In 1958 I had just graduated from High School in my remote little town in Wyoming. I was working a series of dirty-work temporary labor jobs, not getting anywhere at all , employment was hard to come by at that time. In early August I was working a ranch outside of town a few miles, putting up loose hay the old fashioned way with an overshot stacker. Hot, heavy work, in addition to working with the damnest bunch of ignoramuses you would ever not want to meet, alcoholic bums every one. By about the 4th day I was convinced there must be some better way to get through life.

They sent me into town with the ranch pickup truck to get parts or something. As I was exiting the store, I met up with the Air Force Recruiter whom I had met several times in High School. "Hi, Jerry, how ya doing? Want to join the Air Force today?" " I sure do, sign me up".

He followed me back to the ranch where I dropped off the truck and the parts, got in his car and never looked back, was at the Denver AFEES in about a week and off to Lackland.

Sometime now I drive by that same ranch, doesn't look much different, always makes me break out in a smile as I keep on down the road.

You poor, poor man.

I feel sorry for ya!

I slipped off a ladder and cracked bones in both heels in August 1967. I had already received a draft notice after flunking out of engineering school. When I showed up to board the bus to Army boot camp on crutches, they refused to take me. "Go home and heal up!" By late December I had managed to get a waiver for a reckless driving conviction and join the Air Force. ("Project 100,000") Ended up staying in for 8 years, lots of it in SE Asia.
Jerry

1970, senior in college, fresh out of deferments, 1st draft lottery, very low number. What hurt was my older brother drew a very high number...and he only had 1 leg.

Similar story, different part of the country. 1956, no good jobs available after high school. Choice was go to college if you could afford it, or enlist. Besides, military service was still respected, and a young man was expected to serve his country.

Just turned 17, graduated from HS on June 25, in the USAF two days later, along with three classmates. Can still remember the Norman Rockwell scene at the train depot about 4:30 am. The first time I ever kissed my girlfriend in front of my parents. Three day trip to Texas, several days without a change of clothes or shower. Basic training was a mixed experience, but you never forget it.

I have seen my AFSC (specialty) referred to as elite, but we never thought of ourselves that way and we sure as hell weren't treated as such. Never got above E-3 even though doing an E-5 job, so said "fuggit" and got out after serving every day of my four year enlistment. Missed Korea and Vietnam, so I guess I was lucky.

Some of my fellow airmen in my AFSC weren't so fortunate. Shot down over Soviet Armenia 2 Sept 1958. Families kept in the dark and lied to for 39 years. Cold War my ass.

Paul

Sitting behind a desk one morning after a good bong rip, enjoying a cup of coffee and said f it.

DCC what’s his name signed me up....... he was on his twilight tour and was cool and funny as heck.
He told me McDonald’s and bowling alleys were on aircraft carriers!🤣

He bought me a beer after I almost pissed myself laughing.

Dec 14th,1999, Great Lakes was my new home........

Best mistake I ever made.....

I graduated HS in 83, was working for Dad in the Salvage. I had it pretty good. Cars to work on and play with, a very nice and quick 72 Monte Carlo, guns and hunting, every thing a guy in his late teens could want.
Then I fell in love. I figured the military would give us a pretty good start, so I joined the Army.
Went through basic at Ft Sill, AIT as a wheeled vehicle mechanic at APG MD, and the two of us ended up at Ft Lewis WA.
It wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed, but I couldn't wait to get back to Pennsylvania and home. I got out in 89.
The only regret is that she didn't stick it out, she split shortly after the boy started his life, but I've got a better life and a better wife now.
I can only say that God's been looking after me. I never had to get shot at or endure long absences from home.
I don't know that I'd do it again for a million bucks, but I wouldn't trade the experience or the friends for ten million either.
7mm

Nothing Special.... grew up in a military household, Dad gad retired from serving 26 years as a Full Colonel...

it was expected....i kinda pissed off much of the family, after getting accepted the AF Academy my senior year in high school,
wanting to be a pilot, but my eye sight wasn't good enough.. so they were trying to put me in the missile program... no thank you..

