Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I have a question for any of our Dakkaites who are in one way or another affiliated with the US military. How did you decide on the military as a career. Do you enjoy it? I'm thinking about applying, am I too old at 30 years of age? I'm just bored to death with my career right now and I'd like an opinion about service from someone in our armed forces. I'm in fairly good shape, if not a super athlete ( I can run a mile or two, no problem). What is your honest opinion?

You aren't too old, but you aren't young anymore. I was a military brat, so I thought it was normal. The pay is asstastic, the hours miserable, and you might be a bit too mature to deal with the boot camp mickey mouse nonsense. But if you do join, check each of the branches of the military, and pay special attention to the Marines. They have the best basic training by far. And I am a Navy guy.

dienekes96 wrote:You aren't too old, but you aren't young anymore. I was a military brat, so I thought it was normal. The pay is asstastic, the hours miserable, and you might be a bit too mature to deal with the boot camp mickey mouse nonsense. But if you do join, check each of the branches of the military, and pay special attention to the Marines. They have the best basic training by far. And I am a Navy guy.

Why do you say they have the best basic training?

Because the more the drills hit you the better your training is going to be....

Jarhead isms aside....

30 isnt too old for enlisting. Just make sure you do your research before you enlist and pick a MOS that suites you. Dont let a pushy MEPS butterbar shove you in a direction you dont want to go.

I'm not military, but I just want to say that any person joining the armed forces are stronger people than most others(not just physical strength). The sacrifices are great and so is the danger. My father was also in the navy and I saw little of him in my earlier years so chances are you're going to miss your family unless you find something that will always stay close to home.

Anyway you go, good luck and if you join, thank you.

jp400 wrote:Jarhead isms aside....

30 isnt too old for enlisting. Just make sure you do your research before you enlist and pick a MOS that suites you. Dont let a pushy MEPS butterbar shove you in a direction you dont want to go.

Explain your terms. remember I'm a complete newbie here

MOS = Military Occupational Specialty. Basically the job you do while in the service.

MEPS = Military Entrance Processing Station. They test applicants for physical, mental, and emotional aptitude against the standards set forth by the various services. The actual results of these tests can be massaged in order to fill needs as determined by the larger Department of Defense.

Edt: Here is a decent rundown on what MEPS is, and how it fits into the process of pursuing a military career.

Thanks Dogma.... I keep forgetting that not everyone knows the lingo.

I choose my MOS (Cav Scout 19D10) because I love the idea of operating as part of a small group 10-15k infront of the main body looking for the enemy and makeing their life a living hell.

Not to mention since you operate in such a small group, you get alot of really cool toys to play with and get to meet and work with other small group figures at times. (Lotta respect for em!)

Plus at the time that I enlisted, Recon was still considered one step above the rest below special units. The training at Knox reflected that. Also Cav has a very rich and vibrant history that even today holds a special place in my heart.

You will be hard pressed to find a group in any branch that has as much rich history and members that are actually proud to be where they are.

While I Was in I visted:
4 states in the US....
England
Ireland
Germany
Kuwait
Iraq
Qatar
Canada

Granted Iraq is Iraq and its not a pleasure cruise anyway you look at it (Unless your Guard) But I spent the better part of a week drinking myself stupid in Ireland at the Governments expense.

Thank you all for the information. I don't know if this is the route I'd take, but thanks all the same

I think about it a lot. I was 18 when I went through boot for the Navy, 25 when I went through OCS for the Marines. And as far as the "too mature for the mickey mouse boot cap bs", thats a roger. I was SO sick to death of it. Got old so fast. At 30 you will have to try an swallow it down pretty hard.

I wouldn't join just for the quality of the basic training. On the one hand, you will certainly take more away from USMC Basic than the other services. On the other, thats a tiny fraction of your time in service. Take it into consideration, but weight it appropriately. Take MOS in consideration (NEC for the Navy people out there, exact some thing) heavily, ideally I would pick something that is at least somewhat useful in the civilian realm. I know in the Navy they used to pay some ridiculous bonuses to people in certain NECs for re-enlisting. You can truly make out like a bandit. Computer fields are always good, except Data Processors. Just punch in data, what the hell is that? Nuclear power field is rugged, prepare to hit the books hard, but the money is great. Post-military career options may be limited. There are recruiting sites that specialize in ex-military, go cruise them and see what they are looking for. Contact them for some data.

