Why I am hesitant at joining the military.

[XRay]

I guess this could go under the General section, but I like Far from the Forest better since it feels less serious and I can be a bit more goofy. Feel free to share your thoughts too, even if they are not serious responses; I think I really need the humor and whimsy to help me relax so I can make a better decision.

I am following the advice of one of my recruiters and so I am here writing down my doubts and fears that are preventing me from joining the army. I like that advice and I think seeing it on paper (technically typing and seeing it on screen) will really help me decide whether or not I really want to join. My main two concerns about joining the military is the strictness and I will probably have to quite Heroes.

1. Strictness, Rigidity, Discipline, Being Bossed Around
I like to sleep in. I like to slack off. I like to take it easy. While I have no problem waking up or being on time, I hate having a strict schedule, so I take every opportunity to sleep in, sleep late, eat whenever wherever, etc. during my off days. I also like to slack off at work sometimes and I am not sure if I will have as many opportunities to just take it easy like I can in the civilian world (taking an extra 5 minutes during lunch, take my sweet time if I am doing a number two on the loo, etc.). I also hate being bossed around.

2. Fire Emblem Heroes
Yeah, this is kind of stupid. I already talked about this in Heroes General Thread, but basically I am committed to playing Heroes right now, and if I join the military, I will have to go through bootcamp with no access to my phone and I will be missing out on a lot of stuff. If I miss out on 2 to 3 months worth of stuff, I will have no motivation to resume playing Heroes.

3. Cat, Friends, Social Circle
I love my cat and I like my friends. This is not really a huge issue in my opinion, since I can just join the reserves if I feel homesick, but I want just want to put it out there anyways.

4. Fear of Change
I am not sure if I fear change? I will write it down anyways. I moved to New York happily and that was a pretty big change, but I was reluctant to move back to Sacramento though and adapt back to driving cars and businesses closing early. Joining the military is somewhat in the middle, it is exciting like moving to New York, but I also have to get used to a new life style and I am afraid that the life style does not suit me.

5. Freedom
I can do whatever the hell I want. I can still do that in the reserves since I am only employed part time, so I this is not a big deal unless I go active.

6. I Have Not Told My Mom Yet
I will cross this out once I tell my mom, preferably face to face. I think this is too important to discuss over the phone. I forgot to mention it to her when I dropped her off last week with her friend. This is not really a big deal... I think.

I think this is all I have right now. I will add to this list any other worries I have later. It does feel nice to get it all out and see what is holding me back.

[Etrurian emperor]

Personally why I'd be hesitant of joining the army is that I just don't want to die. 

 

11 minutes ago, XRay said:

1. Strictness, Rigidity, Discipline, Being Bossed Around
I like to sleep in. I like to slack off. I like to take it easy. While I have no problem waking up or being on time, I hate having a strict schedule, so I take every opportunity to sleep in, sleep late, eat whenever wherever, etc. during my off days. I also like to slack off at work sometimes and I am not sure if I will have as many opportunities to just take it easy like I can in the civilian world (taking an extra 5 minutes during lunch, take my sweet time if I am doing a number two on the loo, etc.). I also hate being bossed around.

Well I guess the important thing to consider is whether you like these traits of yours? Do you like it that you like to slack off and take it easy? Having these traits while joining an incredibly strict regime like the army does seem like a very definitive dealbreaker. However if these are exactly the areas you want to improve yourself in then the army might just be the place. If you want to be more disciplined than you are right now then joining the army should achieve that goal. 

 

 

[Johann]

What's motivating you to join? Doesn't sound like you'll feel like you belong there

[Hawkwing]

In other words, it's the discipline and responsibility part that seems to be the main reason why you're hesitant on joining. Everyone I know that's been in the military or went through similar training has said that the training was absolute hell, but none of them regretted a second of it. However, since I don't know you personally, I can't say whether joining the military is the necessary kick in the pants that you need in order to break out of your laziness, or if it would be excessive and a different path would achieve a similar result in getting rid of bad habits. That's something I would suggest you talk about with trusted friends and family members who know you better than some random people on the internet.