went to college putting myself thru it, got a job in sales after college, was busy making $30K a year, which wasn't bad for 1975..
I was good at it... yet I still had a draft deferment from 1972...

so I left that behind for $400 a month...

based on two incidents while college, coming across two serious accidents, I had two people who died in my arms, and I didn't have a clue on how to try and save their lives....so instead of taking a commission I was being offered.. I went enlisted, and took 91B and 91C MOSs..... after getting off active duty, worked as a paramedic and obtained my RN license based off my Military Training...got married, migrated back into sales, as I could make more money and was good at it...later got into Medical Sales and did REAL good at that...so the military indirectly gave me what my career became....

Undergrad degree of pre law, didn't really get used, as I decided not to go to law school...

Aww no ones likes lawyers anyway....growing up in DC area, everybody and their brother was an attorney...

My old man was the local army recruiter .We got into a typical argument you know father and teenage know it all son!Firgured I,d show him,went down an joined the USMC,LOL that pissed him off alright.Nam 69-70 Joke was on me

$320 in '67 if memory serves...And free room and board...(laughing)

Tried to enlist in all 5 branches of the Military. My flat feet were a no-go in 1976.

This is an excerpt from an autobiography I am writing to leave for my kids . . . "My Heroes were Soldiers and Aviators"

In June of 1972, one year removed from my failed attempt at college, the first turning point in my life, the so called “door of opportunity,” met me at the gas pumps in the form of a Marine Staff Sergeant recruiter, whose office, I later learned, was right up the street on Pennsylvania Ave. across from Penn Square Mall. He would stop by the station periodically to fill up his olive-green government vehicle. He always looked impressive in his dress blue trousers with the red stripe down the leg, and the khaki short-sleeved shirt with the three stripes up, crossed rifles, and a single rocker below; a chest full of ribbons from his tours in Vietnam, and a spiffy and tightly stretched white barracks cap with the spit-shined bill. His black laced shoes were also brilliantly spit-shined. He always made me feel good as he would strike up a conversation about any news of the day.

It was during one of these conversations, when out of the blue, he asked me, “Have you ever given any thought to joining the Marines.”

I must have gone into a trance, momentarily, as my mind flashed back to a conversation I had had with my dad my senior year of high school. I vividly remember sitting on his bed, at home, and he was asking me if I had given any thought to what I wanted to do after graduating from high school. Of course, being a total dumb ass, I had not given that question the time of day. . .

I was too busy playing high school basketball and golf, and hunting and fishing in my spare time, outside of working for Bud at the gas station. My dad had even provided a very nice car for me to drive, starting the second semester of my junior year in high school, a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, which I bought from him in 1983, and still own to this day, show room condition.

Well my dad was a very humble and patient man. He reminds me of the Bible’s description of the mighty man Moses “who was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) He also had the “patience of Job.” (James 5:11) He was the youngest of five siblings (two brothers and two sisters) who grew up during the Great Depression on his father’s farm near Foyle Oklahoma. He was the only sibling to graduate from college (Tulsa University) though his oldest brother Muriel attended Oklahoma A&M for a couple of years, before moving to California to seek his fortune. His other brother, June, stayed on the farm and worked in Claremore as a machinist, and his two married sisters helped him financially along the way to his Accounting degree. Dad met mom, before the war, and they were married shortly thereafter. Mom worked as a business secretary while dad completed college. After school, dad got a job with an oil company, Deep Rock, in Tulsa, then moved to Oklahoma City when Deep Rock was bought out by Kerr McGee. He finished his working career in Oklahoma City, as an officer of Kerr McGee, rising to the position of Financial Vice President and Assistant Secretary. We lost mom to cancer on 6 November 1968. I was at basketball practice in the 10th grade at John Marshall High School in Oklahoma City, when one of my uncles came in to the gym. I remember being in the locker room when he broke the news to me that my mom had passed away that afternoon. Mom had been very active as the Membership Chairman of the Oklahoma City Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Council, as well as an active teacher at the Wilshire Blvd church of Christ in Oklahoma City, and other volunteer groups associated with Oklahoma Christian College. Dad was a Deacon and an Elder in the church, and she met all the qualifications of a faithful wife (I Tim 3:11). I was told there were 400 cars in mom’s funeral procession from the church building to the cemetery, where she is buried next to my dad. That is a tribute to and evidence of how she was loved by so many. . .

