How is Life in the Military?

[shiner]

Originally posted by: dahunan

Originally posted by: Dari
I've been seriously entertaining the idea of joining the military before I head off to grad school. From what I've seen/heard, it's a glorious rite of passage that's incomparable to anything else. Furthermore, no one here can advocate an aggressive American foreign policy without getting their feet wet and seeing firsthand what life is like in the trenches.

Provided I don't get killed or become and invalid, the experience could be a life-turner. At worst, I could become a John Kerry, those that have lost all sense of manhood. At best, I could become a George Bush senior, one of the most accomplished men in human history.

One big problem I have is taking orders without asking questions. Though difficult, I guess I could adapt.

Yep.. you could actually go through several tours of combat OR you could get your Dad to hide you away in a police force with Army ROTC training?? *since George is calling up unprecedented numbers of national guard I changed his historical role in your stupid characterization of the two men.

Kerry had balls of IRON while in Vietnam
Bush had coke-addict episodes and convictions for drunk driving

I hope you go straight to the front line in Iraq so you can show your support for George.

Say what you want...but saying Kerry had "balls of iron" in Vietnam is a joke.

 

[dahunan]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: dahunan

Originally posted by: Dari
I've been seriously entertaining the idea of joining the military before I head off to grad school. From what I've seen/heard, it's a glorious rite of passage that's incomparable to anything else. Furthermore, no one here can advocate an aggressive American foreign policy without getting their feet wet and seeing firsthand what life is like in the trenches.

Provided I don't get killed or become and invalid, the experience could be a life-turner. At worst, I could become a John Kerry, those that have lost all sense of manhood. At best, I could become a George Bush senior, one of the most accomplished men in human history.

One big problem I have is taking orders without asking questions. Though difficult, I guess I could adapt.

Yep.. you could actually go through several tours of combat OR you could get your Dad to hide you away in a police force with Army ROTC training?? *since George is calling up unprecedented numbers of national guard I changed his historical role in your stupid characterization of the two men.

Kerry had balls of IRON while in Vietnam
Bush had coke-addict episodes and convictions for drunk driving

I hope you go straight to the front line in Iraq so you can show your support for George.

Say what you want...but saying Kerry had "balls of iron" in Vietnam is a joke.

That is fine.. but where was George?

 

[Gaard]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: dahunan
Maybe if Dari tells them he wants to and looks forward to torturing Iraqi citizens then they will send him?

Do you really have to be an ass? A small minority of idiots was responsible for the "torture" of Iraqi prisoners. Stop trying to say that all U.S. Servicemen/Servicewomen are like that.

You're calling dahunan an ass for making a sarcastic remark towards Dari who said he supports the torture and killing of Iraqi POWs? Don't you think you're calling the wrong person an ass? Or does dahunan's remarks bother you more than Dari's?

Dari's remarks

 

[kylebisme]

besides, you pretty much have to be blind at this point not to realise that that the "small minority of idiots" responsable were all near the top of the chain of command, and the ones actually conducting the tourture were simply following orders, oders Dari would clearly be happy to follow.

 

[dahunan]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: dahunan
Maybe if Dari tells them he wants to and looks forward to torturing Iraqi citizens then they will send him?

Do you really have to be an ass? A small minority of idiots was responsible for the "torture" of Iraqi prisoners. Stop trying to say that all U.S. Servicemen/Servicewomen are like that.

Dari spent A LONG TIME HERE - JUSTIFYING and sharing his approval of the prison abuses.

For the record... I do not lump the torturing soldiers in with the general soldier in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM..

I have the utmost repect for the men and women who risk their lives for me and my fellow citizens... It saddens me that they were sent to Iraq when the real perpetrators of terrorism against America are predominantly in other countries

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: dahunan
Maybe if Dari tells them he wants to and looks forward to torturing Iraqi citizens then they will send him?

Do you really have to be an ass? A small minority of idiots was responsible for the "torture" of Iraqi prisoners. Stop trying to say that all U.S. Servicemen/Servicewomen are like that.

Not only is he an ass, its obvious that he is also a Michael Moore. He hates America and he hates freedom.

 

[dahunan]

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: dahunan
Maybe if Dari tells them he wants to and looks forward to torturing Iraqi citizens then they will send him?

Do you really have to be an ass? A small minority of idiots was responsible for the "torture" of Iraqi prisoners. Stop trying to say that all U.S. Servicemen/Servicewomen are like that.

Not only is he an ass, its obvious that he is also a Michael Moore. He hates America and he hates freedom.

Dari spent A LONG TIME HERE - JUSTIFYING and sharing his approval of the prison abuses.

For the record... I do not lump the torturing soldiers in with the general soldier in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM..

I have the utmost repect for the men and women who risk their lives for me and my fellow citizens... It saddens me that they were sent to Iraq when the real perpetrators of terrorism against America are predominantly in other countries

but you can ignore all of that if you want to

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Originally posted by: dahunan

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: dahunan
Maybe if Dari tells them he wants to and looks forward to torturing Iraqi citizens then they will send him?

Do you really have to be an ass? A small minority of idiots was responsible for the "torture" of Iraqi prisoners. Stop trying to say that all U.S. Servicemen/Servicewomen are like that.

Not only is he an ass, its obvious that he is also a Michael Moore. He hates America and he hates freedom.

Dari spent A LONG TIME HERE - JUSTIFYING and sharing his approval of the prison abuses.

For the record... I do not lump the torturing soldiers in with the general soldier in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM..

I have the utmost repect for the men and women who risk their lives for me and my fellow citizens... It saddens me that they were sent to Iraq when the real perpetrators of terrorism against America are predominantly in other countries

but you can ignore all of that if you want to

I was being sarcastic.

 

[dahunan]

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla

Originally posted by: dahunan

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: dahunan
Maybe if Dari tells them he wants to and looks forward to torturing Iraqi citizens then they will send him?

Do you really have to be an ass? A small minority of idiots was responsible for the "torture" of Iraqi prisoners. Stop trying to say that all U.S. Servicemen/Servicewomen are like that.

Not only is he an ass, its obvious that he is also a Michael Moore. He hates America and he hates freedom.

Dari spent A LONG TIME HERE - JUSTIFYING and sharing his approval of the prison abuses.

For the record... I do not lump the torturing soldiers in with the general soldier in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM..

I have the utmost repect for the men and women who risk their lives for me and my fellow citizens... It saddens me that they were sent to Iraq when the real perpetrators of terrorism against America are predominantly in other countries

but you can ignore all of that if you want to

I was being sarcastic.

hard to tell around here sometimes

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
Oh, make sure you join in a branch that guarantees you combat time. Join the Marines, and insist on an Iraq tour.

Doesn't work that way....my cousin is a Captain, should be a Major before end of year, in the USMC and he can't get over there. He's been trying since before it started. Right now he is out in the deserts of California teaching tank school while the tank platoon he commanded is over in Greece somewhere.

I have another cousin who is USMC and he is sitting in Japan....wants to go to Iraq but can't get there either.

True enough. My first year here in Japan, I wanted to head to the Middle East but was in a non-deployable position. Now, I'm the sole officer in my career field in another unit so I can't deploy unless my entire unit does (which, ironically enough, is one of the busiest units in the Air Force and travels more often than any other unit on base -- just not as a unit but with individual planes).

Dari: Look into a commissioning program -- OTS being the likely choice for you. You'll have a four year committment, but I would strongly recommend against enlisting if you are graduate school material because you're likely to be bored. A friend of mine enlisted in the Army out of college and had a hard time of it because there were few people he could converse with. It's not necessarily that his Army buddies were stupid (though some definitely were), but he couldn't relate to them since he came from a middle class background and had vastly different interests. He was a Ranger for what it's worth.

Of course, I've met some pretty dense officers from every service, but since all officers have at least an undergrad degree, you're more likely to meet people with similar interests (plus, officers and enlisted cannot have personal relationships, assuming the officer pays attention to fraterinization laws which don't just cover romantic involvement).

I would also mention that a stint in the service will give you some perspective not only on the military but also on the civilian world as well. There are some unique opportunities in the military not available in any sector of the civilian realm, and there are plenty of people that stay in because of those. Plus, if you ever want to run for office later on, you can check that military service box.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: going5hole
Don't believe the whole "guys in the military don't get paid shit" theory, which I've been hearing my entire life . My brother in law is an E3, and he brings home roughly 1200 bucks every two weeks, after taxes. He doesn't live on base anymore. He's got complete medical coverage too. Now that he's in combat, he's bringing roughly 3500 every two weeks, although that does include separation pay from his wife and child.

How much would he make if he were in the private sector?

 

[CaptnKirk]

Join the Military . . .
Travel to exotic far away lands . . .
Meet exciting new people . . .
and kill them.

 

[EXman]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Go for it.

W3RD!

I wish I could go. or did go. Best friend is a Marine. Man Marines Bond is Strong ... He meet Marines all the time and they always get to talking like they are good budies after 3 seconds pretty cool. That and he is a BadAss as well.

Try the Marines!

 

[Genesys]

go for it dari. i just enlisted with the air force, but ill be going to finish my last year of college and gain my comission after my first year of enlistment. my only hope is that they let me finish my last year of college in the air force academy, that would be uber bad ass!

the air force actually has some really great education benefits, when i go back to college, ill be pay grade E3, but paid as an E5 [and retain all my other benefits], the af will fully pay for my schooling [thanks to all the tax payers out there ], and then ill get to re-enter active duty as a second lt! that doesnt sound too crappy to me...

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: going5hole
Don't believe the whole "guys in the military don't get paid shit" theory, which I've been hearing my entire life . My brother in law is an E3, and he brings home roughly 1200 bucks every two weeks, after taxes. He doesn't live on base anymore. He's got complete medical coverage too. Now that he's in combat, he's bringing roughly 3500 every two weeks, although that does include separation pay from his wife and child.

Somehow, I don't believe all of this. I have 7 years of military experience and left as an E-6. The hazardous duty pay for an E-3 is only $150 a month, but you've made it appear as if he's getting $2k+ each two weeks because of hazardous duty pay. The first statement of him getting $1,200 (after taxes) every two weeks is pretty accurate because his housing allowing has to be pretty close to his base pay if he lives anywhere near a larger metropolitan housing area.

Also, for clarification, if he was getting paid "every 2 weeks" he would get 26 checks per year. However, the military only gets paid two times a month: on the 15th and 30th which means only 24 paychecks per year.

Been there, done that.

 

[burnedout]

Military service could result in a good move for you, Dari. If you enlist, the key is to find a MOS (job) that you might enjoy.

Contrary to what others say, grunt work (infantry) isn't all that bad. The leadership, teamwork and espirt de corps attributes derived from service in the infantry provides one with a different perspective upon reentering civilian life. For example, you'd learn that no such word as "quit" exists, and failure simply is not an option. I spent many years as a grunt, and the experience helped me considerably out here in the real world. If you're gonna do the "hard core thang" (combat arms), then do it while you are young. Busted knees, ankles and weathering catches up to you after about 10 years of that kind of work. And of course, there's always more risk when you deploy.

Yes, the commissioned gig has many benefits as well as shortcomings, depending upon the career field. Officers garner tons of respect, but also shoulder an enormous amount of responsibility. When I served as a 1SG, we literally had to beg the company commander to go home to his family after he'd worked five straight 17-hour days in garrison. You'll discover tremendous dedication in the military coupled with the constant pursuit of professionalism. Additionally, the ability to effectively relate to "anybody", regardless of their respective background, probably represents one of the most important skills you'll gain from serving the country.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: burnedout
Military service could result in a good move for you, Dari. If you enlist, the key is to find a MOS (job) that you might enjoy.

Contrary to what others say, grunt work (infantry) isn't all that bad. The leadership, teamwork and espirt de corps attributes derived from service in the infantry provides one with a different perspective upon reentering civilian life. For example, you'd learn that no such word as "quit" exists, and failure simply is not an option. I spent many years as a grunt, and the experience helped me considerably out here in the real world. If you're gonna do the "hard core thang" (combat arms), then do it while you are young. Busted knees, ankles and weathering catches up to you after about 10 years of that kind of work. And of course, there's always more risk when you deploy.

Yes, the commissioned gig has many benefits as well as shortcomings, depending upon the career field. Officers garner tons of respect, but also shoulder an enormous amount of responsibility. When I served as a 1SG, we literally had to beg the company commander to go home to his family after he'd worked five straight 17-hour days in garrison. You'll discover tremendous dedication in the military coupled with the constant pursuit of professionalism. Additionally, the ability to effectively relate to "anybody", regardless of their respective background, probably represents one of the most important skills you'll gain from serving the country.

Well said.

Dari, if you have any questions about the Navy, please PM me.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
Join the Military . . .
Travel to exotic far away lands . . .
Meet exciting new people . . .
and kill them.

you libs really need to give it a rest...:roll:

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: burnedout
Military service could result in a good move for you, Dari. If you enlist, the key is to find a MOS (job) that you might enjoy.

Contrary to what others say, grunt work (infantry) isn't all that bad. The leadership, teamwork and espirt de corps attributes derived from service in the infantry provides one with a different perspective upon reentering civilian life. For example, you'd learn that no such word as "quit" exists, and failure simply is not an option. I spent many years as a grunt, and the experience helped me considerably out here in the real world. If you're gonna do the "hard core thang" (combat arms), then do it while you are young. Busted knees, ankles and weathering catches up to you after about 10 years of that kind of work. And of course, there's always more risk when you deploy.

Yes, the commissioned gig has many benefits as well as shortcomings, depending upon the career field. Officers garner tons of respect, but also shoulder an enormous amount of responsibility. When I served as a 1SG, we literally had to beg the company commander to go home to his family after he'd worked five straight 17-hour days in garrison. You'll discover tremendous dedication in the military coupled with the constant pursuit of professionalism. Additionally, the ability to effectively relate to "anybody", regardless of their respective background, probably represents one of the most important skills you'll gain from serving the country.

Well, that IS a damned eloquent expostion of the postives of service.

To be fair, though, (and just like anywhere else), there's a not inconsiderate proportion of dense and obtuse and just plain not so swift folks of almost all ranks, in probably all the services, some of whom can end up directly over you (and they ain't going anywhere else soon).

Did I mention the bureaucracy?

The services are like ANY large organization, often resembling nothing more than absurdly large dysfunctional families where you'd sometimes swear that their sum total equals the stupidity and weaknesses and blind spots of the dumbest multiplied by however many folks are involved, and where the built in resistance to intelligent change resembles that of any large government bureaucracy minus the competitive pressures to get it right or go out of existence extant in the private sector, as sadly is true with any "monopoly".

If you just got through that above paragraph without a headache, you're quartermaster material son.

 

[CaptnKirk]

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
Join the Military . . .
Travel to exotic far away lands . . .
Meet exciting new people . . .
and kill them.

you libs really need to give it a rest...:roll:

Absolutely amazing - some people don't really know anything - or maybe even less than nothing.

1) LIB ? - Libs give it a rest ?
Well, I guess that anything that doesn't embrace the EXTREME RIGHT CONSERVATIVE PHILOSOPHY
could be construed by those extremists and 'Liberal' - they have a lot of practice at it.
So now the Moderate Republican, and even the Conservative Right of the 60's & 70's
are viewed as "Liberal" by those mindless shrills that think that Bush is their Messia,
& Limbaugh is their Moses.
I am personally disgusted by where the 'New' Republican Party has taken the GOP.
It's an embarassment to those who have been with the party for more than 10 years.

2) That little ditty about 'Travel to Exotic Lands, Meet exciting new people'
was a mid 60's Marine slogan - a la Vietnam Era, definitly wasn't 'Lib'

3) Anyone else feel Froggy ? Jump right on up here !

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
Join the Military . . .
Travel to exotic far away lands . . .
Meet exciting new people . . .
and kill them.

you libs really need to give it a rest...:roll:

Absolutely amazing - some people don't really know anything - or maybe even less than nothing.

1) LIB ? - Libs give it a rest ?
Well, I guess that anything that doesn't embrace the EXTREME RIGHT CONSERVATIVE PHILOSOPHY
could be construed by those extremists and 'Liberal' - they have a lot of practice at it.
So now the Moderate Republican, and even the Conservative Right of the 60's & 70's
are viewed as "Liberal" by those mindless shrills that think that Bush is their Messia,
& Limbaugh is their Moses.
I am personally disgusted by where the 'New' Republican Party has taken the GOP.
It's an embarassment to those who have been with the party for more than 10 years.

2) That little ditty about 'Travel to Exotic Lands, Meet exciting new people'
was a mid 60's Marine slogan - a la Vietnam Era, definitly wasn't 'Lib'

3) Anyone else feel Froggy ? Jump right on up here !

\

Rrrrrrrrbbbbbbbbbbbbtttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!