I’m thinking about joining the Army but I have a couple of opinions, preferably from current or former solider?
I’ve been thinking about joining the military for a while now, and now that the real world is approaching (i.e. college, job, or military) I need to make a big decision. I don’t want to just jump out into the job world without and certifications besides my High School diploma. College can be done, but it’ll be difficult because of my location and I didn’t want to take out huge student loans. The military has always looked appealing. I know what I want to do and that’s be an automotive mechanic. I went to the career center for two years for it and I’ve won several competitions in the automotive field. I know the Army has a Light Vehicle Maintenance MOS. I guess what I’m looking for is pros and cons from everything from Basic Training up until the time to reenlist or go back to civilian life. What are the chances of me being pulled from my maintenance job to go on something like a recon mission or any combat situation? Any insight would be very appreciated.
Go for it if it’s what you really want to do, but keep in mind that it is a commitment to something more than just yourself. Too many people join the military these days with the idea that they can “do what they want,” and don’t take it seriously. Slowly and inexorably, we are in the process of weeding out the dirtbags and no-shows, because having them around only makes it harder for the people who really want to be here.
Basic Combat Training is just that: basic. It will prepare you for dealing with the occasional hardships of living in a structured environment with a bunch of other people who you may or may not like. The Drill Sergeants are not there to beat you senseless or any of that Hollywood-inspired nonsense, so don’t go in expecting R. Lee Ermey parading around, showering you with profanity and physical abuse. Never be the first private or the last private in ANYTHING, keep to the middle of the formation, do the best you can without showboating, and ALWAYS be in the right uniform, at the right place and the right time, and you’ll do fine.
Work on your push-ups, sit-ups and two-mile run before you even sign paper, and you will be a head above most of the other kids in your BCT company. I’ve seen kids show up who couldn’t do five push-ups, and who had never folded a piece of clothing, made a bed or done physical labor in their entire lives, and you’ll see them too. Help the ones who are trying, and help square away the ones who aren’t. The Drills will notice who leads from the front and who doesn’t, even if they never mention it.
Once you get our of BCT, you’ll go to Advanced Individual Training, where you will earn your Military Occupational Specialty. You’ll have a few more freedoms than you did in BCT, but you’ll probably be too busy to take advantage of them.
Your contract is the heart of your entry into military service, and you need to go over it with a fine-toothed comb before you sign ANYTHING. Always get a second opinion on anything the recruiter tells you, and definitely check out anything he promises you, because the first thing you have to remember about recruiters is that they have a quota to meet, just like any other product-oriented business, and they will do what is necessary to meet it. If you know anyone who is in the military, get him/her to take a look at your contract and check it for anything out of sorts. It can’t hurt, and you can never be too careful when you’re signing away your life for several years.
The chances of you being “pulled from your maintenance job to go one recon missions” is pretty good, depending on where you go or how your unit is task organized for deployment. You ARE planning on being deployed, aren’t you? If not, then you might want to re-think this career choice, because la-dee-da-dee-EVERYbody is going to get an opportunity to serve overseas these days. Don’t let the stupid hacks on the TV news scare you; it’s not that bad over there, you just have to be squared away and situationally aware at all times. It’s no worse than walking around in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, only hotter and the hajis have better ordnance.
If you decide to go through with this, I applaud you for it, because you will be doing something that less than 1/10th of 1% of American kids have the stones to do. Serving your country in time of war is an honor that most people overlook when they’re “looking to do something with their lives,” and that’s a damned shame. We need more people with backbone in this country instead of whiny, chicken$**t MTV junkies.
