Thread: Tell Me About the U.S. Army

If you like killing people who are trying to protect their own land from foreign invasion go ahead.

Yeah thats up my alley.... Next

The friends you make while serving your country may all be killed (not over exaggerating).

Depending on what you're stationed for, you may have to rough it 24/7 for however long (could be months or even more than a year).

If you dislike your commanding officer or any of your surrounding team mates, you just gotta suck it up. No where to escape to. You can't just quit.

You go where they put you and do as you're told. Even if your team mate has some easier job or less dangerous, you cannot swap.

If you're deemed unfit to complete your time and service (due to physical injures and/or medical reasons) and have it all written on paper and documented - don't bet on it. They can drag you back anytime they want.

Fair responce, i'm still enlisting, but thanks. Made me think for a while!

Depends on your MOS. What do you wish to pursue?

Also, be more driven. None of this laziness bullshit in the Army.

We definitely need an army. I wonder if Imran will admit that much. He seems to think armies just impose freedom on the tyrannically oppressed while insurgent terrorists justifiably fight against civil rights.

Mos? I was thinking Infantry...

And a friend recruited me basically I told em how I was thinking about joining and he said he would get me a "fat check" if I joined through him.. I know he is getting something out of it!... Anyone know?

He said he was going in as "Intelligence" right away... But yeah im going with this guy to meet the recruiter soon.

Originally Posted by Xyn

Mos? I was thinking Infantry...

And a friend recruited me basically I told em how I was thinking about joining and he said he would get me a "fat check" if I joined through him.. I know he is getting something out of it!... Anyone know?

He said he was going in as "Intelligence" right away... But yeah im going with this guy to meet the recruiter soon.

I haven't a clue what he could be getting out of referring you. But that fat check seems like a bribe to me to compensate for all the shit you're gonna go through. Money is all well and good, but at what price?

I know nobody could pay me any amount of money to enlist. What's the use if you have money but can't spend it as you please? Even the chance of you dying. You can't bring your money with you when that happens. x.x;

Originally Posted by TamiDoll

I haven't a clue what he could be getting out of referring you. But that fat check seems like a bribe to me to compensate for all the shit you're gonna go through. Money is all well and good, but at what price?

I know nobody could pay me any amount of money to enlist. What's the use if you have money but can't spend it as you please? Even the chance of you dying. You can't bring your money with you when that happens. x.x;

Well i'm honestly at the point in my life where I fucked so many things up... I really could care less if I didnt come back... Im not suicidal at all but at least I died serving my country... Plus I need to have the military experience on my applications otherwise I dont think my job will even pay mininum wage(Bad Grades)...

I'm looking really forward to joining... Have talked to alot of people who said there really glad they did join the army.

I don't wanna piss anyone off but this needs to be said:

I'm currently living in Korea, and there are a ton of US and other western military guys around here.

And I haven't met a SINGLE honorable one. Not ONE. Not a SOUL.

They are all idiots who spend their nights drinking and raping women, and I am not exaggerating. Not a single army guy who I or any of my friends have met has turned out to have good morals.

Are army guys who get stationed elsewhere any better? I don't know. Because I haven't lived in Iraq or Afghanistan or wherever. But I have no reason to believe that they're different.

Originally Posted by Xyn

Well i'm honestly at the point in my life where I fucked so many things up... I really could care less if I didnt come back... Im not suicidal at all but at least I died serving my country... Plus I need to have the military experience on my applications otherwise I dont think my job will even pay mininum wage(Bad Grades)...

I'm looking really forward to joining... Have talked to alot of people who said there really glad they did join the army.

Why are you ok with dying while serving your country? Your country doesn't care that much about you. You're just another lil ant in the big ant colony. Sure there are a ppl that hold respect for soldiers. But the majority dun care. You die, you're dead. The country doesn't care. Your friends/family does. Nobody else.

@ Mes Tarrant: Figures. Sad to say, I dunno any either that are honourable. Ppl usually join cause they don't have many choices back home, or they just wanna kill ppl. There are some that join cause they're really into it though. But I dunno any thus far. Maybe a bunch of em start off like that though. But doing what they have to do, it kills hope and dims it down to the point they won't give a f-ck anymore.

I remember a funny story my friend had told me after being in an office with
other recruits for medical examination. The recruits were being asked what they
were joining the military for. All of them but one gave answers like "physicist,
doctor, engineer". That one other answered, "To kill people," by which he was
promptly responded with "Good, you're in the right place for it."