***

I've had thoughts about joining before, but I medically can't because I have 2 rods and 28 screws (and a badass scar) in my back because of the back surgery I had nearly four years ago (July 2nd will be the next anniversary) . If that thing snapped, I'd just be lucky to be in an emergency room in time. It also means that I can't skydive, which probably closes a good chunk of possible positions right out the gate (I also can't jump on a trampoline, but I don't know if/why the military would have any). I've also had some serious questions about if I would be able to kill someone, and whether or not it would haunt me the rest of my life, as well as wondering if the intensive training and having to entrust my life with people I otherwise would have no interaction with is an experience I should even to go through in the first place. All that said, if the draft was brought up again, I would join without any complaint or hesitation.

[XRay]

26 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Personally why I'd be hesitant of joining the army is that I just don't want to die. 

If I had normal eyes, I would be afraid of dying too, but my eyes are so fucked up that the recruiter told me I am probably disqualified from doing most front line battlefield jobs. They were surprised by how thick my glasses were. While I do not want to be infantry, I personally would not mind being inside a tank. I am not sure about being inside an aircraft though.

If I get lasik surgery maybe it might improve, but my eye examiner told me several years ago that lasik surgery is not going to really help me since I have a host of eye issues (I have astigmatism, nearsightedness, farsightedness, and lazy eye).

26 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Well I guess the important thing to consider is whether you like these traits of yours? Do you like it that you like to slack off and take it easy? Having these traits while joining an incredibly strict regime like the army does seem like a very definitive dealbreaker. However if these are exactly the areas you want to improve yourself in then the army might just be the place. If you want to be more disciplined than you are right now then joining the army should achieve that goal.

I do like to slack off and take it easy. One reason I like my current job so much is because I literally just stand there all day asking for donations. It does not pay much being a solicitor, but I am not doing much either and I really like my coworkers and the work environment. I am outside talking about the issues I care about. I am not stuck in an office doing soul crushing paperwork and data entry.

9 minutes ago, Johann said:

What's motivating you to join? Doesn't sound like you'll feel like you belong there

Mostly money. I get paid $12 an hour right now as a canvasser, and while I do not mind the low pay since my work feels fulfilling and my expenses are really low right now, I want to have a better future so I need a better job so I can save more.

Patriotism also helps. I like buying things made in America and I feel good about paying my taxes. Even if I do not like Trump, I still have faith in the government to put my tax dollars to good use. I think I voted yes to every single California proposition for tax increase since I started voting.

5 minutes ago, Hawkwing said:

In other words, it's the discipline and responsibility part that seems to be the main reason why you're hesitant on joining. Everyone I know that's been in the military or went through similar training has said that the training was absolute hell, but none of them regretted a second of it. However, since I don't know you personally, I can't say whether joining the military is the necessary kick in the pants that you need in order to break out of your laziness, or if it would be excessive and a different path would achieve a similar result in getting rid of bad habits. That's something I would suggest you talk about with trusted friends and family members who know you better than some random people on the internet.

Yeah. I talked to my friends the other day about it. My friend who was in the Coast Guard does not think it is a big issue, but I still like the luxury of just being lazy.

[Shoblongoo]

I could never be in the army.

This is where we're going and this is who we're attacking because Command gave The Order. You don't question the mission and you don't decide if its right or wrong--you follow Orders is not something I could ever do. 

[Hawkwing]

3 minutes ago, XRay said:

While I do not want to be infantry, I personally would not mind being inside a tank. I am not sure about being inside an aircraft though.

You want to be inside a walking coffin? Old time nicknames aside, the military always has and always will choose efficiency over comfort, so be prepared to be squished and to only have enough room to do what you need. That said, I when remember talking with a retired mortarman some years back that he once saw tanks testing a HEAT shot against a building with live goats inside it. The building was barely affected, but all the goats inside were burned to a crisp. Then they fired the same armament at one of their own tanks... and it just bounced off.

At least it's better than submarines. To this day, they still have to stuff entire rooms with nothing but food, and the crew has to "eat" their way through the sub just to make more room. Aircraft Carriers, on the other hand have a ton of space simply because they have to hold and store planes.

36 minutes ago, XRay said:

Yeah. I talked to my friends the other day about it. My friend who was in the Coast Guard does not think it is a big issue, but I still like the luxury of just being lazy.

Again, I could gave a more definite answer if I knew you personally. As is, all I can really say is to do your research, maybe read up on what other people have said about joining, and look into what positions are available. Not everything is on the front lines, and I remember hearing that the better one performs on tests and training, the more options they'll have.

