Military Hotrod Club - Thinking about joining the Military

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, if not feel free to move it. To start off with I think everyone of you for your service to the country:usa:

I have been thinking a lot lately about joining. A buddy and i almost joined the national guard in high school but we both backed out as we were going to walk on some were and play football.
So here i am at 22 ill be 23 in august. I am currently in college and will graduate this summer with a Criminal Justice Associate of Applied Science Degree. I was wanting to do something in law enforcement but most police stations want someone with experience or that has already been through the police academy.
If i was to join the military i was thinking about being a MP or doing something with computers that way when i get out i could have multiple things i could do as a civilian if you catch my drift. If i join I would make a career out of it put in 20 and retire, as i would be 43 when i can retire.
As for what branch to go with i have no idea. I have heard good and bad about all and have been doing a lot of searching and reading on the internet. Most are saying AF and the NAVY, I have 2 buddies that just joined the Army and leave next month for boot camp, and a couple friends in the Marines and they say they hate it. So im on the fence about what branch to go with. Im going Tuesday to talk to recruiters and see what they have to say.
I took the ASVAB in high school but that was 4 years ago and i do not remember what i scored on it, so im pretty sure ill have to retake it. Right?
I really made this post to see what everyone has to say and get some information and what would you do and how would you go about it. Thanks for all the help im sure ill think of a lot more questions later on.

p.s. I know this is yall's forum to talk about cars but i feel like with all the service men and women we have on here i could get some good information, as someone might have been in the same kid of situation at some point and time. If not feel free to delete it

It all depends on what you want to do. Do you want to travel or start a family?

Here's my background...I've been in the AF going on 10 yrs on 27 Mar. Been stationed at Minot AFB, ND since Dec 01. I could possibly spend the rest of my career here too.

Oh yea, some recruiters will say anything to get you in.

It all depends on what you want to do. Do you want to travel or start a family?

Here's my background...I've been in the AF going on 10 yrs on 27 Mar. Been stationed at Minot AFB, ND since Dec 01. I could possibly spend the rest of my career here too.

Oh yea, some recruiters will say anything to get you in.

I would love to travel and experience new things. I have a gf of 3 years and i have talked to her a couple times about it and she is for it as her brother is a Navy Cormeen and has been in for 5+ years.

Yea I have read that recruiters will say anything to get you to sign and if they tell you something make sure its written down and signed.

Talk to both recruiters and see what they can do for you. They can't guarantee you a specific job. It depends on your ASVAB scores and the job is decided when you got to MEPS. At MEPS they check you over to see if anything would disqualify you from jobs or even getting in.

How would you feel being on a ship for months at a time? I hear they get to port from time to time and some places are great.

I am leaning towards the army but like I said I'm going to talk to all the recruiters and see what they can offer.

HaHa!! I love the stigma recruiters have. "used car salesman", etc. I am a Marine and my current assignment is recruiting duty. I have met several recruiters that sound like used car salesmen salesmen, especially career recruiters. But then again, it is a sales job. Just go talk to all of the branches and see who's values line up with yours. All branches have pretty much the same technical jobs,same pay, same benefits. It just depends on what you are looking to gain as well as what you can contribute to a certain branch. Find out all of the opportunities you have to take advantage of and then decide which one is for you. Dont count on promises unless in writing!!

Semper Fi!!

Same as above.. Ive been Air Force Security Forces (cop) for 10 years now and stationed and traveled literally ALL over the world. The opportunities are endless and the pay, while not amazing, is pretty damn competitive. If you have any questions about being a cop in the AF and want some honest answers, PM me. Ive done everything from Law Enforcement to Nuc Security to Presidential Protection so feel free to ask and good luck!

If you have a degree or any credits at all, see if you can get some rank going in. If you have a BA, you can go in as an officer. Remember, big bonuses mean shitty MOS.

Great info guys!

Some big bonus jobs are there because people make a lot more as a civilian doing the same thing. So they peace out after getting the experience.

