Military?

I am in the United States Marine Corps and i was just wondering if anyone else on here has or currently are serving in any branch of the military?

Not me, but pretty much everyone else in my family has. My parents were both in the navy and both my brothers were in the army.

I was in the Marine Corps Reserves for 10 1/2 years. I served in Afghanistan twice, and had the wife force me out. I recently tried to talk the wife in to letting go back, as my unit is leaving for Iraq in about 6 weeks, but she said NO.


Semper Fidelis Marine,

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Originally Posted by devil_dog

I am in the United States Marine Corps and i was just wondering if anyone else on here has or currently are serving in any branch of the military?

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I served in the United States Air Force for 8 years. 4 years active, 4 years inactive, and was notified several times to be ready to be called back into service at a moments notice. :salute:

At 18 I wanted to join the marines but was permanently DQ. I had already had two hip surgery by that time due to perthies. I tried to sigh up after 911 but was again denied.

I hold the utmost respect for those that choose to defend out country and risk their life's to fight for all of our freedoms. Thank you for your service from the bottom of my heart...

Recently out of the Army National Guard served 5yrs.

I was in the corps from 90 - 96 ... traveled the world, met strange people, etc ... I wouldn't trade that time for anything.

Funny timing on this thread, just yesterday I was telling my g/f the story of the day that I was promoted to corporal and received my blood stripes ... if you were in the corps you know what I'm talking about ... ouch!!!!! :P

Semper Fi Marine!

-adam

I did 4yrs active in the Navy, but still provide service to the fleet as a civilian at the Depot. :salute:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...-ArmedHelo.jpg


Chuck

Navy for 4 yrs working on F/A-18C, i have done 3 deployments, IRAQI Freedom Tour 2003, War on Terrorism 2005, and the LAST deployment with the F-14s, which was by far the best cruise i was on. All being anywhere from 6 months underway to 10 months.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_0060.jpg

I did 2 enlistments (5 years) in the Army out of highschool, from 98-03. Field Artillery Cannoneer (13B). Had my fill, but you guys, continue to rock on =P

Both my parents are in the force.I'm in JROTC and when i'm finished with high school I'm going into the air force as a 2nd Lieutenant.The military will pay for my college education then I'm going to be an engineer.

The traveling part is the best! In just a few short years I was able to go to Alaska, Japan (every base there at least once), England, Diego Garcia (a tropical island in the Indian Ocean), Russia, and several other places. I was also suppose to go to Hawaii but that trip got canceled at the last moment after an "unwanted incident" between Japan and the United States.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Funny timing on this thread, just yesterday I was telling my g/f the story of the day that I was promoted to corporal and received my blood stripes ... if you were in the corps you know what I'm talking about ... ouch!!!!! :P

Semper Fi Marine!

-adam

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LOL do you want the rank or the experiance ?????

Adam do you remember which yellow foot prints were yours?????

Im in the Air Force right now, only been in for 1 year and a half.

My husband is a Lt. Col. in the AF and has been in for 17 years now. (We got married right before he went active, so I've been "in" that long, too. ;) ) He leaves for Afghanistan for a six month tour this fall/winter. I'm gonna miss him like crazy, but I also know that his heart is to serve his country and he would be so disappointed if he didn't go. There just aren't words to express how proud I am of him....not to mention how much respect I have for every man and woman who serves our country, and the families that let them go.


:salute:

Well i was born into the air force. my dad joined before i was born. he did 21 years. and in the 18 years i lived with him we have been to mississppi, north carolina, japan, new mexico, and wisconsin. and than when i turned 18 i joined the air force. i served for 6 years. and in that time i have been to saudi arabia, the united arab emerets, and to cyprus. man those were some fun times and i do miss them. but i'm glad i did it i taught me so much.

:salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute:

U.S. NAVY 1988-1994 (Dang I'm old). 3 deployments to the Gulf (Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Desert Watch) Went to work for Lockheed-Martin (We were Martin-Marietta back then) after I got out and still with them. :salute:

Have never been in the Military but my prayers and heart goes out to them everyday.
Doesn't matter what your political beliefs are we all MUST support our people/military who risk it ALL for our freedoms!

Thank you and God bless :salute:

weekend warrior here, deployment likely to happen soon.

