Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire OK, vets, let's hear your enlistment story

Signed up on delayed enlistment in March '75.......went active August '75. Spent 4 years in the USAF as a firefighter.

Showed up at AFEES Oakland on the designated day in Sept. '68. The Army was running the show, but they knew the Marines were looking for a few good men and decided I fit the bill. I was at MCRD San Diego by midnight. The rest is history.

Semper Fi

1988, after seriously messing up a semester of college, and realizing I had no self discipline, I decided I needed to get some. Having had a lifelong interest in things military, I decided to join the national guard and leverage my enlistment into a commission. I joined up on 1 April 1988, with either a vicious hangover or still drunk, not sure which. 5 weeks later I was off to Fort Leonard Wood to go through basic (C/3/10). my next semester at school, I bumped a lackluster GPA to a 3.7, so I guess I got what I needed. Next june I'll retire after 32 years in uniform.

Old70

My dad was a graduate from the eng. school. I remember arriving the 1st day and the athletes dorm had a beer machine, only Coors 3.2, and a cigarette machine w/ Zig Zags.. I soon gave up wrestling for climbing and spent most days in Eldorado Canyon, AKA Vodka Valley. I spent many an evening at Tulagis and never missed nickel beer night at the Sink. Good prep, I was the fittest guy in jump school.



mike r

1972, dropped out of High School. Working at a gas station. 17, realized I was on the wrong road. Enlisted in the Navy. Graduated from Boot Camp and on leave got my GED. Finished High School a year before my classmates. Sent to Vietnam, no regrets at all. Received my draft notice on the USS Flint in the Tonkin Gulf. Number 71..

The military makes it a small world.

Helo pilot was embarked on my ship......

I ran into him at o dark thirty while I was checking out the RAST.......

We played ball together going up....

That's the way I remember it (E4?)...but I was in punkins with an additional 20 bucks or so proficiency pay. It beat cutting slash in a hi-lead unit with a Homelite.

Combat pay for Vietnam.. An extra $75. A lot of money for an E3. If I remember correctly, $375 per month.

That’s what I got x2 a month

My story is similar to several here. January 1972, starting my second sophomore semester in college, time to choose a major but still had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. 19 years of age but emotionally still about 12 or 13. Figured the military might make a man of me and if I totally screwed up I still had a place to sleep and food to eat. Plus I grew up on WWII films and had always thought the military was a rite of passage for a young man. Went to the recruiter's office, he offered several MOS's but to me at that time Army = Infantry so just said I wanted to be in the US Army Infantry and the next day was on the bus to Ft. Jackson.

At that time you could join for two years and go where they sent you, which was still likely to be RVN for infantry (half of our AIT company was sent there) or join for three and pick your duty station. Had no desire to see the end of a war it was obvious we weren't fighting to win and had taken German in high school so I took three and Germany. Spent a pretty good two and a half years in West Berlin watching the Russians watch us. Came out at age 22 with some self-discipline and emotional maturity (as much as any 22 year old can have ), plus memories of the tightest friends I'd ever had so all in all it was a good decision.

After two mediocre semesters in college, in 1969, I got the draft notice. Went to see the Army recruiter the day before I took the bus to Nashville for the physical. He asked what I wanted to do in the Army. I told him OCS. He told me I needed two years of college to qualify to go to OCS (an untruth), but I could go to flight school warrant officer program. Told him I wasn't interested. As we boarded the bus he said "Why don't you take the written test for flight school while you're there." So, I did and scored very high. When I got off the bus when we came back, he handed me a piece of paper. I asked what it was and he said orders for basic training and infantry AIT at Ft. Campbell, leaving the next day at 0600. Whoa, let's talk about this. I told him I wouldn't show up. He said he would send the sheriff to get me (a truth those days in the rural south). So, I signed a flight school contract so I could get a week before I shipped out. Finished flight school in Sep '70, now a WO1, and was in RVN on 30 Sep '70. Flew scouts for B Troop 1/9 Cav. Had orders for the 82d Airborne coming back from RVN. When I got to Oakland they told me I could ETS if I wanted to, but I wisely chose to stay in and retired in '97 as a Light Colonel.