Cwillits505 do you like being a cop? Have you been stationed at a missile base?

big bonuses are more an indication of a shitty position rather than its pay as a civilian counterpart..

I know Marines that got 60k+ bonuses for reenlisting in intel, recon and air traffic control. Those jobs must really suck.

Go in as an officer candidate. I forget what MOS it is but you go to basic as a SPC get out and go to OCS. Might as well go officer since you already have the degree. I'm an MP and I think it blows. The field side is pretty cool but working the road sucks. You might as well be a mall cop. I'm working on getting enough college out of the way so I can try my hand at the active duty green to gold option. Good luck.

I was 8 yrs active duty Army, If the recruiters "offer" you something, it means that that job is in short supply because few people want it because it sucks. There are others that require higher test scores that you will also get bonuses for but along with those come a higher security clearance and a longer enlistment in general. Be careful OP... Recruiters are the "used car salemen" of the military. If you have a degree or any credits at all, see if you can get some rank going in. If you have a BA, you can go in as an officer. Remember, big bonuses mean shitty MOS.

That last line is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. So EOD, Special Forces, TACP, JTAC, CCT, and PJ's are shitty mos's?

big bonuses are more an indication of a shitty position rather than its pay as a civilian counterpart.. if you want to do something that will get you paid when you get out.. is a PLL Clerk.. its the Logistics side of the military. They pay really well right out the gate when you get out. However, you will get a lot of shit for being a clerk. Let's face it.. theyre not the ones kicking down the doors like the rest of us. I was a 63B which, simply put was a Hummer Mechanic.. Light wheel as far as the Army was concerned. Dont think that the job you choose is the job you will do.. First and foremost, you are an 11B which is Infantry. 95% of all your training is to do THAT job... the other is your specialty Military Occupational SPECIALTY... You know we just pulled a "shock and awe" on Lybia right.. lol

Again, bad info. Everyone trains on the basic fighting tactics (there's a reason it's called BASIC COMBAT TRAINING) then almost never do it again. The only people that are 11B are 11B. The only people that are 18B, are 18B, and so on. You sound like you've been in the Army an entire 4 days, and 2 of them were on a weekend.

Talk to both recruiters and see what they can do for you. They can't guarantee you a specific job. It depends on your ASVAB scores and the job is decided when you got to MEPS. At MEPS they check you over to see if anything would disqualify you from jobs or even getting in.

How would you feel being on a ship for months at a time? I hear they get to port from time to time and some places are great.

Hmmm....I'm in the USMC as an MP and i made sure my recruiter had my slot open and laid out infront of me before i signed anything...

Thanks for all the info guys. I really appreciate it.
Z28MP: What do you mean by" active duty green to gold option"

What are some of the questions I should ask the recruiters?

Hmmm....I'm in the USMC as an MP and i made sure my recruiter had my slot open and laid out infront of me before i signed anything...

Maybe it's different between the branches...I remember picking my job at MEPS. The recruiter said whatever he needed to get me there.

Thanks for all the info guys. I really appreciate it.
Z28MP: What do you mean by" active duty green to gold option"

What are some of the questions I should ask the recruiters?

You have to be in the military to get it. It's pretty much you quit the army and become a full time college student while keeping all ur pay and benefits. To put it in simple terms. It's on the green to gold website. 110 gt min. 60 credit hours completed. There's actually a whole bunch of crap you gotta do for your packet.

I know Marines that got 60k+ bonuses for reenlisting in intel, recon and air traffic control. Those jobs must really suck.

those jobs do suck, intel is garbage, atc mandatory retirement at 55, recon well it just sucks.

if you wanna be rambo or some black ops guy (YOU DON'T WANT TO STAY WITH YOUR GIRL FRIEND) cause these guys are in high demand and dont stay stateside very long. thats if you even make the cut

army=1yr deployments
usmc=1yr deployments

and we ain't never leaving these places

if you want to see the world and don't mind some one younger then you ripping your ass when you mess up you won't mind the military. its going to happen you coming in a lil late.

been in 12+ and love it, but it has alot of cons no one talks about

I know Marines that got 60k+ bonuses for reenlisting in intel, recon and air traffic control. Those jobs must really suck.

