Thinking about joining the military, need serious advice please

[Liberator21]

Okay, I've always regretted not joining the military fresh out of high school. I'm 24 now, and after taking a few years off I'm about to enter my junior year of college.

I'm not set on branch, probably Army but I have some questions and the local recruiter is more concerned about another warm body that what is best for me.

1) With being a Jr. in college, is the ROTC out of question?

2) I'm having a hard time with this one - should I enlist as E-4 or apply for commission as O-1? I know most people say go straight for officer, but I would like to see what the infantry is like in Afghan or Iraq.

Paygrade is almost double for Officer, but it's not really about the money. To join at either one of these ranks will require me to wait another 2 years for graduation, at age 26.

3) My total investment in the armed forces in my mind will be 2 years ACTIVE. Time enough to serve my country. If I happen to love it or something I will consider longer - what is my best option for this time frame?

4) Lastly - I don't know a foreign language but would like to become proficient in an Arabic language and possibly even be a linguist. Is two years long enough to become fluent? My school does not offer this.

--

Thanks, please guys with prior experience if you have any advice let me know ~

 

[shortylickens]

First off, you can not, WILL NOT enlist AS an E-4. You may get bumped up quicker than average if you get an advanced program, but unless they promise E-4 IN WRITING, it wont happen right away.

2 years is bullshit. EVERYONE enlists for 8 years. Everyone. This is not up for debate. What most people dont know is that 2 year enlistment means 6 years of inactive reserves. Hopefully you wont get pulled, but the way the world situation is, its entirely possible.

Learning a language is a good idea but not required for most billets.

 

[jersiq]

2)

Infantry companies and batallions require officers also. Having been enlisted (non-infantry, USMC), I would say go as an officer. You can always be an infantry officer if you really want to see what it is like. This way, you also won't be "pigeoned-holed" as much as if you were enlisted.

 

[nerdress]

If you have prior experience with JROTC, then you can skip your first two years of ROTC (MS 1 and MS 2) with just going to LDAC and then the summer between your junior and senior year, then go to Advanced Camp.

I could have been a 1LT by now...hell, probably even a CPT...but I decided against it

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
First off, you can not, WILL NOT enlist AS an E-4. You may get bumped up quicker than average if you get an advanced program, but unless they promise E-4 IN WRITING, it wont happen right away.

2 years is bullshit. EVERYONE enlists for 8 years. Everyone. This is not up for debate. What most people dont know is that 2 year enlistment means 6 years of inactive reserves. Hopefully you wont get pulled, but the way the world situation is, its entirely possible.

Learning a language is a good idea but not required for most billets.

Shens. Friend of mine enlisted as an E4 and went straight for 18 months of schooling at Pensacola, graduating E5 before he saw any time on a ship.

However, he scored a 98 on the ASFAB and his job pretty much required the rank. He enlisted for 4 years without any semblance of required inactive reserves.

Just pay close attention to what you sign and don't trust a single word the recruiter says. Ever. Recruiters are failed troops who are there working in the recruiting office because they fucked up and it's punishment.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: Nik
Shens. Friend of mine enlisted as an E4 and went straight for 18 months of schooling at Pensacola, graduating E5 before he saw any time on a ship.

However, he scored a 98 on the ASFAB and his job pretty much required the rank. He enlisted for 4 years without any semblance of required inactive reserves.

Just pay close attention to what you sign and don't trust a single word the recruiter says. Ever. Recruiters are failed troops who are there working in the recruiting office because they fucked up and it's punishment.

EVERYONE does 8 years of service. If they do 4 years active they will have 4 years inactive in the reserves. Doesn't mean they are drilling but they are subject to recall.

BTW, it's the ASVAB test.

 

[Nik]

Clearly I'm not in the service.

Besides, I thought Stop Loss can only be enacted in wartime, which we are not in anymore? Obama is calling troops home. The nonsense is almost over.

 

[datalink7]

Originally posted by: Liberator21

Okay, I've always regretted not joining the military fresh out of high school. I'm 24 now, and after taking a few years off I'm about to enter my junior year of college.

I'm not set on branch, probably Army but I have some questions and the local recruiter is more concerned about another warm body that what is best for me.

1) With being a Jr. in college, is the ROTC out of question?

2) I'm having a hard time with this one - should I enlist as E-4 or apply for commission as O-1? I know most people say go straight for officer, but I would like to see what the infantry is like in Afghan or Iraq.

Paygrade is almost double for Officer, but it's not really about the money. To join at either one of these ranks will require me to wait another 2 years for graduation, at age 26.

3) My total investment in the armed forces in my mind will be 2 years. Time enough to serve my country. If I happen to love it or something I will consider longer - what is my best option for this time frame?

