[QUOTE=Lucretia;10374144I am also active duty, and AF nurse. I am currently deployed to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.[/QUOTE]
I’ve recently decided to become a nurse and would you mind if I PM you some questions? In particular about the whole Flying Nurse career field, if you have any insights. I’m thinking Guard or Reserve.
I won’t lie, I actually miss the military.
I wouldn’t mind a bit, please feel free to either PM or email me. However, I am afraid that I have very little insight into either flight nursing or the Guard or Reserves. I’m active duty, which is an entirely different world than Guard or Reserves, and have been a floor nurse, a clinic nurse, and am now an OR nurse.
But, like I said, if you do want to ask me anything, I’m happy to try to help!
AAARGH! as a former recruiter I can tell you that if I were recruiting you one question I ask before you even test is *“have you used an inhaler?”…*not do you have asthma, though I would end up asking that anyway. You see, if you say you used an inhaler, even if it was ten years ago, the docs will DQ you at MEPs. your recruiter didn’t prep you enough.
I’m sorry that happened to you. Its not your problem, or fault really, since you were being honest. It sucks that you pretty much cannot tell the MEPs docs stuff like that. I’ve seen them turn a guy around because he had a small blister on his foot because he regularly ran 5 miles a day every morning! I’ve seen them turn people down for saying " broke my finger when I was 12!" Thy want medical documents to prove your finger isn’t useless after that. Its rough. What makes it worse on the recruiter side is he’ll probably get his ass chewed for it. Remember when I said recruiting sucked? Thats why. I personally have been punished for a girl getting pregnant before she shipped, (she was 24, I didn’t screw her, but its “my fault” she got pregnant), a dude getting DUI before he shipped (the 1st sergeant himself bit my head off for that. This guy went out on a saturday and got drunk and drove right into a police checkpoint…he was 26 and I had to get waivers for him from past petty crimes he did as a teen…still, my fault, I get an ass chewing) and I guy that just up and decided to not go to school 3 months from graduation and thus DQ himself for not graduating. He got kicked out of school for non-attendance and his mother was frantic. I personally went with her to the school, got a deal that if he didn’t miss any more days and passed all of his exams he’d graduate. they were doing US a favor. This shithead still blew school off and was genuinely shiocked when I tod him he was no longer eligible. and he had a sweet job, too. A big freaking bonus, and a slot as a veterinary assistant! (A really cake job in the Army). I don’t want to derail your thread, but this is why you see recruiters who were otherwise honest and good soldiers go rogue. We get our asses chewed, our careers threatened and all kinds of mind games doine to us if we dare not make a quota. I never cheated or lied to get anyone in. I played by the rules and the regs and I was a top recruiter. Still I had my ass handed to me several times because I may not have made a months quota at certain points. Trust me, he may never tell you, but your recruiter got his head taken off. Its not your fault or concern, but it happens.
[highjack] (I will not speak on this again unless the OP wants any more information) I blame Bush for fucking it up. Most people will violunteer for service if the cause is just (or in peacetime). an unpopular war made it harder for recruiters and the quota did not change, in fact it went up. A recruiter that like me, was detailed (I did not volunteer to recruit, I was detailed.) finds his or herself in a bad place. They wait until you have enough years in that its obvious you plan on doing 20. Then they wait until its time to re-up (thye being recruiting command, not the Army as a whole). You see if I did not accept assignment as a recruiter I would be barred from reenlistment. I had a family, invested years in the army and I was considered among the best in my particular MOS. So I got tagged. The 2nd part of the issue is the guys you see that are “Station Commanders” of the recruiting station. You see, they volunteered for the job, they’ll never go back to their original MOS, they won’t get deployed they are full time recruiters. Their evaluation revolves around how many people their detailed recruiters put in. Thye volunteered because its a fast track for promotion. Full time recruiters get promoted fast. Hell, even one tour in recruiting looks good when they’re going through your records. But full time guys? Yeah, they get their heads bitten off, but it rolls downhill. FTR I called BS on my SC a few times. chew me out and call me a piece of dirt? Dude, I was among the best in my chosen MOS. I have the highest awards anyone will ever get in the military without getting shot. I have a high security clearance. But Joe Blow didn’t join and now I’m worthless? Thats why recruiters are so angry. I know two who tried to commit suicide while I was there. One succeeded. I had my first heart attack because of the stress. They gave me a DAY off when In got out of the hospital. Guys in combat zones get more than that for injuries. Trust me, recruiting is a shitty job. Again, that is not your problem or concern, I’m just letting you know what happens when you aren’t in the station. [/highjack]
there is a way around your 2 years though. If you go to a doctor and get checked out and the certify that you do not have asthma, they can try and overturn the MEPs. You have to pay for the doctor yourself, though.