Dad was a mustang officer in the AF. 21 years.
I knew I wanted military by the time I was in 10th grade.
By my senior year I was a frothing-at-the-mouth gun nut.
Talked to Army, USMC and AF recruiters, none could guarantee me working with guns.
Talked to the Navy recruiter, said, "Me want guns."
He said "You're our boy!"
1976. Turned 18 in boot camp.
Gunner's mate for four years, worked on 5"54 gun mounts and was ship's armorer on two destroyers.

???

Haha!

Teasing ya for leaving the farm.

I always had an interest in all things military since I was old enough to walk and talk. A lot of that interest probably came from seeing scenes from Vietnam on the evening news during the late 60s through early 70s. College was out of reach by the time I graduated HS in the early 80s and the military became a real option. The unions destroyed what was left of the coal industry in WV by that time so there were no job opportunities.

I enlisted in the Army less than a year out of HS just to get the hell out of there. It was turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I spent 8 1/2 years on active duty. Ft. Wainwright, AK was my last assignment and within a year of arriving, I realized I had come home. The Army gave me a foundation and tools which led to a pretty successful career with all but a short stint with a road system agency, done in the bush with craploads hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities.

Graduated HS in 79 in Minot ND. My Step dad was USAF based at Minot AFB. Being a Canadian citizen but US Mil Dep I could join the US military no problem. I knew I was joining up but didn't know which side of the border. I was well aware of the reputation Canadian soldiers had for kicking azz with minimal equip so, I flipped a coin, best 2 outta 3 decided my future. Served almost 27 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Medic on Army (Field Amb, Infantry and Tanks) and Air Force bases as a Flight Medic. Retired in 2006.

I was 31 years old, single, bored with my job, and wanted a change of geography. It was the height of the Iraq war so I got an age waiver and went to Marine OCS. I was almost 10 years older than most of the other candidates. I met my wife and was married within a year of commissioning. I stayed in 9 years, then got out. I don't regret any of it....going in or getting out, or getting married. Now I work for myself and I'm living the dream.

U.S Army recruiting has said people join because of a dramatic event has occurred in their life. Most say dramatic? No one died? The Army views boredom on a job, no career progression as a dramatic event. For the majority of you this holds true. Like all of you I grew tired of my job, no pay raise in 3yrs, every year the lay-off word came up due to budget cuts. So at the ripe old age of 24 I joined in 1998. Joined as 63B shipped out to Ft Sill for basic, then to Ft Jackson. Ft Lewis first duty assignment followed by Ft Huachuca, Fort Richardson, Fort Carson, South Korea finally back to Fort Richardson. My retirement is at HRC waiting on approval. Come 1 August next year this ol worn out mule will retire with 22yrs.

I joined on my twenty ninth birthday. I had always wanted to joined but hesitated leaving a pleasant life. I was helping out at my Dad's printing shop but wanted more. I helped raise my nephews until my brother got out of the Navy. Feeling like I was Goerge Bailey from "It's a Wondeful Life" I joined the Army as an 11X and made it into the Rangers on 2 Dec 89. We were in Panama on the 19th.

At Basic my First Sergeant and Senior Drill Sergeant were Vietnam Vets. They did their best to ensure we would fight, win, and survive. I sit here typing because of men like them. God Bless You All.

1981 - Post Vietnam, Post Iran Hostages, A year in college - didn't flunk out - I made GREAT grades - 5 year Master's Program, Electronic Engineering University of Florida and decided I couldn't do 4 more year of class/school. Not sure what I wanted to be, so I finished my term and joined, 31V (Commo) 82nd Airborne! 2 years later,, flight school, flying AH-1s Cobras in Alaska, then AH-64 Apaches in Georgia, Korea, Iraq,
retired and miss it.