A day in the life of a modern American soldier?

[Reply]

Dopers who've served or who know people who've served: What's daily life like in our Armed Forces?

All I ever really hear about are the heroics and the atrocities, the recruitment propaganda and the anti-war propaganda. I want to know what the mundane (if military life can ever be called that), day-to-day existence is like between the newsworthy extremes.

(This thread was inspired by the "Write to a soldier (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575090)" thread, which I found interesting but declined to join in because, really, which soldier would want to hear from some random 26 year old guy? Still, I'd like to hear more about how they live.)

ETA: Actually, on edit, I see no reason this has to be limited to American soldiers. If you've served elsewhere, feel free to share what that's like.

And could a please mod remove the "American" in the title?

[RandMcnally]

Depends. Do you mean at home or deployed?

I was a flyer. If I was not flying a particular day then I stayed around the office doing my secondary job. I was good at it. It sucked hardcore though (they stuck me in charge of a shop when I had no training for it).

If the day was slow I'd shoot the shit with my friends then we'd go for lunch. I was home usually by 1630.

On days/nights I flew, I'd go in, get some office work done, get ready for my flight. And then do that.

Deployed: I'd wake up, eat, go to dinner, brief, put all my gear on the bird and wait for something to happen. 12 on 12 off until I got home.

One thing I miss more than anything was that I worked with my friends. We'd pretty much hung out all day and then on the weekends. You don't get that kind of camaraderie in the civilian world.

It was a really good gig, besides the whole "Iraq" thing. That sucked. It was cold. I fucking hate the cold.

[Reply]

Depends. Do you mean at home or deployed?

I was a flyer. If I was not flying a particular day then I stayed around the office doing my secondary job. I was good at it. It sucked hardcore though (they stuck me in charge of a shop when I had no training for it).

If the day was slow I'd shoot the shit with my friends then we'd go for lunch. I was home usually by 1630.

On days/nights I flew, I'd go in, get some office work done, get ready for my flight. And then do that.

Deployed: I'd wake up, eat, go to dinner, brief, put all my gear on the bird and wait for something to happen. 12 on 12 off until I got home.

One thing I miss more than anything was that I worked with my friends. We'd pretty much hung out all day and then on the weekends. You don't get that kind of camaraderie in the civilian world.

It was a really good gig, besides the whole "Iraq" thing. That sucked. It was cold. I fucking hate the cold.

Either. I'd love to hear from a variety of people with a variety of experiences.

I don't mean to pry, but would you be willing to share more details?

What did you fly? Where?

When you were deployed, what were the missions like? Were you on patrols that just involved flying from place to place with few or no engagements? Or were you always tasked with a certain objective? For 12 hours straight? How did you go to the bathroom?

What's the office work like? Etc. I know so little about this I don't even know what questions to ask.

[RandMcnally]

Depends. Do you mean at home or deployed?

I was a flyer. If I was not flying a particular day then I stayed around the office doing my secondary job. I was good at it. It sucked hardcore though (they stuck me in charge of a shop when I had no training for it).

If the day was slow I'd shoot the shit with my friends then we'd go for lunch. I was home usually by 1630.

On days/nights I flew, I'd go in, get some office work done, get ready for my flight. And then do that.

Deployed: I'd wake up, eat, go to dinner, brief, put all my gear on the bird and wait for something to happen. 12 on 12 off until I got home.

One thing I miss more than anything was that I worked with my friends. We'd pretty much hung out all day and then on the weekends. You don't get that kind of camaraderie in the civilian world.

It was a really good gig, besides the whole "Iraq" thing. That sucked. It was cold. I fucking hate the cold.

Either. I'd love to hear from a variety of people with a variety of experiences.

I don't mean to pry, but would you be willing to share more details?

What did you fly? Where?

When you were deployed, what were the missions like? Were you on patrols that just involved flying from place to place with few or no engagements? Or were you always tasked with a certain objective? For 12 hours straight? How did you go to the bathroom?

What's the office work like? Etc. I know so little about this I don't even know what questions to ask.

For the office work I was in the scheduling shop. We coordinated with the base to get range times, with maintenance to get the correct load out on our aircraft and we decided who was flying when and what the training needed to be accomplished. It was a giant puzzle that needed to be pieced together every day.

I'd have twelve hour days but we'd never go up in the air for twelve hours straight. If while in the air you had to use the restroom you'd either pee in a Gatorade bottle or a piddle pack. If you had to crap really bad you prayed you landed at a base in time or you crapped your pants (I never did either of those).

I was in Iraq for two Christmases a few years ago, so that's why I hate the cold oh so very much. (I was flying with my best friend one time on a really cold, really long night and all I hear from him is, "Y'know, if I put a bullet through my head I'd go somewhere warm.")

[Reply]

What did you fly? Was there no temperature control? Are military vehicles/aircraft typically devoid of such... creature comforts?

[RandMcnally]

What did you fly? Was there no temperature control? Are military vehicles/aircraft typically devoid of such... creature comforts?

I flew in a helicopter. There was a heater but because I had to man the weapon the windows were open and my hand was on the machine gun in the air stream.

