16 year old, who has questions about the Military, and needs help figuring out his future....

reply to post by LandonFromKY

i agree w/the guy who suggested ROTC. it'll give you a chance to feel things out and decide if it's for you or not. if you are looking for a job helping people, maybe try the peace corps?

You need to get that brainwashing out of your head. Watch some real war documentaries and see what it's really like. Films like: Restreop, Body Of War, Standard Operating Procedure, The Tillman Story, The Iraq War Diaries. Or a film called Valley of Ellah atleast. Joining the military doesn't make you a hero, being a hero does. Invading a country thousands of miles away doesn't make you a freedom fighter, just a pawn in foreign policy. I was in the military, it's not cub scouts. Remember when you sign up, you can't get out, if you smoke a puff of marijuana and they find out, you're done, you lose everything. They piss test constantly. The Army has more troops than any branch in the military. The Marines take whatever low IQ score you got. You are literally willing to get paid something around $14,000 a year to go to work for 4 years to get shot at. If it comes down to it, join the Air Force or Navy, don't try and be some John Wayne Rombo, cause this is real life. You could be in Iraq for 1 day and come back in a body bag or worse, in a wheelchair with an inflatable penis.

First of all respect to author for having such clear mind at that age (most 16 year old think about alcohol, drugs and ass)

Coming from family where army is normal thing in male life and where you have family celebration when someone gives oath to army; maybe i'm not neutral in my views but i'll give you my opinion....

There are lots of pro and cons when considering joining the army.

Let's look at pro's:

Army will offer some things in those young age that you will not believe.

In short time you will boost physically and what is more important mentally. Mental strength, morale, toughness, sense of loyalty and friendship, self preservation... Speaking for myself - couple of strongest friendship emotions that i felt were in the army days.

I'm not sure but i think you can pay college with you earnings from army (we can here but U.S. is expensive so...)

You will see many countries wich you can only dream now. See the world. I wish i had a life chance to serve on one of U.S Navy mighty kick-ass big bad m*******g aircraft carriers with all those weaponry.

Now comes one big BUT:

You will see death if you go to a real warzone - war looks like this:
Dead man and women, dead children, your best friends dead on your hands or missing a hand or a leg. You will see mass graves, ethnic cleansing, people tortured, killed and thrown in holes, raping. Maybe you will loose a leg - consider that.
Coming from worst war in Europe since WW2 believe me when i describe war scenes.

My advice would be very simple: you seem bright young man so decide this yourself. Don't listen to the family whatever they say.
If you have money for college , hmh, rather go and study - education is most important thing in life. If you want to earn it - go to army travel the world few years and go back and study.

Good luck whatever you decide for your future

I forgot - proud to be ex Infantry unit. Maybe we are canon fodder but we are brave and fearless.
Had some instructors from US. Great people and excellent soldiers. Big HELLO to them and US Army!

reply to post by LandonFromKY


All i would like to stress OP, is that this is the worst reason for joining, I can understand what you are talking about, when i play call of duty or watch a good war film, it makes me really want to join the military also, If you want to join the military, let it be your own choice, 100% do not let it be influenced by an event, i.e a terrorist attack, how do you know it was a terorist attack if one were to happen ? how do you know whoever you will be sent to fight are in anyway related to the so called 'terrorists' ? you dont & as a grunt in the military will never be told the bigger picture, need to know basis, They will lie and manipulate you to get you to do the dirty work.

I myself am very tempted to go and join the military, But as others have said i dont want to make a career out of it, in the sense of doing it for the next 5+ years i would think i would only want to do 1/2 tours, But again, this is because i have been interested in the military and weaponry since i was a young child, iam not considering joining if a 'terrorist attack' were to happen, please dont take it the wrong way, but i believe that to be an immature opinion & it does reflect your age, i would say see how you feel when your 18 & i cant stress enough, to make it 100% your choice if you do or do not enlist, do not let outside influence come into your decision making.

