I just joined the army reserve...

dangeringravity

Hey guys, so, I don't post much, but this has been on my mind. I just enlisted in the reserve on Monday and am extremely excited about it. Aside from that excitement, there is an odd feeling I get...I'm not sure why. It's not the same excitement as getting a new job or snagging good concert tickets, it's sort of a weird feeling that I cannot seem to put my finger on. I'm looking forward to boot camp and my MOS training, maybe it's just unsettling because this is the first time I won't be able to just pick up the phone and call my family, or just take a day off. Anyway, I am pretty young, I suppose, and I know a lot of the PJ community has a couple of years on me (not to say anyone is old!), so I was wondering if any of you who have had military experience could throw a few words my way concerning any aspect of the new journey I'm going to embark on...Thanks:)

Sian-of-the-dead

I don't have any words of experience but I think you're doing something that is very brave... I know I couldn't do it.

Good luck, soldier

Jason P

I think the feeling is what everyone feels when they hit a crossroads in their life and are about to embark on a new journey.

Stay safe, soldier!

share

My advice is

"No more war"

petrocs

Stay safe, good luck soldier!

Brisk.

So your joining the army?

Will you get sent to warzones?

Good luck to you but can i just ask why you want to join the forces if thats what you are doing?

TheDecline13

Be safe fucker!

jammergirl

cool, what kind of job are you going into? my brother was in the army for 3 years as a sniper, then he joined the reserves and went into a MASH unit. he seems to love it, so hopefully you will have a positive experience. stay safe and keep us posted!

acoustic guy

I suggest you rent the movie "Stripes" first. All your answers are in that film.

greaticedtea

i dont have any advice for you unfortunately but i wanted to thank you and say good luck! be safe!

dangeringravity

thank you for the good luck wishes! to answer some of your questions...first off, i joined because i feel that in this point in my young life (i am a 21 year old female), it is the right thing for me to do. i have been a hairstylist for a few years, as well as being an intern at a recording studio and unfortunately those gigs have not been rewarding enough for me. i'm a person who needs to constantly be challenged or challenge myself rather, to not be bored. life is short, sometimes too short, so i want to take every opportunity i can to learn all possible lessons in any way, and also hopefully do whatever good i can along the way. if i don't join now, i'm afraid that i never again will feel like it's the "right time".

second, a couple of you asked what i'm going into, well i'm going into military intelligence. i'm hoping that it will open a lot of doors for me career wise when i'm done. intelligence training has been known to aid big time in CIA, FBI, and even embassy work. it also complements my will to go back to school, as i will receive credits for it toward my major, which i would like to be related to my military training.

i suppose another thought is that, although i'm so ecstatic that such a great number of young people these days are getting involved with their country and doing things to improve the current state of things here, personally, none of my friends are as positive as i would like them to be. by that i mean, they are not willing to take a stand and it seems that they voted because it became trendy (which, is generally better than not voting at all, i suppose). so, if none of my friends will take a firm stand or make a move in hopes of having some sort of impact, whether it be large or small, then i will do it for them and hope they support my decision. i've gotten mixed feedback from them asking why i would do such a thing, or if i'm scared of being deployed. well, no, i'm not scared, i'm willing to not be scared, because i know that they are.

sorry that was so long winded! thank you all for responding! and please, if you have any more feedback, feel free to post or pm me. even if you have been in different situations that set you apart from family, or reached a crossroads, please share!

CHANGEinWAVES

I commend you on choosing to join, it's not something I could ever do. You are extremely brave, and I thank you for dedicating yourself for our country. Please stay safe!