I remember back in 08-09 those jobs were getting $20k enlistment bonuses after MOS school :usa:

just read all of your original post, as for MP not to sure for other branches but for the airforce SP's still have to go to the police academy---> meaning your tech school was worthless. as for computers i would see what you score on the asvab to see what you qualify for. you can look up different jobs online and if you need to practice your asvab they have a website for that too

http://www.nelnetsolutions.com/dod/ this is what i used to help with my crosstrain

I was going to go into the military right out of high-school. I took the ASVAB's and scored a 96, and than took the Advanced Test and qualified for every field.

I ended up choosing Nuke. 6-year enlistment, 30,000 signing bonus, come out of basic training as an E-3. 2 out of 6 years would be at Charleston, SC for training. 4-year resigning bonus was 100,000.

Long story short, let my EX talk me out of it and got out of it a month before boot camp. Big mistake? Yes. I regret letting a relationship of 6 months ruin my future.

Now, I'm in an even more serious 2-year relationship and still thinking about joining. Whether back at Nuke, or AF for ATC or SF.

I joined the Army, and I hate it. I was AF and would pull my own teeth out to get back in the AF. The quality of life is better as an airmen as opposed to a soldier.

just read all of your original post, as for MP not to sure for other branches but for the airforce SP's still have to go to the police academy---> meaning your tech school was worthless. as for computers i would see what you score on the asvab to see what you qualify for. you can look up different jobs online and if you need to practice your asvab they have a website for that too

http://www.nelnetsolutions.com/dod/ this is what i used to help with my crosstrain

With Army you don't have to attend police academy. Even if you did attend police academy you still have to attend AIT where you learn the basics of being an MP.

I remember back in 08-09 those jobs were getting $20k enlistment bonuses after MOS school :usa:

i got a $20k bonus back in 08 for a 63B...
been in the gaurd now for about 3 yrs, leaving in a few weeks for my first deployment

those jobs do suck, intel is garbage, atc mandatory retirement at 55, recon well it just sucks.

if you wanna be rambo or some black ops guy (YOU DON'T WANT TO STAY WITH YOUR GIRL FRIEND) cause these guys are in high demand and dont stay stateside very long. thats if you even make the cut

army=1yr deployments
usmc=1yr deployments

and we ain't never leaving these places

if you want to see the world and don't mind some one younger then you ripping your ass when you mess up you won't mind the military. its going to happen you coming in a lil late.


been in 12+ and love it, but it has alot of cons no one talks about


Marines do not= 1 year deployments. The only Marines that deploy for a year are support units that never leave the wire. Combat units only deploy 7 months at a time.

Im a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, SC. Thats for the Marine Corps if you arent sure. I would say go anywhere else but the Marines. I say this only because I would rather train someone that WANTS to be a Marine, not just a kid who "flipped a coin" if you know what Im saying. Any service is fine. I personally love being a Marine. But the military in general is one of those things that you can look up, and listen to everyone and their mother on their opinion but you wont really understand unless you go on and do it.

Either way, good luck. Any service will be whatever you make it!

Semper Fi

with a degree deffinetly try to go to ocs officer IMO is a better route. I'm in the navy as an enlisted and the traveling is awesome and so are the benefits. military is a great choice regardless of where you go. good luck

Im a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, SC. Thats for the Marine Corps if you arent sure. I would say go anywhere else but the Marines. I say this only because I would rather train someone that WANTS to be a Marine, not just a kid who "flipped a coin" if you know what Im saying. Any service is fine. I personally love being a Marine. But the military in general is one of those things that you can look up, and listen to everyone and their mother on their opinion but you wont really understand unless you go on and do it.

Either way, good luck. Any service will be whatever you make it!

Semper Fi


Sgt Ramos, is that you? oh sheot, I'm having nightmares now

you sound just like my Sr DI on Black Friday... he walks in, doesnt even introduce himself, just points to the hatch and says "if you dont want to be here, get the f*ck out"

I joined the Army, and I hate it. I was AF and would pull my own teeth out to get back in the AF. The quality of life is better as an airmen as opposed to a soldier.

It's funny you mention that. I noticed it's hit and miss with former airmen that are current Soldiers. Some wouldn't go back if given the chance, and wish they did all their time in the Army and never in the AF. Others are like you. I suppose it just depends on the person and the jobs they had/have. And, as always, the unit they were/are in.

with 17 yrs in(Army, 13W, now T) and alot of crap behind me, i would say do your research and ASK alot of questions. I guess if i had to do it all over, i'd go AF. Just be sure to do something you like!

finish out your schooling and get your bachelors and go officer! best pay there but dont base it on that. my CO told me that you can join your schools rotc and then you dont have to go to ocs... not how that all works im enlisted... ive only been in the army two years but i love it!! i joined when i was 17... major life change for the best!!! best thing ive done in my short life lol... dont get scared of basic its extremely fun (atleast i had alot of fun) my mos is 21E which is heavy construction equipment operator...love my job

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, if not feel free to move it. To start off with I think everyone of you for your service to the country:usa:

I have been thinking a lot lately about joining. A buddy and i almost joined the national guard in high school but we both backed out as we were going to walk on some were and play football.
So here i am at 22 ill be 23 in august. I am currently in college and will graduate this summer with a Criminal Justice Associate of Applied Science Degree. I was wanting to do something in law enforcement but most police stations want someone with experience or that has already been through the police academy.
If i was to join the military i was thinking about being a MP or doing something with computers that way when i get out i could have multiple things i could do as a civilian if you catch my drift. If i join I would make a career out of it put in 20 and retire, as i would be 43 when i can retire.
As for what branch to go with i have no idea. I have heard good and bad about all and have been doing a lot of searching and reading on the internet. Most are saying AF and the NAVY, I have 2 buddies that just joined the Army and leave next month for boot camp, and a couple friends in the Marines and they say they hate it. So im on the fence about what branch to go with. Im going Tuesday to talk to recruiters and see what they have to say.
I took the ASVAB in high school but that was 4 years ago and i do not remember what i scored on it, so im pretty sure ill have to retake it. Right?
I really made this post to see what everyone has to say and get some information and what would you do and how would you go about it. Thanks for all the help im sure ill think of a lot more questions later on.

p.s. I know this is yall's forum to talk about cars but i feel like with all the service men and women we have on here i could get some good information, as someone might have been in the same kid of situation at some point and time. If not feel free to delete it

yea you will have to retake the ASVAB your job is dictated by your line score on the ASVAB and your actual score. your opportunities really open up if you score 60's+. If you can finish out school then enlist and go OCS with a 65k student loan repayment incentive. Take advantage of your degree unless you have delinquent loans DUI or something along those line there should be no reason your packet wont be accepted. or you can go enlisted as a E-4/SPC with the degree and talk with the Guidance Counselor and ask to get the jobs your looking for like MP or Computers(signal) might not work out for you but it doesnt hurt to try. Recruiting is tough right not jobs are few and far right now. we are enlisting and not shipping till next fiscal year. Bonuses are few and getting fewer...good luck!

:usa:Hi,
i would talk things over with my family and pray about your decision. My service was abn/inf/sf-1964-68. I then followed that up with 27 years in law enforcement. The retirement is great and i enjoy my time doing things i enjoy.
Each career has pros and cons but the reward is worth the effort. Where else can you retire in 20/25 years. Have a blessed week.....captain jim

go AF!!!! just two years in but love every minute of it, talk to a lot of old marines and army guys and they recomended AF so I did.


Like the drill instructor said to be a marine you have to want to be a marine. In the army you are a soldier first and a soldier second, in the AF you do you are a specialist in your job first and an airman second, marines are marines my hat is off to them much respect deserved, not to take away from the army but marines are their own breed last but not least the navy really dont know shit about it just that I wouldn't want to be on a ship for months.



btw joining as an officer is not as easy as it sounds, know lots of people who have been denied when the board evaluation comes up.

Thanks for all the info. I went and talked to an Army recruiter last week as i cant get a hold of the AF recruiters and basically he told me that I would not be able to be an MP starting out as there are no openings but if I wanted to do infantry he could have me sighed up and shipped out. Also I have to loss 4% body fat so I have been on a strict 700 calorie diet and running every other day to get back in shape.

If you have questions about being an Infantryman, pm me. Most people will talk like they know, and really just have no idea what it's actually like.

Yeah most MOS's are way overstrength. MP being one of them. Good luck with your diet and whatever decision you come up with.

It all depends on what you want to do. Do you want to travel or start a family?

Here's my background...I've been in the AF going on 10 yrs on 27 Mar. Been stationed at Minot AFB, ND since Dec 01. I could possibly spend the rest of my career here too.

Oh yea, some recruiters will say anything to get you in.

Who did you piss off to be at Minot for 10 years? :judge:

I've seen a lot of talk of enlisting in this thread but not much about going the officer route. I just recently got my commission in the AF through ROTC. If you are interested in going the officer route, find a college that has a ROTC detachment and join up there and complete your bachelors degree.

go AF!!!! just two years in but love every minute of it, talk to a lot of old marines and army guys and they recomended AF so I did.


Like the drill instructor said to be a marine you have to want to be a marine. In the army you are a soldier first and a soldier second, in the AF you do you are a specialist in your job first and an airman second, marines are marines my hat is off to them much respect deserved, not to take away from the army but marines are their own breed last but not least the navy really dont know shit about it just that I wouldn't want to be on a ship for months.



btw joining as an officer is not as easy as it sounds, know lots of people who have been denied when the board evaluation comes up.


Now is a pretty tough time to be going the officer route. They are really cutting back on slots. The school I graduated from only had like a 60% selection rate for cadets to go to field training this summer. So that other 40% can't attend this summer which means they will not commission unless they stay in and maybe get a slot next year.

And OTS is even harder and more selective than ROTC to get in. Of course with OTS, you must already have a bachelors degree before you can apply for it. And you better have a good GPA to get a slot.

Not in the mood to read all the posts, but in the first you talk about AF/Navy then 3-4 posts later thinking Army. Simply put, if you're looking for something you can use afterwards, Navy is your best followed by AF. Navy tends to cross-train and AF tends to focus on a specific job. Navy, since it's ship based, usually travels most.

To be clear, I'm retired Navy and did 2 tours as a recruiter. My first was general (anyone-everyone recruiter) and my second was specific to Nuclear Power. One of your questions was ASVAB retake, yes, it's only valid for 2 years. Good luck.

Not in the mood to read all the posts, but in the first you talk about AF/Navy then 3-4 posts later thinking Army. Simply put, if you're looking for something you can use afterwards, Navy is your best followed by AF. Navy tends to cross-train and AF tends to focus on a specific job. Navy, since it's ship based, usually travels most.

To be clear, I'm retired Navy and did 2 tours as a recruiter. My first was general (anyone-everyone recruiter) and my second was specific to Nuclear Power. One of your questions was ASVAB retake, yes, it's only valid for 2 years. Good luck.

Not sure if you were in Nuke or not, but how's finding jobs in the Nuke field after enlistment ending? I was thinking about doing it again, but I'm not entirely sure... It's 2 years longer enlistment for schooling.

Other than that, I'm not sure if I can justify the loss in pay right off the bat. Shortly, I'll be promoted and be making approximately 40,000 pre-taxes. Not that money's important... It's the bills I have to keep up on... Between credit cards, car loan, and car insurance.

Not sure if you were in Nuke or not, but how's finding jobs in the Nuke field after enlistment ending? I was thinking about doing it again, but I'm not entirely sure... It's 2 years longer enlistment for schooling.

