Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire would you encourage a young person to join the military?what branch?why?

So we should encourage old weak American males? Or young weak American females?

Do you feel that way because you were a "young (weak) American male" or because you weren't?

Thankyou all,except the knuckleheads (you know who you are)

I know this kid pretty well,he is sharp as a razor and a heck of a football player,doesn't want college but that may change as he get's older.

I think it would be a waste to have him manning a post in the desert,but he's going to do what he want's to do.
I will have him talk with Navy,Coast Guard,and Air Force people I know(no disrespect to the Army or Marines)and I will tell him to talk to all the recruiters to find his niche.

OOHRAH!Devil Dog's!
Beat Army!
Beat Navy!
Go AF!
Anchors away!(I don't know a CG battle cry)
I don't know why but I have alot friends who are Vet's,and I thank them for thier service all the time.

probably i had a choice. to move to Canada, or do my duty, and build time in the US Army. i chose the Army solution, and did very well. i was asked to remain and re=up. No way, Hosea.

the folks i dealt with were first-class. Nothing negative to say about the Lifers. they were well-intentioned.

Vietnam is long past, except for those who still live the horror.

Young men (and women) who choose to volunteer are just that. Volunteers.

Young Men and Women, about 18 or so, are highly vulnerable. to take advantage of their vulnerability is EVIL. can anyone spell evil, or should we go on telling the youngsters that their decisions are very worthy?? what to do with the youngsters? Isn't that always the challenge??

No more solicitation of recruits, without a counter point, is std issue, right?

My son being in the military is far from my first choice... but I would encourage him to have the same attitude that I did, when a military obligation loomed in front of me during the late Vietnam War....

The branch is not as important, as much as what you do with it once in...

I went into the military after college...Vietnam had just ended the previous year, but I still had a deferred draft obligation...

I didn't consider the Marine Corp.. because I consider the Marines as the best.. and lacking no self confidence, I looked at it as I was still not good enough to be a Marine....

so my goal was what I considered second best at the time... Special Forces, US Army....I grew up around Green Berets from 14 to 18 yrs old, as a military dependent. We had a batch of them that were advisors to our Scout Explorer Post.. former Eagle Scouts, not really that much older than we were, but ALL with Nam Combat time...

When I went in 1976, I went in with the Reserves.. and applied and got excepted for the Army's Longest Medical Course: 91 C
It was a year long and they normally graduated about 15 to 20% of the starting class... my aptitude test scores were 147 out of 160 max...

My goal was to get and receive all the medical training that I could receive... so that I had that when I ended up in a combat zone..

I also applied and was allowed to attend the 300 F med course for Green Berets...

My plans afterwards to go active and join the Green Berets and get jump qualified, and also cross trained as a small weapons specialist..

Right before I ETSed back to the Reserves, I had the opportunity to do so, with both the Green Berets and the Rangers at Ft Lewis, both offering me a double jump in Rank, if I would just sign up...

Like a Friggin Moron, I balked, because I had decided I want to go to Physician Assistance School instead, and move to Montana or Alaska after graduating...

I ended up in MN in the Guard, and had the opportunity once again and signed up for the schools to be part of Green Beret Reserve Unit...well now being married, I fell on the wrong side of the funding issues.. and my request for Jump School and GB training was denied...

I applied several more times before finally just getting out in 1983..Nothing was happening world wide, so the money was just not being allocated....
I look at it as a opportunity, that I stupidly let slip thru my hands...

and if my son finds himself with a military obligation, my recommendations would be exactly what I tried to do and should have done...

I probably would have gone reserve status, but I wish I would have been able to serve my country during the Gulf War in 91..

and if I was a younger man now, I would have volunteered to serve it in Afghanistan...

If I would have used my head and stayed with it... I would probably be some of grissled first sgt with some guard unit...

I regret not staying with the Reserves all of those years..

I really wish the US Military mirrored the Swiss Army.. where everyone from aged 18 to 60 is a Reserve Soldier...

Not only would we have a stronger country, we'd have a lot less Juevenile Delinquents, and our society wouldn't be full of such pussies and wimps...

If I could go back into the Reserves now and still do nothing more than work in the Hospitals as a corpman, supporting our guys coming back from the Mid East.. I'd darn sure do that in a heart beat...

it definitely isn't the money.. it is serving your country.. and the even greater honor being in the medical corp, of serving those who have put their asses on the firing line... and have paid a physical price in doing so......

To me, regardless of one's accomplishments in life.. no greater honor can a young man embrace than doning a uniform and serving this country.....

Liberals don't get it... soldier don't serve this country to kill...
they serve this country to protect.....

to protect and preserve everything those liberals abuse or neglect or take for granted...

because someone else paid the price for them...

My Grandson wants to join after Graduation this Spring.I put 6 years in The Navy and think The Service makes a young man grow.How ever,I am trying to talk him out of doing it under Obamas administration.I have even offered him assistance finacially to go continue his education.I hope I can make him understand why it would not be good to serve under a President who is trying to tear down out Country.

I was a 91C also. You forgot to mention the co-ed barracks and nurses.

Only for tittless WAFS........................................

