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 SKYWALKER,RANGER AND OTHER MILITARY GUYS....
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| Author | Topic: SKYWALKER,RANGER AND OTHER MILITARY GUYS.... | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder 
Posts: 1238 |
GUYS AS SOON AS I AM DONE WITH COLLEGE WHICH IS SOON I PLAN ON ENLISTING IN THE ARMY.I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD SHARE SOME OF YOUR MILITARY STORIES HERE.ALSO DID YOU GUYS HAVE ANY REGRETS.ANY OF YOU CAREER SOLDIERS? ------------------ HEAVEN IS THE BACKSEAT OF MY CADILLAC.
I CAME.....I SAW........I BENCHED IT.......     | ||
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Cool Novice 
Posts: 35 |
Are you going to enlist, or are you going to pursue a commission with your degree? | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder 
Posts: 118 |
Damn Steel, I was thinking about doing the same thing. You are going to OTS right? ------------------ - Kwai-Chang Caine | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 1238 |
YEP OTS ALL THE WAY. ------------------ HEAVEN IS THE BACKSEAT OF MY CADILLAC.
I CAME.....I SAW........I BENCHED IT....... | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 118 |
I've heard good things brotha. I hope the vets can tell us what they think. ------------------ - Kwai-Chang Caine | ||
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Moderator 
Posts: 2879 |
Regrets....Nope! It was quite a ride, and nothing that I expected. It was the first time in my life, when I walked through an airport, and WW2 veterans would shake my hand and thank me....ME!!! It was then that I knew I had become a man, and equal to all. My room mate and I were sitting in a lounge waiting for a bus to the airport when this little fucknut came over and started telling us all about the Ranger's...He finally asked my Bro," Is it true they teach you to kill with your bare hands a hundred different ways?" He looked at him and growled," If you really wanna know, pick a fucking number doorknob!" I shit myself laughing...we didn't care if the sun didn't rise then...and feared nothing besides our inner demons we all battle. The doorknob stood there shaking like a dog shitting peach seeds then left. I made friends there. True friends, not someone you party with...but someone you share your life with, and trust them to preserve it without asking...I do miss the smell of a C-130's fuel burning as you do a hot load for a midnight Halo jump...the smell of sweat from excitement and fear mixing...stepping off the ramp into nothingness...knowing you are the master of the sky...you are death from above!!! I miss the smell of the ground as you have landed softly and safely once again...nothing has smelled so sweat in my life...almost like a new born, and you wonder if you'll ever smell it again...the constant buzz of mosquitoes in the swamp to keep you company, and the acid smell of bug juice and cammie sticks sliding through the ranks without a noise. I miss the food. Though it was not by any means the greatest...but each bite you felt you earned a thousand times over, and nothing in this world shall add flavor to food like HUNGER...it is the sweatest sauce of all. There were bad times, and I saw my share of death...but to live my life as I do now...I made peace with them the day I got out...I carry with me now the memories...and the creed which shall forever guide my life... Rangers Lead The Way Sua Sponte Ranger | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 975 |
Awesome post Ranger. You are a true poet...ever thought about a book? | ||
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Novice 
Posts: 10 |
Went through "Army" training to join the National Guard. Then I joined the Marine Corp. If you're single, it's great, and I would do it all over again. You'll meet a lot of good people, travel the world, party, and grow up a lot. The only other advice I have would be to join the Corp. if you're not planning to make a career out of it. And if you are, join the Air Force, they get the best of everything. Try to join up for as short a time as you can (they used to have a 2 or 3 year enlistment that I never heard of unitl I was already in) you can always re-enlist. Unless they offer you some kind of big signing bonus. ------------------ | ||
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Moderator
Posts: 2879 |
I am actually 80,000 words into my first novel as we speak...enjoy writing...it is my solitude without lonliness.....Peace!!! Ranger | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 1238 |
THANKS RANGER.THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.I CANT WAIT FOR SOME OF THE OTHERS TO RESPOND! ------------------ HEAVEN IS THE BACKSEAT OF MY CADILLAC.