My dad then asked me if I had ever thought about going to college.
“Duh . . .Nope,” was my insolent reply.
“Well,” he said, “have you ever thought about joining the military?”

(Now this, coming from my dad, who was part of the Greatest Generation and had gone off to fight the Japs in New Guinea, this must have sounded very logical to him.)

But to his dumb ass son, who replied . . . “Dad, I would never join the military!” . . . he must have been really proud of me. . .

My memory continued fast rewind to the early 1960s, where I clearly remember sitting at the breakfast table while my dad was reading the newspaper. The fighting in Vietnam was starting to heat up and I remember my dad stating, “Why don’t they just send in the Marines and get this over with?” Coming from an Army soldier, that reference to the Marine Corps had been filed away in my brain housing group for years, and when that Staff Sergeant asked me if I had ever considered joining the Marines, I replied, “Sure! I would be interested in that.”

The Marine Recruiter also asked me what I would like to do in the Marines. In another Nano-second, my mind drifted to visions of my childhood bedroom with dozens of plastic war-fighting airplanes hanging from the ceiling.

“I would like to be a pilot,” I enthusiastically replied.

Now the enlisted recruiter began to play me like a Stradivarius, and sounded impressed when he asked me if I knew that to be a pilot in the Marines, I would have to become a commissioned officer first. Now I was really starting to become enthusiastic.

“That sounds exactly like what I want to do,” I replied.

As I finished filling his tank, and was hanging up the nozzle, the Staff Sergeant leaned in with a smile on his face and asked one final question, which would seal the deal . . . “Now you know that to become a commissioned officer you have to have a college degree, right? Where did you get your degree?”

I was crushed. I had just flunked out of college after one semester, and now I was going to have to embarrass myself and admit my short comings to this sharp looking Marine Staff Sergeant who was trying to help me out of this career I was in, pumping gas. “Do you have a college degree?” he asked again, feigning hope.

“Well, no I don’t have a college degree, but I have attended college,” I meekly replied while looking at the ground.

“You have been to college?” he asked rhetorically, as if he had found a long-lost university scholar.

“Do I have a great idea for you,” he continued, with a broad smile on his face.

He now set the hook hard and started reeling me in.

“I can get you in as an enlisted Marine, then we can get you enrolled in a program where the Marine Corps will pay for your college degree while you remain on active duty, drawing full pay and benefits, and then when you graduate you will be commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and then off to flight school and those wings of gold. How does that sound?”

Well my mind was racing with the possibilities. I gushed out that it sounded great.

The recruiter then told me some of the details of the current “deal” the Marines were offering to recruits like me. “We have the Combat Arms Enlistment Program, where you sign up for four years in either Infantry, Artillery, or Tanks and Amphibious Tractors and,” he emphasized, “we will pay you a cash bonus of $1,500.”

He, invited me to come down to his office that same afternoon, after I got off work. I was thinking, do I need to run this by my parents first? But I was 19-years old and living on my own. I made my own decisions. So at quitting time, 4:00 pm, I drove up the street a couple of miles to his office.

When I walked in there was an Army guy and a Navy guy who walked out of their offices and started fighting over me.

“Leave him alone,” a loud and gruff voice shouted, “He’s mine!” The Staff Sergeant walked out of his office with a big smile, and stuck out his hand. I gave him a firm hand shake, just like my dad taught me, “Don’t hand someone a dead fish when you shake their hand.”

