Military

[Spirits Reborn]

Ah, I was just curious about somthings regarding the military and stuff.


I did google and read their webpages, but they're all technical like and don't really explain things. So i wanted to ask you guys, If a highschool graduate were to enlist in a military , which branch would you think is the best?

As vague as that is, I have yet another question. What exactly are the differences between the Marines and the Army/navy? Only difference that I know of is the coast guard and stuff.. Someone help me, so that I won't be so ignorant much longer.

Thanks [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Felix The Assassin]

Fair enough.
1. What do YOU want to do?
As a high school grad, you are not going to do much in the way of super cool. Only Officers BA-PHD's get that.

2. You would start below the bottom rung, and would have to prove your worth. It ain't easy.

3. The Army wants people who can follow orders, react to muscle engrained drills, shot straight, and have intestinal fortitude. Your vocabulary will have many words, and most will contain "Hooah" and "Kill". You can become a member of the "Golden Knights" or a "SPEC-OPS" operant. Only the best of the best are selected for "The Old Guard" the highest honor of the DOD, and is only selected from the Army, the senior branch.

4. The Marines only want a few GOOD men. They are totally re-programed from society, (16 weeks of it), and your vocabulary will consist of a few words, starting and ending with "Erp" and "Kill". You will learn to consume very large quanities of beer while on liberty, and will wear the shapest looking uniform in the entire DOD.

5. The Navy wants seamen.

6. The Air Force wants people who are capable of thinking outside the box, are motivated, dedicated, and understand that if the plane and pilot does not return, your future is in check until the investigation is complete. They demand critical skills, have a steep learning curve, and hold people to their actions. Not just the life of the pilot/crew rests in your capabilities, but millions of dollars as well, and possibly national security. Only the best of the best are selected for Air Force One and Two.

The Army fought the Revoluntionary war with General George Washington.
The Marines manned the guns at Tripol.
The Navy turned the tide of WWII with the Battle of Midway.
Some astronauts were Air Men.

Too easy, what else?

[Lucern]

Was waiting for Felix or Zebodog to answer first [img]smile.gif[/img]

(Assuming you're in the US...)

I saw you were applying to colleges earlier. In case you haven't been bombarded with the junk mail, it's an almost guaranteed bump into officer-hood from the start. I'm in grad school. I STILL get that mail. I can't imagine their enlistment from graduate departments is all that high. Anyway...my question is (if college is still on the table), how long would it take to climb to officer status? More than 4 years? Or is this a potential option in lieu of college?

Frankly, several friends of mine who signed up went to Iraq. I know you've thought about that, but Iraq and Afghanistan are likely places you'd go as soon as they could send you (or Columbia or Korea).


And you might find this amusing Felix...was talking to a friend in the department with me who was in the army once upon a time stationed in Germany. They got sent back to Georgia, to which her comment was "Man, that really sucked. We actually had to do army stuff, unlike in Germany."

[Sir Krustin]

One of the best reasons to join the armed forces is to take advantage of their educational funding.

You'll have to enlist longer, but you can get some useful skills getting into technical support. (technicians for aircraft/ground vehicles, electronics technician, machinist, etc, etc

[Felix The Assassin]

Adding college. Two options and two paths to chose from. There is a third, but has a different thought process.
1. Prior to starting college, go ROTC. OR, have all of your families formidable and wealthy friends petition your state Senators for an appointment into one of the acadameis.

2. Enlist, WITH the college bonus, do the 4 year minimum, and take your 35K and run. Or 55K for 6 years.

2A. Do a few years enlisted, then go Green/Blue to Gold. Enlisted to officer program.

3. If you are already in college without ROTC, you will have a couple COAs (course of actions) after college.
1: Enlist at the rank of E-4, and sign for 4 yrs.
2: Enlist at the rank of E-3, and take the college tuition pay-off program, 4 years.
Neither of these are as good as they sound.

Officer education to college education from a retired enlisted soldiers (Armor/19K/Tanker & Advisor) perspective. All non-medical/doctor officers.
Company grade - Lieutenant through Captain O-1 - O-3 (Officer grade). BA/BS from accredited institution, or service acadamy. Green to Gold, must have BA prior to O-3E.
Field grade - Major to Colonel O-4 - O-6. Masters time. Usually started at the O-3 level after company command time (6-9 yrs). Must have by LTC-O-5. O-5 in addition to Master's, be a graduate from the military Command, and General Officer staff college (CGS).
Most O-6 are MA+ without thesis.
General Officer O-7 - O-10. Some have MA without thesis, some have MA+ Law, some have PHD. ALL must be a graduate of the War College.

A brand new recruit makes a scraping by with $1178 a month.
A college graduate starting at the E-4 scale, makes 1662 a month. But must pay his own college loan.
A fresh O-1 LT who can buy a new car cleans the closet with 2416.
The Green to Gold O-1E makes 3039.
A mid career SSG E-6, wife two kids, makes 2770.
A mid career Major O-4, with a paid for Masters, a new sports car, and two houses plays with 5755.
The Senior Enlisted Advisor with over 30 years of service competes with your local Wal-Mart manager @ 5400 monthly.

In addition to Enlisted and Officer, a bridge is created with the Warrant Officer field. These guys have some college, a lot of common sense, and are either technical gurus or aviators. Their pay is well above enlisted, yet way short of Commissoned Officer. A seasoned W-3 makes about 4k, and a crusty W-5 pulls over 6500.

And the CSA (Chief of Staff, Army) who rubs elbows with Donald, owns the bank with over 15K monthly.

As you can now see, Officer is the only way to bank!

And you might find this amusing Felix...was talking to a friend in the department with me who was in the army once upon a time stationed in Germany. They got sent back to Georgia, to which her comment was "Man, that really sucked. We actually had to do army stuff, unlike in Germany.

Fully comprehend.

[Spirits Reborn]

well there is no way for me to do ROTC before college anymore (since i'm done with hs) but What If i take it during college?


And the whole reason i'm even looking at the marines and such is because of the GI Bill.

[Felix The Assassin]

College ROTC. This is the secondary source for recruiting officers. Primary source are the acadameis, then the self proclaimed "Military Institutes", shh Any university has just as much potential as VMI.
The GI Bill from the corps? What is the take away amount to duty ratio? Each service, and within service each branch is different. The last I checked the Army National Guard had the best price to duty ratio.
I work with one Marine, and we have three in the current class. Different, their outlook on events of life, and the intricicies of the human mind. It takes a special someone to be a Marine! Keep us posted will ya?

[johnny]

Shut up Felix, now drop and gimme twenty.

[Spirits Reborn]

Originally posted by Felix The Assassin: College ROTC. This is the secondary source for recruiting officers. Primary source are the acadameis, then the self proclaimed "Military Institutes", shh Any university has just as much potential as VMI. The GI Bill from the corps? What is the take away amount to duty ratio? Each service, and within service each branch is different. The last I checked the Army National Guard had the best price to duty ratio. I work with one Marine, and we have three in the current class. Different, their outlook on events of life, and the intricicies of the human mind. It takes a special someone to be a Marine! Keep us posted will ya?

ha, of course.

Well as of now, I am waiting for my financial aid package from UmBC, and depending on how that goes I'll decide wether to enlist or not. And if I do get a decent aid package, I'll be going to Umbc and then joining ROTC. But If i don't its enlisting time. So either way, i'll be somehow on the way to using that GI bill. [img]tongue.gif[/img]