Any Military Guys Out There

[stpgh]

My son decided that he wants to join the Army before college. I am scared to death with the current state of our world right now. I do not know enough to help him with this and would like to make sure he gets the best situation possible. His test score was very high and they told him that he could choose his path to some extent. He wants to be a combat engineer and hopefully take college classes while there. Any of you military guys with advice would surely be appreciated.:confused:

[wezul]

You may want to try this group.

Here's the thread.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31332&highlight=served

Best of luck!

[PAULBACH]

He wants to be a combat engineer and hopefully take college classes while there.

My students used to ask questions about branches of the service.

Air Force - Most family friendly. Takes good care of its troops.
Navy - great adventure and life experience. But the old adage was if the Navy wanted you to have a family or a wife they would have put one in your seabag.
Marines best damn fighting force in the world. Glad they are on our side.
Army - Tough way to make a living. They earn every dollar they make.
Coast Guard - They go out in weather and rescue folks in conditions that are unimaginable. This branch rarely gets the credit it deserves.

[Belquar]

I value my military experience very highly. It paid for my college afterwards and was a great growing up period for me. Granted...there wasn't much going on while I was in the military and that has changed considerably but I still think it is a great choice for a young man or woman. Teaches a person a lot about what it takes to work with others, be a team, self discipline, etc. I would not trade it for the world.

Now....as for going for combat engineer....:sick.

Personal opinion on my part. I was a tanker. Which is pretty much becoming obsolete anymore but I went on plenty of details with the engineers and really had no desire to ever be an engineer. Every job comes with some form of scut work that no one wants to do, but the engineers seem to have more than their fair share. But to each their own.

I would explore all options. I could have done anything myself but chose combat arms because I wasn't looking for a vocational skill to use afterwards. But there are many many options that will pay dividends in the end with regards to skills.

I grew up. Got a lot of partying out of my system and when I went back to school got straight A's. A very good experience.

As far as danger goes....life is dangerous. We ride bikes despite the inherent risk. The military has risks. The civilian world has risks. They develop character.

Best of luck. And thanks to your son for choosing to protect our nation.

[Manfred]

As an Army brat who served on active duty as a Combat Engineer officer:

Air Force ain't really military :bolt

Not all Army MOSs are tough - combat arms tend to be, service support tend to not to be. Combat engineer can be lots of fun - much diversity in jobs and some good experience that can translate into civilian world; along with some (blowing stuff up) that doesn't transfer so well.

[PAGoldsby]

I tried to join the Air Force in 1983, and the Navy in 1984, but was not accepted because of some medical conditions. If your son is serious about military service, I would strongly encourage him (and you, together) to do a lot of research into various military careers in all the branches. Combat Engineer is a tough, tough, tough MOS, so I'd say that if that's something he's interested in, he's already aware that it's a challenge. Good for him!

The United States is blessed to have the strongest, best-trained, best-equipped fighting force in history - doubly so because it's an all volunteer armed force.

[r11rs94]

:usa I too decided to go to the military before going to college. Turns out to be the best decision of my life. I only planned on doing one tour then go to school. While in college I missed it so much I joined the Navy Reserve and retired 26 years later. Still not enough I joined the Army National Guard and retired from that in 2004. While I was in college after a tour in the Navy, I could not believe the attitude of the freshmen in my class, who were right out of high school, and though I was a few year older, I was light years ahead of them in discipline, organazinal skills, etc. I wish your son good luck in what ever he chooses. :thumb

[Motor31]

FWIW, just because a person goes into the Navy or Air Force doesn't mean they won't be patrolling on the ground with a rifle just like the Army and Marines do. I know a youngster who joined the Navy a bit over a year ago. He's now in Bagrahm Afghanistan doing route recon and patrol on the ground with a rifle. It's a bit outside of his aviation electronics skill set but they are using all services to fill gaps.

There is a lot of inter service rivalry that is posted here. There is something to consider about it. It's in fun and not serious. If any service member of any branch were in trouble in combat, all of them serving no matter what uniform, would do everything they could to help. We / they are all brothers in arms.

[147873]

My Dad was a Marine, a DI as a matter of fact, I wanted to follow in his shoes but couldn't be a MP at 18, so I went Army. Never regretted it at all.

When I retired in 2006, I went over to the sandbox as a Contractor and worked with the Army MP's. Funny thing is, I ran across a bunch of guys who were in while I was that made it a career. My CO was a full bird Colonel, it was good to see them.

My son decided at a young age that he wanted to give back to his country and joined the Army in 2006. He wanted to be a crew chief but his vision wouldn't let him. He decided to go Airborne Infantry. I went through the roof, how can you go from Aviation to Infantry. I remember when my Dad told me he didn't want me to go in and wasn't going to sign the dotted line. I told him OK, I'll wait a month until I'm 18 and I don't need anyone's signature, he signed. I knew my son wanted to go in, I knew that he was growing up and needed to start making his own decisions.