I now had to make up my mind which segment of the Combat Arms Program for which I wanted to sign up. I first stated I liked Artillery the best. I asked the recruiter what I needed to know to be an artilleryman. He asked me if I was good in math and geometry. Well, the last geometry class I had was in the 10th grade, and I didn’t do so well. I then said tanks or amphibious tractors sound next best. He told me the story of how it works in real life. Tankers get up later than the infantry, and eat a leisurely breakfast, while the infantry is marching to the field in the dark . . . “long road, dusty road!”

Once it is light, the tankers man up their tanks and head off down the road to the field. Along the way they pass the infantry, who is still trudging along . . . “long road, dusty road!”

The tankers drive around all day, shooting their cannon and their machine guns, then head back to the base. The infantry starts back as well . . . “long road dusty road!”

“Now here is where it gets interesting,” the recruiter told me. When the tankers get back, for every hour they put on their tanks, they have to spend an hour of maintenance. So they are still working on their tanks till well after dark, and into the night. On the other hand, the infantry, when they get back to the barracks, clean their rifles, clean their bodies, get dressed, then out on liberty where all the pretty girls are waiting for them.”

“I’ll take the infantry,” I quickly replied.

Well one thing led to another, and about two weeks later I ended up standing on the yellow footprints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego on June 29, 1972.

The Vietnam war raged on, and little did I know that I was about to go through one of the most important learning periods of my life, as the Drill Instructors and others prepared us to go off to war and fight the “gooks,” those sub-human communist devils who needed to be totally destroyed, for the good of mankind. We were training to become “Hard chargin’ – low crawlin’ – steel case hardened – spring loaded – highly motivated and roguishly handsome – U. S. Soldiers of the Sea – Combat Marines!”

I became a man at MCRD San Diego. I also began to shave. I got in the best physical shape of my life, learned to sing Jodie’s about killing communist gooks, learned weaponry and marksmanship, like never before, with the Springfield Armory M-14 and the Model 1911 .45ACP. I personally fired virtually every handheld and crew served weapon in the Marine Corps inventory, including the M-72 LAW anti-tank shoulder fired weapon, the M-60 7.62mm crew-fired machine gun, the M79 40x46mm grenade launcher, and the M2 Browning .50 cal machine gun. I learned how to kill an enemy soldier with my bare hands, how to kill him with my K-bar knife, and how to thrust him through with my bayonet, or break his jaw with the butt stock of my rifle. I learned how to save myself and my platoon’s ass with a “Final Protective Fire,” which I first heard of from the fascinating Marine Corps history classes, and which had saved the outnumbered Marines fighting thousands of marauding and advancing Chinese soldiers in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900.

Enlistment my ass, I got the invitation in the mail. GD

Why do you want to know??
Did you serve? What is your story??

They called it the draft. Letter came, I went! Nothing special.

Did not enjoy my first quarter of college and my grades reflected that. Figured the best way to beat the draft was to join and have small choice of specialty. Was sworn in about the time that the Tet offensive started. There were 7 enlistees in my BT company which were assigned to a platoon of NG/ER wankers. That included a defensive lineman from the NY Giants and a college track star. The draftees made up the Texas platoon and the Cajun platoon. And the leftovers from both states formed the 4th platoon. They were quite entertaining.

Dunno why they picked on Texas and Louisiana like that.

Did you see jnyork's display line at the bottom of his post? Career USAF, six stripes, medals which appear to include the Distinguished Flying Cross to the left.

He doesn't need to explain himself to anybody. He just asked a simple friendly question of his fellow vets.

Paul

Was majoring in skiing and coeds at UC Boulder in 1966 and was afraid I'd miss my chance at war so I enlisted. Got what I signed up for and have been missing the rush ever since. My military experience opened a lot of doors and led to self knowledge that resulted in a fulfilling career and a pretty good life.


mike r

Mike, I was at CU the same time as you, but I was already a vet and 10 years out of high school, married. Graduated in 1969.

Called it the Berkeley of the Rockies, and it is probably worse today.

Paul

When my HS senior year started, my dad asked me when I was going to take the SAT's. Told him I was not. Told him college would be a waste of time and money, would have just chased girls and drank beer.

He told me since I wasnt going to college, when I graduated HS, the front door only opened one way. Out. So you better come up with a plan.

