(OT)military service??

Anyone have experience with the military? looks like my country is going to draft me very soon (my country's got those military requirements... ) how is it? I know I get to play with some very evvil firearms but what else is there other than obeying the officers?

My son just finished basic training and airborne school for the US Army. If HALF of what he says happened to him is true, HOLD ON TIGHT!! It is going to be a wild ride.

Les

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Obeying the non-comms too. Advice given to me that served me well; "Keep your mouth shut, your ears open, and don't volunteer for anything!"

-Kevin

In basic training, a lot of the crap you go through is just to weed out the real misfits. Keep your mouth shut, and your eyes, ears, and mind open. Believe it or not, the sergeants are there to help you succeed. Listen and learn, don't stop thinking, and you'll be amazed at what you can do.

It wouldn't hurt to start getting into shape ahead of time too. All military's love to run...

Good luck, Ted

The basic rules for new enlisted members:

1. If it moves, salute it.
2. If it doesn't move, pick it up.
3. If it's too big to pick up, paint it.

(Yeah, we actually had to paint the grass one time!)

As you move up a little in the ranks you'll learn that the crusty old NCO that has a lot of time in service is much more deserving of respect and your attention than almost any newly-minted 2nd lieutenant. Pay attention to that guy...he's the one that's really running everything.

If you have the option, go Air Force. You see, in the Army the officers tend to stay to the rear and send the enlisted guys to the front to get shot at. In the Air Force the enlisted guys mostly stay behind the lines and fix the airplanes, then put the officers into those planes to go to the front and get shot at. Since I was going to be enlisted, this seemed like a *much* better way of doing things.

I spent over 6 years in the US Army and other than boot camp had a great time. I was in Germany for 3 years and Colorado for 3. Learned to shoot the M-16 rifle, 45 cal. pistol, 12 gage shotgun, granade launcher and throw granades. In Germany I qualified on the 7.62 mm rifle, 12.5 mm machine gun, Walthers pistol, Uzi sub machine gun, and the "panzerfaust" anti-tank rocket launcher.

There were the odd 24 hour duty and the inspections, but mostly for me it was just an 7 to 5 job. If you are in the infantry or artillery, it is different. As you are "in the field" a lot "camping". Fun in the winter and the rainy season.

Karl Perry QUARK, Cincinnati, OH

In the Navy, we take the officers along on the boat, so if we get shot at, they get shot at. Go submarines. Everything else is a target waiting to sink.

On the other hand.... NAVY = N ever A gain V olunteer Y ourself

Like most things, it's what YOU make of it. You will hopefully have a chance at some training or type of school later on. I have 2 kids in now and they love it. Your attitude and outlook will be the determining factor, for how it is for you.

Randy

Tai, the only thing I remember about your countries military was they were hard working low tech types, very rank conscious and a lot more prepared for war than most countries. I was in Kaohsiung and Taipei in the 70's with the US Navy. Great liberty ports. When we pulled into port there were anti submarine nets at the entrance and there were AA guns on the roof tops. I also helped turn over the U.S.S. Elkhorn and the U.S.S. Cahokia to the ROC Navy. As others have said keep your head in the game and obey your NCO's. You can learn a lot from them that will keep you alive later on. Bill Richardson ENC USNR Ret. TRA 8703 L2

Tai,

Rent _Full Metal Jacket_. Pay particular attention to the guy called Pyle :)

Doug

all great advice so far!

I was USAF, so I can't speak for ARMY. But I tell my son I recommend USAF, Navy and Marines in that order.

your TI (Training Instructor) in Basic is your friend, but you won't realize it until your last week.

