Daughter considering military - input please

[Redskinsfan]

Originally Posted by Indy_Guy_77

Is your daughter a "heady" type person?

Not at all a disparagement on the Army or Marines, but it seems to ME (as someone wholly separated from the armed services way of life) that the Air Force and Navy have more "heady" type jobs than Army or Marines.

If I were counseling my kid as you are yours, I'd try to steer towards the Air Force first, Coast Guard 2nd, Navy 3rd, Marines 4th, Army 5th.

Don't forget about the Coast Guard!

-J-

I'm with you on that one. My son is in the Coast Guard, this is his second enlistment with them and he plans to do at least twenty. It has been good to him and he enjoys it. My son told me that the Coast Guard has an 80% re-enlistment rate, the Air Force is at approx. 45% (the best that I can recall), the Army and Navy are at about 18% and the Marines are at 11%. Feel free to verify these numbers if they are important to you, I am just repeating what I was told, but assuming that they are true it shows the level of satisfaction. Everyone who I spoke to when I was of enlistment age said to go Air Force as you have read here. So I would look at the Coast Guard if she didn't hate water and boats along with the Air Force.

Good luck,

Terry

[infantrylife]

Im glad i joined at 17 right out of high school because i was headed down the wrong road being a indy punk wannabe. Now im almost 30 with 13 years of service as a Infantryman with not much of a job opportunity when i get out.

I'd tell her to go the Air Force just like everyone else for the same reasons. They always have better food. We always got into there chow hall, some way, to eat.

[HICKMAN]

Originally Posted by infantrylife

Im glad i joined at 17 right out of high school because i was headed down the wrong road being a indy punk wannabe. Now im almost 30 with 13 years of service as a Infantryman with not much of a job opportunity when i get out.

You are right, all those years in the Infantry won't prep you for a civilian job.

So I'll ask, how many college courses have you taken in those 13 years? All those free services while you are in, are you taking advantage of them? The education centers are there, what are you doing to improve yourself?

What other MOS's have you looked in to? It might be cool to retire as an Infantryman, but it's really not practical. You've earned your badges, get the Army to train you in something useful from now until you retire

[infantrylife]

Originally Posted by HICKMAN

You are right, all those years in the Infantry won't prep you for a civilian job.

So I'll ask, how many college courses have you taken in those 13 years? All those free services while you are in, are you taking advantage of them? The education centers are there, what are you doing to improve yourself?

What other MOS's have you looked in to? It might be cool to retire as an Infantryman, but it's really not practical. You've earned your badges, get the Army to train you in something useful from now until you retire

Being in the infantry doesnt alot much time to pursue college degree's. Sure you can take online classes when you have a little down time, but how is that real college?

Honestly Infantry is the only thing i see myself doing, which is my choice and i can deal with that. When you get finished with a certain mission theres a true pride in what you've accomplished.

I'll be fine when i retire, plan to collect my check and work at a golf course part time.

[Cwood]

Originally Posted by infantrylife

Being in the infantry doesnt alot much time to pursue college degree's. Sure you can take online classes when you have a little down time, but how is that real college?

Honestly Infantry is the only thing i see myself doing, which is my choice and i can deal with that. When you get finished with a certain mission theres a true pride in what you've accomplished.

I'll be fine when i retire, plan to collect my check and work at a golf course part time.

I hear ya there. When I was in there was not enough time in the day to attend school. If you were really lucky and your 1st sgt and CO liked ya you might get permission to attend some on base class taught by the local community college. Most of the time that was not the case, you were there to do your job.

If I went back in the Army it would back to the Infantry, ok maybe Cav Scout but that would be it.

[HICKMAN]

Originally Posted by Cwood

If I went back in the Army it would back to the Infantry, ok maybe Cav Scout but that would be it.

I was all about the CAV Scout myself, having served in an ACR, but then my cousin pointed out...

why go for:



when you can go for:

[HICKMAN]

Originally Posted by infantrylife

Being in the infantry doesnt alot much time to pursue college degree's. Sure you can take online classes when you have a little down time, but how is that real college?

Honestly Infantry is the only thing i see myself doing, which is my choice and i can deal with that. When you get finished with a certain mission theres a true pride in what you've accomplished.

I'll be fine when i retire, plan to collect my check and work at a golf course part time.

Dude, I understand that completely but let me share a little with you. My cousin (yeah, there are a LOT of us in the Army ) was an 11 series, I forget which one (TOW gunner) and he was always taking some class on downtime or studying for some CLEP test or another while he was deployed. During on of his re-enlistments, he went into EOD and did that for four years.

By the time he got out, he had a bachelors in business and a yearning to run his own business (Munitions Management Group - Clearing The Way For Progress), which he now does. He's a gov't contractor who cleans ordnance from old ranges... talk about getting paid...

And I hear you about the Infantry thing. I'm wanting to go back in the Guard... at 41 no less, because I have a desire to also earn that blue cord.

It might be a pipe dream, I may not be able to get the weight off, having already dropped from 284 to 237 but I am determined to keep pushing and give it a shot. Who know's, maybe if I'm not physically able to qualify for 11B, I can become a Signal Warrant.

I always have had a lot of respect for guys like you

My 17 year old can't hardly wait to enlist, he's got his eyes on the green beanie.

[jeremy]

Originally Posted by HICKMAN

Dude, I understand that completely but let me share a little with you. My cousin (yeah, there are a LOT of us in the Army ) was an 11 series, I forget which one (TOW gunner) and he was always taking some class on downtime or studying for some CLEP test or another while he was deployed. During on of his re-enlistments, he went into EOD and did that for four years.

It is a lot easier now with Online classes and distance learning to get an education while in the service.

When I was a private in the early '90's it was almost impossible to get. Unless you never deployed. I deployed a lot. I was single and it was were the money is even today.

[hornadylnl]

Originally Posted by HICKMAN

And I hear you about the Infantry thing. I'm wanting to go back in the Guard... at 41 no less, because I have a desire to also earn that blue cord.

Please don't tell me they are giving out blue cords for 2 week mup training in the Guard.

[HICKMAN]

I guess all of you Army guys recommending the Air Force don't realize the promotions in the USAF are SLOW....

The Army is the biggest and most rounded of all the branches. They have every kind of job imaginable. My cousin is a MAJ in Afghanistan and flies Blackhawks, I'm pretty sure he's not in a tent. His wife just made MAJ, she's an Army Veterinarian, she's been to both Afghanistan and Iraq, wasn't sleeping in a tent...

As her what job she wants to do, she most likely won't be sleeping in a tent...

Fuggin Army guys recommending Air Force... have some pride people! There are plenty of jobs the Army has that prep you for civilian work.

I finished my career in the Signal Corps and went to work for Lilly as a systems analyst ten years ago... and that was without a degree. My wife works for St Francis after being an Army Medic for 8 years.

Seems to me they are just calling the Air Force "girly", so that's where she should go...

The Army also has the Army Reserve and National Guard, if she wants to pursue her military career after any active duty she serves, much larger that then Air Guard, so more options.