Dont jump solely at the money, but it has to be part of the consideration in my opinion. I would look at the lifestyle the MOS offers you as well. There are weird niches in the military as well. Want to join the Navy, but don't want to deploy on ships all the time? Cool! Go AE (Aviatian Electronics?), specialize in naval aircraft that are too big to land on carriers. You just got yourself a landside job, pardner. Niches, see?

I'll second the bit about boot camp being a very small part of the equation. When picking your job, any of the intelligence fields is a good way to go. You don't get to play with as many of the nifty toys and blow things up, but the benefits are that when you get out, they pay increase can be awesome. I knew an e-5 (petty officer) in the navy. He was attached to the NSA in maryland. When his enlistment was up, he went to work for the NSA directly. He literally moved his things from one desk, to the desk on the other side of the office and went from making roughly 30k to making 100+k overnight, doing the exact same job. If you decide on the military, make sure whatever job you get gives a security clearance.

I used to LIVE with a couple of junior enlisted squids who did that exact same thing. We all shared a house in Glen Burnie. Great guys, worked for No Such Agency doing something I cant even know about and wouldnt talk about if I did know but was pretty fething cool. turned down 5 digit re-up bonuses for 80k salaries doing the same job at the same station. Only they were civilians. Crazy.

THink long and hard about your MOS/NEC, and research it online before you EVER go to a recruiter. They cant lie to you. But if you trust them you are a fool.

Great that you're considering joining - I've spent three years in the desert and could use the break .

No, seriously - do your research online and talk to a few different recruiters from different branches. I'd even go so far as to talk to different recruiters from the same branch at different stations. Recruiters are people too and can make mistakes.

Here are a few (though no means exhaustive) of the reasons people join.

Patriotism/defend the country - I think to a certain extent, most service members (SMs from now on) join for this reason. It may not be a primary reason, but it's there. Most of the guys who do join for this reason tend to go into the more hardcore MOSs. I have a friend who joined the cav scouts when he was young because he wanted to "shoot terrorists for Unlce Sam."

College Money/benefits - I don't know your school situation but the benefits are pretty outstanding. Montgomery GI bill will pay for most, if not all of school - especially the new GI bill coming out. Benefits include free healthcare at military hospitals for the SM and immediate family, VA loans, VA health benefits, and a host of other lesser benefits.

Skill/job training - There are alot of useful skills in the military - especially in the more high-tech services like the air force and navy. The army and marines tend to spend alot of time pushing the "rifleman first" concept. If you're interested in doing something that may come in handy later in life, I'd start with those two services (all services have useful civilian related career tracks though).

Stability - Alot of people crap on the military for having horrible pay - which I can't really argue with. Again, not knowing your situation, I would say that the upside is that you WILL get a pay check every two weeks along with all those health benefits for free. You'll also earn a month of paid leave every year which is alot more than most jobs. Your total compensation package is alot more than the net pay box on your LES (leave and earnings statement). When you deploy (I said when, not if) you'll most likely earn your paycheck tax free. Another thing to consider is most active duty locations (at least for the army) are in fairly rural/suburban areas and the cost of living is quite reasonable.

Me personally - I have 7 years in now. I've spent almost 3 of those in Iraq but I mostly volunteered for that. My forum name is old, I'm now a Chief Warrant Officer Two. My MOS is 153D which is UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot. I'm actually typing this in my room at Fort Dix, NJ as I demobilze from my latest deployment.

I joined at 19 because for a mix of reasons. In immediate aftermath of 9/11 I really started thinking about it, but decided to put it off until I could at least get my associates. Long story short, I ended up enlisting as a PVT (E-1, the lowest rank there is) on May 9, 2002. Yeah, I joined the Guard (and Iraq wasn't a pleasure cruise in 2004- even for the Guard) because I wanted to stay close to home and finish college while I served. Well, one thing led to another and I've made it my career.

I guess I've rambled on enough for a while. If you have any questions or if you just want some info, hit me up. Also, if you get any info from recruiters that you feel is a little *too* good to be true... let me know I'll give you my version of what they said

I joined the Air Force for many differant reasons. There is always the Patriotism aspect of it, but there are also the practicality aspects as well. Best education oppurtunities, best quality of living, bases at places I've wanted to go, the type of jobs I wanted to do, and mostly because I grew up as an Air Force brat.

I've been in 7.5 years now. There have been times I've regretted it, sure. But without a doubt it's the best choice I've made in my life. I'd suggest military service to anyone. Whether it's a 4 year enlistment, or a 20 year career. You will get something good from it.