My advice to you is don't join for benefits, especially if you want a career because you will be unhappy. Also, join the Marine Corps! Like I did. My older brother is Army National Guard and I think he is jealous of me being a Marine. if you're thinking ifantry, definitely go Marines, the quality of people in the Marine Corps is much higher than any other service (generally), mainly because it's so hard to get into. It's not for everyone, but if you like challenges, this could be the most rewarding. You are always in good company when you are with Marines.

Originally Posted by TamiDoll

Why are you ok with dying while serving your country? Your country doesn't care that much about you. You're just another lil ant in the big ant colony. Sure there are a ppl that hold respect for soldiers. But the majority dun care. You die, you're dead. The country doesn't care. Your friends/family does. Nobody else.

You don't get it.

Originally Posted by Invader

I remember a funny story my friend had told me after being in an office with
other recruits for medical examination. The recruits were being asked what they
were joining the military for. All of them but one gave answers like "physicist,
doctor, engineer". That one other answered, "To kill people," by which he was
promptly responded with "Good, you're in the right place for it."

I heard a similar story when I was at Officer Candidate School. This is the dialogue between the company comander and a candidate during an inspection.

Company Comander: What's your major candidate?
Candidate: English sir!
Company Comander: And what do you want to do with that english major?
Candidate: KILL TERRORISTS SIR!
Company Comander: Very well. (Moves on to next candidate)

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

I don't wanna piss anyone off but this needs to be said:

I'm currently living in Korea, and there are a ton of US and other western military guys around here.

And I haven't met a SINGLE honorable one. Not ONE. Not a SOUL.

They are all idiots who spend their nights drinking and raping women, and I am not exaggerating. Not a single army guy who I or any of my friends have met has turned out to have good morals.

Are army guys who get stationed elsewhere any better? I don't know. Because I haven't lived in Iraq or Afghanistan or wherever. But I have no reason to believe that they're different.

All right, I might be treading into an area I will end up not wanting to be in, but I'm tempted to say it. I really respect the military and am extremely glad we have one. I majorly appreciate what they do, and we would all be slaves or else dead if we and none of our allies had one. However, yes, lots of meat head jackasses are in it. But... that is what we need. I don't want polite choir boys with hearts of gold in the military. I want rude, crazy killers. Not everybody in the military is like that, but it is really, really common. Both of my grandfathers and all three of my uncles were in the military, and none of them were jerks. One of my uncles was about the coolest person I have ever known, and another one is about the nicest and most honorable person I have ever known. The other uncle is a great guy and a real trip. (He was an Army psychiatrist stationed in Seoul a while back.) The grandfather I knew was so honest that he once called a pay phone operator and told her the phone gave him a quarter he was not supposed to get back. The grandfather I never knew is talked about like he was a god. Still, the military is a cesspool for assholes, which is exactly what I want it to be.

Originally Posted by Invader

I remember a funny story my friend had told me after being in an office with
other recruits for medical examination. The recruits were being asked what they
were joining the military for. All of them but one gave answers like "physicist,
doctor, engineer". That one other answered, "To kill people," by which he was
promptly responded with "Good, you're in the right place for it."

Lol.


@ Caprisun: No I don't cause I haven't experienced it myself. But my dad and grandfather both have. And a close friend (which almost every one of his former crew members were killed in action). Unless you have it good (which infantry ppl usually don't. This excludes marines, like you said, their quality is on a higher level) when you see where your country you're serving for stations you, demands from you in utterly crap conditions - you'll realize how much your country really cares. It just wants to kill off anything that stands in its way or is considered a threat. You basically become it's meat shield/killer.

It's all smiles and everything but once you get shipped off to kill, things get a lil tougher. And that's when all the fun begins.

Of course if you're of a higher rank and/or don't have to part take in direct battle, it shouldn't be too bad. But that has much higher requirements to even be qualified.

IMO, if you're not willing to take a bullet for a random stranger down the street or the president, don't take any for ppl that reside in your country that wouldn't take a bullet for you. But if you are, go right on ahead and enlist.


EDIT: My opinion towards the military is rather negative since I know how horrific it can be. I'm really no fan of it. But I dun dislike any person that joins up. I just dislike how it runs and what happens.

Originally Posted by TamiDoll

Lol.


@ Caprisun: No I don't cause I haven't experienced it myself. But my dad and grandfather both have. And a close friend (which almost every one of his former crew members were killed in action). Unless you have it good (which infantry ppl usually don't. This excludes marines, like you said, their quality is on a higher level) when you see where your country you're serving for stations you, demands from you in utterly crap conditions - you'll realize how much your country really cares. It just wants to kill off anything that stands in its way or is considered a threat. You basically become it's meat shield/killer.

It's all smiles and everything but once you get shipped off to kill, things get a lil tougher. And that's when all the fun begins.

