Military People...Air force, navy, marines, army

Beam me up Scottie
on 4/2/07 8:33 am

Ok I have a question for those in the military. I've been talking to my oldest (16) for a few years now about planning out his life. I don't believe in letting life pass you by, but that you can make the most of it by a little careful planning. Anyway, he has recently started to talk to me about joining the military when he gradulates from high school. He hasn't told his mother because she would freak out, so I'd have to take him (on the side) to see recruiters, etc. if that is something he wants to do. Granted, I am not totally thrilled with the idea of him going into the military at this time, because of the war that we are involved in, and the "unoffical" wars we are involved in all around the world. There is a high likelihood that he could be put in a combat situation, and while I'm not thrilled with that idea, I think the military might not be the worst option for him. He's a bit unorganized, and I think a few years in the military might do him so good. I want him to grow up and be independent, and not still living at home when he's 30. Anyway, I had a friend that was an air force recruiter for 20 years. He told me that the air force was the "best" military branch to belong to because only the officers really go out and fight. Most of the other people are in the background making sure planes can take off and the base of operation is running. He also told me that if he was sent out to a combat situation, most likely he would be miles from the front line. I know how recruiters can be....is this true? Should i push my son to the air force? What are the different advantages or disadvantages of each branch? Do you get more college money for different branches? He's open to almost any branch, although he didn't seem as enthusiastic about joining the nation guard, navy, or coast guard..... Any help would be great.... Scott

Donzi
on 4/2/07 9:23 am - FL

Air Force is a good service. Your Recruter is sort of correct, but he is a recurter. An often overlooked service is the US Coast Guard. It is a highly honorable brach of service, and they have bothe a serfice and an Air component. I highly recommend you do some additional homework on this brach of Homeland Heros! Tell your son, and his mother, that service to our nation is a great way to start your life!!! Sempr Paratus

mmeyerssr
on 4/2/07 10:23 am - Ozawkie, KS

RNY on 10/05/06

Well I'm an old Air Force guy. The recruiter is right about the getting shot at part. When it's time to fight we stick an officer in a jet and send him out to get shot at. Air bases are heavily defended by the Army and Marines because control of the skies is so important for winning any war. This doesn't mean your sons life will not be at risk. For example there is little one can do about rocket fire. Hunt down the source and destroy it but in the mean time the missiles get through. 9-11 showed us what a determined enemy can do. It's a lot more mentally demanding than physical. In basic training there is no climbing under barb wire through the mud. No 10 mile marches with a full pack. There is PT though. I have been trained to fire an M-16 but I have not actually fired one with an M-16 bullet in it. The M-16 is a .223 caliber so they modify the chambers to accept 22 long riffle ammunition for training purposes. We are never actually issued a weapon. Make sure your son gets them to guarantee a certain trade. It's a sellers market. Getting a trade useful after discharge is a major benefit. I personally insisted on mechanics when enlisting. They won't guarantee what type of mechanics necessarily but mechanics is something that is useful in civilian life. I was a structural specialist. I made $20 an hour at Boeing after I got out in 1985. The Air Force has always been more selective than other services so good grades are a plus. They will test him for aptitude and find his strengths. Having dad involved is good too.

jimD
on 4/2/07 10:48 am

I enjoyed my time in the service. It seems like forever ago (1987 discharge) My dad would not sign the papers for me to go anywhere but the air force, he was long time Marine. In his simple terms he told me the air force had better bowling alleys. I must say when I was in, the air force had the best of everything. We even had a sundae bar in a chow hall with a civilian making made to order ice cream sundaes. LOL no wonder why I could not maintain the max weight of 205. Can't agree more with previous post, make sure ur son picks an mos that can be used after he gets out and that it is garunteed before he signs the paper. Jim D

DoubleDee
on 4/2/07 10:50 am - Holland, MI

RNY on 04/18/07

Scottie, I spent 6 years proudly serving in the U.S. Marines. However, I'd knock my son flat on his a$$ before I let him make that mistake. If your son has his mind made up about enlisting I'd point him toward a branch with skills training that will transfer to a civilian career. Here, the Air Force and Navy excel. Especially, anything involving electronics. The training he'll receive will probably be the equalivent of an associates degree in the civialian word. He's very likely to walk into a good paying civilian job at the end of his enlistment. Get everything IN WRITING, right up front. Verbal agreements aren't worth the match it would take to burn them in the military. The recruiters job is to get you into the military, not neccessarily into the job you want. Be very skeptical. AVOID all occupations where they're offering an enlistment bonus. There's a reason people don't want these jobs. Enlistment bonuses are for suckers. Personally, If I had it to do all over again, I'd join the Coast Gaurd. Duty stations at some of the nicest beach towns in America. Excellent skills training. Enough action to keep it exciting, and most importantly. CHICKS DIG COAST GAURDSMEN. They get flashed, and asked to parties, more than any branch of the service combined. Just my humble opinion. DD

Tim A.
on 4/2/07 11:35 am, edited 4/3/07 12:10 am

Scott, I weigh in here since I have 20 years in or working with the Navy and Coast Guard, I also worked with the Air Force for years as a contractor, and my wife's family is retired Coast Guard. My nephew joined the Air Force two years ago and just returned from a voluntary 12 month tour of . Both her brothers went to the Coast Guard Academy. The Coast Guard is very well respected across the country because when the **** hits the fan out at sea, the Coast Guard is the folks that will come and get you but no matter what. They also have a very important job of protecting the homeland these days especially when it comes to commercial shipping into and out of the US. It a very god job that is taken for grated by most Americans. They also do drug interdiction work and we all saw the great job they did in New Orleans saving folks.