I am just curious about some thing. I know since I served I have changed my view on a great many things. I am just wondering to the people who have served did your views change after service one way or the other. I first and foremost want to say I don't want this to turn into a political debate :colbert: or a clash of views in any way. I have found most people believe how they believe and its a waist of breath to split hairs over it. My dad is a Doctor, I could have stayed in collage and pulled up my grades. I decided I didn't want to do collage right then. I enlisted in the Navy, I wanted to work on jet and more so than anything serve my country. Well I ended up with Helicopter but I sure got to serve my country, oh by the way Forget about jets for me Helicopters are one of the most amazing piece of equipment ever invented. Anyway in the Military I did well for myself and could have stayed if I wanted. I needed to go I was getting married and I was going to see my kids grow up. I have a deep sense of patriotism to my country and its people not my government anymore. I was just wondering if I was alone there. I am not just talking about how bad Iraq is going either it way deeper than that.

Chuck

BF is Army, its tough being an army gf. Grandpa was in the Navy, i don't think i have a future in the military though

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Originally Posted by Chuck

I am just curious about some thing. I know since I served I have changed my view on a great many things. I am just wondering to the people who have served did your views change after service one way or the other. I first and foremost want to say I don't want this to turn into a political debate :colbert: or a clash of views in any way. I have found most people believe how they believe and its a waist of breath to split hairs over it. My dad is a Doctor, I could have stayed in collage and pulled up my grades. I decided I didn't want to do collage right then. I enlisted in the Navy, I wanted to work on jet and more so than anything serve my country. Well I ended up with Helicopter but I sure got to serve my country, oh by the way Forget about jets for me Helicopters are one of the most amazing piece of equipment ever invented. Anyway in the Military I did well for myself and could have stayed if I wanted. I needed to go I was getting married and I was going to see my kids grow up. I have a deep sense of patriotism to my country and its people not my government anymore. I was just wondering if I was alone there. I am not just talking about how bad Iraq is going either it way deeper than that.

Chuck

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I think I can co-sign that. For me, the military has been a learning experience cuz I get to congregate with folks from all over. I've been kickin it with folks from all parts of the US and Guam, Hawaii, Saipan, and I met a couple Mexican cats that joined to obtain citizenship. I've met some real cool folks who go through the exact same struggles I go through and the folks from my city go through.
However, I've also met a LOT more folks that I don't want anything to do with. These would be the racist folks who are usually from the South, or Northeast. A few of these folks are high up there in rank as well, and that stuff really gets to me cuz there's nothing you can do about it. Yea, we got an IG and we got an EO Sergeant, but there's not much you can do when a lot of ppl up the chain are like that. That covert racism where a lil comment here, and a lil reprimand on you later there goes a long way. I definitely can say the military has shown me that race is still a BIG problem in this country that a lot of people want to just sweep under the rug.
Anyway, I think you might have been going in another direction with your post, I just felt I'd go ahead and throw that out there tho. For anybody who's in now, or was in at some time, I'm sure y'all have seen what Im speakin on. Sometimes it's straight up in your face, but most of the times they're good at covering themselves.
Either way, I joined to better myself and provide for my family. Off top, I've known a few people that couldn't adjust because of the way the system is in the military and they're back home now. For me, that's not an option. I take everything for what it is, and keep on pushing. America may have its problems, but it's still a better country to live in than most other countries. We came to this country in 1989, and we've come a long way from living on a rice farm with no indoor plumbing or electricity.

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Originally Posted by Chuck

I am just curious about some thing. I know since I served I have changed my view on a great many things. I am just wondering to the people who have served did your views change after service one way or the other. I first and foremost want to say I don't want this to turn into a political debate :colbert: or a clash of views in any way. I have found most people believe how they believe and its a waist of breath to split hairs over it. My dad is a Doctor, I could have stayed in collage and pulled up my grades. I decided I didn't want to do collage right then. I enlisted in the Navy, I wanted to work on jet and more so than anything serve my country. Well I ended up with Helicopter but I sure got to serve my country, oh by the way Forget about jets for me Helicopters are one of the most amazing piece of equipment ever invented. Anyway in the Military I did well for myself and could have stayed if I wanted. I needed to go I was getting married and I was going to see my kids grow up. I have a deep sense of patriotism to my country and its people not my government anymore. I was just wondering if I was alone there. I am not just talking about how bad Iraq is going either it way deeper than that.

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I have noticed that i have changed, and my veiws on the world have changed.

Did four years in the Army (78-82). I have a son in the Marines and one in the Airforce.

as a canadian, this is such a 'foreign' experience. so few of our country join the military.

i honestly can't even imagine what it must be like, to know someone their entire lives and then they leave and perhaps never return - often because of upset in countries on the other side of the planet.

i wish each and every one of you and your countrymen/women a safe passage home each and every time they leave your soil. :hug:

and for those who stay... waiting for their return... i wish for their days to be filled with letters from their loved ones... telling them news of their health and speedy return.

but to be perfectly honest... i wish for a world where peace if the norm... where discussions are carried out instead of battles.

