Thinking of joining the military.

I just want to hear what being in the US military is really like from some people who have been in it. I'm thinking about joining the Army since they seem to be the most advanced and have the best living conditions. Also, in the Army the job you choose is guaranteed for you unlike the other branches where you may not get the job you want. I'm thinking about joining because it's always kind of been in the back of my mind as something I'd like to do, but with the war that was going on I was a bit nervous. Now that the war is quieting down, I feel like it would be an ok time to pursue what I've been pondering. Another reason is that I'm also having a rough time finding work that lasts more than 3-6 months at a time.

I'm just looking to get some honest input on the experiences people have had in the military so that I can better make my decision. Thanks.

- ImageX


P.S. - You can either reply here with your input or send me a PM if you so desire.

I'm thinking about joining the Army since they seem to be the most advanced and have the best living conditions. Also, in the Army the job you choose is guaranteed for you unlike the other branches where you may not get the job you want.

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What kind of propaganda have you been listening to or reading? ;D Grunts live like grunts. If you want good living conditions and advanced training, join the Navy or Air Force. Better yet, go to college, get a degree and enroll in an ROTC program and become an officer and live with the elite!

Army brat here, born and raised on military bases. My dad retired from the US Army. I went in the Air Force as an electronics Tech during the Vietnam War. Got out and finished college and went in te Army as an Officer.

What I can tell you is unless things have changed a lot in the last twenty years, whoever told you the Army had the best living conditions has a screw loose.

Hands down best for an enlisted man for living conditions, training and future jobs are in this order:

1) US Air Force
2) US Navy

See this is what I wanted. I was originally thinking about the Navy until I was doing some reading and read all that stuff about the Army which made it sound appetizing. I still need to do some more research, but all of this input really helps. Thanks.

Yes...I was going to say something similar as chscag & Razormac...the Air Force would have the best living conditions...and always seemed to be the most technologically advanced branch of the US Armed Forces.

As far living conditions and the Navy...not much fun when you are deployed for a long time on a ship...but you do get some interesting ports of call. And my one thing against the Air Force...I think that they have ugly uniforms!...sorry "chscag".

I was in the Army...and:

- The day to day stuff you do can be just as boring & monotonous as any civilian job.
- Going out on "field exercises" is a pain in the butt.
- Guard Duty sucks!!
- Practice "alerts" stink (anytime night or day...usually 2-4am)...you get an "alert" to report to your assembly area...with all your gear!
- When you're a low ranking person...remember that "crap" rolls down hill!
- Low pay (but rent free for single folks...barracks housing)...and free food (if you always eat in the mess hall)...so you really have no expenses...so your pay can be all "fun & drinking money"! Which is what most guys do with their pay!!!
- Of course there's always the possibility of being deployed into a war-zone...after all...it is the military!!!
- Also realize...unlike civilian jobs...you CANNOT quit once you join...if you decide don't like it!!! If you sign-up for 3, 4, 6, etc. years...you got to do your time...like it or not. Unless you get a medical, physical, or less than dishonorable discharge.

The military is like a lot of things in life. A lot of it really really sucks while you're doing it...but afterwards (after you're discharged)...and some time goes by...you forget about the negative stuff...and REALLY remember a lot of the positives!!!

I have absolutely no regrets regarding joining the military...but there were a lot of times when I was actively in the military...that I wanted to pack up & get the heck out!!!

It's a BIG decision...but you're doing the right thing by asking others for their opinions! Some recruiters can "paint" a pretty rosy picture sometimes!

- Nick

Retired Army here. Masters degree in electrical engineering. The best living conditions hands down the Air Force. Can't really say on the training part, I had a very specialized MOS that required the degree. I can say this do take your time choosing your job or accepting your job. Once you have it, you will have it for a while until you can reclass. From what I understand from being deployed with Marines is you cannot choose your job in the marines, they choose it for you. I have heard the same for the Air Force. This is second hand tho, I only served in the Army.
The day to day routine in a motor pool can get boring. Most of my work was done in warehouse or lab conditions practicing taking stuff apart and extracting data from it. The field exercises are not bad if you are with a unit that has been in combat in the near past. If you are unlucky enough to get in one that hasn't, then it can get stupid really fast. Need I mention 29 palms to anyone?
The hardest school I went to was Drill Sergeant school, but it was worth it and I was on the trail for 1.5 years. Then moved to be deployed into Iraq in late 2002.
It is a very large decision that you will have to make. I've been injured twice in the past but still volunteered to go back when they retired me at 20 years and pins in both legs.

I guess, since most of you are from the Army and are telling me the Army is not what I originally thought it was, I have a question for you guys. What made you want to join the Army over another branch, and should the living conditions even be a big factor in my decision?

