Author Topic: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.  (Read 5716 times)

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Online Podaar

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #35 on: June 13, 2018, 04:14:44 PM »
 :lol
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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #36 on: June 13, 2018, 04:15:52 PM »
I know nothing of the ROTC, but when I was at Penn State, they had a large ROTC program so you'd see them all over campus daily.  They were always in uniform.  One guy was in my dorm freshman year, he pretty much lived like the rest of us but had to also pack in his training and whatnot in with the rest of his school work.  Not that different than being a student athlete in that you have your school work and your side work (sport, or ROTC training), but you still had a social life and lived on campus like the rest of the students.  I honestly had no idea what it was until I got there, but it always seemed like a good deal if going to the army was something you wanted to do.

Offline The Walrus

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #37 on: June 13, 2018, 04:21:11 PM »
Well, let me try a different approach then.  Officers typically put their carts in the corral.  Enlisted do not.

Out fucking standing!  :lol
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Online El Barto

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #38 on: June 13, 2018, 04:53:51 PM »
Also, if you go to OCS without already having been enlisted, do you still go through what we normal people call bootcamp?

Nope.  OCS is a more genteel form of boot camp.
Huh. I kind of figured that getting through boot camp was a big part of esprit de corps. I could see some resentment from somebody who spent years to make E-5 having to show deference to a revolving door of NCOs whose experience is pretty much going to college.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #39 on: June 13, 2018, 05:07:20 PM »
Yup.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Online Stadler

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #40 on: June 14, 2018, 08:57:39 AM »
My only big reservation about that is that I'm not a leader. I'm very much a type B type of dude. Leadership isn't my strong suit for a variety of reasons. I like to do my job and do it well, but as far as leading... that's a totally different ballgame. But who knows...

Don't sell yourself short.  "Leadership" isn't about "rah rah!" or about being the star of the stage.  My stepson was, mentally, in  a similar position as you, and he ended up "graduating" number two in his "class" and received meaningful commendation for his leadership.  That skillset later led to a pretty sweet assignment on base  and he's happier than a clam.   I'm not trying to set you up to fail, I'm certainly not in any position to promise you anything, and only you know what you can achieve and what you can't, but I'd hesitate to make too many assumptions right out the gate, especially assumptions that might limit you later on.

I've spent 98% of my career working for two companies, one a very large conglomerate and one a medium/small environmental remediation firm, and both are well populated with ex-military officers at that high-middle management, low senior management level, and those companies wouldn't survive without them.  I'm not talking about four star generals, but Captains, Majors and Lt. Colonels (the exact rank varies by branch) who understand how an organization works and can work within that structure.   Leadership by example, and the ability to provide situational leadership are probably the two biggest skills they bring. 

Offline The Walrus

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #41 on: June 14, 2018, 09:21:11 AM »
I suppose that's true. I just don't feel like a leader, let alone a leader in the military. That, and I genuinely don't know what I want to go to school for, so I don't see the point in going OCS when I don't know what I want to do. That and I don't want to do the reserves because I don't want to come back to this podunk town and continue to work. I'd rather enlist, get in, get the experience... just rip the band-aid off and do it like my friends have done. How cool would it be to end up working on a submarine somewhere out in the ocean, or on a massive carrier where I can see the ocean, and come back home some years later with all these stories? Way cooler and more fulfilling than reserves, seems like better benefits too.

It's tough, man. After 10 years of working in the family business we're finally getting health care. I just signed paperwork and turned it in today to get health care. So if I do this then I'll be dipping out to go serve... probably less than a year after finally having health insurance. And I'm currently solving the boss's phone-to-PC issues, which nobody else here can really do, so again, ripping the band-aid off to join is going to suck unless something happens this year that miraculously changes my life. Ah, fuck, I wish life was easier
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #42 on: June 14, 2018, 09:41:57 AM »
How cool would it be to end up working on a submarine somewhere out in the ocean, or on a massive carrier where I can see the ocean, and come back home some years later with all these stories?

In all honesty, and speaking from experience?  Doing that as an enlisted person would completely suck.  There are a lot of jobs where I would not have minded the enlisted path I chose.  But being on a ship or sub (and especially a sub)?  Pretty much the last thing I would want would be to be an enlisted person doing that job.  Although it seems glamorous at first glance, the day-to-day jobs involved in that are worse than the worst thing you can imagine.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #43 on: June 14, 2018, 09:47:34 AM »
How cool would it be to end up working on a submarine somewhere out in the ocean, or on a massive carrier where I can see the ocean, and come back home some years later with all these stories?

In all honesty, and speaking from experience?  Doing that as an enlisted person would completely suck.  There are a lot of jobs where I would not have minded the enlisted path I chose.  But being on a ship or sub (and especially a sub)?  Pretty much the last thing I would want would be to be an enlisted person doing that job.  Although it seems glamorous at first glance, the day-to-day jobs involved in that are worse than the worst thing you can imagine.

A carrier could be cool cause so many people and a large ship that you wouldn't be so contained, but a sub?  No way, that would be miserable.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #44 on: June 14, 2018, 09:50:21 AM »
^Yes and no on the carrier.  If the job you are assigned to has you working exclusively in very close quarters in the bowels of the ship during the entire 6 months or however long at sea, it would be no different than doing the same thing on a sub. 
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #45 on: June 14, 2018, 09:54:30 AM »
^Yes and no on the carrier.  If the job you are assigned to has you working exclusively in very close quarters in the bowels of the ship during the entire 6 months or however long at sea, it would be no different than doing the same thing on a sub.