MrBrian

dangeringravity wrote:

thank you for the good luck wishes! to answer some of your questions...first off, i joined because i feel that in this point in my young life (i am a 21 year old female), it is the right thing for me to do. i have been a hairstylist for a few years, as well as being an intern at a recording studio and unfortunately those gigs have not been rewarding enough for me. i'm a person who needs to constantly be challenged or challenge myself rather, to not be bored. life is short, sometimes too short, so i want to take every opportunity i can to learn all possible lessons in any way, and also hopefully do whatever good i can along the way. if i don't join now, i'm afraid that i never again will feel like it's the "right time".

second, a couple of you asked what i'm going into, well i'm going into military intelligence. i'm hoping that it will open a lot of doors for me career wise when i'm done. intelligence training has been known to aid big time in CIA, FBI, and even embassy work. it also complements my will to go back to school, as i will receive credits for it toward my major, which i would like to be related to my military training.

i suppose another thought is that, although i'm so ecstatic that such a great number of young people these days are getting involved with their country and doing things to improve the current state of things here, personally, none of my friends are as positive as i would like them to be. by that i mean, they are not willing to take a stand and it seems that they voted because it became trendy (which, is generally better than not voting at all, i suppose). so, if none of my friends will take a firm stand or make a move in hopes of having some sort of impact, whether it be large or small, then i will do it for them and hope they support my decision. i've gotten mixed feedback from them asking why i would do such a thing, or if i'm scared of being deployed. well, no, i'm not scared, i'm willing to not be scared, because i know that they are.

sorry that was so long winded! thank you all for responding! and please, if you have any more feedback, feel free to post or pm me. even if you have been in different situations that set you apart from family, or reached a crossroads, please share!

I understand the feeling of wanting more of a challenge in life. I respect you for that. Some people dont like challenges or refuse to push themselves.

But if you are sent off to war, a war that is as unjust as the Iraq war, are you really able to kill someone else for defending their land from invaders like what you may become?

Like you said, life is short, So think hard before you take someone elses. (or are responsible for the taking someone else)

Then again, maybe you will be the best of soldiers? The best of Military intelligene and provide the best possible intel? Something I know they need.

The choices we make will live with us forever. I think you need to list the best reasons to join and the worst. Weigh them and make a sound decision.

But again, I honestly respect your will to challenge yourself. Perhaps not the way you are choose to do it.

bobbyd3

Dont expect anything from the military.
Of all the guys I have known in my life who were in the military, none of them were any better off for it.
They get out, and work regular warehouse, manufacturing, and any other unskilled labor job. They make promises but dont expect to get anywhere in life from it.

dangeringravity

MrBrian wrote:

I understand the feeling of wanting more of a challenge in life. I respect you for that. Some people dont like challenges or refuse to push themselves.

But if you are sent off to war, a war that is as unjust as the Iraq war, are you really able to kill someone else for defending their land from invaders like what you may become?

Like you said, life is short, So think hard before you take someone elses. (or are responsible for the taking someone else)

Then again, maybe you will be the best of soldiers? The best of Military intelligene and provide the best possible intel? Something I know they need.

The choices we make will live with us forever. I think you need to list the best reasons to join and the worst. Weigh them and make a sound decision.

But again, I honestly respect your will to challenge yourself. Perhaps not the way you are choose to do it.

well, i won't be involved in combat. in the reserves, there are only a few jobs out of about 150 that are combat related and women are not allowed them. i've already made the decision to enlist and have signed all my papers, so there's really no turning back now. as far as taking someone's life first hand, like i said, i will have no involvement, but in the event that i went to war, i would feel responsible for taking lives. that is something unsettling to me, but it's the risk that is taken with enlistment. with going in, i will be out of all of my training within 7 months, then while i'm back in college for about 3 years, i will be deferred from any possibly deployment, so i figure by this time, i will have about 4 of my 6 year obligation fullfilled, leaving me only 2 possibly years to be deployed. 2 out of 6 isn't too bad in my mind, and i don't plan on remaining in the military in the long run of my career, possibly still involved with the government, just not in the army.

my best friend's boyfriend is a marine who has been to iraq twice and is scheduled to go again in june. he's seen death first hand and held his best friend in his arms while he was dying, so i can't even begin to imagine what a mind f*ck it can be. i just hope i am not put in such a situation. i am more than willing to serve and do what needs to be done and am grateful that i do not have a combat job, but i'm aware that such things can still happen, just because i wouldn't be in combat, doesn't mean i will be safe.

