spikNspan

I wonder why these institutions are created to be so appealing to young people. Couldn't be because young minds are much easier to shape into what the government wants than older ones could it?! no way, the government is out to help the people aren't they?

oh wait....

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ThatGuy

I asked you once nicely. I won't do it again.

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"Speak softly,..." -Pres. Teddy Roosevelt
"Be polite, be professional, ..." -Gen. James Mattis

cc4usmc

It wouldn't exist without the young people. Just quit, please. You've gotten off pretty easy, considering you've yet to add anything constructive to this thread.

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spikNspan

but that's the exact point I'm trying to make and you proved it for me in your first response. imo, the government isn't trying to better the country, they are doing it for their own gain and no one else and if the military follows their lead... well you get the point.

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RedStage

/\ you have no clue how the military works....do you?

there's these little things called orders and regulations...it's a little difficult to not follow those.

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Marc - Yokohama, Japan

sidewaysil80

to the op, my biggest piece of advice is to look around and check out each branch. i've been in the usmc going on 5 years now and cant wait to get out lol. i'm an 03 which is infantry and as someone mentioned it's kinda affecting my career options when i get out. CHOOSE A JOB THAT INTERESTS YOU. not what you think is cool and never let the recruiter pressure you. no matter what they say, they need you more then you need them. to find out more about your options just research the different branches and pick a job then go talk to a recruiter about it. if you have any questions feel free to pm me anytime.






i myself DO NOT agree with alot of our (as a country) policies and decisions that are made in our govt. I also do believe that our govt. is quite corrupt in some spots. BUT, i DO NOT under any circumstances with the exception of this post go around and flaunt that. why? simply because signing up to defend this country and protecting dumb asses like yours freedom of speech i waived my right to do the same. i never ask for anyones gratitude or approval, but i will demand you do not badmouth myself or anyone members of the military. govt, fine say all you want. but we in the military have no say in any of that stuff that goes on there. and i can assure you, i may be just be a "dumb grunt" but i have not and will not ever be "brain washed"

ThatGuy

Well said Leatherneck.

Definitely go and talk to the recruiters, but do your own research.
With a decent ASVAB score there are plenty of occupations you can get in to. I've got 10 years in the Corps thus far and I love my job. I work on Aircraft Electronics, which has plenty of potential in the civilian world. While I may not be as hard core as my "grunt" bretheren, the Corps still relies on me to accomplish the overall mission. There are no "little jobs" in the Military if you really think about it. Especially the Marine Corps. We have fewer people than any other branch, so each of us, on average, does more than the common Sailor, Soldier, or Airman.

It's good that you want to serve, but there is alot of thought that you need to put in to this decision. It's not just 4 or 5 years, it's the rest of your life. You will always be a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman. You will always be able to say "I served".

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"Speak softly,..." -Pres. Teddy Roosevelt
"Be polite, be professional, ..." -Gen. James Mattis

raz0rbladez909

I can't reiterate enough what has already been said in this thread, but I will say this, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. So many people join and hate it because it wasn't what they thought it was going to be. No job is ever "closed" no matter what they say, usually they are trying to make a quota for a certain job per month which is why they have the DEP(Delayed Entry Program) because for a given month you will be one of those slotted for that specific job. First take the ASVAB and make sure you try hard on it and don't Christmas tree the test, after you get your results back find out what jobs are available to you and see if they are anything that might interest you. If not there are other branches of the military as well as the coast guard if that might interest you, but do not just select a job because you are trying to leave because then you will hate it. I'm a helicopter mechanic in the navy and am on my third year in and it has flown by. If you have questions and are not comfortable with your recruiter i'm sure there is at least one person from every branch on here so feel free to ask questions.
Good luck

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2004 Corvette Z06 / 1971 240z

s14dr1ft3r

OP - I know you're young and eager to go to boot camp now but enjoy life a little first. There is a reason that boot camp is only a few months long. It is meant to completely break you of the person who you were before you joined and turn you into the ideal soldier/sailor/marine. If you went through that for 2 whole years before you were allowed to "actually" join the Army, there is no way that you would want to continue that for an entire enlistment. And the DEP program is a joke. It's just a social gathering for new recruits before they actually leave for boot camp. You don't get away from your family. Its a once a week for an hour or two thing. Not worth doing for even 1 year. Bottom line, I commend you for wanting to serve your country (as I have been doing for 9 years now) but you shouldn't be in any rush to do so. Your time will come and until then, live your life to the fullest. Because after you sign those papers, your life isn't yours anymore.

I also agree to STUDY for the ASVAB. I scored extremely high and was offered any job I wanted in the Navy. I am now and Electronics Technician and work on anything from Communications equipment to radars to hooking other people up by fixing their personal electronics. I love what I do and it has MANY opportunities both in AND out of the service. Not to mention it has brought me to Japan where I've owned a skyline and now a 180sx...hehe.

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“If everything’s under control, you’re going too slow”. - Mario Andretti

UfoZ8myCow

I was in the Army... First Cavalry. Sept 11th happened my senior year in high school so I enlisted after graduation thinking I was going to get to go punch Osama Bin Laden in the mouth.

Do I regret the decision? Short answer, no.

Would I do it differently now looking back? Yes. Definitely.

Being in the Army provided me with some of the best life experiences Ive ever had, but at the same time doing 2 tours during the height of the war also provided me with some of the worst life experiences Ive ever had.

If I could do it all over again... I would have gone to college first, applied for one of the many degree completion assistance programs the military offers to help me through, then after graduation gone to OCS and been commissioned as an Officer. I ended up doing that anyways, Im heading to OCS in May under a USMC flight contract.

Long story short... Do your research. And I mean a LOT of it. If you decide its really what you want, the other guys have mentioned your options already for enlisting early. You will get some pretty good benefits, but absolutely DO NOT do it if you're just seeing dollar signs in front of your eyes. Your number one priority should be serving your country. If it isnt, stay home.

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sidewaysil80

damn straight, i love the air wing when i'm calling in support lol. you guys make my job a tad bit easier

98s14inaz

GED isn't good enough anymore for some branches of the armed forces. To the OP, get some life experience first. Talk to some people who have been there. Join an Explorer/ROTC program and see if you can handle the structure. You might even consider joining the Police department.

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-Retired

98s14inaz

Although you might be right this is not the time or place to shit in the op's thread.

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-Retired

s13dan

i say two things..
First- Wait till new president is elected because that will seriously effect what you will be doing.
Two-Remember that once you sign the papers, you sign away many of your rights and are officially government property.

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89 240sx hatch #933-the hot rod
91 240sx coupe #131,603-the daily

sidewaysil80

lets clarify shall we, you dont become govt. property lol, you become a govt. employee. you work for and are payed by the department of defense. its just like any other job except now the punishments for messing up (obviously depending on how serious) can include incarceration and forfiture of pay. you dont sign ANY of your rights away, it's just now you cannot speak your rights in uniform (because it would lead people to believe that the military agree's with them) and you cant talk badly about the president or certain political figures because they are no shit "your boss". plain and simple.

1ZlowZ

What I've always wanted to do is be a mechanic of some sort, I honestly didn't know the Army payed you I thought you were just there to help and serve. That doesn't change my views about the Army, reason I wanted to be a mechanic for the Army is I will be helping others and helping my self as soon as I get out by being ready the tackle different tasks. Thanks guys, I'm using the Army website to help me locate a recruiter.

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-Victor S.

norcal_black240

Your like the most motivated 16 year old ive come across in a long time. When I was 16 all i did was ditch class, smoke, party, mod my car, and I never gave a thought about the military.You thought the army didn't pay and you still would sign up? jesus christ haha. I still get phone calls like once a week from recruiters asking me to sign up but I respectfully say no thanks I am going to college full time and the military is not for me.

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BOROSUN

63b yeeeah boiiiiii

PBucch

not reading the thread, just be careful when you turn 18 and dont believe a word your recruiter tells you, youre just meat to him.

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section ef&ec changed my life

UfoZ8myCow

Seriously?

Research. One of the biggest sections on the website of any military branch talks about PAY and BENEFITS.

So if you're saying that you thought the military was pure volunteer service in the sense that you dont get paid... That leads me to believe you havent read a damn thing about it. So go do some research on your own first. The Army/Navy/Marines/CG all have really well laid out, user friendly websites. The vast majority of your questions can be answered there. After you digest all that information THEN go speak to a recruiter and he will fill in the blanks.

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shmiddy

one word............



WHY?!?!?!?!

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i fully de-volved

azndoc

Some people want to be fireman when they grow up.

Others believe it or not want to be in the military.

ohhhhhhhh


Pretty much like everyone else said.

Take your time OP and gather as much information as possible.

You don't have to join just the Army.

Look at other services also and what kinds of jobs they offer you.

Be sure to think of the future.

The military might not be a permanent career for you.

Try it out and see if you like it, if you don't then make sure that you will have some certifications that you may have earned during your time in that may help you located a job in the civilian sector when you leave.

Also make sure you go to school and have something fall back on when you get out.

Four years isn't that long. The first year might seem like it but then it just passes really fast.

Good luck. Your making an important life changing decision.

I made it and have no regrets. Hard times and good times will be ahead of you if you choose the military. But you will be a changed person. Just have a positive attitude about it.

drifting_changed_mylife

im sorry kid but its not what you think.

+1000000

listen this kid barley knows what it is to be patriotic... hes doing it to run away from something in his life. shity home or something. no one wants to join the army at this age. hes either fucked up in the head or talking bullshit. hes gonna flake out and personaly i hope you do

see above

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drifting_changed_mylife

i like the way you think sir

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drifting_changed_mylife

i dont get you... im sure even you as a human being knows that this kid is joining the army prematurly. why dont you tell him to finish school, get a job, work on your car, join some race comps, have a kid, a wife, a house. the army and all armed serves are full of empty promises.. oooh we'lll pay for school, we'll do this , do that, and when you get your legs blown off (god forbid) they brush you off like a pile of crap and expect you to fend for yourself

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HyperTek

dont be soo hard on him... with the way the economy is now, military aint lookin soo bad right now.. i probably would have been in a better situation if i joined the military a few years ago then compared to where im at today.. being a bum at home.

at least he doesnt seem to be another desperate dude joining the military to pick up japanese/asian chicks and go to japan .. all the wrong reasons to join.

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Keep it Classy

1ZlowZ

I didn't think they payed to make a living off of I know they pay for school and stuff. As stated before I don't play games, my life at the house is great nothing wrong. I just feel like I need to move on and be more and ready for what life will throw at me. I talked to my home school teacher today. He'll see what high school has ROTC class open.

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-Victor S.

HyperTek

yah dude, my moms bf always brags about the guy he works with being like 26 out of the navy with a few contract jobs making over 100k a year and manages a power plant via laptop from a wireless card..

kinda wish i looked into the military when i was younger.. im near mid 20s and dont even want to consider at this age

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Keep it Classy

azndoc

Contrary to what most people believe.

You can make bank in the military.

Depending on your job, rank , martial status, and location location location.

I was taking home $2200 a month at the age of 18 stationed on Okinawa.

Ummm this was what 8 years ago. That was a lot of money to me at the time.

Oh and the benefits.

It's not as bad as people make it out to be.

Just some people in the military don't have good money management skills that's all.

at23

Like everyone said,research and talk to your parents about it.when I told my mom I wanted to join the Marine Corps she asked me if I really wanted to do it,and that she would support me in anything I had my mind set on.on my 17 birthday she signed me up.
I also suggest not doing any JROTC..im sorry if others think im wrong,but as other's said,I almost didn't join because of all the things they try to push on you.Now im a network administrator with a few certifications under my belt and slowly completing my degree in between deployments.Don't join if your trying to run away from stuff...cause trust me..your prioities change once your a few thousand miles away from your loved ones.