Aleesha,
I worked with some Canadian Military while I was in Afghanistan. They were some pretty cool cats. I didn't realize they were such a rare breed.

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Originally Posted by Chuck

oh by the way Forget about jets for me Helicopters are one of the most amazing piece of equipment ever invented. Chuck

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I've got to side with you on that one. I was a H-1 mech for my entire enlistment. UH-1N and Ah-1W. I wish I could have stayed long enough to see the Yankees and Zulus come out.

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Originally Posted by muddoc

I've got to side with you on that one. I was a H-1 mech for my entire enlistment. UH-1N and Ah-1W. I wish I could have stayed long enough to see the Yankees and Zulus come out.

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The Marine Corps turned me anti-helicopter ... the CH-43's are just terrifying ... was never on one that wasn't leaking something and in a good wind those things blow around like a feather ... I was always at the end of my stick so that I could be the first one off!!!

I actually asked a crew chief one time about the leaking hydrolic fluid and he's response was "let me know if it stops ... that means we're all out and about to crash .... if we ain't leakin, we ain't flyin" ... nice right? :rofl:

-adam

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

as a canadian, this is such a 'foreign' experience. so few of our country join the military.

i honestly can't even imagine what it must be like, to know someone their entire lives and then they leave and perhaps never return - often because of upset in countries on the other side of the planet.

i wish each and every one of you and your countrymen/women a safe passage home each and every time they leave your soil. :hug:

and for those who stay... waiting for their return... i wish for their days to be filled with letters from their loved ones... telling them news of their health and speedy return.

but to be perfectly honest... i wish for a world where peace if the norm... where discussions are carried out instead of battles.

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in Korea, you're not a man until you do your service. It's still conscripted since we're at war with North Korea. Every able bodied male after 20 years or so does 2.5 years in whichever branch. Usually you start school, take a break for service, return to school and go on with life. It's a rite of passage into Korean adulthood. There are some who get out of it, mostly the children of the rich and entertainers. Those people are looked down on tho, no love for someone who won't join the military.

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Originally Posted by Jae iLL

in Korea, you're not a man until you do your service. It's still conscripted since we're at war with North Korea. Every able bodied male after 20 years or so does 2.5 years in whichever branch. Usually you start school, take a break for service, return to school and go on with life. It's a rite of passage into Korean adulthood. There are some who get out of it, mostly the children of the rich and entertainers. Those people are looked down on tho, no love for someone who won't join the military.

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I'll be in Korea beginning of next year. I'm one of the lead engineers for the KDX- III "Sejong the Great" class destroyer program. Looking forward to seeing Korea, It is one of the few places over there that I didn't get to see while I was in the NAVY.

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Originally Posted by Gecko Den

I'll be in Korea beginning of next year. I'm one of the lead engineers for the KDX- III "Sejong the Great" class destroyer program. Looking forward to seeing Korea, It is one of the few places over there that I didn't get to see while I was in the NAVY.

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righteous. Sejong dae Wang, I've been learning about that man since I was a wee lil thing. Im actually gonna be stationed in Osan next year as well. I can't wait, I've been to Korea hella times, but I haven't LIVED there since I was too young to remember. Now I get to go and spend time with my relatives, like real time.

All I can say is hella servicemembers go to Korea and waste their time by drinking, partying, and staying right around post/base. I'd highly recommend getting out, taking trips to Daegu, Pusan, Kanghwado, all kinds of history on the peninsula bruh. Jejudo is beautiful too, I love it there.

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Originally Posted by Jae iLL

righteous. Sejong dae Wang, I've been learning about that man since I was a wee lil thing. Im actually gonna be stationed in Osan next year as well. I can't wait, I've been to Korea hella times, but I haven't LIVED there since I was too young to remember. Now I get to go and spend time with my relatives, like real time.

All I can say is hella servicemembers go to Korea and waste their time by drinking, partying, and staying right around post/base. I'd highly recommend getting out, taking trips to Daegu, Pusan, Kanghwado, all kinds of history on the peninsula bruh. Jejudo is beautiful too, I love it there.

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I did all my drinking in foreign lands when I was younger. I'll only be in Korea for a month so when not working I plan on taking in some of the local culture and seeing the sights. I'll be in Ulsan, not sure what there is to see around there but I'll do some research before I fly over!

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Originally Posted by Jae iLL

All I can say is hella servicemembers go to Korea and waste their time by drinking, partying, and staying right around post/base.