;DRetired Air Force guy. I'm also a former recruiter. I'm Air Force biased, but what would you expect. Pay and benefits are the same, but vast differences between the five branches (Coast Guard). Not everyone qualifies, based on physical, aptitude, morals, drugs use, dependency. Also different qualifications between the branches. Tons of information available online. Gather as much basic information and then narrow down your choices. The U.S. military is a great choice and possible career for many, but it's not for everyone. Good luck!

When I was referring to the living conditions, I'm referring to being deployed in combat. As far as garrison, It's regular life, we lived off post my whole career. I'm not sure how to answer your question as that is up to you and what you want to do and want to get out of it. I chose the Army because they asked me first when I was young. I stayed in the Army because it gave me what I wanted and was a good life for myself and my family, and has lead to a good career post service. But the decision you make I wouldn't know how to advise you on, but I can say yes I am glad I served and wish I still could. I did work as a civilian instructor for a couple of years after I retired. Now we work for ourselves.

Good luck and be safe.

ImageX said:

I was originally thinking about the Navy until I was doing some reading and read all that stuff about the Army which made it sound appetizing..

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Boom and thats how they get you. In the Australian Army on the recruiting video for ""bootcamp"" they showed the recruits on a golf course playing golf. The only bloddy time i saw the golf course in the 13 weeks i was there, was when we were doing a Force March or a 5km run and we ran across the bloody thing LOL

THEY LIED to me ;(

I agree the Fly Boys have the best conditions hands down then the Pussers (Navy) and them come us poor old Army Boys. Even going bush the Airforce and Navy can't go out without running water for showers lol

Seems the same the world over reading other posts.

DONT let them con ya

chscag said:

What kind of propaganda have you been listening to or reading? ;D Grunts live like grunts. If you want good living conditions and advanced training, join the Navy or Air Force. Better yet, go to college, get a degree and enroll in an ROTC program and become an officer and live with the elite!

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Agreed. I can only speak of what I know about the British armed forces - both as an engineering undergraduate with several classmates who want to join various branches of the military, and as a voluntary Civilian Instructor for the local Air Training Corps (Royal Air Force Cadets) squadron.

Here in Blighty the Air Force and Navy definitely have better kit & conditions; with the Army being bottom of the pile & looked down upon a bit by the other two. It doesn't seem an unreasonable assumption that it would be the same case in the US military...

If your looking for the path of least resistance...your joining for the wrong reasons...Figure out what you aspire to and take the path that will get you there...There is no easy way through life.

Ctrl-Opt-Del said:

Here in Blighty the Air Force and Navy definitely have better kit & conditions; with the Army being bottom of the pile & looked down upon a bit by the other two.

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Its funny you say this because i find with our Military, we look down on the other two. Never want to be them, but they cop a lot of crap bc of the babying they get, the food the get served, and the general way they are treated to us. Numbers win out in my Military

I have a little more time this morning than last night, so I will fill in some details. But, first a caveat, I have been out of active service for more than 20 years so some of my info may be dated (but since I am an Armed Forces employee and still have some contact with the branches, I don't believe things have changed all that much).

1) When I went in the Air Force you were able to choose your job. provided you met the technical qualifications for it, and there was a demand.

2) After bootcamp and tech school I was assigned to a training detachment doing electronic maintenance on training equipment. The Air Force had just completed construction on new barracks, but decided the square footage for rooms didn't meet their standards so I ended up as an E-2 with a 14x18 dorm room all to my self.
What was really interesting to me, is 6 years later I am now a freshly commisioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and I go to visit/inspect my troops in their barracks. Lo and behold, I recognize the buildings, exact design and floorplans of the barracks I lived in. Major difference is the room I had to myself was now shared by FOUR of my platoon members.

3) On the training, while going to college, I had a chance to talk to some friends who had a similar specialty to mine (radar repair) who had been in the Army. What I found out was many of the repairs and inspections I did on a daily basis, the Army rated as Depot Level maintenance. Which meant I got a lot more practical experience in my day-to-day job in the Air Force than I would have in the Army.

4) As to why I picked the branches I did. When I first went in they were still shooting at each other in Vietnam and I had the opportunity to go Air Force instead of Army. After I got out and went back to college I intended to go Air Force ROTC but they closed the program down so I switched to Army.

I think the best advice you have gotten though, is to not focus on the conditions so much as what you want to achieve and then pick the best path.
Feel free to post any more thoughts or questions; as you can see we don't mind sharing our experiences and opinions.

Hope this helps.

Razormac said:

2) After bootcamp and tech school I was assigned to a training detachment doing electronic maintenance on training equipment. The Air Force had just completed construction on new barracks, but decided the square footage for rooms didn't meet their standards so I ended up as an E-2 with a 14x18 dorm room all to my self.
What was really interesting to me, is 6 years later I am now a freshly commisioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and I go to visit/inspect my troops in their barracks. Lo and behold, I recognize the buildings, exact design and floorplans of the barracks I lived in. Major difference is the room I had to myself was now shared by FOUR of my platoon members.