Other than that, I'm not sure if I can justify the loss in pay right off the bat. Shortly, I'll be promoted and be making approximately 40,000 pre-taxes. Not that money's important... It's the bills I have to keep up on... Between credit cards, car loan, and car insurance.

I was Nuclear Field (3376/3384/3394 NECs and a few more I forgot). As far as jobs, my first job was non-nuclear related at $129+K starting (oil industry) using the training I received in power generation/distribution/management and was pretty nice until oil dropped to less than $40 a barrel 2 years ago. I picked up another job in power and last year before taxes, I still pulled about $118K or so plus other benefits so, training was pretty useful I would say :) I've even discussed with the wife doing some of the headhunter work currently in Japan with the failed nuclear plants.

Good luck,

D

Progress on diet http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/racers-lounge/1415457-feeling-good.html#post14829763 I'm going this week and next week to talk to the recruiters and find out what one best fits me. I'm in shape and ready to do this I have never wanted something so bad.

Good luck, keep us posted

So i went and talked to all the recruiters yesterday, went to the Army first and they said that i need to loose 2% BF to be at 22% before they would go any futher with me.
So i went to the Navy filled out all the paper work got taped and weighed they said the same thing need to loose 2% BF.
Went the the Marines and they taped me and weighed and i meet the requirements i just need to loose 5lbs lol. The Marine recruiter had me take the practice ASVAB and i scored a 50 on it. I also went and did some PT with them it was a blast but it sure kicked my ass needless to say i lost that 5lbs i needed to loose. But i still dont not know what to branch i want to join, i haven't really got to set down and talk to any one because i still need to loose a little BF. FML..... I want to do CID or Counter Intelligence something along that line.

sounds like you should finish a degree and go OCS...

sounds like you should finish a degree and go OCS...

I will only have my associates not my bachelors or I would.

Any updates?

those jobs do suck, intel is garbage, atc mandatory retirement at 55, recon well it just sucks.

if you wanna be rambo or some black ops guy (YOU DON'T WANT TO STAY WITH YOUR GIRL FRIEND) cause these guys are in high demand and dont stay stateside very long. thats if you even make the cut

army=1yr deployments
usmc=1yr deployments

and we ain't never leaving these places

if you want to see the world and don't mind some one younger then you ripping your ass when you mess up you won't mind the military. its going to happen you coming in a lil late.

been in 12+ and love it, but it has alot of cons no one talks about

Uh...no. While I see the nice Special Operations patch you got on your sig, one thing I don't see is a set of JUMP WINGS. Don't talk shit on Recon unless you've gone through BRC, a RIP or even a bonafide selection. On top of that, don't talk shit about another service's groups unless you're a part of them.

The intelligence field DOES NOT suck. In fact, there's a lot of cool stuff you get to do in this field. Not only do you get a high end security clearance, whether with Signals, Human, or All-Source, there are options available to you that you wouldn't normally get anywhere else. With the Marines in MARSOC, you won't be a CSO (critical skills operator) unless you sign up directly for it, but you have an option to become DCS Operators (Direct Combat Support is comprised of guys with field-operating skill sets, including intel), which doesn't require A&S but has it's own selection process; you could even do this straight out of "A" school. Even in the regular units, there's still good things you'll be able to do. Besides, the opportunities that you can have getting out, if that's what you want to do, are above and beyond what you'd get by "just being a MP".

No matter what service you plan on joining, if you want to go the special forces route, it's going to suck. By suck I mean it's going to be the toughest thing you've ever done. It makes any recruit/officer training look like a walk through the park. It's just the nature of the game. But I guarantee if you ask any operator "Is it worth it?", they'll say yes, not even thinking twice about it.

On top of that, standard Army deployments can last anywhere from 7-15 months. It's a rare occasion that soldiers will deploy over 12 months, but it has been known to happen. While there are some cases that Marines will deploy for a year, the standard deployment usually lasts 7 months, depending on the circumstances.

hi, i just wann say hello.