In the meantime if you were to wait till you are abit older, i would get working out hardcore & since your in the US get some guns and get practicing your shooting for yourself, i would certainly get exercising though, that will be the main thing that would give you a good advantage, dont underestimate how hard the training will be & arrive prepared, besides, who doesnt want to be fit and hench ? Good luck on your journey OP.

Maxiumum respect to you young sir.

Judging by your post, it would seem to me that you do not have the maturity to join the military.

Your reasoning is that previous family members had served. But that doesn't mean you have to. Make your own path in life.

Call of Duty? That's very embarrassing. If you think that is accurate to a real combat scenario you are delusional. It's just pixels on a screen. It can't get across how you would feel if your friend next to you has his leg blown off or is shot through the head and your spattered with his blood and brains.

I'm 18 and in the same boat, tempted to join because I'm born in a poor family with military background, I promise you I've played more Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Battlefield, Counter-Strike, & Team Fortress [LOL,1550 hours exactly in the past few years for team fortress alone] so I understand the urge to join because of that, But it is also a propaganda tool, big time. The LEAST coolest thing to do in the real world is suddenly SO DAMN FUN when you have zero risk at all to your own well being.

So what I've been thinking is to join the air force and pilot one of those unmanned aircraft vehicles, with the giant camera that spies on people, i think they put rockets on some of them now too. I figure that is the closest thing to playing a video game and gathering real live intelligence on your enemy that could save lives.

Also the main thing is im broke, It's just me and my mom and she has a 9.50 an hour job, I dropped out because my old friends we're hardcore druggies and alcoholics. Now I have little to zero social life, no girlfriend, no best friend, just memories of friends at 18...

But i'm not stupid, I can build a computer myself without help, and I learn really fast. I got my GED now, to join the air force you need a diploma though, BUT you can join if you turn your GED into a diploma by going to college and getting 15 credits.

But, thanks to this damn website I've lost most if not all of the nationalism or pride in my country. So Im stuck just like the OP

Most of you are going to disagree with me!! In UK its called the Ministry of Defence - how is entering and sustaining war defence. May I suggest most of you start to become more "self" aware and if you think you are the chances are you haven't got a clue. If you want to join the forces you are allowing yourself to be "controlled" - you are not fighting for freedom or democracy! True freedom fighters believe in love, peace and NO violence, killing of innocents, death or destruction. Try asking your "self" what you really want to do and really believe - not what your parents or grandparents or great grandparents did.

reply to post by LandonFromKY


Don't join any military unless you want to be guilty.

Anyone on this forum that wants to join the army is in the wrong forum. We talk about how corrupt governments are and how they use the lower classes as fighting cattle for their prefered wars and their interests here you guys are talking about serving.

Don't be ignorant and don't join the army.

reply to post by LandonFromKY


this has probably been said, but if your joining the army to fight whoever did 9/11 then your joining the enemy my man... you need to do some research on 9/11 - it was carried out by and is perpetuated by the very people you wish to serve and die for. That was the point of it, and it looks like it worked!

don't do it, you will regret it

Well I was in for just over 9 years, so let me throw in my 2 cents. First. If your goal is to avoid combat, then don't join the military at all. Period. In these troubled times, you're probably going to see some form of combat. War games, and war movies are serious propaganda devices. Real war is not an action movie, it's a horror film. That being said, I am still proud to have served. If you decide you're going to join, do alot of research, you've got time. Don't believe a single word out of a recruiter's mouth. They will push a shortage MOS like it's the best job in the world, when in reality it's a shortage MOS for a reason, like it sucks. LoL. Think about what you want to do in the civilian world, then find out the military equivalent and go that route. Before you even join, they're going to have you take a test, and based on that test, they will offer you different jobs. In the Army it's based off you GT (general technical) Score. You should know the job you want to do, by the military nomenclature, before you decide on one, because they will lie, lie, lie. For example, I was 93F in the Army, that's a weatherman. Sounds nice, eh? And when I go to the field I'm protected by an entire infantry unit! Translation, I'm infantry. And my life expectancy is less than a minute after we release the weather balloon. Damn recruiters. LoL. If you plan on getting college, and you have the money to do so, then I recommend doing that first, so that you can go in as an Officer. The difference in treatment, and pay, is ridiculous. If you don't have money for college, the military offers very good college funds. I was Army, and the GI Bill was pretty darn nice, let me tell you. My personal opinion on the different branches are, from best to worst, Air Force-Navy-Army-Marines. Not bashing on any branch, it's just the quality of life. You wanna go hard core, by all means go Marines, but be prepared for a world of pain, because those guys don't play around. LoL. Most importantly, remember that this isn't like any other job you've had. Say my boss tells me to clean a toilet, and I'm not going to do it. In the civilian world, the worst case scenario is I quit or get fired. In the military, you go to jail, get demoted, take a cut in pay, get sentenced to hard labor or any/all of the above. You really are their property. I actually had people get in trouble for getting a sunburn, destruction of government property. Seriously. Lastly, sign up for the shortest amount of time you can, probably 3 years. If you don't like it, suck it up for 3 years, and get out. If you do like it, well you can always re-enlist. Luck to you brother.