It's an interesting thread. The vast majority are supportive of the young man joining the service and I count myself among them. The you have the predictable Barak trotting out the even more predictable Fred Reed as people that, as usual, bring nothing but noise and no signal to the issue (and I have no idea WTF Gus is taling about). You also have some people that want to ensure you know what your getting into, I'll add my voice to theirs.

I loved the Navy I joined in 1985 and do not miss the Navy I retired from in 2007. That being said I heard the same thing from my seniors when I was an Ensign. The military changes with the winds of politics and 99% of the time it is not better for the mission. Unfortunately that won't change.

With regard to service selection there is no easy answer. Each service is a wide variety of personalities, roles, and cultures. It's easy to mock the chair force but I would say a USAF Para Rescue is the quite the equal of any of the other special force in discipline and training for their role but bears little resemblance to the USAF E-3 serving in a staff position at DFAS. Each of the services has similar dichotomies across their disciplines.

That being said, there are some generalities that can be made. The USAF is generally highly specialized among their NEC equivalents. You are extremely well trained on a particular aspect of your job and you will be darn sure of what you are doing because of that training. The Navy/USMC does a very good job with training, particularly in the technical tasks and you will often get the opportunity to get more training to specialize a bit more but you will often be placed in positions that require initiative and learning on your own to cover the much broader tasks you may face. An example is back when the USAF flew the EF-111 and we flew the EA-6B. My Aviation Electronic Technicians were responsible for every box in the jet including the ALQ-99 and HARM missile systems where the USAF techs were each specialized in the radios, the jamming transmitters etc. They were actually admitted they were quite bored. My AT's may have been something but they weren't bored . I also believe we give our junior sailors, often starting at the E-3 level more opportunity to start to learn leadership. So, I'm really only qualified to comment on the air side of the Navy/Marine team vs the USAF and there is no doubt that the USAF provides a much more stable homelife and a well defined career path and they do have some really great hunting and fishing bases (no minor matter!) compared to the Navy at times but I believe a career in the Navy (as I said the air side anyway) would have a more maturing role than the USAF.

You also need to be aware that with the military is now often a blended team and just because you are a USAF member you are just as likely to end up with a tour in some garden spot. One of my coworkers, a Navy Reserve 0-6, former submarine officer just returned from a 12 month savings plan in Iraq. My Cousin, a Navy Reserve Aviation Bosun mate Chief got back in time for deer season last year from spending a year there leading a mixed service team running refueling and rearming services at a forward operating location. If you're in the CG you may well end up doing customs or port security work in Basra.

So, I'll come down on the plus side and say that military service can be a great experience and regardless of what they choose, will be a defining time of their life. While I do not believe that we should have a national draft, I do believe that when we did it was a defining and joining common experience among males. It's a shame we lost that experience.

To close on a lighter note I always enjoyed this little story on the differences between the the USAF and the USN.

USN or USAF? by Bob Norris
Bob Norris is a former Naval aviator who also did a 3 year exchange tour flying the F-15 Eagle. He is now an accomplished author of entertaining books about US Naval Aviation including "Check Six" and "Fly-Off". Check out his web site at his web site. Click Here. In response to a letter from an aspiring fighter pilot on which military academy to attend, Bob replied with the following.

12 Feb 04

Young Man,

Congratulations on your selection to both the Naval and Air Force Academies. Your goal of becoming a fighter pilot is impressive and a fine way to serve your country. As you requested, I'd be happy to share some insight into which service would be the best choice. Each service has a distinctly different culture. You need to ask yourself "Which one am I more likely to thrive in?"

USAF Snapshot: The USAF is exceptionally well organized and well run. Their training programs are terrific. All pilots are groomed to meet high standards for knowledge and professionalism. Their aircraft are top-notch and extremely well maintained. Their facilities are excellent. Their enlisted personnel are the brightest and the best trained. The USAF is homogenous and macro. No matter where you go, you'll know what to expect, what is expected of you, and you'll be given the training & tools you need to meet those expectations. You will never be put in a situation over your head. Over a 20-year career, you will be home for most important family events. Your Mom would want you to be an Air Force pilot...so would your wife. Your Dad would want your sister to marry one.


Navy Snapshot: Aviators are part of the Navy, but so are Black shoes (surface warfare) and bubble heads (submariners). Furthermore, the Navy is split into two distinctly different Fleets (West and East Coast). The Navy is heterogeneous and micro. Your squadron is your home; it may be great, average, or awful. A squadron can go from one extreme to the other before you know it. You will spend months preparing for cruise and months on cruise. The quality of the aircraft varies directly with the availability of parts. Senior Navy enlisted are salt of the earth; you'll be proud if you earn their respect. Junior enlisted vary from terrific to the troubled kid the judge made join the service. You will be given the opportunity to lead these people during your career; you will be humbled and get your hands dirty. The quality of your training will vary and sometimes you will be over your head. You will miss many important family events. There will be long stretches of tedious duty aboard ship. You will fly in very bad weather and/or at night and you will be scared many times. You will fly with legends in the Navy and they will kick your ass until you become a lethal force. And some days - when the scheduling Gods have smiled upon you - your jet will catapult into a glorious morning over a far-away sea and you will be drop-jawed that someone would pay you to do it. The hottest girl in the bar wants to meet the Naval Aviator. That bar is in Singapore.