Of course if you're of a higher rank and/or don't have to part take in direct battle, it shouldn't be too bad. But that has much higher requirements to even be qualified.

IMO, if you're not willing to take a bullet for a random stranger down the street or the president, don't take any for ppl that reside in your country that wouldn't take a bullet for you. But if you are, go right on ahead and enlist.


EDIT: My opinion towards the military is rather negative since I know how horrific it can be. I'm really no fan of it. But I dun dislike any person that joins up. I just dislike how it runs and what happens.

The point you don't seem to get is that we don't join because it's cool or fun, it's quite the opposite of fun most of the time. We join with the intention of being thrown in the shit. We are not only aware of the possibility of seeing action, we want it. Why else would we join? Now, when I say we want it, I don't mean we are blood thirsty animals itching to kill someone. I mean that the shit has already hit the fan and we want to be the ones to go, somebodies got to do it and it may as well be us. It sounds like you think the only reason a person might join the military is for selfish reasons but in reality it takes a completely unselfish person to join the military. A person who signs up knowing full well that for the better part of the next decade they will be cold (or hot), wet, and miserable is a special person. It doesn't matter what the people at home think and we expect poor treatment from the government, Marines make do. It's not about family or friends and it would be ridiculous of me to expect a random civilian to take a bullet for me, they didn't sign up for the job. It doesn't sit right with me when somebody bad mouths people who selflessly devote their lives to a cause greater than themselves (Im not talking about the war in Iraq.) It has become a cliche as of late but I think I speak for most Marines and soldiers when I say we join for all of the men living through hell as we speak and most of all for the great men that came before us.

(Keep in mind im talking about infantry, I realize they are administrative jobs that don't do any fighting.)

Originally Posted by Caprisun

The point you don't seem to get is that we don't join because it's cool or fun, it's quite the opposite of fun most of the time. We join with the intention of being thrown in the shit. We are not only aware of the possibility of seeing action, we want it. Why else would we join? Now, when I say we want it, I don't mean we are blood thirsty animals itching to kill someone. I mean that the shit has already hit the fan and we want to be the ones to go, somebodies got to do it and it may as well be us. It sounds like you think the only reason a person might join the military is for selfish reasons but in reality it takes a completely unselfish person to join the military. A person who signs up knowing full well that for the better part of the next decade they will be cold (or hot), wet, and miserable is a special person. It doesn't matter what the people at home think and we expect poor treatment from the government, Marines make do. It's not about family or friends and it would be ridiculous of me to expect a random civilian to take a bullet for me, they didn't sign up for the job. It doesn't sit right with me when somebody bad mouths people who selflessly devote their lives to a cause greater than themselves (Im not talking about the war in Iraq.) It has become a cliche as of late but I think I speak for most Marines and soldiers when I say we join for all of the men living through hell as we speak and most of all for the great men that came before us.

(Keep in mind im talking about infantry, I realize they are administrative jobs that don't do any fighting.)

There's alot of ppl that enlist that aren't aware of those things. The ads they have to recruit ppl in Australia are all sugar coated (recruiting offices aren't much better). Saying how awesome and fun it is. It looks like a paintball match at most. Iono about in America, could be different. But somehow I highly doubt that.

Like I said, I don't hate the ppl that join and do what they have to do - in the end it's their job. I just dislike the shit that happens to them. It's fine if you buy a lemon of a car knowing exactly what you're getting. But many ppl that buy lemon cars don't know how sour it can be.

Join the marines, much better.

Originally Posted by TamiDoll

The ads they have to recruit ppl in Australia are all sugar coated (recruiting offices aren't much better). Saying how awesome and fun it is.

That made me think of something. The song that represents the World War II era in American music more than any other is "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the Andrews Sisters. It was enormously popular in the early 1940's, and it is a song about a U.S. Army bugle player who "makes the company jump when he plays Reveille". It illustrates the concept of what a blast it is to be in the U.S. Army during war time. According to many historians, the song was a very effective recruiting tool. My dad thinks the government was even behind the writing of the song. It was popularized when the sisters danced and lip synched to it in a good time war party movie scene in 1940, which was about the time the U.S. government probably realized we would end up having to get involved in World War II.

I don't mean to be rude or disrespect anyone, however I have to say this. Anyone who joins the army as infantry is a moron. You know your going to get sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, and your going to have the worst equipment of anyone in that area, and your going to be shot at all day, for atleast 3 of the next 4 years.