I’m not a combat MOS, I’m more on the technical side. (Go Signal! You can talk about us but you can’t talk without us!)Here’s the thing though…if you want to be a ranger, a cook or a desk jk jockey its up to you. Many of my friends told me I was crazy when I volunteered and ended up in the first gulf war. But you know whgat? Those guys still live in the same small town and haven’t been anywhere almost 20 years later. I’ve been to Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Holland, Austria, France. I’ve proven that I can do things they can’t no matter how mundane. I’ve seen sights around the globe just through opportunity. I don’t pay for medical care. I get things cheaper than they do. I’ll be able to buy a house with my VA loan when I retire and retain my benefits. I’ll also get preference in jobs I’ll look for for being a vet not to mention I also have a clearance which opens up many government contracted jobs for me. In short, I’m better off than they are because I didn’t listen to the fear mongering and scare talk. If you don’t want to join, don’t. But don’t make the decision because of what people tell you alone. Look into it. Ask questions. When you find out what you want to do, go for it whether its in or out of the military. Don’t take my word or anyone else for complete truth. (I’m not lying, just be sure to do your research. I have no reason to lie to you. Its not like I’m a recruiter now and I would not lie to you when I was. My word always meant more to me than a quota).
I’ll be moving…my stuff was shipped today. I may be sporadic in my time on the boards for the foreseeable future. But if you want to ask anything else, PM me. I’ll try to answer you as fast as I can.
Gawd Damn! Yeah, you did get screwed, brother. I’m sorry for it.
It won’t make you feel any better, but I got screwed out of a cherry assignment once, too. Special Ops command at McDill AF BASE! Tampa Florida. I was psyched! My wife was psyched!
But recruiting command was butt hurt. You see I reenlisted only on the condition they wouldn’t EXTEND me in recruiting. (they did that to a bunch of guys. I told a USAREC colonel when he asked if I would voluntarily extend in recruiting “No chance in hell…sir.”…to his face.) so what does USAREC do? They involuntarily extend me without telling my branch manager at DA. Against regs. When I bitched, the Inspector General got involved. They had to honor the agrreement and release me from the extension. They only did so the dya after the Tampa assignment was no longer available. screw USAREC. They fucked up, though. The IG was out for blood on them and I was offered an assignment HERE in NATO in Bavaria instead. I got promoted to boot, despite taking an assignment below my then current pay grade.
Again, I’m sorry you got screwed. You combat arms guys are the ones that do the most for the rest of us. You all deserve far better treatment from everyone than you are given. but I at least will tell you, I salute you.
EpicNonsense, I think you have to be brutally honest with yourself as to why you’re considering joining. Excitement? Adventure? Patriotism? Support for the war in Iraq? Future career opportunities and/or education? Then do the research you’ll need to figure out which branch you think you’re best suited for. Ask recent veterans (including those on this board). Read any official document very carefully, especially before you sign it. And then, if you are very sure it’s what you want to do, go for it - and accept my thanks for your service to this great republic.
Read it again. I got everything I was promised and then some, the other guys got screwed. Not only did I get sent to Italy, I was tapped to be a downhill ski instructor at the Cold Weather Training School which entailed going to the Garmisch Ski Instructor Academy and then 3 months at a civilian resort in the alps. I also was assigned as liaison to the Italian Alpini 4th Spacial Mountain Div. and got to bunk and mess with the Italian Officer corps for a month. I got sent to the Belgian Commando School, German and Italian Jump School got wings for all three (only one allowed on Class A). I got sooo damn many cake assignments that when I got stop lossed to go to Iraq I felt like I owed it to the ARMY not to bitch about it (too much).
At this post, I knew you’d fit in nicely with us. You know, carrying weapons against Americans isn’t a bad thing at all. When Hurricane Ike swept up north and flooded Pittsburgh, I was called out to guard a neighborhood. Most of the doors were swollen by the water and couldn’t be closed/locked. So we had to cordon the neighborhood and not let anyone through unless they could prove residence. Technically, I was armed against Americans, but really I was guarding people’s homes. Don’t forget that if you’re going against citizens, it’s to protect other citizens, usually in a morally clear-cut way.
As for picking MOS, you have to consider why you’re joining in the first place. Is it the excitement? Go tanker. The prestige? Go infantry. The honor/ceremony? Band. For me, it was because I’ve been the smartest guy around my whole life. I chose intel and it’s truly been the perfect choice. The clearance alone is a HUGE force in the job market. I joined basically for the college money and a job skill. I got both.