Enlisted. Took a bunch of night school when I was in. Got out, finished college. Went to flight school.

And I still chased lots of girls and drank lots of beer in college.

I just learned to prioritize my time.

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.

Graduated HS June 65. Finished freshman semester of JUCO with a .033 GPA. they were drafting us at 19 Yrs. 2 Mos. Having always been fond of the Navy uniform, I went to the local recruiter and asked about being a Pharmacist Mate. Was informed that they were now known as Hospital Corpsmen. He guaranteed me Hospital Corps. school if I'd enlist. That summer, at Great Lakes Hospital Corps School, they fell us out in "dungarees" and we headed for the ravines. I asked a buddy, "What the hell are we doing out in the woods carrying medical bags"? He told me that we were practicing for when we went with the USMC into combat. At that very moment, my life changed forever. I had no idea that USN Corpsmen took care of Marines. Went with the grunts, did my tour, came back unventilated. Praise the Lord!

I finished my freshman year in college, was running out of money so decided to work for my grandfathers tool and die company for the summer then back to the fall semester. This was "67 the war was taking a toll on my fellow West Virginians so having lost two good friends in my HS
grad class in less than six months I felt the need to enlist choosing the USAF. Since I had a Ham radio license, built my own equipment I was fairly sure the AF would place me in the electronics career field..Close but not a home run .My neighbor at the time { Cross Lanes WV which BTW is a stones throw from where "Dave in WV" resides today } was an AF recruiter which made it more than easy to sign on the dotted.

So after testing high in electronics and mechanical off to Lackland for basic then grad orders to Lowry AFB Denver for the weapons career field..After 16 weeks in the "Black Shack" my first assignment was to Eglin AFB Ft.Walton Beach Florida In "AF Systems Command " which was right up my alley since we were R&D" ing new updated fire control hardware for the upcoming C-130 gunship program which was still in its infancy.

Having settled into my new job for only months orders came for the "4th SOS " and AC-47 aircrew gunnery so I volunteered figuring several of my squadron mates were going to SEA anyway....Then a few brief weeks of training on the gun ranges, off to SERE Spec Ops survival and then to the war,,Home base was PhuCat AFB from '69 & '70 where ET and I crossed paths one evening..The rest is history, another deployment later to Osan,Kunsan Korea then finished my enlistment here at Offutt AFB Omaha Ne.

Mine is simple. I was a few month's from HS graduation. My parents asked me what I was going to do after HS. I said I want to go to college. They said "how are you going to pay for if?" . My parents signed so I could join while I was still 17.

I graduated from high school in May of '66... My father was in the Navy in WWII and asked if I wanted to join.. Met the recruiter, signed up, and in Oct. of '66 I was at boot camp in San Diego.. Best thing I ever did.. Got everything requested; subs, torpedo rating, and duty on the west coast.. Only dumbass thing I did was get out when my time was up.. Should have stayed in...

draftee type here, july 1970 -may 1972. did get some gi bill bennies for the effort.

sworn in with all kinds of people in atlanta at the induction center.

basic on tank hill at fort jackson, columbia, south carolina.

time spent ojt, at the hood, in a medical battalion.

got out and never looked back.

no ng for me after that.

e-1 thru e-5 softstripe.

ga. has pretty women, and so does texas.

I was 1973 and I was working in a tire shop making $2.00 an hour. A buddy was meeting with a recruiter and wanted to know if I wanted to go along. I said yes. 10 days later I was at Ft. Leonard Wood. Then to MP school. I was stationed in Texas and Alaska. I did 3 years active duty. When I got out I joined the National Guard for 1 year. I was out for 8 years and rejoined the National Guard. This time I was a helicopter mechanic. It turned out to be 20 great years. I just wish I were 19 so I could do it again.

kwg

Graduated HS in 1971. Slim picking on jobs where I lived so went in the USAF in August. Did 21 years and retired when I was 39 in 1992. Turns out it was the smartest career move I ever made. A decent pension every month for the last 27 years and basically free medical until I die.