I CAME.....I SAW........I BENCHED IT....... | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder 
Posts: 397 |
Hurry up and finish the book so we can buy it already  ------------------ | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 633 |
I joined the Marine Corps in Dec 97. Got off active duty in September 99, I was a contract reservist thats why I only had 10 months of active duty, and have 3 years of active reserves left, out of a 6 year mandatory. Reservists have to go through all the same rigorous and demanding boot camp, combat training, and schooling as active duty personel. You will never know the brotherhood, until you have done it. It is like no other feeling in the world. The pride you feel, knowing the man next to you will kill for you, and/or give his life so you may live, and you, the same for him. I say try it, if you don't want to do it full steam, do the reservist route, it is awesome. | ||
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Guru
Posts: 3832 |
Nope, not one. Join the Marine Corps! | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 118 |
Veteran brotha's. Although your advise and stories are truly inspirational, I think me and Steal need to know more about the OTS route. Please do not take that as disrespect. My father was an enlisted soldier who fought in vietnam. He has the bullet wounds and scars to prove it and I respect him more than any other man on this earth. Even with that being said, my lot in life has been quite different than his. I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to go to college where I am currently earning my degree in Business Administration. This degree makes it possible for me to enlist into the army and to immediately pursue OTS, where apon completion of both the 8 week basic training and the 14 week OTS program, you are commisioned as a 2nd lieutenant. Although honor and duty are both important to me, I can not deny that I am also looking at this from a career and financial standpoint. Can anyone share their stories or knowledge on what a military career is like? How is it financially? And is it enjoyable? How often are you promoted? What are the benefits? What is the opportunity cost (meaning what did the military take away from your life in terms of other opportunities for money, marriage, family, another career,etc)? Thank you to all who respond and I am truly sorry if I offended anyone. ------------------ - Kwai-Chang Caine | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 1238 |
C`MON MATT I KNOW YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR MILITARY EXPERIENCE.ANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS.ANY ADVICE? ------------------ HEAVEN IS THE BACKSEAT OF MY CADILLAC.
I CAME.....I SAW........I BENCHED IT....... | ||
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Moderator
Posts: 1812 |
Kwai and Steel, I was an officer. I'll see what I can do to share it with you. I didn't go to OCS. But I know guys who did. OCS is about 16 weeks at Ft Benning GA. They teach leadership skills and you get evaluated and then commissioned, although your occupation within the military is determined more by the needs of the Army than your desires. You kind of get a "wish list." Right now the Army needs officers bad so you may have a good deal of input. I was an infantry officer. There are 16 or 17 different occupational specialties for officers. Infantry is true soldiering - when you think fo guys out in the woods or dropping from the sky, those are infantry soldiers. The guys who close with the enemy and blow his fuckin head off. It was certainly demanding. Infantry soldiers (enlisted) are professionals. In other areas of the Army, there is somewhat of an erosion of professionalism. I was fortunate enough to be selected to serve in the Ranger Regiment. That was the hardest I ever worked and the most fun I ever had. Ranger soldiers are the best in the Army. Some of my best friends are ex-Army guys that I still talk to, whereas I have lost touch wiht most of my college friends. Additionally, being in the Ranger Regiment allowed me to get some training I may have otherwise not been able to get - freefall parachuting and Pathfinder training among them. (Pathfinder is like setting up landing zones and drop zones for aircraft). Ranger pretty much summed up the soldiering part of the experience. But there are some things from the officer perspective: You deal with a lot of administrative bullshit. Private Snuffy gets a DWI, you have to pick him up. Sergeant Jones bounces a check, you have to deal with it. SOldiers are awesome - seriously - I miss being around them, but when they fuck up, they fuck up big. AS an officer, your soldiers will look to you to set the standard. If you fuck something up, believe me, they will too. One of the biggest problems is also senior leadership. Sometimes they really try to micromanage you to death. As iof tehy forgot they were there before. The positives outweigh the negatives. When we went to the field, it was MY plan we were using. Those kinds of challenges teach you more about yourself than anything else will. That feeling of enormous challenge and reward is something that made me much better off today. It's 130 am. If you have specific questions feel free to email me. | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 44 |