Don’t let anyone tell you that Iraq is all bad. The worst part is missing your family so much and the long hours. Only a small fraction of soldiers actually go outside the wire. Of those, only a small fraction get injured or killed. There’s no such thing as a bullet-sponge. Or a poorly trained soldier. People that think the Army has lowered standards think that it’s run by one guy. It ain’t. For every guy that wants to push people through, there’s another that wants to keep them for as long as possible. When the Army says “Everyone will have a 10-week Basic Training”, you’d better believe they won’t let you out til you’ve gone through it.
As for your “promises” concern, it’s what previous posters have said. People think they’re promised things that they never were and get upset when they don’t get it. Your MOS is pretty much guaranteed. If you pick Intel, you’ll get Intel as long as you still meet all the requirements. If, for instance, you fail the course or can’t get a clearance or whatever, you’ll be moved to another MOS. IME, you get to pick the new one too. Don’t worry about getting screwed on bonuses or MOSs. If it’s in your paperwork, it’ll happen.
sorry dude. Trying to read post and everything is hard when you have movers all over. They’re packing me out as I type.
Because I’m leaving somewhere you’ve been! I’m in Oberammergua, 12 miles from Garmisch! If you tell me you were trained by a german army major named Kars we’ll really be connecting.
I don’t know if I can even tell you something you don’t know, brother. You’ve done a lot. Being a techie I am more than happy to be in cramped but warm room working on my techie stuff.
Funny thing about Cake assignments is they always never really look good until you get there. A lot of times i’ve been like “I’m being sent where? Aw man, I’ll bet its a mile from Satan’s butthole!”…then you get there and go…“Man, this place is great!”. I felt like that when I got here. No real facilities…if you’ve been to Garmisch you know its a bit bare on that…but man, the scenery, the people and the environment…its beautiful. I can see the Kofel from my front window.
I hope you got to at least visit Neuschwanstien while you were here. Its just one of those things that aren’t really fantastic but worth seeing.
Again sorry for the mistake…I don’t like to do that with another soldier. One team, one fight, **Askeptic. **
good advice, IntelSoldier. Like you I have my clearance to open up jobs on the civvie side. People that claim its a lie don’t consider this…say yourself…when you picked your MOS they slotted you the training and assignments right there. The school and the gaining unit are then expecting you to be there when the training is done. There is no upside in lying to you. You have to be there unless, as you say, you fail the school or some act of God stops you from being there. It costs money to train a soldier, especially in intel. They ain’t throwing that money away. they WANT you to pass and go to that unit. (especially tour MOS or even mine…there aren’t a lot of folks in the pool with the scores to get them.) I don’t even think my MOS is all that, but it is apparently in critical demand by DA. They told me they’d be happy to let me stay here and retire except that they are in great need of my MOS at my pay grade elsewhere. There are only about 200 people with my job in the army or at least that was an approximate number in 2005 when I last asked DA.
If you do go through, like everyone has said, give yourself a chance to look into a lot of research, get personal feedback from as many people as you can and use that to make the most informed decision.
A couple of years ago, I had decided I wanted to join the Coast Guard. I wanted Adventure and a new direction in my life. Unfortunately I was convinced everyone I knew would think this was a stupid idea and talk me out of it. I had a dumb plan to keep my desire a secret until it was already happening, which was a mistake.
During my medical exam the doc noticed that I had taken an drug used as an anti-depressant ten years ago and medically disqualified me :rolleyes: later I realized that had I talked to my peers/recruiter about this it probably wouldn’t have been an issue. I was so disappointed/discouraged I never followed up on it but I will say that for you if there is something stupid holding you back don’t let it trip up your plans; talk to people about it and they will find a way to make things work for you if you are motivated.
I also have a brother who is an Iraq veteran, CA National Guard 118th Maint. Co Specialist.
So, you’re basically asking if there is going to be a civil war after this election? What sort of reassurance can we possibly give you? Someone can say, “the Army has never been used for X or Y,” but someone else can also reply, “Yes, but this time will be different; they’ll be doing X and Y.” How can we reassure you that there’s not the slightest chance?
If you do join now make sure your start date is after the holidays, I can’t imagine being in boot camp during Christmas is a lot of fun.
It ain’t/ But when I went in they actually let people in training take leave duyring holidays. I was in AIT at Xmas and I was allowed to go on leave. Unfirtunately for me, I had no one to go home to. (parents dead, sister now deceased didn’t like me too much.) I was lucky to have a friend that invited me to her house for Xmas.
