Snakes and the Military

[spitzu]

I was in the Marine Corps for 5 years... Rule number 1 dont' believe anything your recruiter says...they will tell you what you want to hear to meet their quota, its sad to say, but it is true. You can't have pets in the barracks and I have never seen anyone get BAH and move off base 6 months after completing training unless they are married. I don't know how often you change duty stations in the Air Force, however in the 5 years that I was in the Corps I moved 6 times. There are times that you move and have to live on base. We had a Gunny that was married with 3 kids and was moved up to Lemoore Naval Base and was given Geo-Bachelor orders meaning that he lived on base and his family wasn't able to move with him. Expect the unexpected.

Enlisted in the AF will generally move every 3-5 years or so. But that is another good point... you don't know where you'll get stationed. You have some say in the matter, but it isn't guaranteed that your preferences will line up with the AF's needs (and you'll lose if they don't). You could very well end up overseas for 4+ years for your first assignment. You may enjoy that, but you definitely won't be bringing snakes with you.