4) Lastly - I don't know a foreign language but would like to become proficient in an Arabic language and possibly even be a linguist. Is two years long enough to become fluent? My school does not offer this.

--

Thanks, please guys with prior experience if you have any advice let me know ~

1) No but generally the commitment is 2 years of ROTC minimum. I joined right after my sophomore year and had to do a small training camp (like basic but only 4 weeks) over the summer to make up for not doing it the first two years.

2) You can still do infantry stuff as an officer if you are an infantry officer. I deployed as an infantry platoon leader during the surge from 2007-2008. PM me if you have any questions.

3) You aren't going to do anything for 2 years during the current environment. It will be 3-4.

4) Can't really answer this one. Depends on how long it takes you. I personally am not very good at languages so it would take me 20 years to become profiient

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: datalink7

Originally posted by: Liberator21

Okay, I've always regretted not joining the military fresh out of high school. I'm 24 now, and after taking a few years off I'm about to enter my junior year of college.

I'm not set on branch, probably Army but I have some questions and the local recruiter is more concerned about another warm body that what is best for me.

1) With being a Jr. in college, is the ROTC out of question?

2) I'm having a hard time with this one - should I enlist as E-4 or apply for commission as O-1? I know most people say go straight for officer, but I would like to see what the infantry is like in Afghan or Iraq.

Paygrade is almost double for Officer, but it's not really about the money. To join at either one of these ranks will require me to wait another 2 years for graduation, at age 26.

3) My total investment in the armed forces in my mind will be 2 years. Time enough to serve my country. If I happen to love it or something I will consider longer - what is my best option for this time frame?

4) Lastly - I don't know a foreign language but would like to become proficient in an Arabic language and possibly even be a linguist. Is two years long enough to become fluent? My school does not offer this.

--

Thanks, please guys with prior experience if you have any advice let me know ~

1) No but generally the commitment is 2 years of ROTC minimum. I joined right after my sophomore year and had to do a small training camp (like basic but only 4 weeks) over the summer to make up for not doing it the first two years.

2) You can still do infantry stuff as an officer if you are an infantry officer. I deployed as an infantry platoon leader during the surge from 2007-2008. PM me if you have any questions.

3) You aren't going to do anything for 2 years during the current environment. It will be 3-4.

4) Can't really answer this one. Depends on how long it takes you. I personally am not very good at languages so it would take me 20 years to become profiient

1) Actually, yes. I did it (admittedly, times could have changed in the last 15 yrs). You'll have to double up on the 300 and 400 level ROTC and then take an extended summer training after you graduate (with USAF, it was 6 weeks instead of 4...the extra two weeks were the 100 and 200 level ROTC classes). May be service dependent as well, but I would be surprised if the Army wouldn't allow it in this climate. Marines probably wouldn't; Navy might. You would be commissioned following successful completion of the summer training.

2) See answer above. Nearly every enlisted person I've talked to would prefer the officer route in hindsight. Of course, that could be because they were talking to an officer.

3) See answer above. That's 3-4 years active duty plus time subject to recall.

4) If you want to be a linguist, you are looking squarely at an enlisted career. Officers are not linguists as a profession, though they can be trained in languages and use them. Arabic is one of the most difficult languages around, up there with Chinese and Japanese, and without dedicated, professional instruction, you'll likely be very hard pressed to be fluent in two years unless you have amazing aptitude for learning languages. The Defense Language Institute, possibly the finest language school in the country, doesn't teach it overnight, and if you're on your own, you can probably get a fair understanding and start with a leg up.

 

[IEC]

They're going to ask you what you were doing taking a "few years off".

Better have some good answers ready. And yes, go for ROTC --> Commissioned Officer route.

 

[Ns1]

FWIW, my friend who is currently on leave says the worst thing over there is the goddamn heat. The sweltering 140' heat, and trying to take a shit in said heat. Evidently the sweat cleans your ass while you shit, and the flies try to attack your shit before it hits the ground.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Ns1
FWIW, my friend who is currently on leave says the worst thing over there is the goddamn heat. The sweltering 140' heat, and trying to take a shit in said heat. Evidently the sweat cleans your ass while you shit, and the flies try to attack your shit before it hits the ground.

that is....enlightening, or something.

 

[datalink7]

Originally posted by: Ns1
FWIW, my friend who is currently on leave says the worst thing over there is the goddamn heat. The sweltering 140' heat, and trying to take a shit in said heat. Evidently the sweat cleans your ass while you shit, and the flies try to attack your shit before it hits the ground.

The flies are HORRIBLE over there. If you haven't been you really can't even imagine. Just think if you couldn't even see a fence because it was covered completely in flies.