Joining the Military?

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From a purely practical standpoint the military can be a good place to get started and learn a technical trade. If you score high enough on the ASVAB testing you can get advanced electronic or mechanical training as good as any technical school that, when combined with the on the job experience, can lead to a good civilian career. The Navy and the Air Force are known more for their technical trades than the Army. It worked for me right out of highschool.

If you score average or not so technically inclined, the Army will teach you to kill and drive a tank maybe and send you to Iraq. If you survive and return to the states you will find little market for your infantyman, insurgent killing, skills.

From an ethical standpoint.....I would not voluteer my life to act as a pawn in this administration's illegal, oil grabbing wars only to become a member of an occupying force in a hostile land.

Not college bound and want a trade? Look into your local labour union apprentiship programs. That way you can learn something without becoming a tool in the hands of the American military machine.

 

i would have joined the army if they didn't make me cut my hair and stop smoking weed

 

I'm in the army guard currently and I can second the opinion from freeinalaska. The military can be a great thing if you want to learn a trade. The trade training will prepare you for a decent job after your enlistment is up in the military. If you want to be career military I would highly recommend the navy, air force or coast guard. Army, Marines would also be okay if you are interested in career military life, but be prepared for a hard job search if you ever decide to leave. They are much smaller services than the army. This means you will be known more as an asset, instead of a number, especially if you work a trade as your MOS (military occupational specialty). I have been told by friends that you are also treated better in the navy, air force and coast guard. I've heard far more people in the navy, air force and coast guard that are happy, compared to the army or marines also. The army is the backbone of the military, which means we tend to do the dirty work more than other services. There are tons of different jobs in every service. If you join the navy that doesn't mean you'll be on a boat, and same example with airplane and air force. You can work in: personnel, intelligence, pay, etc.

Most of my friends I went to bootcamp with have been in Iraq or are heading there soon, so that is something you also want to think about. Have you seen full metal jacket? That is what my bootcamp was like (we had people in our platoon that weren't liked and were beat up, several times). When I was at bootcamp the drill sergeants talked horribly about all Iraqis, not just terrorists and when we training to kill, etc. they would say "what are you going to do to that towlhead, kill them!" etc. Little wonder why there are so many civilian casualties in Iraq. The army is not like the commercials portray. They just happen to have an amazing marketing department.

It isn't hard to get a nice score on the ASVAB. Once you take that, a recruiter will be able to better tell you what jobs are suited for your abilities. Always remember, until you raise your hand and sign the paperwork you are not held to contract, so shop around!

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more info.

 

You know, there is this getting up early too.

 

LOL! thats damn best reasons i ever heard for not joining the army.
At last they are true!

 

LOL! thats damn best reasons i ever heard for not joining the army.
At last they are true! :joker:

 

I forgot one of the best reasons, lol! Get used to getting up early. I had to be up around 4:30 am everyday, formation started at 5, and my 12 hour day minimum started, during occupational training after bootcamp!

 

I could just hear them yelling at me, just like the bus driver did to Forrest in Forrest Gump. lol

 

why would you join the army. all it is is Bush's way to control this country even more. by sending our men and women off to a pointless war to die

 

So there was no army before Bush and we had no conflicts before Bush and when Bush is dead we will again have no military and no more conflicts? So Im sure the army is and was more than Bush's way to contol this country and infact the military is less likely able to control this country than the police. The military are sworn to protect the country not the goverment or its laws thus the phrase from enemies foreign and domestic. Police are sworn to uphold the laws of the land. Your goverment can make laws against the people and the country and require the police to follow thru with enforcing these laws.

So be more worried about a police force that is armed like a soldier.

 

Best advice for ya - Don't join the army. Getting your life "on track" is just some bullshit put out by the governments of the world to better control you. If you really want to enjoy yourself, do whatever it is YOU want to.

 

That is a quote from a website. Who wrote the quote? I'm not sure. I am sure that the administrators of goarmy have decided to not remove it.

At this point you need to remember the one thing that every soldier, past or present will agree on:

RECRUITERS LIE !!!

 

Ahh, this is a touchy issue with me.

I came VERY damn close to joining the Air Force after I graduated. See I lived in Arizona, and I couldn't afford college, and I knew it would be a hell of a time trying to afford an apartment, and be able to pay for everything without a college education. My mom was a wreck, I hadn't known my father my whole life, and all my friends seemed to have their future planned out and ready to go. Me, I didnt know what the hell I was going to do. Believe me, I was ready to join, I had basically made up my mind.