Bottom line, son, if you gotta ask...pack warm & good luck in Colorado.

Banzai

PS Air Force pilots wear scarves and iron their flight suits.

well, we've got the pro-military here, and we've got the others.
nothing wrong with being militaristic if one is looking for a regular check and security.

on the other hand, if there's not an enemy set to kill you, why be there?

the folks i worked with, good people, were all Lifers. Know what Lifer means, anyone??

it's a job, nothing more, nothing less.

if you need a job, and can't find one in the private sector, then join the Military. Draftees are there too. so, don't discount them.

Bear,

I was a long course charlie.... not the short course...

I did mine at Madigan...

As far as co-ed barracks and nurses.. we had no co ed barracks...

plus our fannies were on duty from 5 am to about 1 am 5 days a week...

we started out with 7 guys and 93 women...
that sounds great for anyone .. until they been one of 7 guys around 93 women!
surrounded by conversations about kids, periods, best dance clubs, and what docs were HOT.... you'd only stay sane if you were gay... ( and I wasn't)....

despite that, it was still a heck of a lot better being student status in the army, that the five years of college I had previously completed...

between all the food in the hospital.. and then the first sgt over at the Rondo Pit ( chow hall open from 8 PM to 8AM) thinking we were Doctors from talking all that medical stuff...you couldn't beat the eats...

you can't beat the Army Medical Corp for training, unless you were strictly a 91 Bandaid..

course you know that stuff...

I'll have to disagree. I'd recommend the navy Seabees. I used to be one stationed in Morocco & at NAS Corpus Christi. My time in the Seabees is still shaping my ethics today.

I musta worked with Oscar Madison's cause the pilots and WSO's I worked with didn't iron their flight suits. You were lucky if they got the German mustard cleaned off.

Like saluting, the scarves are a throw back to the first pilots with open cockpits. I still have my squadron scarf from the 26 TRS, a pilot gave me.

GFAC's and ETAC's are two more Air Force AFSC's along with CSAR's that will match Marines for cahones, not to forget Weasel, Warthog, Spectre drivers on the pilot side. If you don't have brass ones, you don't want those jobs.

Gus, you're attitude is exactly the same as the best man I know, my father. He served in the USN during WWII, where he was a gunner on a destroyer. He discouraged me from joining the armed forces, making me the only male in the family ,in three generations, that didn't. I regret that I didn't. That said, I don't doubt that his sacrafice to his country had some part in making him a great man. I suspect the same of you.

"so my goal was what I considered second best at the time... Special Forces, US Army...."

I have a hard time figuring out who Army Special Forces is "second best" behind. There are some other special operating forces that are now more high speed, but NONE of the conventional forces of ANY of the services are better than Army SF.

Expat

My son was in the AF Security Forces. He had a beer at an off base party at the age of 20 yrs and 10 months. He was asked by his Commanding Officer if he was at the party. He answered in the affirmative. The 2nd question was "Ya don't want to lawyer up do ya?" The answer was " no Sir". He was then asked if he had anything to drink. He replied " I had a beer". The end result was a ban on driving on base for 1 year for a party he walked to. Oh, can't drive you can't do your job. Can't do your job we will get you out. He was given a general discharge with honorable conditions when all of his reviews had been exceptional up to that point. This happened in 2006. His take on things is "That's what honesty and integrity get's you in today's military".
Your mileage may vary but expect him to get lied to by his recruiter and others. I would advise anyone with any gumption at all to look elsewhere. Obviously your mileage is different than mine.

some of us males have to get pretty old, or long in the tooth to talk about our youth.

nothin' wrong with defending our livable space. but, when it comes time to follow, mindlessly, the current politicians in office, it becomes a bit more problematic. Johnson wanted guns & butter both, a great society and the war in se asia. what a joke. and he ruined, yes, ruined many lives because of it. i'm still mad as Hell over it. but, 40 years later, i can see that some folks wants to make the military their career. No problem. we need dedicated folk.

but, we don't need to pressure young men and women into uniform. it should be a purely voluntary experience. Nothing else.

Yes, the military does help young men and women to mature. Of course, they're going to mature anyways, sooner or later.

May the God of all be on our side.

"Can't speak about the US Army, but without reservation, the Marines is the only way to go if he actually wants to be part of an armed force and a warrior ethic. jorge"

That Warrior ethic definitely still exists in the Army's combat arms occupational skills and its brigade combat teams. And that ethic is intensified in the BCTs of such divisions of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and others such as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Infantry divisions.

Expat

Joe: When did you leave the Service? IF it was prior to say, 1996, it's a different world. Hell I JUST left it! jorge

Spoken like a true patriot. Now I will give you the perspective as the father of a wayward youth. My son (18) needs to go. Not all of them do. But mine does. He needs adventure, responsibility and freedom. He also needs structure and direction. He wants to be Marine. I'll support anything he want's to do that is honorable.