Thank all of you for your service!!!!

Graduated high school, working in a machine shop,, for a year,
Got a draft notice-- joined the Navy.

Pretty much the same story here. The mines and steel mills around here in west/central PA were toast by the early 80's. And I had no idea that there were grants and loans available to go to college, I can never remember one time they were mentioned while I was in high school. Military seemed like the logical choice when I graduated so I did a four year hitch, got out and put myself through college and stayed in the reserves till I finished school. Don't know if I'd change it if I could but I sure had some great times, met a ton of great people and saw many places around the world while enlisted.

1957 - I was a Senior. An Air Force recruiter gave his presentation and since I had no immediate goal in life, nor money for college, I enlisted with a deferred enlistment until after graduation, a week after graduation I was in San Antonio at Lackland AFB "enjoying" the part the recruiter failed to mention.

Enlisting was the smartest thing I ever did - the skills I learned set me down the path to my life long career in the aerospace field, lots of travel, good pay, and good retirement, it gave me opportunities to experience places things I did not even dream of when I enlisted. Not a bad outcome for a kid who didn't know what he was going to do with his life.

drover

Born and raised in Texas; Tried to get my folks to sign for me in 1970 ( was a Jr in HS) figured I would get my GED later (if I lived over it). They refused. Graduated the following year, 1971, was 1A, of course. The Draft had been put on "Hold", no one knew how long. You couldn't get a job outside of Roughnecking in oilfields. Pretty dangerous themselves and dead end jobs at that. I went to Draft Board and asked, again, about volunteering for the Draft. They said I couldn't volunteer for the "Draft", as it was On Hold and no one knew how long it would be on hold, said it could be a year to 10! I had no money for college, you couldn't 'borrow" money for college, and you sure couldn't get in either the Guard or the Reserves, they were full up! I didn't 'really want" 3 yrs from an enlistment, asked if they had a 2 yr volunteer option. They said I could "just Volunteer for 2 years". I said " I thought that's what I just asked about"?...should have been my first clue about the Army! ha. So me and 2 of my buddies ( who had quit HS a year earlier, drop outs but we grew up together) we drove to Beaumont , spoke with Army Recruiter, went through Houston for physicals, etc and sworn in..

Flew on my first plane to Ft Leonard Wood ( Ft Polk was 90 miles away but I had grew up in same kind of terrain/mosquitos, no thanks) we had asked for MO. August in MO...hot dog. They split us up after boot camp. One was sent to Ft Sam Houston, SanTone to be a Medic. The other to Ft Benning, Helicopter Mechanic. Good training for good civilian Trades! Me? HS graduate? Artillery. Combat Arms Unit, ha. Ft. Sill, after Cannon Cocking School, (early Dec, 71) received Alert Orders for Nam. Sat around 10 days pulling doo-doo details...Nixon had just started pulling troops out of Nam, so was retrained there at Ft Sill for Field Artillery Mechanic ( hydraulic/electrics on the big 175s, M109 155s and 8 inch, all track vehicles) Sent to Germany.

Got there in Augsburg, an 8 inch Unit, and was informed that I was NOW going to be in Fire Direction Center ( I was never in a Company of more than 100 men. Very short handed then). Had 30 days with 8hr days of Classroom, 3 hrs a night homework/reading/study before going tot he field. Served 6 mos. with that then was asked to replace the Parts Clerk who had burned out on drugs, discharged. Finished my tour there. ( had some run ins with Terrorism via Baader-Meinhoff Gang blowing up GI clubs, Black September killed the Israeli Team at the '72 Olympics ( we had tickets as we were only 45 minutes away, but we got stuck on Guard Duty!) top it all off, we Whites/Chicanos were about 30% of the Battalion population, compared to Blacks/PRs (who wanted to BE Black) so we had reverse discrimination/race war) When I had a yr left there and asked to be transferred to Viet Nam. Was told that there was a 2 yr waiting list of whites/Chicanos who wanted to go to Nam just to leave Germany! Said only way he could send me to Nam was to take a burst of 3 yr re-enlistment and if I lived over the year in Nam, I would be sent right back to Germany, as we were under-strength! I waited, went home to Texas in '73. Served another 3 yrs in Texas Natl Guard and one year in Army Reserves.