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Guilty as charged. I was on the penisula for a year from '00 to '01 and up until my last 3 or 4 months I hadn't even been to Seoul. :rolleye2:

Eventually one of the Korean sergeants in my squad found out that I was about to PCS and had never really been down south, so he took me and a couple of the other guys down to Seoul, and it was probably the best time I had since I had been there. I went like 100 more times in those last 2 months, and I felt like a jackass for not going sooner.

The problem is, or was for me, that since Korea is a hardship tour, you can't bring your family, and I was missing a lot of important stuff back home. I wasn't there to see my 1st kid born, I wasn't there when a friend of mine died in an accident, etc etc. Everyone's story is different, but the bottom line is most people who get there and are not single end up sitting in their rooms drinking for the first couple months, and it takes a while to snap out of it and realize where they are and what they are passing up. I was walking downrange with a kid in my unit one day and he said "man, I never ever thought that one day I'd be walking down a street in South Korea, this is pretty cool." and it wasn't until then that I figured it out.

Also remember, for the Army guys stationed anywhere but Youngsan (sp), we had a curfew and couldn't go too far because we had to be back in the gates by midnight, and since we couldn't bring cars, we either had to catch a bus or walk everywhere. A lot of the guys farther up north are scared to leave the base w/o someone who knows whats going on cause they don't wanna get stuck outside the gates after midnight, and it just seems easier to hit the Soju and call it an evening =P.

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Originally Posted by Jae iLL

I'd highly recommend getting out, taking trips to Daegu, Pusan, Kanghwado, all kinds of history on the peninsula bruh. Jejudo is beautiful too, I love it there.

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Agreed, especially Jejudo, such a beautiful place. I was in Korea (Yongsan) from Dec of 81 to June of 83 in the 8th Army. I worked part time in Itaewon at a night club called the Eagles Club as a D.J./bouncer. I lived off base in Itaewon with an Army buddy of mine and his wifes Korean family. I traveled all over and would love to go back some day to see how it has changed. The subway system was just being built when I left back for the States. The downtown stores and food shops were to die for. Give me some Yukkaejang and Kimchi and I was a happy man.

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Originally Posted by Kom@tose

Guilty as charged. I was on the penisula for a year from '00 to '01 and up until my last 3 or 4 months I hadn't even been to Seoul. :rolleye2:

Eventually one of the Korean sergeants in my squad found out that I was about to PCS and had never really been down south, so he took me and a couple of the other guys down to Seoul, and it was probably the best time I had since I had been there. I went like 100 more times in those last 2 months, and I felt like a jackass for not going sooner.

The problem is, or was for me, that since Korea is a hardship tour, you can't bring your family, and I was missing a lot of important stuff back home. I wasn't there to see my 1st kid born, I wasn't there when a friend of mine died in an accident, etc etc. Everyone's story is different, but the bottom line is most people who get there and are not single end up sitting in their rooms drinking for the first couple months, and it takes a while to snap out of it and realize where they are and what they are passing up. I was walking downrange with a kid in my unit one day and he said "man, I never ever thought that one day I'd be walking down a street in South Korea, this is pretty cool." and it wasn't until then that I figured it out.

Also remember, for the Army guys stationed anywhere but Youngsan (sp), we had a curfew and couldn't go too far because we had to be back in the gates by midnight, and since we couldn't bring cars, we either had to catch a bus or walk everywhere. A lot of the guys farther up north are scared to leave the base w/o someone who knows whats going on cause they don't wanna get stuck outside the gates after midnight, and it just seems easier to hit the Soju and call it an evening =P.

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True, I have an unaccompanied tour coming up. Although, command sponsorship is an option that they've recently allowed Airman to take advantage of. I don't know about the Army. That curfew does suck a lil bit, but Im planning on taking advantage of weekend passes, and whenever I don't have to be on base I'm not planning on hanging around military bases regardless. I have family in Koyang Kun to stay with.
My recommendation was more for like whenever Gecko Den has a weekend pass or something of that nature. Try to take full advantage of those and visit some places.

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Agreed, especially Jejudo, such a beautiful place. I was in Korea (Yongsan) from Dec of 81 to June of 83 in the 8th Army. I worked part time in Itaewon at a night club called the Eagles Club as a D.J./bouncer. I lived off base in Itaewon with an Army buddy of mine and his wifes Korean family. I traveled all over and would love to go back some day to see how it has changed. The subway system was just being built when I left back for the States. The downtown stores and food shops were to die for. Give me some Yukkaejang and Kimchi and I was a happy man.