I can second best accomodations and food for the Air Force. Like I said, I was not in that branch; but when I lived on Pearl Harbour, I went next door to Hickam AFB for chow. And the quarters over there, compared to what the Navy and Marines put together, were just crazy good.

Only Sub Base did better breakfast.

What are the restrictions on entry, for instance if you have a GED as opposed to an actualy High School Diploma?

Navy, Army and Marines will take a GED, not sure about the Air Force. What's important though is your ASVAB score- it basically says what jobs you are qualified for. The ASVAB test is something the recruiter takes you to. As for age, when I went through boot camp one of our guys was 34.

If you can go Air Force for the quality of life, but the Navy has done good by me. I second what's been said about finding your niche, you just have to look. I've found a few opportunities in the Navy and I've taken them. I started as an Avionics Technician, a technical job that gets you a lot of knowledge and a lot of education, and went on a cruise of the Pacific Rim, I learned two valuable things: I hated my job and I hate ships.

So I cross-rated to Illustrator-Draftsman (graphic arts). The Navy then promptly merged that job into a mass media one. I volunteered to go to Iraq and out there a Senior Chief (senior enlisted Sailors with God-like abilities) taught me the basics of journalism and speaking for radio. So now, after another round of Navy schooling, I'm a broadcaster about to spend a long spell (by choice) on a tropical island. Like I said, there's a lot of opportunity to be had, you just have to look and try hard.

Dont do it because you are bored.
you will need a very good reason to sign your life away.

i signed up for 3 years once i left school to give me time to think about a career.
to start with its like living in hell, only worse.
but as time goes on and you get used to the run of things its pretty good.

Just make sure you are 100% certain before you sign


and no, 30 isnt too old atall, when going through my basic training the average age was around 25 ish.

If I could go back and choose differently, I'd pick the Air Force. Got a lot of technical jobs that will pay a lot when you get out, great quality of life, and can get stationed all over the world. Navy would be my next pick.

You could always join the Reserves as well. Obviously wouldn't be full time, but you would definitely have a change of pace for a while.

My fellow dakkite, don't do it unless you truly believe you can deal with these things... we have a thirty year old in our platoon, and the younger guys who are higher rank them him, love berating him, and constantly get their kicks on him. he has a hard time dealing with young leadership just as much as they have a hard time dealing with an older private. It's much harder for him then us younger guys who are still wet behind the ears and don't know much outside the army. On the other hand, the benefits are going to help my wife and me, until we can get on our feet. And I'm also in a "hard" MOS, the infantry, if you go into another job field things will be much easier for you and yours. Hope you make the right choice.

and no, 30 isnt too old atall, when going through my basic training the average age was around 25 ish.

IIRC 32 is the oldest you can be for regular forces and 42 is the oldest for National Guard Reserve. Which I find kind of funny as in Canada the oldest age for enlisting is 57. At the reserve unit I am trying to get into they actually have a couple new recruits who are over the 50 mark. As long as they pass their medical and fitness they don't really care how old you are.

In the US though I beleive its 32 for regular with extra years allowance for every year served in the service prior to re enlistment.

Nope, 42 is the oldest you can be to join the regular army. Use to be 35.
See: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyjoin/a/enlage42.htm

Grignard wrote:I have a question for any of our Dakkaites who are in one way or another affiliated with the US military. How did you decide on the military as a career. Do you enjoy it? I'm thinking about applying, am I too old at 30 years of age? I'm just bored to death with my career right now and I'd like an opinion about service from someone in our armed forces. I'm in fairly good shape, if not a super athlete ( I can run a mile or two, no problem). What is your honest opinion?

Have you got a college degree? If yes, you want to be a commisioned officer rather than an enlistedman. Officers have more responsibility and authority, are better paid, and have a better lifestyle. Your age and experience will be an asset.

My older brothers headin into the Border Patrol. Must know spanish. It is 4.5 months of hell. The training program is based off of the Navy SEALs. But you won't be leaving th uS.

I know what you mean about the Border Patrol having high standards, a soldier I was deployed with's brother is in the BP and his Spanish wasn't good enough for them when he joined and he had to get remedial Spanish. The kicker- He's 100% Mexican.

I'm not sure if the OP is still interested in this information but my best advice would be to joint the Air Force as opposed to the USMC and Army. The Air Force spends a lot of its budget on creature comforts for its personnel and you'll be out of harm's way. However it is more of a corporate setting than military. Less chance of injury during basic training compared to the rest as well.

If you don't have a college degree I'd suggest making use of the GI Bill. Even pursue Reserves/National Guard to see if the military is for you - however you will likely be deployed no matter the route you take.