Veterans, Why'd you join up? How'd it turn out for you?

In My Humble Opinion
1

In this thread we are presented the age-old question: Should this kid join the military? Tough to see into the future, so I’m skeptical about just how useful that thread will be in helping the guy make something of himself. But I think it might be useful if those of us who have served would share our pre-military situations and how that mixed with an enlistment. I’ll start.

I graduated college in 1989. Looked for a job for a few months and ended up getting a reasonably good gig in a bank. Within 2 years the bank was bought and closed and I was unemployed and had moved back in with mom. I had the occasional temp job and worked part time as a chimney sweep. Almost paid the liquor bill, but apart from that I was going nowhere. I was unmotivated and unimaginative with finding employment solutions and saddled with perpetually destructive manic/depressive episodes. There was a .38 special in the house but no bullets. So one day I decided that the gun was lonely and needed at least one bullet so I hopped on the bus to do some shopping. On my way to the sporting goods store I passed the recruiting offices. I got to thinking, “Why waste a perfectly good body? I’m ready to end my own life, so why not lease the body to these guys?” So in I went. Right on past the Marines office. Navy was closed. Air force guy was snotty. Army guy welcomed me in like an old friend. So I sat down and said, “So, why should I join the Army?” He said, “I don’t know that you should.” and popped in a quick video while setting me up with an appointment to take the ASVAB test. So I went back home and got drunk again.

I ended up maxing the test. Recruiter set me up with the DLAB to test my aptitude for languages. Pretty much smoked that one as well. Recruiter dude signed me up as a linguist and a few months later I was getting a really close haircut and a daily set of very simple instructions. And a paycheck! Oddly, I was untroubled with mental illness the entire time I was in the service. There stress of Basic didn’t compare to the stress of being an unemployed and chronically depressed loser. I served 4 years with distinction, got my honorable discharge and … proceeded to wish I had stayed in.

In a nutshell, it saved my life, and made my life worth saving. Because even though things have been rough on and off since then, I have always had a sense of honor and accountability to guide me that I simply didn’t have before.

2

I joined the USAF in 1971 right after high school, and served for 4 years in the Supply career field. I left the USAF (with an Honourable Discharge) in 1975 with the rank of Sergeant (E-4) after one hitch. (Back when I was in, E-4 was an NCO rank.)
I wanted to make the USAF my career, but in my re-enlistment physical they found a rather serious heart defect that would have precluded my enlisting in the first place had they detected it at the time.

All in all I’d say it turned out pretty well, and I’m glad I had a chance to serve, even if I was able to serve only one hitch.

3

Why’d I join up? Drafted.

How’d it turn out? Discharged.

What good did it do? None.

4

I was bored out of my skull in high school, and my grades weren’t the greatest. Guidance councellor said I’d have to go to a prep school to get in anywhere decent, but I applied for Embry Riddle Aeronautical in Daytona beach anyway. Didn’t hear back any time soon. Went to see the recruiters just to check out my options. I don’t remember the Marine or Air Force recruiter, but the fat-ass Navy recruiter bragging about how great the Navy was because he never had to dig a fox hole didn’t impress me much. Talked to the Army recruiter, aced the ASVAB, and he said I could have any job I wanted. Went down to sign up, and they said the only jobs available were artillery, tanker, or air defense artillery. They tried to hard sell me the tanker job. I chose air defense artillery.

I only signed up for 2 years, but was held over a few months for Bush I. I went in the Army pretty innocent, and came out drinking, smoking, and swearing up a storm. At least I got to see the world, even parts I never wanted to. All in all, I’m glad I got to serve, but it didn’t do me any good except a paycheck and some time to figure out what I really wanted to do.

Why yes… I did get accepted into Embry Riddle… three days after I signed on for the Army.

5

I was 28, had a Bachelor’s degree, couldn’t find a job, hated going on interviews, and had no real idea what I wanted to do for a career.

I heard radio ads for the National Guard enough times that I decided to go to the local recruitment office. At this time I had no idea at all of the differences between the services. The Air Force, Army, and Navy recruiters were at lunch, so I talked to the Marine recruiter.

He was helpful, but they wanted me to lose twenty pounds before I even went to Basic. Knowing that was unlikely, I went back another day and talked to the Army guy.

Took the ASVAB, took the DLAB, heard a lot of great things about what I could do in the Army. Decided to take the big plunge and enlist in the Army instead of the National Guard. Six years. Big bonus. Realized I’d be 34 when I got out.

I’m going to leave the part about where the recruiter’s inaccuracies out of this story because that’s for another day.

Long story short, the Army was a wonderful thing for me and I’m very, very proud of having served. I recommend it to anyone who thinks the Army might be the right thing for him or her, because if you think it is, it probably is.

I went spent six years in college and am not in touch with even a single classmate. I spent six years in the Army and I stay in touch with dozens of them. They are really admirable people.

6

I can trace my family’s military lineage back to the Civil War and I wasn’t going to break that chain. I joined the Army Reserve half-way through my freshman year of college with the idea that I would go through ROTC and go active duty as an officer. Life being what it is I didn’t finish college, and therefore didn’t go active.