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I can tell you it has changed hella since the 80s. The area my family is from has changed a lot in the last 10 years even. Back in 83 Won Dang was a little farming area, and my family had no indoor plumbing, no refridgerators etc. Now they have two refridgerators, a toilet ( no bath or shower yet), and a motorcycle. The subways are crazy, they get hella packed during the day. The lil carts on the side streets still sell the best foods tho.. some soondae in the lil tarp covered restaurant with some johkbal? Ahh.. I cant wait to go back

You guys are bringing back way to many memories... Some of them good, some not so good.


I was US Army from 1978 to 84. My dad was Army durring the Korean War. My Uncles were all Marines in Vietnam.

I started as an Attack Helicopter Mech. AH-1Y(ECAS) super stealth rotor and blades. Although my first duty assignment was with the US 8th Army, 201st Avation Bn in Tague (Jan. 79) as a Huey (UH-1H) crewchief. That lasted only a few months, then I was reasigned because there was a shortage on the DMZ for AH mechs. I went to Pyongyang and was asigned to a room with two KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army). A very interesting living/learning experience.

I left Korea to come to the US stationed at Fort Carson (4th inf mech) where after a few months on the flight line I decided that I wanted something different for my life. I asked for a transfer to the 1st of the 10th Calvary (Buffalo Soldiers) where I became a Calvary Scout and a Team Leader of a squad of elite soldiers in a Blues platoon (a 24/7/365 ready alert team) -- in 1980 there were 7 (1 in Korea, 2 in Germany, and 4 in the US) that I knew of. This really burned me out as we were constantly training for any situation that the military might be needed. I never saw any action -- except for a few live fire excercises. I reenlisted to be a Laboratory Technician and while in school at Fort Sam Houston, Texas my team went to Grenada (I did all that training and missed out on the whole purpose of the team.)

As a lab tech, I graduated very high in my class and was sent to Walter Reed Army Institute of Research to work on NBC studies (can't talk about any of this).

After 6 years, I left the Army to became a compute dweeb. (I did do some consulting with the Navy because I still had my Top Secret clearence). But now I am just a regular guy with a regular job. Some times I really miss my days with a 40 pound ruck and an M16A2.

[RANT]

To respond to Jae iLL's comments -- you have to know who your friends are. I was constantly getting into trouble for defending the local men and women who were house boys and laundry maids. One night I got beat up so bad that I was sent to the hospital. But the Koreans were the only ones who visited me there. On vacation in country, my KATUSA roommates showed me their home, it was a 14' x 16' one room concrete block walls with a plywood roof. It had charcoal heating. And 7 people lived in it. It had a small elevated dirt path that went to the main dirt road that went to the nearest town 3 miles away. It was totally surrounded by rice fields that were at least one foot of water all the time. I went in the winter and the fields were frozen. I loved my KATUSA friends and their family. I went to one of their sister's wedding (both traditional and modern ceremonies), and they included me in all their activities.

I can not understand how some of the military were/are so insulated from people who aren't like them, and furthermore unwilling to even acknowledge the differences in people.

Howerver, I will defend the US Army Officers, as they saw my abilities and promoted me rapidly and made me liason for the KATUSA in my company.

Active duty Navy right here. I was on the USS Donald Cook when we launched the first missiles into IRAQ. I am currently doing mobile ground communications. I am working on getting my breeding group of bearded dragons and starting in crested geckos. I had to get rid of my bp's I just didn't have the time to make sure they stayed friendly as they were when they were babies.

02-06 USMC YUUUUUUTTTTT!!!!!! MCBH

I really miss the Corp... Two of my buddies already got recalled and I'm just waiting for my number.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I actually asked a crew chief one time about the leaking hydrolic fluid and he's response was "let me know if it stops ... that means we're all out and about to crash .... if we ain't leakin, we ain't flyin" ... nice right? :rofl:

-adam

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Truer words have never been spoken. However that is only true in the 53 and 46 community. Those are Sikorskys, the Bell helicopters don't leak like that. If we have a leak, we freak out. I do like those Super Stallions though, as they drug me all over Afghanistan. I never cared for Sea Knights, as they twist too much while you're flying on them, it made me a little nervous.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

"let me know if it stops ... that means we're all out and about to crash .... if we ain't leakin, we ain't flyin" ... nice right? :rofl:

-adam

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When i worked on F-14s thats what we always said, "If its not leaking its broke!"

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Originally Posted by Kaaa

When i worked on F-14s thats what we always said, "If its not leaking its broke!"

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My brother is currently a C131 J Mechanic for the Corp. He's always saying that leaking is the planes way of showing you that it still has fluid in its lines and that when they quit thats when you worry. :D:D

P.S he'll be home in two weeks from his second tour to Iraq in two years.
:salute: