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pickupyourwillpickupyourwill Posts: 3,135
edited June 2018 in A Moving Train
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Post edited by pickupyourwill on

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  • South of SeattleSouth of Seattle West Seattle Posts: 10,724
    pickupyourwill wrote:
    so right now I'm just giving it some thought. would never go for the army--only navy or air force--and can't stand the thought of being in the Middle East--but if it would better the life of my family in the long run with all the benefits, money, and travel opportunities--would it really be worth it?
    Or if you want all that stuff you can just go continue your education.
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  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    pickupyourwill wrote:
    so right now I'm just giving it some thought. would never go for the army--only navy or air force--and can't stand the thought of being in the Middle East--but if it would better the life of my family in the long run with all the benefits, money, and travel opportunities--would it really be worth it?
    i can't answer that for you. you have to do what is best for you and your family. i have a moral objection to the military, especially with this "war of turrer" that we have been waging the last 9.5 years. i could not reconcile my military service and my patriotism by killing people in a conflict based on lies and manufactured revenge. i would never be able to sleep again. nobody can make this decision but you, and it is something to not be taken lightly.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    pickupyourwill wrote:
    so right now I'm just giving it some thought. would never go for the army--only navy or air force--and can't stand the thought of being in the Middle East--but if it would better the life of my family in the long run with all the benefits, money, and travel opportunities--would it really be worth it?

    It wouldn't benefit your family of you end up dead or crippled in some bullshit war.

    Besides, will enlisting really solve all of your problems? Sounds like an act of desperation to me.

    Surely there's another way to make some cash?
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,158
    Hopefully you are in good shape if you are considering it. War is a young man’s game and there is probably an intense physical you will need to pass..

    Don’t make a false assumption that you will not see conflict based on the branch you enter. I have friends that joined the National Guard back in the late 90’s and they figured they would just spend several weeks a year doing training exercises. They have now both served several tours in Afghanistan.

    I would spend at least one month really thinking this over. I don’t think they just let you quit 3 weeks in if you change your mind.
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  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,158
    Also, I think you will see a 9:1 ratio for "Are you effing nuts?" to "Go for it!" responses on this board. ;)
    Be Excellent To Each Other
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  • mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    pickupyourwill wrote:
    so right now I'm just giving it some thought. would never go for the army--only navy or air force--and can't stand the thought of being in the Middle East--but if it would better the life of my family in the long run with all the benefits, money, and travel opportunities--would it really be worth it?


    I have a cousin who went in thinking it would be a few years and then he would move on. He met his wife, has 3 kids and is making a career out of it because he loves it.

    I have another cousin who went to west point, graduated top of his class and went on to special forces. For as long as I can remember he has wanted to be in the army, and he is now quitting because of how they treat people with families.

    point being you never know until you try what you are going to think of it or if it will be worth it. There are a lot of things you will have to prepare yourself to do and they will not be pleasant. Make this decision if your family is on board, if they aren't or you are just doing it for security or something, I wouldn't do it. You can just go back to school or change your career path to get that.
    that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
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  • he still standshe still stands Posts: 2,835
    pickupyourwill wrote:
    so right now I'm just giving it some thought. would never go for the army--only navy or air force--and can't stand the thought of being in the Middle East--but if it would better the life of my family in the long run with all the benefits, money, and travel opportunities--would it really be worth it?

    NO WAY this is better for your family!!! Even if you do make it out alive you are going to be gone for YEARS. You should be home with your family. There are endless ways to make money in this country... and joining the military is probably the worst way I can think of.
    Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    I completely agree with you narrowing it down to the Navy or Air Force... I can't imagine anyone in their right mind joining the Army or Marines at this point.

    But, while there are some benefits for your family, there are also some drawbacks like maybe moving your family all around the world and worse yet, spending a lot of time away from them, etc. Military life is typically hard on families.

    In the end it's up to you to decide, but personally, at our age (I'm 35) and with a family, I wouldn't do it... I tossed around the idea in my single 20's about joining the Air Force/AF Reserves but never did. I couldn't image doing that now.

    Good luck though...
    My whole life
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    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • eyedclaareyedclaar Posts: 6,980
    Go read Where Men Win Glory and see what it was like for men in their mid 20's to suddenly be saddled in the same barracks with a bunch of dumb, childish 18 year olds. I can't even imagine how frustrating that would be.
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  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    eyedclaar wrote:
    Go read Where Men Win Glory and see what it was like for men in their mid 20's to suddenly be saddled in the same barracks with a bunch of dumb, childish 18 year olds. I can't even imagine how frustrating that would be.

