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

Reminds me of one of my co-workers. What's long, hard and full of seamen?

I've heard 'em all....all the buttons in the back jokes, seafood jokes, etc.

My Dad was a gunner in McArthur's fleet.

He lost some hearing....good man. And one hail of a generation.


I wonder what it would take for America to commit to victory like our parents did? In general, we've become puzzified......

You bet. The best man I know, bar none, and he lost all hearing.

If the kid isn't much for school, I'd say the military is a very viable option. Going to college now means 50-100K in debt easily, and no guarantee of a job when you graduate (especially for a lot of Arts & Sciences degrees). If you get a job straight out of high school, you're going to be someone's dog and probably not make a good dollar. Even in the trades more and more kids are doing the tech school route. If that isn't his cup 'o tea, let him sign up, just make sure he knows what he wants to do in the service.

This thread sort of makes me laugh because when I joined the Marine Corps I didn't say a word to anybody until I cleared MEPPS.

The look on my parent's face was priceless when I walked through the door (nobody knew where I'd been the past 16 hours) and told them I had joined the Marines!!!

My mom just looked terribly confused, and my dad looked like he had just won the lottery.

Who honestly gives a [bleep] what anybody thinks when they are that age? I will always encourage my kids to go to college, but in the end, they're gonna do what they feel they need to do.


Travis

Also, my best friend is an MP in the Marine reserves, along with another high school bud. The first enjoys it but hates the reserves, the second just hates it period, I think. Both wish they'd have done enlisted over reserves, FWIW.

My roommate and closest college bud did the Marine OCS the past two summers. He's graduating in May with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and wants to be commissioned in infantry or artillery. The other roommate will be graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering and I believe has signed the papers to do the Air Force, he wants to work on planes I guess. Lots of good opportunities in the military, I think the most important part with the present economy is job security.

Personally, I sometimes wish I'd have chose to do the military thing over college, though I'm at the point now where it's probably not for me.

Re-upping doesn't require "adapting". And adapting today means finding a decent job in an economy that's spitting out 500,000+ layoffs per month

Still,..you didn't address the issue of forced deployment of reservists who have already done one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Don't regret it Scorpion. College is a good thing and I'm sure you'll find you're way into what you want to do.

I loved the Marine Corps, but I had many close friends that only tolerated it.

BTW, reservists always regret not being active duty.


Travis

Bristoe,

There is NO doubt that many, many reservists are pissed about the constant deployment. But most active duty guys ("lifers") could give two schits about re-deployment. IME


Travis

Travis,

Thanks, I'm not overly worried about being unemployed after graduation, though the positions are definitely less than in the past since the economy sucks. If it gets turned around, there will be plenty of jobs in fixing the infrastructure. Only thing I regret is that the military would be much more exciting.

The Marines surely aren't for everyone, and I couldn't imagine liking the reserves much myself. I think it mainly bugs them because they kinda "live two lives" doing their civilian thing through the week, then drive 100 miles and play Marines for two days without getting much compensation for it.

Simply, no!

One thing that I haven't seen addressed, is that some men are just meant to be warriors. Thanks for your service.

First off, let me just say that all you guys who have served your country have my deepest respect, admiration, and thanks.

I can only boast that I am the first generation in 300 years of my family not to have served in a major conflict. My graduating class (1976) was one of only 2 years that didn't have to register for a draft. In most every one of these conflicts, I had kin on both sides:

WWI, WWII, US Civil War, American Revolution, 7 Year's War, Franco-Prussian War, etc.

Just with the German side of the family, we had:

1) A branch of the family who were conscripted and sent to America as mercenaries-- they defected to the Patriots at their first opportunity and got land in the NW Territory as a reward.
2) My Grandfather was in WWI from 1916 to the finish. The only reason he survived was because his head was too big to fit in a gas mask and kept being sent back to the rear.
3) His nephew was a fighter pilot on the Russian Front and was shot down in Soviet territory. He escaped, only to be shot by the Gestapo when he got back across the lines.
4) An attack of strep throat kept my father from going to Okinawa, where his unit was chewed up. He had to repeat basic training, and ended up being shipped to Korea for mop-up operations instead.

Therefore, my advice to my sons is this: If your country needs you, do not hesitate to serve and serve well. However, If you ever find yourself in uniform with a rifle in your hands, taking incoming fire from the enemy, you must assume that your career has taken a severe wrong turn. Plan accordingly.

I have encouraged my niece to join the Coast Gaurd.... One of the main reasons is that they tend to have more direct contact in "helping people in trouble" on a day in day out basis.... And you can point to one specific incident and say "I made a difference in that persons life" more easily than in some of the other armed forces....

. . oh, and one other thing. Dad and I were talking about this very subject the other day. Dad was proud to have served in WWII-- he's young enough that he might last to be the oldest survivor of that conflict. He says that's his goal.

When his first hitch ended, he was a Sargent in a peacetime army. He had the job of "Sparky" on M*A*S*H-- the guy Radar talked to back at battalion. His superiors kept strong-arming him to reenlist, and would not take no for an answer. Finally Dad told an officer where he could stick the re-enlistment bonus and got to go home.

If he had opted to stay in, he would have been 2 months shy of leaving when the communists overran the South. He would have ended up on the Pusan Perimeter and been kept in for the duration of the conflict.

GO ARMY! Perhaps the Army is getting soft but I was in from 87-92, did my turn in the big sandbox, got my trigger time and enjoyed the devil out of it. IF not for my wife, I would have been a lifer!

GO ARMY !!! Had a great time, met great people, learned a valuable skill and it was a life changing experience. My nephew
went Navy, went in as an immature kid, came back from the Gulf as a mature young man with clear goals and direction. His father was an Army Intel guy (MAJ), his other uncle is Army Infantry (CPT)and me the medical puke. He was well aware of the possibilities of deployment even though his recruiter told him his overseas duty would be Italy (we all laughed at this). His one disappointment as a Construction guy (don't think they call them Sea-Bees any more do they?) was that civilian contractors did all the constuction so they ran convoys through IED Alley.
He is hoping to be deployed to Afganistan next year and is all
fired up. Presidents come and go, they either respect the troops or they don't, but the charecter of our young men will
show through all the other BS and we should all be damn proud
that we played a part in developing that charecter.

I was Army too, from '02-06 and got out as an E-5. I joined when I was 18, didn't really live life up until then. It was the best decision that I have ever made, hands down.

The Army is not a bad organization, they actually impressed me a lot more than many places have since then. I was a 19K, combat tanker, and served in a support platoon, tank company, and a personnel section. I knew good and not-so-good people from pretty much every background. I served in Germany, Iraq, Korea, and Cali. A lot of memories and a lot of lessons that I still apply now.

IME the Army is a very professional and dedicated group of people. That picture of the incredibly fat Army soldier standing by the squared-away-looking Marine officer is not typical. I wasn't in lights-out shape, but I could pass my PT test and looked pretty reasonable. I can still run 6 miles and would probably smoke most of you in that distance. I still look like I did then, receding hairline notwithstanding.

I left the Army with about $40k saved up and a car, but there was so much that didn't show up in my account. I still won't pretend to be the most confident person in the world, or the most mature, or any nonsense like that, but the greatest risk is not taking one IMO...and I am so glad I did.