True, just thought it "could" be cool if the situation worked out.  Like at least, you can see the outdoors and be around a lot of people so you aren't so secluded, but then again, if you are stuck in the bowels, it would also be pretty miserable.  Honestly, being out at sea in general for a long time doesn't sound that fun at all.  Just thinking there could be some positives to being on a carrier.  I can't think of any for a sub besides the first 5 minutes of "wow so this is a sub"

Offline bosk1

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #46 on: June 14, 2018, 09:58:17 AM »
Any of those jobs COULD be cool.  My point to KTLX is that, although there are many possible cool jobs, as an enlisted person, the likelihood of getting a job that sucks and having no ability to do anything about it are very high.  As an officer, the odds of getting a better job or at least being in better conditions doing that job, and the odds of being able to get out of it and get something better sooner, are better (and so is the pay).

But honestly, what I expect to happen is that he will go enlisted anyway.  And assuming DTF is still around and he is still a member a couple of years from now, we will probably hear about how he REALLY wishes he would have gone the officer route rather than enlisted route.  I could be wrong.  :dunno:  But that's where I'm putting my money.
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Offline Destiny Of Chaos

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #47 on: June 14, 2018, 10:01:10 AM »
Biased towards the Navy. Sounds like you want to travel. Based on everything you've said, I think that enlisted Navy is the best fit for you. But like Bosk1 said..... visit multiple recruiters and see what's out there. If you end up on a ship or sub for your first tour.... then sure, you've got to crank (google it) for 3-6 months or whatever it is now.... but by and large, if you're working on computers, that will be what you (mainly) do when on board.

I'll repeat myself.... look into jobs that give you a Top Secret Clearance. Incredible job security both inside the service and on the outside.

Offline The Walrus

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #48 on: June 14, 2018, 10:02:39 AM »
I mean, anything's possible. Honestly I don't particularly care if I get a job that sucks, because boot camp will suck, working 12-24+ hour shifts is going to suck, dealing with idiots is going to suck, having sergeants yell at you is going to suck, the food is probably going to suck, sleeping will suck, everything is going to suck. You're probably right, bosk, I will probably will have some regrets. But who doesn't? I'd rather just get out and live. I haven't "lived" at all yet. Ever since I got out of high school it's been working 8-5 and twiddling my thumbs figuring out what to do with my life. I've lived around flatlands and corn my entire life. I went to Boston when I was 2, but I've never been beyond Indiana, Wisconsin, or Missouri. I've almost never left Illinois and if enlisting gets me to see the world or even just different parts of the country for a while, I'm SO game for it. I don't want to go to school right away (1: school fucking sucks, and 2: why go when I don't know WTF I want to do?), I just want to do something. I'm trapped here. Reserves will keep me here, mostly. School is not something I want to do right now. Therefore, I need to GTFO. :)
From a Mega Man Legends island jamming power metal to a Walrus listening to black metal, I like your story arc.
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Offline The Walrus

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #49 on: June 14, 2018, 10:05:57 AM »
Biased towards the Navy. Sounds like you want to travel. Based on everything you've said, I think that enlisted Navy is the best fit for you. But like Bosk1 said..... visit multiple recruiters and see what's out there. If you end up on a ship or sub for your first tour.... then sure, you've got to crank (google it) for 3-6 months or whatever it is now.... but by and large, if you're working on computers, that will be what you (mainly) do when on board.

I'll repeat myself.... look into jobs that give you a Top Secret Clearance. Incredible job security both inside the service and on the outside.

Noted. That sounds awesome.

I have to admit I'm jealous of my marine buddy's stories overseas. He had me in tears from hearing some of the stuff his fellow marines were forced to do as punishment (one guy forced to carry his shit in his pockets because he had to dump in the middle of a hike, another guy tipping over an armored forklift and being trapped for 6 hours... lol). I don't expect to have any of those experiences in the Navy... similar maybe but way different and more tame.
From a Mega Man Legends island jamming power metal to a Walrus listening to black metal, I like your story arc.
"I don't worry about nothing, no, 'cause worrying's a waste of my time"

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #50 on: June 14, 2018, 10:16:28 AM »
I'm selling my pickup, and my neighbor - who I know to wave to and say hi, but that's about it - came over last night to ask about it, and we got to talking.  He's ex-Navy, and was talking about his nephew, and he described literally the same conversation as here:  the uncle is saying NCO, the kid is saying "enlisted".    No judgment there, just  thought it was interesting.

Offline The Walrus

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #51 on: June 14, 2018, 02:34:35 PM »
Well, I just checked the Navy ROTC requirements and they say you must be no older than 27 by December 31st of whatever year you graduate. Given that I turned 27 back in January... yeah. Whoops! I AM an old man by their standards.
From a Mega Man Legends island jamming power metal to a Walrus listening to black metal, I like your story arc.
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Offline Destiny Of Chaos

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Re: Have you served in the US military? I want your stories.
« Reply #52 on: June 22, 2018, 10:04:21 AM »
Perhaps you can join the SPACE FORCE