I’m in a different position than most. I don’t have a lot living relatives and only a handful of them even caew wghat happens to me. My first tour in Europe I planned on spoending Xmas alone. I had a tree in my barracks room and a turkey TV dinner. It was not my first holiday alone so I was sad, but reasonably content. A buddy in the barracks had German relatives and he vwas about to drive to Bonn (which is the capitol, not Berlin) to spend Xmas with them. He stopped by mny room and asked what I was doing for Xmas. He was under the impression that I was going toi the US on a last minute flight. When he found out I wasn’t he inisted that I go with him. I didn’rt want to impose on him or his family members that did not expect me, but this guy refused to take no for an answer. He said ghe would not let a buddy and fellow troop spend the holiday alone if he could help it. So I went with him. I have at least 3 funny storiues about it that maybe I’ll tell at another time. Bottom line is I had a great time with his family in Germany(hat he barely knew himself) and his cousin (who was german military) and I got along famously. You make friends like that in the military. I never thought before that I would have a german type Xmas dinner with a german family in the german capitol growing up.
My apologies for the typos…my stuff has been shgipped, I’m typing on a laptop from candlelight.
Still, I feel for the guys overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan that are far from their families on the holidays. Anyone whp thinks they want to be there for the sake of war or fighting and killing is just fuckin’ nuts.
they don’t schedule a lot of training around Xmas…the Drill sergeants have families too, after all. Those guys have shitty jobs…right next to recruiting. (difference is they get a break between cycles)
OP, keep in mind you will be sworn to defend the constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. I went through riot control training in the NG. But it would be an emergency indeed if the military were in charge of such things. I wouldn’t worry about the riot control against US citizens right now. If we needed the actiuve military ro do riot control it would mean the police, state police and NG couldn’t handle it. Martial law. We’d have a lot more to worry about at that point.
It’s staggeringly unlikely that, if violence swelled to such a point where it couldn’t be contained on a state-by-state basis, both the Senate and House would manage to get a majority vote on anything, let alone what would be an astonishingly controversial bit of legislation. So the chances of any remotely lawful order to use troops domestically are practically none - as are the chances of there being any reason to do so.
I was in the Nat’l Guard when I did the riot control training. I don’t think other than maybe Military Police and other specialized units on the active side do it. My unit trained on some things after 9/11 because we had to pull guard duty right after it happened un case of another attack. A note of interest is that they did not expect us to be cops. We were told to shoot to kill if we had to use firearms. No warning shots. No “just wing 'em”
Thats why martial law is unlikely on a large scale. Within a month after 9/11 I had 3 incidents where deadly force might have been used. Luckily noe of them resulted in that but it was entirely possible that it would have been justified. (one incident was a recipe for disaster. It involved a person in a well marked an restrictred zone that decided to run after we told them to halt…carrying something and headed to the housing area of the post. After my 2bd warning of ***“Halt or We Will Fire on You!” ***the person stopped. I know people will claim that we were aggressive and all that but this was 2 weeks after the events of 9/11 and w/o going into details, this person was in a clearly marked restrictred zone. They had a “package” in their arms. It was a baby. Their excuse? It was a shorter walk home to cut through a clearly marked “WE WILL SHOOT YOU” zone. The german cops were amazed that I didn’t open fire. (I had time…the person would never have clkeared the hill they had to go on without being hit if they did not halt. I’m not Daniel Boone, but I had a ckear shot and a teammatE READY TO OPEN FIRE.
Dammit. No more war stories…I apologize for telling my own. The OP was not about this. I don’t want to highjack. I guess as my own time on the active duty side comes to a close I get more talky about it. I’ll talk about the guy tried to sneak 2 hookers in to restricted zone at another time. and lord, I wanted to shoot that guy…
If it wasn’t for hired thugs like you, there wouldn’t be anyone to stop me from having any opinion I damn well want.
Seriously.
So every military member and/or veteran is a hired thug?
Classy.
Don’t you have an argument to lose yet again with that Randi guy?
:rolleyes:
I really do not like being called a hired thug. I’m sure Oakminster doesn’t either and I’m sure others will join in the internet safety net of calling us that. You know, because we’re so stopping from people from having opinions. I am an american soldier. I took an oath to defend the constitution. I’ll defend your right to badmouth me, but i don’t have to like it.
No, not at all. Someone who joins in order to fight a cause that they actually believe is right isn’t a hired thug. He’s a hero.
However, someone like yourself who is willing to fight any old cause, good or bad, most certainly is. In what sense are you not a hired thug?
In the sense that I was a member of the regular uniformed armed forces of my country, and not a guy looking to break your kneecaps for not paying up to Vinny the Loan Shark. As stated previously, soldiers soldier. They do not make policy, they carry it out. Policies change. Under the Constitution, the military is controlled by elected civillians. POTUS is the CIC. If he says “Oak, I need you to invade East Yakistan.”, my sworn duty is to invade East Yakistan.