Need some guidance.

[IceIceBaBy]

Guys,

lately i have been thinking about the possibility of joining the military. I wanted to get some info from some vets or currently active.

Im not sure which branch i should join or anything like that. i was checking out the national guard, thinking it would be a good way to get started but also allow me to finish school (im halfway through college, another 2 years left). I do want to finish school and become an officer. What do you guys think? Army, marines, navy, coast guard, reserves, national guard, air force? so many options...im 21 years old and trying to figure things out for myself . any guidance would be much appreciated.

another thing is im pretty sure i would have to stop toking . but thats not too much of a big deal, lifes long i can enjoy my smoke for eternity!


thanks guys and gals.


Ice

[Nimbliez]

Ice, realize this is just 'my' opinion on the military. An enlisted man is fodder for the war, Zeros (officers) are an elevated form of fodder. They just get to play with bigger more expensive tools for the war. War is the end result of developing a military organization. Military people are people, who IMHO, don't want to think/do for themselves. It took me 11 years from 1972 to 1976 and 1980 to 1987 as an enlisted type to finally wake up and realize what the military, and being in the military was really all about. You'll hear folksies say 'we need a military just to defend ourselves". I don't believe this to be true. Don't you feel capable of defending 'yourself"? Or perhaps those you care about or love? Don't you have a sense of right and wrong? If you join a military, you and your sense will be left out of any equasion. Military folksies will have to 'follow orders' and your gut feelings will never get to enter the equasion. Killing someone is NEVER the answer to any ISSUE and the main job/purpose of a military is to KILL. The military will run your life for you. Most times you won't have a choice. The brainwashing will start early and will be neverending. But.... if you have your heart set on being a member of a military, (realize, you MIGHT have to KILL your own people, countryman,family members neighbors, friends, etc. because you'll have to 'follow orders' or suffer the consequenses, do it this way.... finish school, finish high in your class/studies. Enter any military academy, and become that officer. It will be much harder at the start but in the end you will get to climb into that jet fighter, and be miles in the sky so you won't be able to see the death and destruction you cause, thus filtering you from the pain of what it means to kill someone. Rember this is the sole function of a military.. to kill. As far as what branch?? It doesn't matter. They are all the same.
Peace, and I do really mean that, Peace.
Nim

[dursky]

Hey Ice I think you should reconsider.. come to Canada for awhile.. do some fishen, growen and think on it for a bit. I was in the Canadian military for 2 years long ago.
It was not all bad, but would never wish that again.
D.

[IceIceBaBy]

Nimb,

i realize this is the object of a military...i was just thinking about it from a "job" point of view. i mean here i am 21 years old working to get a degree in business, when who knows if i will even be able to use it with the US in such crap economy wise. "Business" is not like Nursing where you finish a degree and you get a job as a nurse and your set. the main reason i was thinking of the military was b/c it would give me a set path, whatever that may be.

i am far from a killer, by any means...i am a herb loving, peaceful young man looking for purpose. you are correct though, the military is all about breaking you down and building you back up the way THEY see fit. i have family and friends who are involved in it. Maybe this is not the best answer for me. Still, i am having a hard time figuring out what is. I dont want to sit back and watch my life pass me by without doing anything meaningful...


D,

thanks man, Canada would be awesome. i am a true outdoors man and would love it up there. i have visited a few times, just to Quebec and Montreal. I'm sure i would enjoy it. I am just in a phase of my life where i don't know where to go or what to do after this schooling...


Thank you both for the input. It has given me much to think about, and i doubt i will be rushing into any drastic decisions. Sucks thinking about all this....


Ice

[freetolive]

If you do decide to do it....go with the Air Force. If a job and education is the main goal then that is the place to go. From what I hear...boot camp is a cake walk and its geared for education. They are central comand to the military branches. They are the core of research and development of technology. Peace.

[justplainbill]

Of course I am going to recommend the Corps. I needed the structure as I was 17 years old going in the wrong direction. The corps took the place of my parents in my later teen years. I had a chance to go to electronics school but more school was not my idea of being in the Marines. The Marines now are much different than the Marines 40 years ago. Second choice would be to agree with fields that the Air Force would be an excellent option. They give you the best chance of surviving in one piece.

WB456

It was where my tokin started LOL. They put me in a position to consume mass quantities of goood Vietnamese weed.

[DieAbetic]

Here's my little input, and I hope it does not offend any military people here....this is just from personal experience/research

First of all, the ROTC program in most colleges that goes into officer training for the Army is pretty good and they will pay you a decent amount to do it, I have several friends that have capitalized on this. How ever with the Army you also have to deal with the basic and grunt work (unless you skip it for Officer training). I had two friends leave the Army to find a different military branch because they "could not stand the incompetence of people in basic/lower level positions" (a quote from that person, not my personal experience). The Navy it seems gets stuck out at sea for a long time, and has limited times at ports for family/friends (although all these branches can/will take you away from family/friends alot). Navy guys are a big problem where I live at Bars/Dance clubs, so maybe I just have a bad image of them. Marines have a very tough course, but they are very good and lots of cool stuff to do. Air Force has an easy basic training, lots of new technology, and you get to fly stuff. My friend works for the Coast Guard and hates it, but thats all I really know about that area.

Personally I would choose Air Force or National Guard if I could. The officer training through school will put you in a good job at a higher level than the grunts. And as long as you are in good health (not like me the diabetic), in the Air Force you can fly REALLY fast planes (which sounds awesome to me).

Just my two cents

[Capt america]

OH ICE! Im in the US Army have been my whole adult life! First off you must not smoke any more weed once your in! That out of the way ask your self do I want to be a bad ass> If yes then.... I can only recommend the 75th Ranger REGT! Its all that I know and I love it. I can promise you push ups, torment, No sleep, no food, deprovation of every type! But IF you are truely bad ass you will learn to get past all that wich does not matter and get over any of lifes obsticals and be a succesfull person in life you will aceive all of your personal goals in life. Do you think jumping out of air planes is cool? Or sliding down a rope out of a black hawk helicopter into battle? Would you like to go to foregn countrys like germany tailand and sleep with there hot women, who back on your block can do that ? Make friends with new people you would other wise never meet? And the greatest gift of all confronting our nations enimys looking them right in the eye and killing them! Will it be hard and will it suck? Yes! But nothing worth having is given away for free. Come join us we will change you but in the end you will be forged in fire and hard as ****ing inconel! If you love s, recoiless rifles, sniper rifles, we are your place! If you want the oppertunity to choak out a navy seal I will give it to you! I dont know about the airforce,coast guard,navy I do like the corp but there funding gets sucked up by the navy and you wont get airborn school, or ranger school or get to shoot any cool weapons like the javlen missle. We in the 75th here have a huge bugit we shoot non stop we train more and harder than any other unit in the mil first to get the newest weapons and gear. We will not fail you and if you decied to do some thing else after your first enlstment your past with us garuntees your suscess! I know these are some of the toughest choices you can make but you will not miss out on any thing back home. It will all be there just as it was nothing will have changed but you! Just make shure you get and AIRBORNE RIP CONTRACT. ANY FURTHER QESTIONS PM ME!

[justplainbill]

HAHAHAHAHA! Capt, you are gonna scare these peaceniks. HAHAHAHAAHA.
wb

[Nimbliez]

hehehe ya notice the emoticon waving the flag doesn't have a weapon? And the one holding the weapon has horns? There is wisdom in that post.

Nim

[Capt america]

So Ice have you given any thought of shedding your comfort zone?

[Pappy]

OOO RAHHH!!

There has been some good advice, here. IMHO, if you are bound and determined to enlist in the military, I recommend the Marines. Whether as enlisted or officer. After the initial contract, you can move around from branch to branch, without going through each service's basic training. My brother spent 4 years in the Marines, then, 20 years in the Army. When he joined the Army, all he had to do was spend a couple of weeks at Fort Riley, Kansas for a little Army history and procedure classes.

I had a buddy in the Marines who started in the Corps, then, Army, Navy, then, back in the Corps.

No matter what service you may decide on, you will have memories and stories for the rest of your life. I remember details of boot camp, when I can't remember what I had for breakfast, yesterday.

Good luck, and may your decision be the right one for you.

Pappy

[jonnyappleweed]

How about the PEACE CORPS,you wont get brainwashed,but you might still get shot at.You'll get to travel the world(stay away from the middle east)and earn a pay check while helping people in 3rd world countries.They will need IT people,I hear they want to set up wireless internet in developing countries.
Just don't sign on with BLACKWATER Security Systems...LOL
Peace

Peace

[Capt america]

Yea go shovel poop ditches and build churches for ungratefull africans! Hook up wireless internet in Sudan that will fix the world! ALL RIGHT!!!!!NOT!!! If want to help join the Army dont be scared Im not so brain washed Im on this sight right? Look if you dont like the mil fine you dont have to join why? Because of brain washed people like me doing it for you! I noticed you wrote your disrespectfull rant in English not Russin or Aribic. No one will show up to your house and kill you and your family for being so smug. Do you know why? I guess not. Sleep well under the blanket of security I provide for you and thank you for your ignorant coments about the military I must be doing my job for you to be so misinformed and ablivious!

[freetolive]

Freedom?

[ileso]

freedom to do as your told

[ileso]

very few people today can be considered free and most of those that are live in very remote areas of the world...

[bigred4life]

I could go into this, VERY into this, but I wont, just be glad your not like christians in Iraq, weve came across quite a few heads that wanted to be different from muslims, and when say heads, I mean heads on the streets rolling around, we do have freedom, a whole lot more then other countries, I try to always remember be thankful for what you have, because you could have it so much worse.

[freetolive]

Your right ileso...I forgot we were only to exist to the point of how the governing body deems fit! Still like to think I could speak my mind!

[freetolive]

Could be worst or it could be better...I like to improve things not make worst. If you haven't noticed we are losing more freedoms with every passing election...