After six years in the Reserve I got out. My unit was ate up–the poster unit for every derogatory thing active duty folks said about the Reserves. I wanted something more, to feel like I was making a difference. Transferring to a different unit was more difficult than it should have been so I decided to not re-up.

I had a good time while I was in, made some good friends and learned a lot about myself. Would I do it again? I honestly don’t know.

7

After one year of being bored out of my mind and pretty disgusted with the self-absorbment of my classmates in college, I joined the AF as a linquist because it sounded cool, exotic and exciting. And it actually was all of those things. I then aquired an active duty husband, a baby, and became a dependent wife for 16 years, 10 of which we spent overseas, which was also exotic and exciting, but not always all that cool.

I went back in for rather more thoughtful reasons. After aquiring a fuller understanding of our country’s history, I became acutely aware of the debt we all owe to our veterans, from the revolutionary war on. So many of them paid such a high price so we could be the great country we are, and I felt the need to repay the part of it that I could, and also wanted to be part of that lineage. I’m now a Captain in the USAF Nurse Corps, and expect to be active until they make me retire.

I’m proud beyond words to be doing what I’m doing, and wouldn’t have chosen any other path.

8

I joined the National Guard when I was a teacher. I needed the money to keep things afloat. After two years of NG time I enlisted in the Army. I was sent to Europe and had a great time seeing Germany, France, Belguim, Holland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

I can tell lots of fun stories of adventures and explorations on and off duty.

It was worth it, I’d do it again, I’d recommend it to others.

9

I signed up because I got lousy grades in high school and couldn’t see any way to get to college without money (GI Bill). I singed up for the Navy (my father and grandfather were both squids, too) and went to hospital corps school. Went almost directly from there to Desert Storm. When I got back, I decided that I’d had enough of the Navy life and opted to serve with a Marine unit (Marines, for those who don’t know, get their corpsmen from the Navy) until my time was up.

Being in did a lot for me, though I didn’t appreciate it at the time. Plus, I ended up with a lot of memories (and a lot, though not all, of the bad ones somehow became humorous with time).

I hindsight, I wish I’d stayed in, but it really wasn’t something I wanted to make a career out of.

10

I tossed a coin in 1986. Heads I’d join the military, tails I’d go to L.A. and try and make it as a standup philosopher.

It came up heads.

I talked with the Marines, Army and Navy before I talked with the Air Force. My dad was career A.F. and I thought I would be good to look around a bit. The Marine Recruiter asked me why he should let me in his beloved Corps, and I really couldn’t come up with a reason. I’m slightly claustrophobic, so the Navy was out, and the Army just wanted to make me Infantry.

I went in to the Air Force Open General, which means I had no job assigned to me. I had auditioned for Broadcast Journalism school, and passed the voice test, so that is where I ended up. After Basic training it was three months of voice and diction training, a month of radio production and a month of TV production training and I was off to my first assignment in Seoul. AFKN, or as it’s known now AFN-K

I was originally going to stay in for four, then get out and go to school, but being a DJ in the Air Force was really fun, and they kept sending me to cool places like Tokyo, Sicily, and the P.I. I also got to do things I would neve have done if I had just gone to school.

Shooting video of Mt. Pinatubo from a helicopter, amphibious vehicle testing, landing and taking off from the U.S.S. Carl Vinson, The 88 Olympics in Seoul, evacuation of townspeople when Mt. Etna was rumbling and spewing lava, endless stories about training, new commissary and BX construction. Playing music for people who had WAY more dangerous and vital jobs than mine. Guys who were stationed on the DMZ would call with requests while I was on the air. The most moving though was covering the repatriation of American remains from North Korea. Things that made me proud of my country, and even more so, proud of my dad.

I ended up doing ten years. After my third assignment to Seoul in nine years, I figured I was on the wrong career path and got out.

It was the best thing I could have done for myself. Taught me teamwork, discipline, a usable skill in the “outside”, and I met some of the greatest people of my life were while I was enlisted. I just wish I had taken more pictures.

11

I’d never considered the military as an option, but after a year of college, busting my butt to meet tuition and still living at home, I got a cold call from an Army recruiter.

He was going down the list of my HS class. “Wouldn’t you like to hear about thopportunities in today’s Army?”(summer of 1974) I started listening when he mentioned school benefits after I got out.

Pretty much aced the tests but at the time my options for serving were more limited then because I’m female. Ended up training as a linguist(Korean) at the Defense language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey. Pretty much spent the Bicentennial year overseas, which sucked.

Korea was interesting, but it made me appreciate the United States more than I had. And so did my service. I went in for the sake of self interest, but am now proud of having served.

I would have stayed in longer, but I got married and it was easier to get out at the end of my three years. Then I got divorced and now wish I re-upped back then. But I’m glad to have traveled and meet all the people I did, and see places I never would have.

Monterey was great. But take my advice and never go to Ft. Devens, Massachusetts in January. I nearly froze my toes off.