OffHeGoes29

Good luck. For some, it is the best choice they ever made, and for others...not so much. I did six years in the Air Force active duty and I'm currently in the Air National Guard part time. My decision to join back in 2001 was the best thing I could have done for myself.

DON'T GET MARRIED WHEN YOU ARE AT YOUR MOS SCHOOL!!!!

I don't know why kids do it, but they do and end up divorced in no time.

I have a lot of family in AD and Reserve Army, its a good way to go to do something more and give back, but my only advice is to look at other branches first. You're not the property of the Army until you get to boot camp, so look into other options.

Good luck.

OffHeGoes29

bobbyd3 wrote:

Dont expect anything from the military.
Of all the guys I have known in my life who were in the military, none of them were any better off for it.
They get out, and work regular warehouse, manufacturing, and any other unskilled labor job. They make promises but dont expect to get anywhere in life from it.

Its all of what you make of it...I got more out of my six years then I could ever imagine.

dangeringravity

hahaha, i didn't know it was a big thing to get married during ait! my recruiter did decide to tease me and say that what'll most likely happen is that i'll find an army guy and get married, but i'm hoping my current relation lasts, we'll see.

as for the other branches, i looked into them a bit and army seems to be it for me. and i also believe that my experience will be what i make of it, i'm hoping it's the right decision for me.

OffHeGoes29

dangeringravity wrote:

hahaha, i didn't know it was a big thing to get married during ait! my recruiter did decide to tease me and say that what'll most likely happen is that i'll find an army guy and get married, but i'm hoping my current relation lasts, we'll see.

as for the other branches, i looked into them a bit and army seems to be it for me. and i also believe that my experience will be what i make of it, i'm hoping it's the right decision for me.

Whats your MOS if you don't mind me asking?

And you laugh....but it happens all the time.

dangeringravity

OffHeGoes29 wrote:

Whats your MOS if you don't mind me asking?

And you laugh....but it happens all the time.

military intelligence analyst, which i'm pretty excited about. i'll be going to bootcamp at ft. leonard wood in missouri, which i've heard mixed things about, and ait in fort huachuca in arizona.

how did you like the air force? i had a good friend who went in and now works in air traffic control somewhere in vermont and seems to enjoy it. did you have any terrible experiences?

OffHeGoes29

dangeringravity wrote:

military intelligence analyst, which i'm pretty excited about. i'll be going to bootcamp at ft. leonard wood in missouri, which i've heard mixed things about, and ait in fort huachuca in arizona.

how did you like the air force? i had a good friend who went in and now works in air traffic control somewhere in vermont and seems to enjoy it. did you have any terrible experiences?

Well I wouldn't say terrible....just 12 hour days 5 to 6 days a week in the elements during my time in Germany, and I got looked at like I had five heads when I asked to get something to eat during my shift. But I was never shot at so I can't complain.

But seriously, I got to live in Europe for two years, went to school for free, and have a fat GI Bill check cut to me once a month now that I'm in school. It would have sucked if I got some shit hole assignment some where, but Germany and Arizona where the best two places an F-16 mechanic could go.

MI is a great job, expect to get deployed but I don't think you will be in any great danger. Your friend who is in Air Traffic control is another great job, you just got to be smart and look for the jobs that will give you a head start on the outside. Most people get jaded because they had a combat MOS that doesn't really give them any kind of useful training on the outside. Thats why if they are smart, they will participate in the GI Bill and go to school while they are in. Most people party their time away and end up out on the street with nothing to show for it.

But to get back to your situation......stay away from the dudes in AIT. Guys in the military loose their minds and will fight over the only woman there. All they want to do is have sex with you, so don't for one second think any of them are your friend. If you want to stay with your current BF, avoid putting yourself in a situation that will compromise your relationship. If you are not into you current BF, you need to break up with him before you leave, because your relationship will be tested for the next year. THIS WILL HAPPEN, IT ALWAYS DOES, SO TAKE MY WARNING NOW!!!!!

I swear Basic and AIT people loose their minds....you'll look back on it and wonder what the fuck that was all about?