Thinking about joining the military..

The military is what you make of it. Good attitude = good time, bad attitutde = bad time...

-USMC (Retired) :salute:

Formerly Marines HOOORAAAHHH!!!! . . . Sorry. I didnt want to get out but I screwed myself and now I am a civilian... Oh well! Anyway the marines can guarantee you any job you qualify for as long as it is not full, however it is not unheard of that a marine can be attached to an infantry unit this usually is dependent on the MOS but is not limited to combat related MOS... My job was in the Logistics field but I was also attached to what we called Shotgun 1 as the turret gunner in case sh** hit the fan... Basic was not as hard as it looks although it is challenging and is 13 weeks long but it is a good time! They do scream and yell and they try to be scary and at first it is but after the first couple weeks you quickly adapt and become disciplined however they will always find something to yell about because not every recruit is gonna be on the same page... The pay is not wonderful but it takes care of you. Friends were easy to make in my case as I had many and they are the best friends you will ever have . . . IMO. Benefits cant be beaten. I say go for it. Its a great idea for anybody to join. I got to see Thailand and Malaysia and went to Africa too! Its a good time!

The Marine Corps can guarantee you an MOS as long as its open when you sign and your ASVAB score is high enough for it. There's a good amount of them that require at least a secret clearance so felons need not apply as well.

And yeah who ever said you can go to school while in recruit training (Basic is some army BS term...) is flat out wrong. Other than going to school while you're off duty the only way you can get paid to do it is though like the MECEP program, which you typically have to be an NCO to even apply, which puts it well into your military carreer, not at the beggining.

As far as joining the military as a "Back up" plan, you might want to re-evaluate. Once you ship your life becomes Marine Corps (or army or navy or airforce) 24/7/365.

And as far as difficulty, I can't speak for the other branches but if you join the Marine Corps it will be the toughest thing you've ever done. Recruit training is 13 weeks of pure pain basically, and the standards you have to uphold only get tougher once you get out into the FMF. I hear they've changed some standards and procedures in boot camp, and its supposed to be mellowed out a little, but most drill instructors would probably ignore them in the interest of making better Marines.

Don't let me discourage you though, if you decide to enlist it will be something you'll be proud of your entire life.

@Mike: haha, it probably will.
@Skylar: Thanks for the info! I'll look it up! And wouldn't you need more than twenty years to retire? Or so says my dad, but, he's a pretty simple minded character.
@Sflanick: Thanks for the reply! I remember getting told something similar by an army recruitment officer at my school.
@darthkevin: Thanks for the info! And how exactly do you become an officer first? Also, I was planning to do something with biology/zoology so I don't think the army/marines could help me in anyway with that aspect haha.
@Bill T: Thanks for the info! Yeah, the brochures have never really answered any of my questions haha. How do you join guards? Are you able to go to a university while in it then transfer to the army once out?
@gsarchie: Thanks for the reply! And you're right, I might not like the military, but, I'd like to learn more about it. Do you think they have any biology related fields? Or is it mainly law enforcement types of jobs? Can you pick where you get stationed, or do you just get sent there? And thanks, your post was informative!
@Andybill: Thanks for the info! I've asked this around to some of my friends and family, but, what exactly is the benefits for joining the army/marines? I know health care is free and such, but, is there anything else?
@devildog_dk: Thanks for the info! Some of the kids in my school have taken the ASVAB, but as a senior in high school, I'm wondering if it's too late to take it. I can join ROTC next semester in my school, but, I doubt that will help anything.

Anyone can answer the questions that are directed at the other users, and I'd love to hear everyone's own input.
I'd really like to give it a shot, but, after my dad lecturing me about it, I don't want to go in for twenty years or so and then come back and be 'stuck' without a way to get a job. But, after I read the replies, it seems pretty (don't want to say easy since I don't really know how it is) simple to get a job.
I'm still curious to see if you would make enough money to retire after twenty years in service and it still seems to peak my interest a bit. And the guards is a bit interesting to me, as a user has said that you can join it and while in college and what they actually do. I do have a few military people in my family, my uncle was in the navy and my cousin was a guard, but, I don't think they know enough about it so asking them won't really be much of a help. And I've also heard you're sometimes able to keep pets, is this true? lol.

Thanks again for all the replies, I really appreciate it!