It sounds like you made up your mind already though. Here is the two most important things to remember when talking to a recruiter though. First negotiate. They really need bodies in the army and you can negotiate and get a far better deal than just accepting whatever they offer. Secondly get it in writing. They will promise a lot of stuff, but unless you have it in writing the promise doesn't matter. They will lie to you, but if you have it in writing they will generally be forced to follow it.

Now back to why you shouldn't join. I hear horror stories all the time from the government ignoring wounded vets. They promise great care if you get harmed but its a huge bureaucracy. You will have to fight hard for your benefits and it will be a huge pain. They will not help you.

Also you sound a bit depressed but you shouldn't give up. You should look at the requirements for the local community collage. Some local collages will accept people with even a C average from highschool.

Also as long as you graduated highschool, people will still higher you.Bad grades don't really factor in. Generally when people look at your application resume, they look at, did you finish high school, did you go to collage, did you finish collage. They normally don't look at actual grades.

Remember though get anything you agree to in writing. And don't join the infantry just because you feel bad about your education. I do believe the army has a test for judging what position you would be best in. Ask to take the test before agreeing to anything. It might give you other options.

Originally Posted by Alric

I don't mean to be rude or disrespect anyone, however I have to say this. Anyone who joins the army as infantry is a moron. You know your going to get sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, and your going to have the worst equipment of anyone in that area, and your going to be shot at all day, for atleast 3 of the next 4 years.

It sounds like you made up your mind already though. Here is the two most important things to remember when talking to a recruiter though. First negotiate. They really need bodies in the army and you can negotiate and get a far better deal than just accepting whatever they offer. Secondly get it in writing. They will promise a lot of stuff, but unless you have it in writing the promise doesn't matter. They will lie to you, but if you have it in writing they will generally be forced to follow it.

Now back to why you shouldn't join. I hear horror stories all the time from the government ignoring wounded vets. They promise great care if you get harmed but its a huge bureaucracy. You will have to fight hard for your benefits and it will be a huge pain. They will not help you.

Also you sound a bit depressed but you shouldn't give up. You should look at the requirements for the local community collage. Some local collages will accept people with even a C average from highschool.

Also as long as you graduated highschool, people will still higher you.Bad grades don't really factor in. Generally when people look at your application resume, they look at, did you finish high school, did you go to collage, did you finish collage. They normally don't look at actual grades.

Remember though get anything you agree to in writing. And don't join the infantry just because you feel bad about your education. I do believe the army has a test for judging what position you would be best in. Ask to take the test before agreeing to anything. It might give you other options.

I appreciate your advice! I think I have changed my mind about going in as infantry... But I really wouldnt call them morons because they are the people defending are country... I'm going to take your advice about getting it on paper and yeah I did ALOT of research before I joined so I know recruiters lie alot... Also thanks for the negotiating bit... I didnt know this!

Also, I wouldn't sign anything at the office. Once you are finished speaking with them and you agreed on something, take the paper work home with you and read it over. Take the time needed to really understand it, and catch and loopholes or anything in it. It might also not hurt to speak with two separate recruiters, to see what each has to say. I am pretty opposed to joining the army, though you are signing away your life for 4+ years, so take the time to do it right.

That said, you have to remember one important thing. In the army, you really are not defending your country. Most wars are of a political nature, fought in far off countries.

Originally Posted by Alric

I don't mean to be rude or disrespect anyone, however I have to say this. Anyone who joins the army as infantry is a moron. You know your going to get sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, and your going to have the worst equipment of anyone in that area, and your going to be shot at all day, for atleast 3 of the next 4 years.

It sounds like you made up your mind already though. Here is the two most important things to remember when talking to a recruiter though. First negotiate. They really need bodies in the army and you can negotiate and get a far better deal than just accepting whatever they offer. Secondly get it in writing. They will promise a lot of stuff, but unless you have it in writing the promise doesn't matter. They will lie to you, but if you have it in writing they will generally be forced to follow it.

Now back to why you shouldn't join. I hear horror stories all the time from the government ignoring wounded vets. They promise great care if you get harmed but its a huge bureaucracy. You will have to fight hard for your benefits and it will be a huge pain. They will not help you.

Also you sound a bit depressed but you shouldn't give up. You should look at the requirements for the local community collage. Some local collages will accept people with even a C average from highschool.

Also as long as you graduated highschool, people will still higher you.Bad grades don't really factor in. Generally when people look at your application resume, they look at, did you finish high school, did you go to collage, did you finish collage. They normally don't look at actual grades.

Remember though get anything you agree to in writing. And don't join the infantry just because you feel bad about your education. I do believe the army has a test for judging what position you would be best in. Ask to take the test before agreeing to anything. It might give you other options.

Why bother saying you don't want to be rude or disrespectful?