On New Years Day 2007, I was up at the FOB he was at. I was assigned to Baghdad. We were able to spend the day together after not seeing each other in 9 months. I can't explain how proud I was to see him. He was assigned to a great unit who were doing good things, and they took care of each other. These guys are my HERO'S

Today he started Special Forces selection, talk about worried, sure I am but more important, I'm just one proud Dad!!!!!!!:p :dance

I have a lot of friends who say that if there was one thing they could do over in life it would be to go back and join the military. I find this to be one of the biggest regrets of most adult males.

Every single one of us who went into the military are proud of what we did.

Tell your son that you love him and support his decision, it's an honor to serve one's country. Think of all of the freedoms we have, that's only because of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation and all of us. :usa

[AKBeemer]

I am a retired Infantry officer and the son of a career Army officer. Magilla says it well. It’s your son’s decision, but it is good that you are involved and that he apparently values your opinion. There are dangers, but he will mature and have a better idea of what his life’s path will be. My daughter is currently a Lieutenant in the US Army and I could not be prouder of her.

[ljjohns]

As a retired general who initially was only trying to mitigate the randomness of the draft by volunteering for enlistment, I would say that you should be aware of the fundamental principle that the military (all branches) writes its contracts to maximize the options of the service at the expense of the individual.

That having been said, my own experience was that things never worked out as I planned but, somehow, they worked out better because I was flexible.

Combat engineers do more combat than engineering: in my last assignment, I had to attend the funerals of seven of my engineers who died in combat (IEDs--detecting them) and not in what otherwise would be called engineering.

But if your son goes into the service without narrow expectations but instead sees it as a demanding playing field where he can learn a whole bunch of life skills (if he's willing to accept the occasional pain of stupid requirements and stupid people which are not predominant but ever possible) and be willing to explore the opportunities to "be all he can be" (an abandoned but still valid concept) it's a worthwhile venture.

Not sure any of this helps, but I do have the T-shirt.

Larry Johnson
El Paso

[stpgh]

I really appreciate all of the advice and information from all of the patriots who responded. If nothing else, some of the fear was replaced with pride in my sons' decision to serve.

[Seeker]

Served 4years in the Air Force( Firefighter).

( 2 ) things to think about.
learn something that you can do in the Private sector.
and not everyone in the military gets shot at.
there are a lot of people doing a lot of different jobs.

If I were a young man I would be looking for something that would get me a job in homeland security. Now there is an Organization with a bright future.

[jamesdunn]

My son decided that he wants to join the Army before college. I am scared to death with the current state of our world right now. I do not know enough to help him with this and would like to make sure he gets the best situation possible. His test score was very high and they told him that he could choose his path to some extent. He wants to be a combat engineer and hopefully take college classes while there. Any of you military guys with advice would surely be appreciated.:confused:

I am ex-military. The military will make promises to get you to enlist at the recruitment office that are not always kept. Remember the recruiters have quotas to meet. Does not mean he'll not get the situation he wants but it is a possibility he will not... "to some extent" is a red flag. Still, all may work out,... or not. He needs to be aware of the "or not". "Eyes wide open" is a useful phrase here.

I do not blame you for being scared for him, but there are a lot of positive aspects to the military and he may benefit hugely. I wish him well if he goes in and hope he receives the training he desires.

[108625]

stpgh,

I'm in a similar situation, my son is going through the process (ASVAB, MEPS, etc) now.
The difference is I only recently retired, having served in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. I know exactly what he could be getting into...and I support his decision 100%.
We all worry about our families, especially our children, being safe. We also worry about what kind of men and women they will turn out to be as adults. I can tell you, there were times I was really worried. But the measure of a man, in my mind, is how much is he willing to value other things, be they people or ideals, above his own personal interests. Once someone starts letting the scales tip that direction in their decision making process, it's like a major breakthrough in life; they finally get it.
It doesn't matter what branch our sons want to serve in; or what training they get.
What matters is that they're willing to do it in the first place.

:usa

[BuckeyeClark]

Right out of high school I went to the enlistment station and wanted to become a helicopter repairman. Figured it would help to train me in a vocation that could end up becoming lucrative once I was discharged. I was informed that I would have to wait for a year before a spot in the AIT school opened up for that MOS. So they gave me the catalog to look at and I came across a picture of an MP posing with his dog by his shiny patrol car. I eagerly accepted 95B (Military Police) as my new choice of MOS. First off, let me get one thing out of the way....the picture in the MOS catalog LIED!!!!!!!!!!!!! :laugh I never got a dog and my "shiny patrol car" turned out to be either a jeep or, while in Germany, a VW van!!! I absolutely hated every minute of my three years...or so I thought. Turns out, now that I look back on it 25 years later, I met a hell of a lot of good guys, and girls for that matter, and got to see parts of the world that I would have never had a chance to see without the Military Police corps and the United States Army. If I could do it all over again I would pick a different MOS; however, I think I would still sign on the dotted line. I grew up allot in those three years and truly believe that, without those years, I would not have had the maturity to make some of the better choices I have made over the last 25 years. I am proud that I did my stint for my country and you should be proud that your son wants to become part of the greatest military force on the planet.:usa

[Motor31]

As has already been alluded to, in the Military you are not guaranteed to get your first choice of careers. You may not get even in the top 5. Unlike College you are joining an organization that is looking to staff IT'S needs not the recruits desires. In other words you serve where the service needs / wants ya. Having said that, if you go in with a positive attitude and your eyes open you can still have a great career no matter where they send you.

Good luck to your son and don't figure on losing the fear Dad. It's still a dangerous world and the training itself is hazardous. So is going to work every day in the civilian world too. You should be proud of him for his maturity and dedication.
:usa

[StevieWonder]

If his test scores were that high, he'd be in the Air Force !!! Our golf courses are much nicer.
:laugh :bolt

Please remember the publicity level and where it's aimed. When you consider the number of military deaths in combat situations and compare it to deaths in automobile accidents in this country, it pales in comparison. It's just not as morbidly interesting in the newspapers and TV unless it's an auto accident with a big body count. Throw in storms, drownings and all the other tragedies that occur in this country daily and the perspective changes.

It's perfectly normal to worry. And perfectly OK. And as the previous poster stated, it likely won't disappear. But keep the faith and place it in perspective and it's not nearly as scary as it might first appear. It's kind of like when your kids first start driving ...

As a general observation, the military gives you more responsibility earlier than you could ever reasonably expect to find in the civilian world. 23 yr old with a $50mil+ airplane or tank. Great training and leadership experience that steels a young man or woman. It's a whole bunch of notches up the ladder from being shift supervisor at McDonald's. As a person who has hired many hundreds of people, I cherish quality military personnel because they generally "get it".

Good luck and God bless him and you.

[Pat Carol]

I served 3 year's regular Army. I bailed from there and went into the Air National Guard. Being in the Guard was fabulous. Before the Mid-East got hot, I was a guard bum. I took volutary deployment's all over Europe. It was great! I even had my 73 /5 flown over.
After the great time's came GW I. I did 11 month's throughout the Mid-East during that little conflict.
9/11/01 kicked off GW II. Life will never be the same. I was called up for active duty Enduring Freedom / Iraqi Freedom. To make a long story short I fractured both leg's fighting a structure fire. The Air Guard/Air Force retired me after 16 year's of duty.
My wing and squadron commander's took great care of me. I am now enrolled in the VA program and they too are taking good care of me. I only wish I could still be serving with my brother's and sister's.
The military paid for my college education. There is not much out there for young people. I strongly feel that a young person considering military duty should just do it. I also feel that your son should look at Air Force or Navy. They have some great technical program's.
If I had to do it all over again, I would do it. I would just avoid fracturing my leg's.


Take Care & Ride Safe
Pat Carol, Tsgt. USAF (retired)

[WildBlue]

I spent 8 years Active Duty in the USAF from 1994-2002.

I cannot add anything, as it has mostly been covered.:usa

[wuli959]

subject has been thoroughly covered but always remember the words of advice from an old recruiting officer . .

"Yes son, you can ask for any job or location you would like . . . " :bolt


:usa

USMC
1977 - 1982

[Sit]

If your son in leaning towards the Army, have him talk to the recruiter about the delayed entry program. Your son need not sign a contract with the Army that is open ended, an Army contract can guarantee a job, well at least the chance to go to that MOS school. If you wash out of the MOS school, he will be assigned according to the needs of the Army........infantry/combat arms. Before he signs, he should try to find an enlisted engineer to talk to, not someone who has been out for a while, but someone who is still in or just out. Things change fast and better to get information from someone doing the job, not a sales person, I mean recruiter.

When I first tried to enlist, the MP MOS was not available. I had to wait for a week or so until more slots opened in the school. I then signed, contract said 95B, Military Police. If something happened after that and due to no fault of my own, I did not get the MP slot, I could cancel the enlistment and not go, breach of contract.

My advice would be to get as much college as he can while in, at least get the easy stuff out of the way and get a college to evaluate his military training and award the credit for it so it may transfer later to another college.

I did 4 years active Army, and it enable me to get the job I have now, 10.5 more years to retirement.