I've been in the military for 6 years man and I'd u want to talk man and ask all the questions u want feel free to message me and I'll give u my number and u can call. I will tell u not to listen to recruiters they lie their asses off lol


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As far as retirement stands right now, at 20 years you are eleigible to retire. You will be paid 50% of the average base pay for your last 3 years. For every year you go past 20 you add an additional 2.5% to your pay. So if you stay for 30 years you woild collect 75%. Also you keep full benefits as well as your px and commisary privelages which means you can shop on post tax free. You can take any major you want in college. I am in special forces and my last team leader, which is a Captain or O-3, was a history major. The military is obviously not helping his future in that field, but you can have pretty much any degree to become an officer.

Ill just throw my opinion about the military in. Im a SGT in the Army, 11b (infantry) and have one Afghanistan deployment under my belt. Someone already said it, but ill repeat it, the military is not for everyone, I am a perfect example. Dont get me wrong, it has done a lot of great things for me and I do not regret any of it but it can be a hard life. I am quite excited for the day I ETS. One thing I have to say about the Army, especially thinking of it in career terms, you will likely not find better benefits anywhere and you cant complain about that retirement. You have a few options on how to do it, goto college, come in as an officer, a few have recomended this here. Not a bad way, but the best officers I have ever worked with were enlisted first. That will honestly all be personal preference. Do you want to be a soldier and the lead and train soldiers, or do you want to make decisions? One thing to really think about with the Army is its a lifestyle, not a job, and it affects your entire family. Feel free to PM me with specific questions if you have any.

I was in the ARMY, stationed out of Ft. Campbell, KY. I was a ALSE technician and a rescue swimmer for search and rescue. I was assigned to HHC 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Reg.)

Couple things I would like to note. I went to college while I was in the ARMY. They have great programs out there and if you put your mind to it, you can get a degree while you are in.

I wouldn't join if I had a family. I have seen too much happen to ever worry about a family. I think being a soldier is definitely a singles game. I would watch guys deploy and the next night their wives were at the bar missing their wedding ring trying to pick up guys. Its sad.

I also would not own pets while I was in the military. I moved around too much and traveled a lot.

As far as basic goes, I didnt think it was that hard. Just be prepared to do a lot of push ups and running. I LOVED Airborne and Air assault school but 20 mile ruck marches were the worst. I have scarring on my feet from completing a 20 mile ruck march and taking my boots off just to pour the blood out.

All in all the military was a great move for me. I enjoyed the friends/brothers I made while I was in. I got to see a lot of places and I think it made me a better person. It is a personal decision however, that you alone must make, to decide to dedicate your life to the military.

Wish you all the best.

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Originally Posted by eatgoodfood

Ill just throw my opinion about the military in. Im a SGT in the Army, 11b (infantry) and have one Afghanistan deployment under my belt. Someone already said it, but ill repeat it, the military is not for everyone, I am a perfect example. Dont get me wrong, it has done a lot of great things for me and I do not regret any of it but it can be a hard life. I am quite excited for the day I ETS. One thing I have to say about the Army, especially thinking of it in career terms, you will likely not find better benefits anywhere and you cant complain about that retirement. You have a few options on how to do it, goto college, come in as an officer, a few have recomended this here. Not a bad way, but the best officers I have ever worked with were enlisted first. That will honestly all be personal preference. Do you want to be a soldier and the lead and train soldiers, or do you want to make decisions? One thing to really think about with the Army is its a lifestyle, not a job, and it affects your entire family. Feel free to PM me with specific questions if you have any.

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Originally Posted by theReptileGuy

@gsarchie: Thanks for the reply! And you're right, I might not like the military, but, I'd like to learn more about it. Do you think they have any biology related fields? Or is it mainly law enforcement types of jobs? Can you pick where you get stationed, or do you just get sent there? And thanks, your post was informative!

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The law enforcement type jobs are only a small percentage of what is available. There are all kinds of jobs. There are pilots, mechanics, gunners, doctors, dentist, nurses, lab techs, chaplains, religious assistants, aircrew, tank crews, intelligence, special forces, food service, computer security, admin, the list goes on and on. I know, at the overseas bases that I was at, they had military veterinarians.

I loved being stationed over seas and travelling. If you want to go overseas, you can usually ask for it. It depends on the branch of service you're in, as to what overseas assignments are available...