What happened was one of my uncles in New York got ahold of me after he had heard about how shitty my mom was doing at the time, and he offered me a job, starting at 10$ an hour under-the-table doing roofing during the summers, and plowing during winters. I said fuck it, I'll take it, and here I am, all this time later still in the Buffalo NY area.

Looking back, I am fucking THANKFUL I was not foolish enough to join the military. What it all comes down to, is the military carries out what the president says. After I saw how a president could drive this nation into the ground, and send poor farm kids off to die by the thousands for oil, I was completely distraught. I had always kind of looked up to people in the military (and dont get me wrong, I support our boys, not the presidents war, however), but now I just see them in a different light I guess.

Ultimately, the armed forces are merely peons in a game. I realize there are many positions which will never see active combat, but to even be affiliated with one of the most violent, evil organizations on Earth in terms of killing people... well, no thanks Who knows how many bombs I've already purchased with my tax dollars? Just realize that the service has no real regard for human life, that the president will not give a damn about who you were and how you died fighting his fight, that you could be thrown into a situation you are totally against at any time, and that you could be possibly even be thrown in jail if you dont agree to kill Iraqi women and children for their precious oil reserves.... I mean, weapons of mass destruction -_-

 

OK, so you have no job options, no skills.........so lets join?


You are 19, look at other things to do other than kill others.

Just my thoughts but why the hang do you have no other life options at 19 other than that?

Figure out what fires you as a person and do that, not kill other people to make a living.

 

I Am pro peace and believe in no form of war nor that people should be controlled by the goverment. I say don't do it and get some abition and direct it toward more than adding to the worlds anguish that war brings about.

 

No job skills? Go get some! Shit... you could probably apply for loans, need based scholarships, etc, etc, etc and go to college... or at least something practical like welding school or some other skilled manual trade that doesn't take too long to learn, isn't expensive, and can still land you a job.

Military? Eww.

 

I'd recommend the navy or air force over the army, if your looking to join the armed forces, but I don't really know that much. Understand you'll be an instrument of imperialism, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it could be when you are getting shot at in Iraq or somewhere. Maybe you should check out the peace corps and compare/contrast it with the army. My grandfather was in the army, and he would tell you that it is not the place to be.

But if you really want your life to go somewhere, you should go to college, and figure out there what you want to do with your life. Males don't fully mature until we're about 25 supposidly. Lastly, don't believe any of the army propoganda bullshit.

It says this "Finding yourself is all about self-discovery. But you're probably starting to know yourself pretty well. You know that you care about your country and that you want to do what's right. You also know you crave adventure. If you join the Army Reserve or active Army or enroll in the Army ROTC program, you'll find everything that you've been looking for and quite a bit more. You'll also get the kind of training that will make you strong and ready for the future. Now that you've found us, your adventure can really begin."

^That is what they sent me. The army isn't "an adventure". The army is hard work, but you will find yourself, you'll find yourself getting shot at by insurgents who hate your guts.

Seriously, college will give you the training to be successful in today's world. Being physically strong isn't going to help you find a job, with millions of immigrants coming up here to serve as cheap labor.

Lastly, if you do join the army, you'll probably end up in armed combat, and you'll probably be injured. People don't take into account the numbers of soldiers who are getting post traumatic stress and other disorders from their combat experiences. If you get hurt, then you can't fulfill your contract, and that means no money, and walter reed is a good example of how well you'll be taken care of.

Its your decision, but do research and be smart about it. As for myself, I say hell no to the army. It sucks getting up early every day, it really sucks.

 

No no , no army, no navy and no airforce. Army = bad idea. You want to travel the world? you can do that without joining the army. You will even have more freedom when you are not part of the army when you travel.

2) if you want to do some cool stuff , learn a few things? go to college, or go to a technical school, or try to learn by yourself... you don't need army for that.

3) If you want to do your part and serve your country, go right now to a local hospital or a soup kitchen and volunteer. Help the people who are sick. Give support to people who are suffering from depression, or help people raise money to stop type 1 children's diabetes. If you are in the army , you won't do any of these things.

Apart from all these other options, army = bad idea, because in army you will learn to kill, maim and destroy. They will make you hate iraqis, or arabs or any other group. In iraq, they may even ask you to kill women and children and you will have to do it.

Understand that Army is not for you. There is no honor in supporting such an institution. It is foolish and stupid to join it. Doing terrible things to other humans does not have to be your destiny.

 

Oh surely they would not lie to anyone just to get them to sign up.

Yeah and also them employment recruiters will tell you the whole truth too like in the trucking industry. Everyone is drivng new trucks, lots of pay, great benefits and short work hours just ask them (the recruiter) but they need drivers everyday, lol.

Yes beware of anything not in a contract.