I had 2 relatives killed in Nam earlier ('65 and '67), and over 100 friends and acquaintances killed or shot up in Nam, some years before me, some a little while before me and some during my little jaunt in Germany with -40 Below Winters and fighting New York/Chicago/San Juan Angry negros! The only thing I regret was not volunteering for Nam after AIT, by any means. At least I could have killed Commies in Nam, not just "tried to survive being killed" by my "Fellow Americans" in the 'so called safe" European Tour" ( they always had knives) and ran in groups of 10-15 at night. If you got caught by yourself, it was shame on you time! If you got in a fight during the day (all the Lifers except one NCO left at 5PM!) with a Black/PR "you" got the Article 15 by the "Very Accommodating Lifers". They ( Blacks/PRs) would not let you live in Peace, were always getting in your face, stealing your stuff, cutting in Chow line, etc. When you came in from the Field during training, there would be no hot water for showers because the "Blood" they left in charge of that was doing drugs and didn't care to light the boilers! It was a Nightmare Trip, I have to say that...

When I graduated from High School in 1964 in Columbus MT I worked on the highway for the summer and then started business school in Denver CO. I basically drank beer and chased girls, and kind of attended school and worked until July 1966 when I received my 1A draft update. evidently the draft board heard that I no longer had a full-time draft deferment
I came home in July and went to Billings to see what was available in the military. I didn't care, but my mother didn't want me to get drafted. I listened to the recruiters and decided to join the Air Force. After several typical Air Force screw ups I signed up for real 6 months later. Then after my basic training and getting sent to several wrong schools, I finished C-130 Hercules school and got sent to South East Asia for the next 33 months straight. I kind of think they screwed up again, but, I got to see the world while I was there ----well anyway South Viet Nam almost every month and more exotic places like Thailand, South Korea. Japan. Okinawa Taiwan, Philippine Islands and---well that's it. I was told that I received the first consecutive overseas orders in PACAF . I made Ssgt under 4 years, and really wanted to go on to flight engineers school. I got sent to Dover Delaware for my last 6 months, and would have re-enlisted if they would have guaranteed me duty to go to Europe but the only thing they could guarantee was a nice cash -tax free, re-enlistment bonus and orders to Viet Nam again.
I decided to go home and have been there ever since..
I actually cherished my military service and would do it over again in a heart beat.
I thank each and every one of you guys for your service,
and apologize for boring you,
Ken

Mil family member history
Enlisted
76 Qt
121 gt
2 weeks later getting yelled at by a toliet bowl flush puerto Rican dud drill sgt at the reception center at Benning.
Learned about dumbass minorities those 1st couple days and way more about em the next 24 yrs.....

11x
OSUT
COHORT
Ft carson 1st duty station


Whatever..............
Different life ago july 12, 1983 to sept 01 2008
11 duty stations in 24 yrs
Fugg this planet.......
Now I'm nice and dont have ta enforce the last inch of u.s. foriegn policy anymore no matter who the commander in chief was that the dumbass citizens of this nation elected.
Bill Clinton..........

Got drafted in 1965, got me out of working in the oil fields in west Texas.
Spent 20 years in Army retired a W-3. Best thing that happened to me.

Had 4 years of college, and a degree.... but went enlisted....

so they gave me a bump, came in as an E 3 and made E 4 while in AIT. at Ft Sam.

side note, how many would do it all over again?

and how many who got out, would have stayed in longer if given the chance once again, with the hands of time turned back?

Myself, the only reason I didn't re enlist after my 6 year obligation, ( RIF had me rotated to the reserves) was I was sick of dealing with the imbeciles, that passed for Full Time Reservists, who ran our unit Monday thru Friday....people who couldn't hold a real job out in the real world....overweight fat asses also...always getting their physicals fudged and a profile for their annual physical fitness test...all were enlisted people....

last unit assigned to: 5501 General Hospital, Ft Snelling MN...