[XRay]

22 minutes ago, Hawkwing said:

You want to be inside a walking coffin? Old time nicknames aside, the military always has and always will choose efficiency over comfort, so be prepared to be squished and to only have enough room to do what you need. That said, I when remember talking with a retired mortarman some years back that he once saw tanks testing a HEAT shot against a building with live goats inside it. The building was barely affected, but all the goats inside were burned to a crisp. Then they fired the same armament at one of their own tanks... and it just bounced off.

 At least it's better than submarines. To this day, they still have to stuff entire rooms with nothing but food, and the crew has to "eat" their way through the sub just to make more room. Aircraft Carriers, on the other hand have a ton of space simply because they have to hold and store planes.

I am used to being in shitty economy seats on airlines, so I think I might be able to deal with being in a cramped tank. Tanks feel pretty safe, but I am not sure about aircraft.

22 minutes ago, Hawkwing said:

Again, I could gave a more definite answer if I knew you personally. As is, all I can really say is to do your research, maybe read up on what other people have said about joining, and look into what positions are available. Not everything is on the front lines, and I remember hearing that the better one performs on tests and training, the more options they'll have.

I scored really high on my practice test, so the recruiter told me I can basically pick any job I want in the Army if the position is available. My first pick would be finance management technician (accounting is I went to school for), with my second picks being anything under the intelligence section (sounds badass and fun), and my last picks being anything related to mechanical/electrical maintenance or repair (I like to use my hands to assemble stuff). That is like a quarter to a third of all jobs the Army is offering.

Even if I do not get finance technician, I think I will still be satisfied with getting a job related to intelligence. The intelligence section got like at least half a dozen jobs, so I am bound to at least get one of them. If I cannot even get that, I guess I am okay with being a mechanic but it is not something that I really want.

56 minutes ago, Shoblongoo said:

I could never be in the army.

This is where we're going and this is who we're attacking because Command gave The Order. You don't question the mission and you don't decide if its right or wrong--you follow Orders is not something I could ever do. 

Maybe this is a bad thing, but I am less stressed out about following ethically questionable orders and I am more concerned about following physically/mentally exhausting orders like "carry this heavy shit from point A to B" or "finish all this paperwork by midnight."

Edited June 19, 2019 by XRay

[Nobody]

1 hour ago, Hawkwing said:

At least it's better than submarines. To this day, they still have to stuff entire rooms with nothing but food, and the crew has to "eat" their way through the sub just to make more room

Sorry for this unpleasant and disgusting question but... everything that gets in leaves... What do they do wth the poop? Like if there's enough food to fill entire rooms, there's also gonna be enough poop to fill entire rooms

[May]

I have seen people go into the army for at least two years just so they can get experience with the rigidity and strictness. Then they go to a trade school or university where their expenses can be further aided by the government. It's a consideration if you want to get a degree at a university or a trade school (if you haven't already). 

2 hours ago, XRay said:

Mostly money. I get paid $12 an hour right now as a canvasser, and while I do not mind the low pay since my work feels fulfilling and my expenses are really low right now, I want to have a better future so I need a better job so I can save more.

I'm not trying to undermine your pay or anything at all, but I do think $12 is quite low. I got paid $16 an hour for entry level when I was working in retail (of all things). If you are considering money > comfort/fulfillment/enjoyment, maybe military is something you can pursue. But you'd have to consider and reconsider the repercussions of joining the military beyond comfort. Do you know where you wanted to be located?

[Reality]

I think joining the military can help with worldview stuff... particularly if you end up traveling at least briefly to a third world country. In this regard it does things that normal travel does not (nothing bbut the Peace Corps comes close). There are a lot of things that are simply too abstract when you hear about them in the news or among a college campus. 

I'll also say that my regards to racism was completely different with 2 years of blue color work, and then completely different again after a mission to a slum in the Dominican republic. I also think that the degree to which Americans treat world and especially European  events as removed enough to blow off is a problem... // It's not quite the famous "isolationism" of 1930s and other periods... but when it comes to individual people rather than the US government, I think that other countries and even horrible events are treated at most - as something you get steamed about for an hour or two after reading about it in the news or when a minister brings it up, and then forget it about it in the crush of "things to do" in the next few days at the very most. 

As far as the physical aspect - Going from my bachelor degree to blue collar (started conversion, moved construction) I feel that I made pretty good progress fixing a lot of my personality problems …. I had been "king of the eggheads" in college, but I turned around and got into responsible and I really got into shape to a degree that I had never had before or since. 

Some of that had to do with me having uh... a lot of shame and pressure put on me after Bachelor's degree... but I think it was also brought on because there was for me a really maddening aspect of (conversion) that still sticks out in my mind. That is, everyone had ridiculously short term memory and almost ritualistically would ask for the day's instructions for setting up every room, or how to push a cart so the wheels didn't cut, or so on, and even repeat them among themselves (that is employee to employee without overseer) while in the middle of working. Really it drove me nuts that people didn't memorize the setups for the most used 5~ish rooms in the lobby, or even things that they did the time all the time like the lobby// how the concert stage pieces fit together. I had been a genuine slob and pretty lazy in college, but I think more that being exposed to a setting that could flip-flop between being fast (overnights and 4 hour days) and slow paced was what really  drove me into becoming responsible and something closer to a workalohic(the good parts only I hope).

This is kind of personal and highly specific response to this kind of carreer change,  but my impression is that military service could have similar effect on people with a rougly similar situation prior to joining as I did... In college I remember veterans working for a masters etc consistently being some of the only people "real" enough to talk to about a lot of topics.

 

[eclipse]

If your posts are anything to go by, you are not cut out for the military.  I suggest going off of whatever education you have (whether it be a high school diploma or a Ph.D in math), and figuring it out from there.

[XRay]

3 hours ago, May said:

I have seen people go into the army for at least two years just so they can get experience with the rigidity and strictness. Then they go to a trade school or university where their expenses can be further aided by the government. It's a consideration if you want to get a degree at a university or a trade school (if you haven't already). 

I'm not trying to undermine your pay or anything at all, but I do think $12 is quite low. I got paid $16 an hour for entry level when I was working in retail (of all things). If you are considering money > comfort/fulfillment/enjoyment, maybe military is something you can pursue. But you'd have to consider and reconsider the repercussions of joining the military beyond comfort. Do you know where you wanted to be located?

I do not really mind relocating if I go active, although I will miss my cat. The Army has the option to let me do reserve instead of active, so I will basically just stay in Sacramento where I am right now.

I agree the pay is quite low. I was paid $20 an hour last year when I was working with the California Rural Indian Health Board. Besides the actual job itself, I really liked everything else about the job. While I was not able to develop a deep enough relationship with anyone, the coworkers are nice and easy to talk to. Instead of the usual 30 minute lunches, we get a FULL HOUR of lunches! I also like the fact that while I am at work for 8 hours, it is really only 6.5 hours of work due to the hour long lunch and amount of breaks we have.

1 hour ago, Reality said:

I think joining the military can help with worldview stuff... particularly if you end up traveling at least briefly to a third world country. In this regard it does things that normal travel does not (nothing bbut the Peace Corps comes close). There are a lot of things that are simply too abstract when you hear about them in the news or among a college campus. 

I'll also say that my regards to racism was completely different with 2 years of blue color work, and then completely different again after a mission to a slum in the Dominican republic. I also think that the degree to which Americans treat world and especially European  events as removed enough to blow off is a problem... // It's not quite the famous "isolationism" of 1930s and other periods... but when it comes to individual people rather than the US government, I think that other countries and even horrible events are treated at most - as something you get steamed about for an hour or two after reading about it in the news or when a minister brings it up, and then forget it about it in the crush of "things to do" in the next few days at the very most. 

As far as the physical aspect - Going from my bachelor degree to blue collar (started conversion, moved construction) I feel that I made pretty good progress fixing a lot of my personality problems …. I had been "king of the eggheads" in college, but I turned around and got into responsible and I really got into shape to a degree that I had never had before or since. 

Some of that had to do with me having uh... a lot of shame and pressure put on me after Bachelor's degree... but I think it was also brought on because there was for me a really maddening aspect of (conversion) that still sticks out in my mind. That is, everyone had ridiculously short term memory and almost ritualistically would ask for the day's instructions for setting up every room, or how to push a cart so the wheels didn't cut, or so on, and even repeat them among themselves (that is employee to employee without overseer) while in the middle of working. Really it drove me nuts that people didn't memorize the setups for the most used 5~ish rooms in the lobby, or even things that they did the time all the time like the lobby// how the concert stage pieces fit together. I had been a genuine slob and pretty lazy in college, but I think more that being exposed to a setting that could flip-flop between being fast (overnights and 4 hour days) and slow paced was what really  drove me into becoming responsible and something closer to a workalohic(the good parts only I hope).

This is kind of personal and highly specific response to this kind of carreer change,  but my impression is that military service could have similar effect on people with a rougly similar situation prior to joining as I did... In college I remember veterans working for a masters etc consistently being some of the only people "real" enough to talk to about a lot of topics.

Yeah, I totally get that shame and pressure after getting my Bachelor's degree. I felt like shit when I moved back to Sacramento and I was out of work for a few months. It is like I am damned if I get a low paying job and be stressed about earning low pay and unfulfilling work, and still damned if I do not get a job because being unemployed is just as embarrassing.

14 minutes ago, eclipse said:

If your posts are anything to go by, you are not cut out for the military.  I suggest going off of whatever education you have (whether it be a high school diploma or a Ph.D in math), and figuring it out from there.

Maybe I am just hoping and fishing for the "no, do not go" responses, but I feel really glad to hear this. The Army is like obviously wants me to join, and the primary reason my recruiters are delaying my ASVAB test until next week is because they want to give me a few more days of thinking and find the 100% commitment to join. Most of my friends are supportive of whatever decision I choose, so none of them tells me a firm no. I think my mom will be fine with whatever decision I choose too, so she will probably not be a firm no either. I am not really sure what my cat thinks, but if she can talk, I wish she would give me a firm no.

At the moment I do not think I am ready to join. My commitment to join the military is at 50/50, or at best 60/40 if I get the job I want. I still have to make up my mind by Monday though and I feel a huge pressure to make such a big decision.

I checked out the Airforce website earlier today, and they do have civilian service where I do not join the Airforce but I do work closely with them, so that might be a good compromise, although I am not sure what jobs they have there, so I will have to check their recruitment office out.

[eclipse]

2 minutes ago, XRay said:

Maybe I am just hoping and fishing for the "no, do not go" responses, but I feel really glad to hear this. The Army is like obviously wants me to join, and the primary reason my recruiters are delaying my ASVAB test until next week is because they want to give me a few more days of thinking and find the 100% commitment to join. Most of my friends are supportive of whatever decision I choose, so none of them tells me a firm no. I think my mom will be fine with whatever decision I choose too, so she will probably not be a firm no either. I am not really sure what my cat thinks, but if she can talk, I wish she would give me a firm no.

At the moment I do not think I am ready to join. My commitment to join the military is at 50/50, or at best 60/40 if I get the job I want. I still have to make up my mind by Monday though and I feel a huge pressure to make such a big decision.

I checked out the Airforce website earlier today, and they do have civilian service where I do not join the Airforce but I do work closely with them, so that might be a good compromise, although I am not sure what jobs they have there, so I will have to check their recruitment office out.

Y'know how you sometimes like to toe the line when it comes to what's acceptable to post?  The military does NOT like that.

Every single branch of the military tried to recruit me in my younger days. . .but I knew myself well enough to go elsewhere.  One idiot CO would've made me miserable.

[XRay]

8 minutes ago, eclipse said:

Y'know how you sometimes like to toe the line when it comes to what's acceptable to post?  The military does NOT like that.

Every single branch of the military tried to recruit me in my younger days. . .but I knew myself well enough to go elsewhere.  One idiot CO would've made me miserable.

Yeah. I really hate conforming to the high degree of rigidity and strictness, so I guess I will cross off going active and just do reserve serving part time if I do decide to join.

I think I will visit the Airforce recruitment center and check out their civilian service, so even if I will not be serving in uniform, I can still support our military as a civilian and not worry about the rigidity and strictness.

[EricaofRenais]

The military does not put you where you want to be, my dad got a perfect score on his test for the navy.  He was put on a submarine as a sonar man, he requested when asked the be on a surface ship.  My dad said subs to be able to serve on you had to have an "Alamo" complex because if it went down you are dead.  Anyway from reading your posts I don't think you should join, you don't sound like you really want to and you said you are happy with your job.  

[NinjaMonkey]

On 6/19/2019 at 11:10 PM, XRay said:

I still have faith in the government to put my tax dollars to good use

You consider building a wall across the US-Mexico border to be "a good use of tax dollars"?

Edited June 22, 2019 by NinjaMonkey

[Nobody]

24 minutes ago, NinjaMonkey said:

You consider building a wall across the US-Mexico border to be "a good use of tax dollars"?

IKR, that's almost as bad as Brexit when it comes to the government throwing away money

Edited June 22, 2019 by Nobody

[warchiefwilliams]

Flipping through this thread made me realize that I’m in the minority here, being currently in the clink/service.

Jokes aside, For me at least, enlisting helped me to escape a pit in my life that as I had feared I was stuck in as little as two years ago. Yeah there are moments where I wish I was doing something else (whether in the service or not) but on the flip side I’ve seen and done so much more than I would have as an on-hold college student pushing a lawn mower around for pennies. Now I am stationed in a foreign country working in surgery (for pennies with benefits)! 

For the discipline aspect, honestly if you learn quick and work efficiently, then military “discipline” isn’t that bad. Really, those who complain the most about things being too strict are those who are busy f***ing things up for the rest of us. A good example from my experience is that I’m not allowed to have a toaster in the barracks, as people in the past have proven that they can’t be trusted with such items, but I’m trusted to work multi-million dollar equipment while trying to save someone’s life who is opened up on an OR table. It’s a strange dichotomy, but it isn’t that bad.

However, you can listen to people say no or yes all day. Ultimately you need to decide for yourself if you want to enlist or not. I had my own reasons for not wanting to enlist when I did (political climate, borderline weight, wanting to restart my bachelors), but in the end, I did enlist and while I may regret things I have done career wise since I’ve been in, I don’t regret signing the line.

Push comes to shove, enlistment contracts are not that long. Get in, do your 4-5 years, honorable discharge, enjoy your Post-9/11 GI bill. It’s not a bad deal, and the new Blended Retirement System works a bit better for the short enlistments.

Though might I suggest the navy rather than the army? You at least get to pick your rate (MOS) from a pool rather than picking your top picks and fervently hoping the army doesn’t need you elsewhere. Though that may be my personal Corpsman biases talking.

 

Edited June 22, 2019 by warchiefwilliams

[NinjaMonkey]

10 hours ago, Nobody said:

IKR, that's almost as bad as Brexit when it comes to the government throwing away money

Unlike Brexit, the wall will have to be paid for by generations to come, as maintenance doesn't come cheap.

[XRay]

14 hours ago, EricaofRenais said:

The military does not put you where you want to be, my dad got a perfect score on his test for the navy.  He was put on a submarine as a sonar man, he requested when asked the be on a surface ship.  My dad said subs to be able to serve on you had to have an "Alamo" complex because if it went down you are dead.  Anyway from reading your posts I don't think you should join, you don't sound like you really want to and you said you are happy with your job.  

The Army allows me to pick my job, assuming the job is available. I want to talk to an Air Force recruiter to see what my options are in that branch. If I do join, I think I will probably stick with being in the reserves for now.

11 hours ago, NinjaMonkey said:

You consider building a wall across the US-Mexico border to be "a good use of tax dollars"?

I can bitch and complain about every stupid thing my government does with my tax dollars, or I can look at the whole picture and appreciate the positive things my government also does. I choose the latter. I do not like the wall and I do not like feeding politicians from shithole states, but my tax dollars are also going to good causes, such as my federal taxes going towards maintaining our interstate highway system and funding agencies like NASA, and my state and local taxes going towards my state's and city's libraries and parks.

11 hours ago, warchiefwilliams said:

Flipping through this thread made me realize that I’m in the minority here, being currently in the clink/service.

Jokes aside, For me at least, enlisting helped me to escape a pit in my life that as I had feared I was stuck in as little as two years ago. Yeah there are moments where I wish I was doing something else (whether in the service or not) but on the flip side I’ve seen and done so much more than I would have as an on-hold college student pushing a lawn mower around for pennies. Now I am stationed in a foreign country working in surgery (for pennies with benefits)! 