[Reply]

That must've been rather brutal. I can't imagine being physically able to pull the trigger in that cold.

[RandMcnally]

That must've been rather brutal. I can't imagine being physically able to pull the trigger in that cold.

I remember when I was 16 I swore to my mother that I'd leave the house when I turned 18. One week after my 18th birthday I was off to Basic. One week after my 20th I was off to Iraq.

And as I was sitting on some ramp on Christmas Eve with it being -4 out I thought to myself, "Man, I sure showed her."

[interface2x]

From what I understand (military folk, please correct me if I'm wrong), the miniseries Generation Kill (http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Kill-Rudy-Reyes/dp/B001AQO3WY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1282345980&sr=8-1) (based on the book (http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Kill-Evan-Wright/dp/0425224740/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282345980&sr=8-2) of the same name) was relatively accurate in describing one of the combat units during the 2003 Iraq invasion. Considering that they were at the front, there is surprisingly little combat in the show (never read the book) and mostly shows the guys waiting around and bullshitting with each other.

[flyboy]

What did you fly? Was there no temperature control? Are military vehicles/aircraft typically devoid of such... creature comforts?Hah! Some aircraft have better temperature than others. Most of the ones I've flown got way too cold. Partly out of necessity; the electronics need to stay cool, so turning the heat up wasn't an option. Gloves/sleeping bag/hats helped.

The answer to your questions are too difficult to answer--a day in the sandbox is totally different than a day in the States; a day in one tour on the East coast is totally different than a day in another tour on the West coast. Some days/jobs/colleagues suck; some are great. What I've found is that the most rewarding jobs are the toughest and suck the most when they are happening. But if you're enduring it with the right people, and you're making actual contributions to the fight, those jobs are the most memorable and fill me with the most pride.

[thirdname]

I feel it necessary to link to this Onion video: http://www.theonion.com/video/ultrarealistic-modern-warfare-game-features-awaiti,14382/

Is it anything like that?

[Bear_Nenno]

Receive Indirect Fire. Wake up. Hygiene. Breakfast. Briefing. 5 hour Patrol. Lunch. Weapon Maintenance. Facebook. Dinner. Receive Indirect Fire. Briefing. Gym. Sleep. Repeat.

[Really Not All That Bright]

You forgot "give cool stuff to local kids", BN. :) Thank you for that, by the way.

[RandMcnally]

What did you fly? Was there no temperature control? Are military vehicles/aircraft typically devoid of such... creature comforts?Hah! Some aircraft have better temperature than others. Most of the ones I've flown got way too cold. Partly out of necessity; the electronics need to stay cool, so turning the heat up wasn't an option. Gloves/sleeping bag/hats helped.

The answer to your questions are too difficult to answer--a day in the sandbox is totally different than a day in the States; a day in one tour on the East coast is totally different than a day in another tour on the West coast. Some days/jobs/colleagues suck; some are great. What I've found is that the most rewarding jobs are the toughest and suck the most when they are happening. But if you're enduring it with the right people, and you're making actual contributions to the fight, those jobs are the most memorable and fill me with the most pride.

I agree with this. Some of the worst times in my life were made actually kind of awesome because of the people I was with. I had a good crew and the second worst night of my life I had my best friend flying with me, so it made it a lot better.

Honestly, if I could relive my last deployment I probably would.

[AmunRa]

I feel it necessary to link to this Onion video: http://www.theonion.com/video/ultrarealistic-modern-warfare-game-features-awaiti,14382/

Is it anything like that?

That is a surprisingly accurate depiction of life in the US Army.

[RandMcnally]

I feel it necessary to link to this Onion video: http://www.theonion.com/video/ultrarealistic-modern-warfare-game-features-awaiti,14382/

Is it anything like that?

That is a surprisingly accurate depiction of life in the US Army.

I think my friend and I's conversation was whether or not the National Geographic woman with the eyes what hot (the first one, not the second).

Like, I'll play CoD and think to myself, "Man, that's so cool. I wish I did that." Then I'll be, "Wait, I did do that. It sucked. It sucked hardcore!"

[Loach]

I feel it necessary to link to this Onion video: http://www.theonion.com/video/ultrarealistic-modern-warfare-game-features-awaiti,14382/

Is it anything like that?

That is a surprisingly accurate depiction of life in the US Army.

No shit. That was brilliant. Still trying to figure out what to say to people who thank me for my service in Iraq. "Gee thanks, they put me in an office for a year." Drove me nuts and made me dream of being back in a tank.

[Flipshod]

My wife is a soldier. She just did a year deployment in Iraq working in a hospital. I didn't know anything about the military until I met her a couple of years ago.

When "down range," i.e. in Iraq or Afghanistan, there's lots of boredom, punctuated by awful moments, so they are always on a high level of alertness. Cheating on spouses seems rampant. Sexual harassment is rampant and completely tolerated. Female soldiers fear their fellow soldiers more than the enemy.

When not down range, the cheating and sexual harassment are less, but still there. Otherwise it seems something like a civilian job. They work hard and play hard. Lots of partying etc. But that's to be expected amongst a crowd of folks in their 20s.