1972 last of the draftees. NO student deferment. Draft expired in 71 but they still held the draft, I was #38. In 72 Congress reinstated the draft but no student deferments. I enlisted 2 days prior to getting my draft notice while I was in college. There was a difference then, as draftees were called US and enlistees were RA. I had taken my pre induction physical in 71 and what I saw coming back in was scary. E5 had to have someone help him fill out his paperwork, as he could not do it himself. One knucklehead when they had us all face the wall and drop out underwear spread our cheeks apart had his fingers in his mouth spreading those cheeks and he was serious. All I could think about was these two would be walking behind me in Nam carrying a loaded M16. I went airborne and then Special Forces and spent 24 years.

Me and the Old Man did not see eye to eye on much of anything.I enlisted in the Navy with the promise that the day after High School graduation I would be in.I also wanted Submarines and that was in my contract.Spent 6 years on the old diesel sewer pipes and got out in time to go to a tech school where I had a different attitude and graduated with honors.Funny thing I was in the third year of my enlistment when I got a notice from the Draft board to report in.Never went.When I got out all my high school buddies who told me I was stupid for enlisting were now sweating the draft and going to Vietnam.

Graduated college in 1968 with a degree in Accounting, drafted 2 months later, did AIT at signal school, spent 13 months 6 days mostly in a com bunker in the central highlands, got an early out and never looked back.

We got our fire support from you. I left the Cha Rang valley June 28,1969.

Most likely was our tail number especially in '69 since we flew a ton of CAS around Qui Nhon inter-coastal regions,,

During my senior year in High School, knew my parents couldn't afford to send me to college. Also wasn't sure what I really want to specialize in, so figured the military would be a good place to start. During Small engine/Auto Mechanics classes my Junior and Senior years, found I had a knack for electronics. Wanted to work on aircraft or in the Nuclear field. The Navy said I didn't quite qualify for the nuke field, so the Air Force it was. Picked Navigational Aids Equipment Repairman AFSC 304X1, and did a delayed enlistment. About a month or two before I graduated the Navy sent me a letter informing me I now qualified for the Nuke field. but I stayed with the Air Force.

Went through Basic Fall of 1981 (first free time I had in basic, I saw the then new movie Stripes) and off to Keesler AFB (Biloxi MS). After the first 3 months of basic electronics I finally started training in my chosen career. Turns out that that NAVAIDS field is the ground based navigational aids, not the equipment on the aircraft. Right before I finished training, got orders to Guam. Being a kid from North Dakota, the thought of being trapped on a small Island didn't appeal to me, so I traded assignments with someone from MS that was supposed to go to Mt Home ID.

Did 3 years there, but was being pushed down by a couple higher ranking, more dominant techs so filled out my dream sheet. There are 8 slots and I only could come up with 7 places in Europe that I wanted to go to, So filled the last spot in with Korea. Around 3 months later I got assigned to Korea and got to spend 3 more months in MS at a specialized tech school for the LORAN system. Since I volunteered my tour was 1 year, but ended up enjoying so much I ended up extending 2 extra tours. I was located at a remote site and there was only 25 of us there. Except for the shift work, I really enjoyed my time there. Time to go back, and some joker assigned me back to within 70 miles of home. I was wanting to go back to the mountain states, not the flatlands.

Most of the time I was borderline with the weight requirements. They started offering paid separations and I was only half way to a retirement, so figured take the money and run. About 3 month after separating I got a phone call from the FAA. Basically I would be doing the same thing I did in the military, with higher pay, and I got to pick what I wanted to wear. It worked out that the mistake I made in picking a job, turned out to be a blessing. So it's 38 years later from when I enlisted and I reached retirement age 3 months ago. I plan to go 6 more years to 62 for an extra .1 percent per year on my pension (1.1 x years instead of 1 x years). As long as the Gov't doesn't collapse, between the pension, social security, and savings I should be able to retire comfortably.