Good luck!!!! I am in Bosnia(ARMY) right now and I got to say, that I'm am really enjoying this deployement. My 2 cents is this. Enlisted is not the way to go if you think you might want to stay in, if you look at the payscale you will see that an 0-1 makes just about the same as an e-7. Be sure to choose your duty station, although I'm not sure if you can do that as an officer. If you can and they tell you that you can only go here or there, tell them to have a nice day and go see another recruiter. You can get what you want for your first duty station and first reenlistment. Everyones experience of the military is different. For me I was pretty miserable the majority of the time, but I will say that it was the best thing I could have done for myself, and I would do it all over again. You may or may not want to be infantry but if you do there will be days you wish or were a finance clerk. Definitely try to go 11b light infantry. Officers are just plain infantry in that they practice all infantry skills light, mech, and mortars. Trust me on this, STAY AWAY FROM A MECHANIZED UNIT, you may have to walk but a mechanized unit is hell in my opinion. Steer clear of Ft. stewart GA. And once again Good luck!!!!! | ||
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Moderator
Posts: 2879 |
I'll give you a Bump on this Beast.... Ranger | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 1238 |
THANKS RANGER YOU ARE THE MAN!!!ITS ALL GOOD BROS! ------------------
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 421 |
Well.....all I can say is that if you are in a relationship it will be hard to maintain it. I'm not in the military but I will be in a year and a half and my boyfriend is right now and it's rough. I suggest having lots of paper and envelopes and stamps on hand.....and a camera. I love it when I get pictures of my boy in his uniform! If you're single I think it will be a lot easier. I personally can't wait to join the military. I'm going Navy though. I've heard lots of great stories and I think it would be fun to go out in my uniform and get lots of attention. hehe! Anyways....Good luck hun! ------------------ | ||
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Guru
Posts: 3832 |
One thing I always admired about an officer in the Marines was if he was a Mustanger. (prior enlisted) This officer, knows his shit, both from the point of being enlisted and from being an officer. But it is hard to compare the Army and the Marines. They have very different philosphies in leadership. Some principles are the same while others vary alot. One is this, in the Marines, it does not matter if you are enlisted or officer, whether you are a pilot or a grunt, in Recon or Calibrations. There are no distinguishing badges or emblems, no special berets, or uniform pieces. In the Marines all are the same and no more important than the next. We are Marines. Our officers attend a 12 week course, get a commission and then head off to 6 months of TBS, the basic school. Now, I am not putting down the Army in any way, their philosphy on command and infrastructure are just different. As a career, from the Marines point of view, you are initially commissioned a second lt in the Reserves (but you are on active duty for a specified amount of time, usually 6-8 years) You will be autamatically promoted to captain with in 4 years, unless you are a fuck up. Now when your enlistment is ending you have to apply for augmentation to the regulars. Very few get augmented it is one of the most competitive things in the Marines. If you are augmented, you can do up to 20 and get promoted to at least major, maybe even lt col or col. If you are really hot you can get to general. | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 28 |
Joining the Army was the best decision I've ever made...straightened my ass out, got me back on track. I came to appreciate honor, loyalty, brotherhood and commitment like never before. If you have a degree, definitely go to OCS (I was enlisted); it will pay off while you're on active duty, and again when (if) you return to the civilian world...leadership training is a plus in any career. I was in military intelligence...very interesting stuff, and given the world's current political posture, MI is where the "action" is. If you can pass the security clearance, etc., MI is the way to go for a motivated officer. Good luck | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 764 |
To me, men who put their lives on the line for our country deserve more metals and honor than they could ever receive!  W/o the military, I'd be afraid to think where our country would be today. ------------------ | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 447 |
This is a great thread! I've been thinking about going into the reserves to have the experience and supplement my income. I'd go as an officer since I have my degree. Anybody know the actual pay rates? My brother-in-law is an army reservist. He knows a lt that makes $500 bucks a weekend. | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 37 |
here is the DFAS site for pay: www.dfas.mil/money/milpay/pay/ ------------------ | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 1003 |
I don't regret it at all: it grew me up and straightened a lot of my shit out. It's also one reason I took up weightlifting. And go into Personnel - you'll get some sweet pussy! If the Dems get the Oval Office, stay away from teh military cause they'll treat it as a "necessary evil" and you'll be treated like shit by teh Commander in Chief. ------------------ |
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Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.45c
posted November 05, 2000 06:20 PM