The Air Force has the best base facilities of all the services. The have a lot of great training and for the most part they fight from a safe base and send there planes to do the dirty work. They have four basic jobs for an enlisted guy, they fix planes, they guard planes, provide operations and services for planes, or do Intel (my nephew does bomb damage assessments and does mission briefing for pilots). There are others but that is the four main ones. The advancement is slow but my nephew loves the Air Force and they seem to be taking good care of him. They have bases all over the world and he would learn a lot from the experience.

If he wants to travel and see the world then the Navy is a better choice, I have been to 63 countries and I learned computers and electronics in the Navy. I am now a test manager in a telecomm company with 15 testers working for me. The Navy sends you off on deployment for 6 months at a time but since the Russians took their toys and went home after Gorby we are the only blue water Navy in the world. He can be stationed in San Diego, Hawaii, Japan, Guam, Washington State, Florida , Norfolk Va , or Newport, Rhode Island . They have lots of good training and the chances of being shot at are very remote. The only sailors dieing in are Navy corpsmen attached to Marine units and Navy Seal teams. The rest are drinking and partying in , UAE, , or . All pretty good places to be in comparison to .

I personally would stay away from the Army and the Marines because I do not want to hide behind trees and rocks and get shot at by others. . I did some work with Seal Team Six out of Norfolk in and a few other locations around the globe. I have all the respect in the world for the work those guys do but it was not for me. I do have a friend that was in the 82^nd Airborne and he loved jumping out of planes. They also paid for him to finish college and come back in as an officer

I wish your son good luck in his decision. The new GI bill is the same for any of the services. He should make sure they give him a guarantee technical rating and schools. Make sure it is all spelled out in his enlistment contract. If it’s not right then don’t sign, they will only honor it if it’s in writing in his enlistment contract. It they don’t honor it then they have to let him out of the service for breach of contract. I never regretted the 20+ years I spent in and with the military. I hunted Russian subs for ten years then I spent 10 more years as a contractor working on satellite intel and data communications equipment. It made me the man I am today.

DAN PACKARD
on 4/2/07 11:36 am - KOKOMO, IN

RNY on 11/08/05

Scott As an Air Force Retiree I highly recommend the Air Force. Most of the jobs in the Air Force translate very well into civilian careers when he gets out. I have one son who has been in the Air Force now for 17 years and another one who spent 8 years in. I ended up in the Air Force because the Navy Recruiter was closed on the day I decided to go into the military in 1961. I do not regret one minute of my 20 years and 4 months. Dan

If you have a prayer request whether WLS or personal, please visit our website at www.packardministries.org and click on PRAYER or email me at [email protected]
You will be added to our daily prayers. One of our ministry objectives is to support those having or had WLS. Pastor Dan

pcprobob
on 4/2/07 12:48 pm - Hillsborough, NC

RNY on 09/12/06

My son made the decision to go Navy instead of Air Force for this reason. These are his words, not mine, "In the Air Force, if you are not a pilot, there are just not a lot of exciting things to do." Now, he has one uncle who is a Fireman in the Air Force, another uncle as a engine mechanic in the Air Force, and a third uncle who is a Master Chief in the Coast Guard. Also, don't buy that line about the Coast Guard staying near the U.S. Master Chief Uncle and his boat spent 14 months in the Persian Gulf, sweeping for mines along shipping lanes there. What is important is how your son scores on the ASVAB. The higher the score, the better his opportunities are going to be. Also, if he has the aptitude for college now, tell him to contact an ROTC recruiter. He can pay for his school now, and come out of college as an officer. One last thing. God bless your son and those like him for wanting to serve.

Beam me up Scottie
on 4/3/07 2:02 am

DS on 02/17/06

Thanks everyone!!!! Your imput has been fantastic!!!!!! I will follow my gut and the advice from you guys and push him towards the air force, or the Navy. Granted his mother will probably kill me, but he's 17 this year, and I honestly believe that if he makes a well informed choice, then it's his choice to make. Anyway thanks again..... just as a side question.....any particular training that converts into civilian jobs better (besides mechanic)? Scott

mmeyerssr
on 4/3/07 6:08 am - Ozawkie, KS

RNY on 10/05/06

Well mechanics is actually a very broad field. The Air Force needs pretty much everything that a civilian would need. There are auto mechanics obviously but things like Atmospheric control (heating and air conditioning) fall in the mechanics group as well. There is stuff like electronics, electrician, plumbing, law enforcement, etc. If your son has an idea of what he'd like to do then he should ask about it. Odds are they need them. The ASVAB is VERY important. The higher the score the more they want you and the more they will to give to get you. It also means that you might have access to electronics training but someone who scored less than you doesn't. Basically it means opportunity.

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Military People...Air force, navy, marines, army