Basic serves 3 functions

1. weed out those that can't cut it
2. 'shave off' your ego, so your a unified force
3. give you the training, discipline and self-confidence to start the next step of your training

at the end of Basic we all chipped in an got our real Red-Neck TI a real sweet rod and tackle set. The SOB just about cried when he saw it. When we pressed our other TI (they always have a good-cop bad-cop) for what he wanted he said just 1 silver dollar per recruit, so that was 100 recruits in the "flight". Given that a flight goes through Basic in under 6 weeks, that guy must of had a ton of silver dollars by the time he retired!

from Basic us USAF enlisted guys went to 'tech school', to learn how to do the useful jobs we'd be doing for the rest of our career. They're not all repair jobs, there are flight crews, ground crews, administrative jobs, etc. But no matter what you do, you're gunna have some real pride in that job and in your unit.

I made loads of great friends, had alot of good times, partied alot, and picked alot of cigarette butts out of gravel around the dorms. I also about went blind looking for 'Foreign Objects' on the flight line, smelled alot of stale beer and learned how to buff floors when Bay Orderly duty came up every so oftern. I also got more vaccines than I care to remember, thanks to some computer that kept track of that for them.

but as these guys said, just keep your trap shut and do exactly what your told. And when they lace into you, just keep your trap shut and do exactly what your told. ;)

and thinl of Basic as a 'game' to see who can 'make it' out without sounding off and getting s*1t-canned, or worse. When your out of Basic, you'll look at the guys next to you like you've never looked at a peer before, and say to yourself, "I know Exactly what that guy has made it through". Their ain't no better comraderie than that which comes from common hardship.

remember to write home alot! It is real lonely the first two weeks, and you'll trade a brew with the boys for a letter from friends and family anytime. And bring a real good pic of your girl. You'll be spending alot of time staring at it! You'll see what I mean ;)

best of luck Tai!

- iz

7 years in the USAF Tai, so here's the deal. Volunteer for nothing, say very little, watch yourself, and remember, they can own your body but not your mind. I loved my time. I would have stayed in but the wife didn't like military life. Can't say as I blame her, I was a Weather Tech and got sent remote twice for a year each time. The fist two years are the worst, after that, you get some rank and time in grade. Life improves directly proportional to your rank. Enlist in the AF rather than get drafted in the Army. The Army sleeps in the dirt...the AF sleeps in warm beds. All of this adds up to one thing, it won't kill you (War might though) but it will change you and that change will be for the better.

It will depend on your attitude. If you go in with and keep a positive attitude, basic won't be bad. You might even enjoy it...I did.

Just 3 easy rules: Do as I am told. Do as I am told. Do as I am told.

Don't think. Don't argue. Just do as you are told. You will see other guys not doing what they are told. Avoid those guys, as most assuredly your instructors "see all and know all".

One of our drill sergeants, who believed in the use of what he termed "creative coercive tools", had an answer for that. He would ask for volunteers. Then everyone who didn't volunteer got to do the crappy task at hand while the volunteers got to relax. But the rule was never consistent.

Or, pick up one of these, Tai:

Gawd! I *loved* Johnson Smith when I was a kid. They had the absolute highest quality stink loads money could buy!

Hey Kurt! You need this!

tah

I was in the Navy, served two years at the 3rd FPB Sqdn. in Flensburg as a missile electronic and maintenace officer and spent two more years in various military schools to get the lieutenant rank plus the permit to command an FPB myself in case the commanding officer gets killed in action. It was very interesting most of the times, mindnumbing during boot camp and officer drill school, and extremely cool when I got to fire two Exocet MM-38 live missiles during an exercise in France (the other cool thing was the simulated Exocet attack against the HMS "Illustrious" with two other FPB's during STRONG RESOLVE in Norway 1995 - they never knew what hit them...and their OPS officer had to pay for a lot of beer that night).

Tom

tai fu schrieb:

-- Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

Tom Engelhardt schrieb:

Cancel HMS Illustrious, insert USS Wasp. I just looked through my fotos of that exercise. Sorry guys...at least it didn't sink ;-).

Tom

I heard this before, but can't place the author.

"All Military's love to run, because it's good training and can be usefully used in both directions".

John

Doug forgot to say AND DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE!

As a non-active US Marine I can assure you, Full Metal Jacket is the most accurate portrayal of USMC boot camp ever filmed.

-Scott