For the discipline aspect, honestly if you learn quick and work efficiently, then military “discipline” isn’t that bad. Really, those who complain the most about things being too strict are those who are busy f***ing things up for the rest of us. A good example from my experience is that I’m not allowed to have a toaster in the barracks, as people in the past have proven that they can’t be trusted with such items, but I’m trusted to work multi-million dollar equipment while trying to save someone’s life who is opened up on an OR table. It’s a strange dichotomy, but it isn’t that bad.

However, you can listen to people say no or yes all day. Ultimately you need to decide for yourself if you want to enlist or not. I had my own reasons for not wanting to enlist when I did (political climate, borderline weight, wanting to restart my bachelors), but in the end, I did enlist and while I may regret things I have done career wise since I’ve been in, I don’t regret signing the line.

Push comes to shove, enlistment contracts are not that long. Get in, do your 4-5 years, honorable discharge, enjoy your Post-9/11 GI bill. It’s not a bad deal, and the new Blended Retirement System works a bit better for the short enlistments.

 Though might I suggest the navy rather than the army? You at least get to pick your rate (MOS) from a pool rather than picking your top picks and fervently hoping the army doesn’t need you elsewhere. Though that may be my personal Corpsman biases talking.

Okay, I will check out the Navy too. Maybe I should talk to recruiters from all branches.

The Army recruiters told me that they know they can guarantee I get any job I want (assuming the job is available; they did not want to tell me what jobs are available until I have taken the ASVAB and they do not want me to take the ASVAB until I am committed to join the military), and they cannot be certain I can get a similar deal in other branches.

My friends told to me to join the Air Force since they said the Air Force seems to receive more funding in relation to its size compared to other branches, so I think my first choice would be Air Force for now. They also have one of the shorter boot camp duration.

[Zanarkin]

On 6/19/2019 at 6:27 PM, Shoblongoo said:

This is where we're going and this is who we're attacking because Command gave The Order. You don't question the mission and you don't decide if its right or wrong--you follow Orders is not something I could ever do. 

This sums up my feelings pretty much.

 

That and I also am unabashedly lazy. I don't belong anywhere near the military.

[XRay]

Quick update! Earlier this week, I scheduled to take the ASVAB and the health checkup at the end of the month through an Air Force recruiter. I am transitioning to an intermittent fasting diet, where I do not eat after 7:30 pm and I avoid starches as much as possible. I can handle the no eating after 7:30 pm fairly easily, although I do sometimes break it by eating a light snack of seaweed, fruits, or a little bit of jerky; I get hungry, but I can usually manage. I am still having trouble reducing my carb intakes, so while I can avoid carbs easily during lunch (I cook my own lunch so I can just not put in any starches in my lunchbox), I devoured 4 cans of Progresso soup filled with noodles and rice after work yesterday because I needed that "full" feeling that only carbs can provide; the best compromise or solution I can think of is to replace starchy carbs with bananas, so I will try that out later tonight.

I am planning to join the reserve and their contract lasts for 6 years. It is longer than the Army's reserve contract, but everyone I have spoken with recommend the Air Force due to their quality of life improvement over the Army's.

Since I am so hesitant, I think the reserve is the best option. I am able to only work a few times a month with them if I want to, depending on the job of course, so it is almost like I am not in the military at all.

For the two months I will be in boot camp, I will be having my friend play Heroes for me, and I have had him play it a few times so he gets used to the controls and layout. Since I can pick anytime to go to boot camp, I will probably schedule it to be the end of this year or early next year.

The only downside is that I cannot smoke weed anymore. While I do have strong urges to smoke it when others around me smoke, it is pretty manageable and the urges do not last.

Edited July 4, 2019 by XRay

[XRay]

Quick update:

I took my ASVAB today and I got a 99 for my AFQT!

However, I still need to lose 14 pounds of weight, and I am also waiting for them to schedule another eye exam for me to get a waiver since my eyes are fucked up.

[warchiefwilliams]

Could be a nuke with a score like that. Its also higher than mine, my AFQT was a 97.

For the weight, 10-count body builders are your friend/worst nightmare, and I would highly recommend making sure you can pass the Chair Force's fitness test with at least a good-low score or better, preferably better. Keeps DIs off your rear and means you can deal with divisional beat-downs a little bit better. (Does air force even do those? Y'all's basic sounds weak every time iv'e talked to an airman).

I hear ya on the crappy eyes. I didn't need a waiver for mine to get in, but they definitely did not do me any favors in picking my rate.