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I think that the barracks/BOQ certainly vary by the post someone is assigned to...and how "lucky" you get depending on what unit you are assigned to...and what housing units are allotted to that unit (newer construction vs. older construction).

I know that on the same post (back in the 1980's)...I was living in some World War II era single story wooden barracks (no air-conditioning). Then got transferred (same post)...and moved into some much better multi-story brick with balcony "barracks" with 3-guys to a room (T-Shaped room). Each guy had one of the 3 ends of the "T" (with air-conditioning).

Razormac said:

3) On the training, while going to college, I had a chance to talk to some friends who had a similar specialty to mine (radar repair) who had been in the Army. What I found out was many of the repairs and inspections I did on a daily basis, the Army rated as Depot Level maintenance. Which meant I got a lot more practical experience in my day-to-day job in the Air Force than I would have in the Army.

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I felt that this was my experience as well. Went to 6 months of Army training for an electronics-based position (Top Secret level security clearance)...and at the unit level maintenance...all that was done was swapping "bad" big-white "boxes" full of electronics...for "good" big-white boxes full of electronics. I think that the depot-level maintenance guys swapped out the "bad" individual cards inside the white boxes. So no real experience there either...and thus not much that transferred to a civilian job!

@ImageX: One other thing to keep in mind. Most (greatest %) of soldiers in the Army are in the infantry & armor...and their living conditions are usually pretty much the same as guys in other MOS's (Military Occupational Specialty). Just that the infantry & armor spend much more time getting dirty, hot, and sweaty in the field. Then LOTS of cleaning when they return!!!

Of course for a smart person...you have many more MOS choices than infantry & armor (unless that's what someone wants). But living conditions would pretty much be the same (same facilities)...regardless of the MOS.

- Nick

The only reason I've been wondering about the living conditions is because I don't want to absolutely hate it and feel time slow down not wanting to be there. I've been reading about the Air Force and found that they have a Computer Systems Programming job which is what I want my career to be (whether I stay in the Air Force or find a normal career after leaving). It also has a very short tech training time (about two and a half months) so that might be nice to get through the training and get right to work instead of training for up to a year for some other positions.

Quoted from Razormac
2) After bootcamp and tech school I was assigned to a training detachment doing electronic maintenance on training equipment. The Air Force had just completed construction on new barracks, but decided the square footage for rooms didn't meet their standards so I ended up as an E-2 with a 14x18 dorm room all to my self.
What was really interesting to me, is 6 years later I am now a freshly commisioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and I go to visit/inspect my troops in their barracks. Lo and behold, I recognize the buildings, exact design and floorplans of the barracks I lived in. Major difference is the room I had to myself was now shared by FOUR of my platoon members.

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In my reading, I read that it is unlikely for a living area to be shared by two people unless other areas are undergoing renovation or something.


In short, I strongly feel this is something I'd like to do and experience but I just want to make sure life will suck as little as possible so that if I choose four years, it doesn't seem like eight.

Thank you everyone for your feedback and concerns. I still have a lot of information to gain and things to consider.

ImageX said:

It also has a very short tech training time (about two and a half months) so that might be nice to get through the training and get right to work instead of training for up to a year for some other positions.

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From what I know when it comes to technical positions...the longer the training period the better. More training usually means more knowledge...and more knowledge...can mean more skills that may be more applicable in the civilian world.

2.5 months of training is actually pretty short.

ImageX said:

In my reading, I read that it is unlikely for a living area to be shared by two people unless other areas are undergoing renovation or something.

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WOW...this is news to me. I would fully expect a new recruit in any of the armed services to be sharing a room with at least 1 other person (if not more). A big part of being in the military is developing a sense of teamwork & camaraderie. Having a room by oneself does not support this...plus when things get you down...sitting in a room by yourself is not good either.

Maybe things have changed. But hey...you've done the research...so you're the expert on the current situation.

- Nick

I'm with Nick; 2.5 months seems short.

If you don't mind posting a link we'll look at the job specialty and training and give you our two cents worth.

pigoo3 said:

WOW...this is news to me. I would fully expect a new recruit in any of the armed services to be sharing a room with at least 1 other person (if not more). A big part of being in the military is developing a sense of teamwork & camaraderie. Having a room by oneself does not support this...plus when things get you down...sitting in a room by yourself is not good either.

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I tend to agree. In bootcamp, i lived with 3 others and even in IET's (Initial Employment Training) i was still with 3 others. Wasn't until i got to my Unit that i was subjected to lonely nights
I find it hard not to believe that this would be very similar the world over and in the US.
ImageX might well have misunderstood the the reading.

TattooedMac said:

In bootcamp, i lived with 3 others...

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In bootcamp I lived with 75 others! Got into a few fights too (and it usually takes a lot for me to get to that point)!

- Nick