I am a Mum to 2 sons and the army did presentations at their schools when each respectively reached 15 . It was glamorourised apparently, with pictures of foreign places, pleasant camps in great locations, tanks rolling along, target practice. the food looked great and it emphasised the terrific comaraderie within each unit . When I asked if he had seen anything about a battle scene he said the nurses looked lovely so there was no downside to the presentation,

For some unknown reason (no unknown with me technical aptitude) I had taped the wrong programme but what I had taped was about rehabilitation in the Services and it showed a number of people and the injuries they had suffered. These went from land mines to being shot. Some of it was horrific and heartbreaking.

I sat him down and made him watch this because for me this was reality and he needed to know this side to make an informed decision. Ok you might get one of the safer jobs but you could still be hurt in the street if abroad and those safer jobs are fewer than the ones for the cannon fodder they really want.

On the good side you can get training but is it the exceptional ones only? That selection you find out only once you're in, not before. It might be a good idea for many people because they thrive under such a structured regime, especially if you come from a military family and know about the moving around and life style. You must accept taking orders to.

On the bad side in Britain we have had newly recruited youngsters commit suicide, the odd (probably) accidental murder because of military-style bullying. Many men when they leave the army can't adapt to civvy life of the new found responsibility of dealing with everything for themselves, they become tramps and you see them marching along the side of the road. Also its only recently that our Government has actually even started to talk about and look at the circumstances of our military when they are useless to the Force. This history of disregarding people who have risked their lives in their military career goes back in the UK as far as Elizabeth the 1st who 'cared not for the wounded after the Armada'.

Another problem with even a short term stint is that many people come out of the army having worked in an area that gives them nothing they can do in civilian life. They are I believe, helped with some training to adapt to life out of the force and to get a job, but how good, in reality it is and how many get good jobs you should check out
because here you have to pay for training courses over a certain age and without money and mid twenties upwards you are stuffed.

i

reply to post by LandonFromKY


Currently the need of military is rising and it MAY even save your life to be the guy with the gun at the end of the day. The reason I say that is because if there is a revolution (aka revolts and government challenging protests) which have already been happening due to rising food prices and other laws being passed that the people don't agree with and the military started to push the people around.. who would you rather be.. a sheep or someone with power.

Ponder this, you could make lifelong bonds and relationships. You could learn life skills and gain confidence. You could benefit from this greatly. Also on the other side of the fence, you could be captured, physically mentally abused, worked very hard, shot, wounded for life, killed, forced to go against your beliefs and even sacrificed with no just cause. You could watch your new friends die in front of you or seriously wounded. Being stressed out not knowing if you shot the right person did the right thing or if you missed and killed an innocent. This could mentally scar you with life changing experiences.

There is currently an order for October of this year, that 27,000 troops will be sent to war in Europe. If you want to see action and serve the governments needs then go for it. Just know because your serving your country its not always in the peoples interests. The government has its own agenda and your not defending your land if your going over seas to spill blood but your being a hired gun. A killer... so if you want to serve the front lines that's what you can face.