    Never even thought of that... that would be horrible.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • pickupyourwillpickupyourwill Posts: 3,135
    edited June 2018
    ...
    Post edited by pickupyourwill on
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    pickupyourwill wrote:
    eyedclaar wrote:
    Go read Where Men Win Glory and see what it was like for men in their mid 20's to suddenly be saddled in the same barracks with a bunch of dumb, childish 18 year olds. I can't even imagine how frustrating that would be.

    lol! I feel that way already sometimes where I work--no seriously--I'm very immature myself for a 31 yr. old--I'm really not one to talk.

    thanks to everyone that offered some input. after serious thought of days, hours, and TOO much time away from my son, I know I couldn't do it. We're too attached--I will never leave his side. I'm the only guaranty that he has in this life. He's the reason I'm alive. I love him SO much-- I feel embarrassed for posting my thinking on here. thanks again for all the input.
    it sounds like you have already put a lot of thought into it, and i think you will be happy with your decision, especially relating to your son. you should not feel embarrassed about sharing your thoughts on here, i think all of us have done it more often than any of us would care to admit. :)
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Dirtie_FrankDirtie_Frank Posts: 1,348
    he still stands wrote:
    pickupyourwill wrote:
    so right now I'm just giving it some thought. would never go for the army--only navy or air force--and can't stand the thought of being in the Middle East--but if it would better the life of my family in the long run with all the benefits, money, and travel opportunities--would it really be worth it?

    NO WAY this is better for your family!!! Even if you do make it out alive you are going to be gone for YEARS. You should be home with your family. There are endless ways to make money in this country... and joining the military is probably the worst way I can think of.

    First off make it out alive. I think more people die from crossing the street then soldiers do right now. Also you are not always away from your family, there are time frames when you are but it is not like they are hiding that from him. Other then a stable job, free health care, a support network for your family, housing, food, etc.. what could be better. Now I do think it will be a hard thing to do since you are married with a child to do the initial separation during training, when contact with family is usually restricted to Sundays, at least phone calls. The military is what you make of it, if you go in thinking it is going to suck it will. I did just about 5 years and it opened the door to many opportunities. It all depends on what you do, if you are a cook maybe not so much, but if you take a tech job it will benefit you with all the training.
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  • Backstop-440Backstop-440 Posts: 93
    When I went in (lo these many years ago) there was a guy in my basic training unit that was about 32. He was only a few months away from the entry cut-off at the time.

    He had a hard time of it, mostly brought on by himself though. He'd worked with his recruiter to start off at a higher rank (E-4 instead of E-1 or E-2) and of course the drill sergeants put him in charge as platoon leader. but in basic your job as platoon leader is basically herding cats and getting yelled at when the cats screw up. They eventually took that away from him and he just concentrated on doing his best and he was fine. The military scales fitness goals back according to your age so a 35 year-old is not having to race 18 year-olds in the 2-mile run or what have you.

    I think at age 30something you'd be a fool to sign up as a plain combat infantryman or something. But if you signed up for like radar or airframe mechanic you would get a lot of tech training that translates very well to the regular world. Plus the cherry college benefits, I think right now the GI Bill pretty much pays your whole way through school plus mail-order hookers or something. And most of your tech guys, if deployed, are going to be in the "green zone" or way far away from the fighting.

    Not to say anything is guaranteed, but at any time less than half the military is overseas and like half of those are in the war zone and then less than half of THOSE are actually in a danger zone. It's not like you're signing up for D-Day. But being away from your family can definitely get to people in a bad way. I am the bad kind of person that talks to my sister and parents about three times a year, but for other people it's like a physical pain that stays in their gut until they get on the phone with their family.
    "Money is no object," I said, "but I am on a budget."
  • youngsteryoungster Boston Posts: 6,576
    I was in the Navy for 4 years and learned many things....the most important being what N.A.V.Y stands for.

    Never Again Volunteer Yourself.

    I had some good experiences while i was in and saw a lot of places. You are away from home much more than you are at home. It was easy for me because I wasn't married and didn't have kids like I do now. If I had to make that choice now I wouldn't do it.

    It looks like you made up your mind in the above post. Good luck to you.
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