking I'm about dead now

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Officers don't "re-up" they have open ended contracts that only cease when you quit/retire or you get kicked out.

and Soulinsane i could have fucking SWORN you said you were an officer.

I feel betrayed
Btw i've most definately heard that about reenlistments for navy nuke shit. I've heard of somebody getting like 250, or 500. It was a news article as the largest reenlistment bonus ever.

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Petty Officer. They're enlisted.

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Officer! Non-commissioned (petty) officer, yes but I worked for a living in the Navy. It is true that many nukes have more education than the average officer and the Navy can't keep most nukes. Not that the pay isn't nice but the work blows! Its kinda like being a warrant officer without the privileges.

Edit: In the long run though, a line officer can make more than a nuke once they make higher rank, but it will take years and luck. Officer fields are... political.

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Theres little more to it than just "political" thats more for higher end officers anyways.

And i don't know what the hell the navy is doin but officer should never be slang for "petty officer." Fuckin' navy, leave it to them...

Being an officer is more about leading and maintaining a unit. Not about doing hands on "labor." Its a management position. The combination of that and staff ncos make or break a unit. You could say staff ncos "dont' work for a living" either. They do but they don't.

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Hardly. My mom retired a few years ago as a Colonel in the Air Force, after 26 years. She has such a nice retirement (gets 90% disability pay in addition to full colonel retirement pay with +6 years bonus) and she's only 52. I think it's somewhere around $60-70k a year for the rest of her life without doing ANYTHING, but I tend not to talk numbers with her so I don't know exactly how much. She was offered an 80k/year job outside of the service after retiring, and she easily turned it down. Hell, what more could you ask for.. that kind of paycheck every year without ever working again? I wouldn't take another job, either.. the kids are nearly all gone, car paid for, etc. 60k can easily pay for utilities and groceries, lol. The military retirement is sweet if you stick with it. Of course, she started with her bach, so she began as an officer. I've considered joined the Air Force after I finish up my BS degree one of these years, but I will not join without that. Even if I wasn't close (did 3 1/4 years at a university), I'd still wait to get ANY degree before joining.

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Petty officer is no old under deck ya vast sea dog Navy salt slang. It is an official title. The Navy has retained more tradition that any other armed force branch, but not without reason. The Navy hasn't ruined anything with naming enlisted as officers because the officer and enlisted ranks had better be ready to get in the dirt as fast as it takes to servive. We are all human and death doesn't give a damn about rank. History shows naval enlisted persons know more and can teach junior offices how to become better senior officers. Do you see the paradox here? An officer that sees themslves as above enlisted persons have sealed there fate to an earily career. Petty officers can qualify, releave, and stand the watches that line officers stand. Navy line officers always consulted with senior enlisted first to make the best choices. Without these "enlisted inputs" an officer is doomed to give the wrong order in a figure head position. "Petty officer" is the offical title of a specialist senior enlisted person that trains young officers to become great leaders. Rank structure must work the way it does to insure fluid combat efficiency under normal conditions, but I feel you think that means not doing any hands-on dirt work or labor. Officer, NCO, and newer warriors do observe curtain rank traditions today, and that means keeping the higher rank numb, and in the easy chair, but when it comes to mission completion, life and death, and insuring future combat progressivness; than absolutely everyone from CO to ground pounder needs to know how to perform every role.

Maybe I'm just looking at it from the nuke world view, but everyone officer and petty officer, had better be ready to bust ass and get dirty or else, no matter how smart you are or who you know, you are doomed to fail without the support of others around you( officer and enlisted both ). In the best case you will just go crazy before your soul dies. It happens all the time and no one leaves the nuke world without scars, but life goes on. It's a brootal world.

ET2(NF) Michael Beno, aka Petty Officer 2nd Class, Nuclear Field Electronics Technician.

I had surface warfare but my last command took it away because I measured fat IAW 19% BFC. Go Navy!

EDIT: And I didn't wan't to deploy again to requalify surface and/or sub warfare. 6 years is enough for me and my family. I do encourage young singles to not disreguard the military. Enlisted or officer, the lines are blured in most cases, but you will have to cut your hair.

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*cough* don't forget i am in the Marine Corps... I know quite a hell of alot about the navy for OBVIOUS reasons.

And what i meant by officers wasn't petty officer. I meant just calling them officers. Slang for petty offiicer.

And dunno about the Navy retaining more tradition than say... oh the Marine Corps? I know navy is up there, but i also know the navy is getting rid of very traditional uniforms... whast up with that mess? Not to mention we have the oldest weapon still in existance today. The NCO sword.

If gods willing i should pick up Cpl this month.

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