[Flipshod]

I thought of more things I've learned. They have to get into "formation" at all of these odd times, usually extremely early in the morning. It's basically a head count. But just struck me as odd.

The workplace seems more dysfunctional than in the civilian world because they can't fire worthless workers.

Down range, there are a lot more attacks than are reported in the US media.

There's tons of bureaucracy, and soldiers have no real idea what it going to happen until it does. Misinformation flows freely. (makes planning for us families difficult).

They take all of the uniform formalities very seriously, but in all the time I've been on a base with her, I've never seen anyone salute.

[Tom Tildrum]

I'm a civilian government lawyer, and I had occasion to work one time with a JAG attorney on an airbase. She had a whole file drawer marked "Sonic Boom Claims." I had the impression that she worked on everything from procurement problems to bailing drunken brawlers out of the local county jail.

[CutterJohn]

MM2(E-5) Nuclear Machinists Mate, USS Enterprise 98-03. I'll give the out to sea stuff since the in port stuff was basically just a job with some extra BS and less free time.

Out to sea was, for us, rather a relief. There is remarkably little work that can be done at sea on an operating propulsion plant, so basically we had no workdays most of the time. We usually did our maintenance items while on watch.

Watches were most times on a 4 & 8 cycle, 4 on, 8 off. We had 5 watches to man though, and usually 20-25 people, so only the junior watches actually had to be on 4&8s, the senior guys usually had one watch a day.

Workdays at sea, when we had them(newbs usually did for at least a half day, cleaning and such) ran from 6am to maybe noon. Occasionally longer, but quite often shorter.

This left us with a remarkable amount of free time to fill. Some of it(and occasionally much of it) was filled through extra duties. One petty officer was in charge of maintaining training records, another in charge of damage control preparedness, one was the assistant boss, someone doing maintenance scheduling, gauge calibration(over 1000 gauges in one engine room >_< ), lead mechanic, etc. Actually, lead mechanic wasn't really an official position. I just got dubbed that because I had a knack for fixing machinery and was placed in charge of every major overhaul/rebuild, and not given other extra duties. Did pull a few 30 hour + days though, especially if a mission critical component failed.

On top of those duties, and normal everyday work, you were also expected to get qualified on each of the watchstanding positions, a feat which could and did take over a year for many, involving memorizing a dozen different systems, learning immediate actions to plant casualties till you could perform them asleep, and specific operating guidelines for each watchstation, and at various steps going through many hours of training watches(and you weren't relieved from other watchstanding duties to stand these), and finally oral examinations with everyone from your chief on up to a final board with the Chief Engineer of the entire ship when qualifying our highest watchstation(Reactor operators had to qualify with the CO).

And, if that didn't fill your day, there would be engine room drills conducted by the training team, and they would monitor how you responded to various simulated and not so simulated plant casualties. Often there would be shipwide General Quarters drills where you get to run around, close off everything on the ship, and pretend theres a bunch of missiles/torpedoes incoming, and then put out the resulting 'fires' in full firefighting rig.

But, eventually, you got qualified for all the watchstations, and you managed to push one of the crap extra duties off onto a newer guy and pick up a cake one, and you were senior enough to stand one watch a day, and probably get out of the workday most days as well, since there just wasn't much work to go around. Then it got nice and relaxing out to sea. At least if you weren't planning on staying anyway, else you'd be getting Surface Warfare qualified, Engineering watch supervisor qualified, getting primed to take an LPO spot, studying for advancement exams, and more studying to make chief.

The last year i was in I was golden, though. I wasn't staying, so nobody expected me to start qualifying for the watch supervisor position, nor study for advancement exams, or anything.. I also had the aforementioned sweet Lead Mechanic gig, which meant I didn't work a whole lot, but it was doing something I enjoy greatly. I was, perhaps, a bit too good at it, since I somehow became the Pump Guru for the entire division(and even did a few jobs for the airdales). I also had only one watch a day.

So, pretty much, this was my day the last year in the navy..


0000-0400 - Watch in the engine room. Supervisory position. Balls to 4 watch NEVER had anything happen. Quite boring.. 99% of those were entirely steady state operation with only the occasional bell change.
0400-0600 - Go for a run on the deserted hangar deck, grab some chow when the line opened at 0530.
0630 - 1400 - Sleep.
1400-2400 - whatever I felt like doing most of the time. Movies, video games(we had a wireless LAN setup with a server running an Everquest emulated server. Play cards, read a book. I also had a DVD burner, and went to see with stacks of blank discs and hunt for movies I didn't have yet.

Soo.. uh.. yeah. Thats life at sea. For me anyway.

[Beware of Doug]

How are our servicemembers' attitudes towards civilian culture and life? In previous wars there was always a certain amount of feeling that America didn't deserve the freedom it had, or that men (word choice intentional) came out of the military better people than those they left behind, in important ways.

Of course, today it might be somewhat more difficult to have that attitude because it's possible to e-mail your family, men and women often serve alongside each other, deployments are shorter, etc.