you can rank up in reserves, see my previous postLotta_Drool wrote:
wtf is a reserve drill sergeant?lilbaily2 wrote:
If you go to Ft.Benning or Fort Knox let me know when. I am a reserve drill sergeant now and might have to stop in and drop you a few times
You mean GI Bill or Tuition assistance? Both predate Bill Clinton, who did not do a damn thing to enhance the pay or quality of life for any servicemember. I got the GI Bill under the H.W. Bush, and verious states have their own tuition assistance plans that are state-based, and indipendant of the federal government.Locoloki wrote:
Here is the route my friend took and he is pondering the same as you
He graduated highschool in 99' Joined the national gaurd at 18 bounced around between community colleges and state college applied for financial aid as a military student( Thanks to Bill Clinton, and got financial assistance). Got a regular job working security at a hospital and tried to continue his education but fought like hell to get financial aid with Bush) till 28(still in gaurd). Decided to volunteer to go to Afghanistan more than part time (got his wish). Now that he is back, 29 years old and is wondering if he should go to Officer Candidate School, join the military for another 10 years and draw a full pension while making his way to a knowlegable and respectable LT
with the miltary only you can decide what you want to do, but if your like my friend, you can drag it out for another 10 years
Well, what kind of job do you want? If you want to be a ground-pounding, combat leader, definitely go Army. If you want to be a support type, either service works (but AF will probably have a slightly nicer standard of living). If you want to be involved in R&D or be a pilot, AF all the way. It really depends on what you see yourself doing.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
I'm definitely doing the first two years (where you don't sign any lines).Poseidon wrote:
Do ROTC. That's what I'm doing if I go to Pace or AU.
Plus, it'll give you a feeling of how the military is like (although at a lower level) to see if you really want to go in.
I'm also considering the Air Force as well...
Get your degree and then do OCS after you get your CoC.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
Should I do ROTC in college? Or just get my degree and then join the military and do Officer Candidate's School? Anyone on here have experience with either option?
I myself think I may want to do OCS, mainly because I'm only a permanent resident right now. I graduate in like June 2013, but I won't be able to apply for citizenship till March 2013. I have a feeling that the naturalization process takes far longer than 3 months. And doesn't one have to be eligible to be an officer when they enroll in the final two years of ROTC (since you sign the line)?
Last edited by rdx-fx (2009-05-05 07:44:14)
i loled at that.....jsnipy wrote:
life decisions like this should not be left to the interbutts
That would seem to be a uniquely Army thing.rdx-fx wrote:
I'd suggest 4 years as an enlisted national guard member.
Helps pay for college, gives you practical lower enlisted experience.
Then do OCS.
The usual ROTC course bears only a strange resemblance to the real military.
Without exception, every one of the outstanding Army officers I've ever worked with was either a West Point graduate, or "green to gold" type prior enlisted who'd gone to OCS.
The ROTC ones? They were the officers with the Star Wars figurines on their desks, or who tried to quote Patton in a road construction project commencement speech.
Maybe so, but i want my bars. Before i retire my goal is to reach Colonal.S3v3N wrote:
Enlisted > Officers.
You only say that because we're better than you and you have an inferiority complex.S3v3N wrote:
Enlisted > Officers.
The most dangerous thing in the military is a 2nd Lt., a Map and a Radio.FEOS wrote:
You only say that because we're better than you and you have an inferiority complex.S3v3N wrote:
Enlisted > Officers.
Spoiler (highlight to read):
I keed, I keed
No doubt. Good thing I haven't been a 2Lt for a loooong time.S3v3N wrote:
The most dangerous thing in the military is a 2nd Lt., a Map and a Radio.FEOS wrote:
You only say that because we're better than you and you have an inferiority complex.S3v3N wrote:
Enlisted > Officers.
Spoiler (highlight to read):
I keed, I keed
Well, on one hand I want to be something like a combat engineer in the Army. It sounds... exciting. Plus, I'm considering studying engineering in college so they'd go hand-in-hand.RAIMIUS wrote:
Well, what kind of job do you want? If you want to be a ground-pounding, combat leader, definitely go Army. If you want to be a support type, either service works (but AF will probably have a slightly nicer standard of living). If you want to be involved in R&D or be a pilot, AF all the way. It really depends on what you see yourself doing.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
I'm definitely doing the first two years (where you don't sign any lines).Poseidon wrote:
Do ROTC. That's what I'm doing if I go to Pace or AU.
Plus, it'll give you a feeling of how the military is like (although at a lower level) to see if you really want to go in.
I'm also considering the Air Force as well...
I really only know how ROTC and the academies work, so I'm not the best source of info for comparing OCS/OTS enlisting then OCS/OTS.
A family as in me, my wife and two kids? Or a band of brothers type thing? Yes to both, but I doubt I'd want the first one for a while.FEOS wrote:
Get your degree and then do OCS after you get your CoC.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
Should I do ROTC in college? Or just get my degree and then join the military and do Officer Candidate's School? Anyone on here have experience with either option?
I myself think I may want to do OCS, mainly because I'm only a permanent resident right now. I graduate in like June 2013, but I won't be able to apply for citizenship till March 2013. I have a feeling that the naturalization process takes far longer than 3 months. And doesn't one have to be eligible to be an officer when they enroll in the final two years of ROTC (since you sign the line)?
As for which branch to go into...
One question: Do you want a family?
Officers have their uses;S3v3N wrote:
Enlisted > Officers.
the exception (in my opinion) being pilots. because you're an officer and you're having funrdx-fx wrote:
Officers have their uses;S3v3N wrote:
Enlisted > Officers.
1) sit in offices, listening to other officers drone on about "mission statements" and other vapid buzzwords
2) condense tons of boring paperwork into flashy powerpoint presentations
3) absorb bullshit, bluster, and brain-farts from above
4) Write endless paperwork in MS Office
Officers - they sit in boring buildings, so we (enlisted) don't have to.
Enlisted - We get to go play in the field, shoot things, drive ground vehicles, shoot stuff, blow stuff up, hike around in the hills, and generally do that cool Army stuff they show on TV.
I was referring to the first type of family. You'll get the second type regardless of which service you join.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
A family as in me, my wife and two kids? Or a band of brothers type thing? Yes to both, but I doubt I'd want the first one for a while.FEOS wrote:
Get your degree and then do OCS after you get your CoC.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
Should I do ROTC in college? Or just get my degree and then join the military and do Officer Candidate's School? Anyone on here have experience with either option?
I myself think I may want to do OCS, mainly because I'm only a permanent resident right now. I graduate in like June 2013, but I won't be able to apply for citizenship till March 2013. I have a feeling that the naturalization process takes far longer than 3 months. And doesn't one have to be eligible to be an officer when they enroll in the final two years of ROTC (since you sign the line)?
As for which branch to go into...
One question: Do you want a family?
...AHH!rdx-fx wrote:
2) condense tons of boring paperwork into flashy powerpoint presentations
What makes you recommend the USAF over other branches in terms of family?FEOS wrote:
I was referring to the first type of family. You'll get the second type regardless of which service you join.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
A family as in me, my wife and two kids? Or a band of brothers type thing? Yes to both, but I doubt I'd want the first one for a while.FEOS wrote:
Get your degree and then do OCS after you get your CoC.
As for which branch to go into...
One question: Do you want a family?
If the family thing is important to you, I'd recommend going AF. If the family thing is not important to you, it's totally dependent on your interests and goals for your time in the military.
i have shitty eyesight though, so I'd probably be sitting in an air-conditioned trailer making UAVs go pew pew.FatherTed wrote:
you get to fly jets and go pew pew.
tbh
As long as your not color blind and your vision is correctable to 20/20 then you can pilot. I'm color blind, therefore i was left with 3 MOS's that i could do.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
i have shitty eyesight though, so I'd probably be sitting in an air-conditioned trailer making UAVs go pew pew.FatherTed wrote:
you get to fly jets and go pew pew.
tbh
Would corrective surgery mean that? I wear contacts which correct me to 20/20 now but I'm looking into corrective eye surgery for my astigmatism and my vision itself.NeXuS wrote:
As long as your not color blind and your vision is correctable to 20/20 then you can pilot. I'm color blind, therefore i was left with 3 MOS's that i could do.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
i have shitty eyesight though, so I'd probably be sitting in an air-conditioned trailer making UAVs go pew pew.FatherTed wrote:
you get to fly jets and go pew pew.
tbh
Corrective eye surgery such as lasik is a BIG NO NO. Do not get it. They will not let you do alot of things if you have gotten lasik.Poseidon wrote:
Would corrective surgery mean that? I wear contacts which correct me to 20/20 now but I'm looking into corrective eye surgery for my astigmatism and my vision itself.NeXuS wrote:
As long as your not color blind and your vision is correctable to 20/20 then you can pilot. I'm color blind, therefore i was left with 3 MOS's that i could do.Hurricane2k9 wrote:
i have shitty eyesight though, so I'd probably be sitting in an air-conditioned trailer making UAVs go pew pew.
I'm sure FEOS knows a bit about this. I'm not colorblind though.