Should I join the military?

nmwninjartIts a good option to consider. I didn't know what to do with myself after high school so I joined the Army.I signed the papers 2 days after my 18th birthday. Got a couple government paid vacations to Iraq and one to S. Korea. overall Good life experiences, paid for all of my college, low cost medical care the rest of my life, can get a VA loan for buying a home.
My only complaint is that the pay was nowhere near high enough for what it should be for what we do. I guess though the benefits make up for it.

**This post was edited on Apr 8th 2020 at 7:50:41pm

DIRTYBUBBLENo. Why waste your prime years being property of the U.S. Government? You can kiss skiing goodbye for the next 4 years but it’s gonna be worth it for that Camaro am I right?

BiffbarfEveryone's experience is different, but there's literally bases with ski hills lmao

DIRTYBUBBLEYea but do you think military skiing is any similar to real skiing? Sarge is gonna be pissed if he catches you hitting lip b2s and slamming beers with your homies

50KalI haven't worked in a branch of the military.
I have and still work in federal wildland firefighting agencies.
We tend to hire a lot of veterans who have actual combat experience. Some of these veterans are guys struggling to find their place in the world or just trying to have it all make sense. Being in a unit or in the woods with a purpose helps some of them.
It might be that I work with a lot veterans who have troubles, but it gives me a reality check to the troubles veterans have when they come back.
And that is not to say every combat veteran comes out that way by no means.

Just that serving means you might be in a position out there getting shot at and its your job to kill them. Be ready for it if that's what they assign you.


However,
If I was to go back in time and do a military service right out of high school I would joined Navy or Airforce. Mainly because your chances of getting shot are way, way lower and the amount of technical jobs in military that transfer to real world skills are higher than any other branch. Also you have better chance of getting to be overseas in places other than middle-east.

Third choice would be Army or Coast guard.

Last choice would be Marines. Marines are just very traditional in military organization. If you finish basic on Friday and a whole platoon of infantry get annihilated in Middle East on Saturday, guess who's filling in the new platoon on Monday? You are. Because the military needs are met before your desired occupation is. Now if you have a certified skill or degree they need for a specific job you could bet that's where you'll go. Example: College friend graduated with a Law enforcement degree and passed state peace officers test. Just couldn't get a job anywhere decent (was in 2010). So he joined the marines then became a MP right after basic.

**This post was edited on Apr 8th 2020 at 10:22:30pm

BiffbarfGo for it. It will change your life. What would you want to do in the marines?

50KalI haven't worked in a branch of the military.
I have and still work in federal wildland firefighting agencies.
We tend to hire a lot of veterans who have actual combat experience. Some of these veterans are guys struggling to find their place in the world or just trying to have it all make sense. Being in a unit or in the woods with a purpose helps some of them.
It might be that I work with a lot veterans who have troubles, but it gives me a reality check to the troubles veterans have when they come back.
And that is not to say every combat veteran comes out that way by no means.

Just that serving means you might be in a position out there getting shot at and its your job to kill them. Be ready for it if that's what they assign you.


However,
If I was to go back in time and do a military service right out of high school I would joined Navy or Airforce. Mainly because your chances of getting shot are way, way lower and the amount of technical jobs in military that transfer to real world skills are higher than any other branch. Also you have better chance of getting to be overseas in places other than middle-east.

Third choice would be Army or Coast guard.

Last choice would be Marines. Marines are just very traditional in military organization. If you finish basic on Friday and a whole platoon of infantry get annihilated in Middle East on Saturday, guess who's filling in the new platoon on Monday? You are. Because the military needs are met before your desired occupation is. Now if you have a certified skill or degree they need for a specific job you could bet that's where you'll go. Example: College friend graduated with a Law enforcement degree and passed state peace officers test. Just couldn't get a job anywhere decent (was in 2010). So he joined the marines then became a MP right after basic.

**This post was edited on Apr 8th 2020 at 10:22:30pm

theabortionatorI don't want to offend anyone but i would say don't do it.

EndoCrocYeah and I’m not saying this is my only option because I’m also thinking of college, that way I can continue to ski and be near home.

EndoCrocYeah that’s all very true. I’m really looking into risk/reward to the military in general. It’s a big thing to commit to but it’s nice hearing different peoples perspectives on the topic.

50KalMy only other advice is if you enlist, do it mid summer. That way your basic can hopefully start in fall not in summer.
Both my brothers who are in the Navy were recommended to do this by their recruiters because Minnesotans can't handle the heat.

DIRTYBUBBLEYea but do you think military skiing is any similar to real skiing? Sarge is gonna be pissed if he catches you hitting lip b2s and slamming beers with your homies

CatdickBojanglesI spent 5 years in the Army, did a tour in Asscrackistan doing bad stuff to bad people almost right out of basic and it honestly ruined my view on the Army because I had no clue what the Army day to day life was because I went straight from basic to combat pretty much. Came home expecting normal day to day stuff to be exciting and challenging like deployment was. But I don't regret a minute of it. I would highly suggest you do it. You'll learn the most valuable life lessons, gain experience you cant get anywhere else and most importantly discipline. I wouldn't trade those 5 years for anything.

Also if you go marines don't sign an open contract then you'll be needs of the Navy (lol fucking marines) and end up being a cook or some bullshit.

BiffbarfI'll add a few more bits of advice - read your fucking contract before you enlist. Don't believe everything the recruiter says, get it in writing. Expect to be bullied if you bring up concerns or ask questions about it, it is just the way it is. You're a free man untill you sign the dotted line, act like it.

One thing my grandpa told me before I joined that really resonated with me was 'you'll serve with some of the best people you will ever know, and some of the worst' and he was right.

nosebutterpizzaAlso, the army's 10th Mountain Division and the Army Mountain Warfare School in Vermont sounds so badass

EndoCrocYeah I have had a few people tell me to really look at the contract and not just jump into it. The recruiter I’ve talked to is a really nice guy and really doesn’t have that stereotypical recruiter vibe. Maybe that’s his way of connecting with people or getting them to talk and think about it but he doesn’t strike me as the type of guy to say stuff then not follow through on it. Now, I could be wrong but we haven’t had a real sit down yet.

CatdickBojanglesIt’s not. There’s no mountains around Fort Drum (where 10th Mtn is) I was in 10th Mtn. Whiteface is 3 hours away from Watertown though. Watertown is the worst place on earth.

BiffbarfThey'll sweet talk ya, then they'll slip it in your ass and claim it was an accident. He can say anything he wants but what matters is what's on your contract when you sign before you ship to boot. When you DEP in, you'll sign with your recruiter, when you actually enlist and sign your life away you're going to be at meps with a bunch of hardo admin douchebags who might try to fuck you around.

I only say this because those shitsippers printed '6yr' obligation on my contract when I specifically stated I wanted to do 4. When I brought it up, they brought me into a room, showed me the majority of peep's contracts who signed longer and berated me for being wrong. I held my ground but they didn't like it. Fuck those guys.

Turd__AuthorityOp how smart are you? How are your grades in HS? How's your physical fitness? I can't speak from experience since I never attempted to join the military due to a medical exclusion. I did read about a lot of different opportunities when I was planning to and your intellectual ability and education can make a huge difference in what you decide to do or try to do both within and across branches.

Why do you want to join the marines? Does it sound like your cup of tea? Family legacy? Or did you just pick that because it's the cool thing to do these days?

BiffbarfMan, if only you knew the military is literally 95% slammin beers with your homies lol

207

BiffbarfSo, I feel ya on how annoying the 'hero worship' a lot of people have, but I will say I grew up in rural CO and the military exposed me to racial and cultural diversity I would have never experienced otherwise. To say 99.9% of veterans are racist and ignorant isn't really fair, the military is not necessarily a better sect of the population, just a smaller, more concentrated version.

To add to that, I can say that 100% of veterans that are the 'thank me for my service' types are complete shitbags. A majority lay low and just wanna get by like anyone else.

Lonely@frenchy.

207Your last point is 100% true and I almost added my own point as well to that. A lot of the NAVY Seal guys and high ups in the military are the complete opposite of the thank me for my service types. Pat Tillman was a good example. Another good example was Glen Doherty, the dude who died working for the CIA in Benghazi and was also a legendary Snowbird skier who spent his time post military organizing groups and lobbying to make sure there was no prophesying in the US military (don't want to overgeneralize here but I feel like current military culture would take issue with someone trying to shut everybody in the military up about religion. Glen Doherty was a TRUE FUCKING BADASS and a true hero, not the dude from my high school who I'm pretty sure is now 6 years in and hasn't even left the US... If you served in the military and it takes someone to pry that information out of you, first of all that's how our military should be and second of all, I know you had a way more legit experience than the dude who is posting everyday about how the government is turning its backs on the military and we're all sissys in current society and the government is coming for our guns. Again I really hate overgeneralizing, and maybe you can point me in the right direction, but I don't see a lot of publicity from people who were in the military calling it on its bullshit. Instead all I see is these glorified funker 451 or whatever the fuck it is videos, and military people bitching constantly on facebook about how society doesn't confirm to their uber masculine, America is the greatest and every other country can suck it standards.

EDIT:

Also I hate to say it but I feel as though the 99.9% really isn't that dramatic of an overgeneralization. Do you REALLY think that if I were going to join the military tomorrow and just became outspoken to my platoon (or whatever the fuck its called) about my progressive political views supporting candidates like AOC and Bernie Sanders, the platoon is going to tolerate that and I'm going to find likeminded people that share those views? You're out of your fucking mind if you believe that. Military culture didn't want to rat on Eddie Gallagher for killing civilians, you think those same people tolerate outspoken progressives or any form of dissent from standard military culture? C'mon now.

**This post was edited on Apr 9th 2020 at 6:05:47pm

DolanReloadedI heard you can join at age 18, serve for 20 years and retire with a decent pension at age 38.

kinda cool idea. Retiring at 38 could be pretty sweet.

ChadThundercockdo it, its probably a good career path for you. Make sure you do a couple cycles of steroids if you deploy though, they dont test for roids and its only gonna help you downrange