What is Army life like?

[ViviTheMage]

My best friend wants to join the Army, but my sister says he should not (they are married). She has been in the Army for 5 years now, active reserve, never been deployed.

He has his reasons for joining, but I am just curious, what's it like? I know the boot camp, waiting periods, etc, but being actively deployed, what's that like? How restricted are you when you're out there?

IF I had to join, i'd probably go Air Force, or some sort of computer security stuff, other then that..I don't even think i'd be accepted..I have 20/20 vision in my left eye, and can barely see out of my right eye.


...it would be cool to shoot those guns, fly some jets/helicopters.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

You sleep in the mud and eat crap all day. While deployed you're extremely restricted; you're generally in a combat zone how free wheeling could you expect it to be? I'm in the air force and in a field that basicly never deploys, but from what I hear even air force deployments suck.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Ask Zane Johnson. Oh wait....

 

[bigrash]

I hear it's fabulous!

 

[ViviTheMage]

You sleep in the mud and eat crap all day. While deployed you're extremely restricted; you're generally in a combat zone how free wheeling could you expect it to be? I'm in the air force and in a field that basicly never deploys, but from what I hear even air force deployments suck.

That was my assumption...he said he'd be "traveling" ... imo, not the traveling you'd want to do, haha.

Not sure i'd believe Zane...not exactly the best track record in the truth department.

 

[lupi]

There's a reason your work compound has reinforced temporary walls with barbed wire and sentries. There's also a reason why when you go wandering off you become a news story about your body being located.

 

[rudder]

depends if you are in the infantry or driving a desk.

 

[mfenn]

Boring as fuck. The Army motto isn't "hurry up and wait" for nothin.

 

[jpeyton]

Sucks. Don't do it.

 

[darkxshade]

It's like raining on your wedding day...

 

[jemcam]

It can and will suck. Hard. You'll live the worst possible conditions and eat the worst food. You can be shot at, and the training is long, boring, tedious in the worst places in the country climate wise. You'll work for lots of assholes on power trips that would like nothing better to chew you out and get you in the most trouble they possibly can. You'll miss home terribly, and will go for long periods without any communication from friends or family. You'll find out that your tolerance level is much much higher than you ever imagined. You'll get little sleep and will be entrusted with a lot of responsibility and you'll have the supreme and sometimes overwhelming task of having people's lives in your hands.

It's the best job I ever had. I look back on my Army experience very gratefully. I am proud to have served regardless of it sometimes being the worst time of my life at times. I made lifelong friends there and wish I had done it longer. It was very rewarding for me looking back on it. At the time I was experiencing those things, I could not say that.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Interesting...thanks jem. How long were you in for?

 

[Red Squirrel]

You kill people, before they kill you. If you fail, you probably don't make it back.

Not for me... but I salute everyone willing to go.

Of course there are other army related jobs that arn't directly on the front lines.

 

[lxskllr]

There's a lot of alcoholics. I suspect it's because most are kids when they join, and there isn't much constructive to do in your time off, so you drink.

 

[ViviTheMage]

There's a lot of alcoholics. I suspect it's because most are kids when they join, and there isn't much constructive to do in your time off, so you drink.

I would be screwed, I don't drink, smoke, drugs, anything like that. If I had a laptop with an internet connection, I have plenty of constructive things to do

 

[jemcam]

Interesting...thanks jem. How long were you in for?

14 years. 3 years enlisted, then I went to OCS. I got out as a Captain.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I know a few of my sisters friends went through OCS and are 'up there' .. he has a two year degree, where would he start out?

 

[DivideBYZero]

Like prison with bad pay.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Like prison with bad pay.

With guns and stuff, right? haha

 

[jemcam]

I know a few of my sisters friends went through OCS and are 'up there' .. he has a two year degree, where would he start out?

2 years of college or an associate's degree should get you started out as an E3 or Private First Class. That's 2 pay grades up from people with a HS diploma. Not much, but better than nothing.

 

[jemcam]

Like prison with bad pay.

So tell us about YOUR military experience... Not what you've heard or your perceptions. Your experience. I'm guessing none.

 

[sdifox]

Private Pyle!

 

[ViviTheMage]

2 years of college or an associate's degree should get you started out as an E3 or Private First Class. That's 2 pay grades up from people with a HS diploma. Not much, but better than nothing.

better then nothing for him!

He's been a mechanic for 5 years now, and is just pissed off what's happening to the industry, and wants to go back to school, and this is the best way he says.

 

[jemcam]

better then nothing for him!

He's been a mechanic for 5 years now, and is just pissed off what's happening to the industry, and wants to go back to school, and this is the best way he says.

How old is he? It was a life change experience for me. It gave me direction and showed me I was capable of things I never thought I could do.

FWIW, I'm trying to get back into the Air Force Guard to finish my retirement now.

 

[ViviTheMage]

How old is he? It was a life change experience for me. It gave me direction and showed me I was capable of things I never thought I could do.

FWIW, I'm trying to get back into the Air Force Guard to finish my retirement now.

He is 22.