Others have pointed out different military positions you could take that would keep you out of major damage. Its something you got to think about long and hard. Just because your family has the history doesn't mean that its your future. I also have family that's served and I was also once considering this option to join the forces. I decided against it for the simple reason that I do not support the current wars and killings happening.

I do not believe in other countries coming into someone else's lands saying its justified because how the people in charge are running things. In the case should the world invade USA and take power because the government lies, cheats, steals, deceives and is treasonous. They soo are all of those things and way worse.. Not to mention the whole NWO b.s. Don't believe me? then you haven't been researching enough on this site. There is proof all around.

Good luck choosing whats best for you, but thats what you should be doing.. whats best for YOU. No one else.

I did my 4yrs in the Australian Army I don"t regret all of it

But if I knew then what I know now I would not have joined
I am in two minds about the Military these days they are needed when floods quakes and
every other disaster but to fight and kill other people is another thing

I feel ashamed that for a while there I was surrounded by and including myself. People
who wanted to do nothing more than go overseas and kill the first person you see with a weapon
they have there way to turn a peace full person like myself into
someone who had a thirst to take someones life

So if you do decide to join keep ya head down
stay safe and get the most skills for civi life out of them
trades/skills whatever you can milk it for what you can

peace out

If you're true peace-loving human being, your best choice is to join the military as intelligence or medic. Never get involved in planning or operating killing machines. A man using guns and bombs - no difference from animals.

All government leaders are corrupted in one way or another. Millions of soldiers became tools of politics. The blood of innocent civilians on their hands.

The past affects the present. The present affects the future. Our actions make a difference every second.

Originally posted by Zamini
reply to post by LandonFromKY

 

Don't join any military unless you want to be guilty...

....of rape and murder of innocence. In truth, it's one of the many design flaws of the military. They train you to be a primal killing animal and some(most) turn into monsters because of it.

The original poster is an obvious troll. Who comes to this site and asks for advice on military carreer? And later on starts flaming someone because he's Swiss?

Also I like how he covertly mentioned how Black Ops and movies like Jarhead make him want to go to war, portraying himself as an ignorant victim of the system that most of us despise so much.

OP's just kicking back and laughing..

reply to post by LandonFromKY


I served 4 years USN Dec 83 to Dec 87. I was an Operations Specialist, my personal advice is this.

-Go Navy or Airforce, get yourself into a technical or intelligence rating. I would steer clear of the Army and Marines, while they are honorable, the friends I have who went into those branches (especially Marines) came back "different" after boot camp and their tours. They lost a part of themselves in their training to kill.

-The military is a great opportunity to save money for education. If you plan correctly you can save a ton of cash, finish your tour, get on the GI bill and get yourself more education. With the leadership skills you learn in the service + some higher education you are in a sweet spot for employment.

-You could reverse this scenario. Do you colledge -first-and then join the military as an officer. Officers have higher responsibilites and even the lowest ranked officer outranks an enlisted (Not that an Ensign would dream of telling a Master Chief what to do).

-If you go Navy, get yourself onto a smaller ship, like a Frigate. You will get to do a lot more traveling and see more ports of call then if you were on a Aircraft carrier.

Take all this for what its worth, PM me if you have particular questions.

Originally posted by Zamini
reply to post by LandonFromKY

 

Don't join any military unless you want to be guilty.

And what's that supposed to mean??
I spent 4 years in the Army and I do not feel guilty whatsoever.

So go and take your idiotic comments elsewhere.

And to the op, do whatever feel like doing.
If you decide to go for it then go for it, if not then that's cool.

Originally posted by Envious

Originally posted by Zamini
reply to post by LandonFromKY

 

Don't join any military unless you want to be guilty...

....of rape and murder of innocence. In truth, it's one of the many design flaws of the military. They train you to be a primal killing animal and some(most) turn into monsters because of it.

Most become monsters, eh? That's pretty harsh. The problem isn't with the soldier, who is not a monster, it's with the wars. There used to be honor in war, now there are just politics, and money deals. Even the so called "freedom fighters" rarely fight for freedom.

I think what you may have been going for is this: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche