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#1 Feb 24 2005 at 8:02 AM Rating: Good
Ok, most peeps will be happy to hear this, i'm sure... i'm gonna leave these forums alone. With me not even playing, noone cares what i have to say, and rightly so. lol crayola, sorry for giving you grief, i really am. wasn't my intent when i started posting. sorry for our hate-wars. you've made some awesome posts/threads recently, and i commend you for it :D

now, the "Military Interest" subject. here's the scoop, and worth keeping in mind. i'm leaving Ft. Bragg, NC in a few weeks to be a US Army recruiter in the Minneapolis, MN area. i have no desire to go THERE, exactly, but that's where they need me. if anyone is kind of floating between school, college, jobs, or just unsure, PLEASE, help me bring this thread back to life. i'm not going to be a recruiter that lies to people, i'll tell it like it is. if a kid asks me stuff about when i was in Iraq and Afghanistan, i'll tell it like it is *i'll omit a few things, of course... there WAS death over there*

i'm not trying to recruit anyone, don't misunderstand this post. but the military has some AWESOME programs for jobs, money and college. i'd give my email address out here, in case someone was curious or had curious friends/family you wanted information for. yet, i know someone would sign me up for a million spam emails somehow. =*(

so what i'll do, is once every few days i'll try to bring this post back to the top. after going to the recruiter school in South Carolina, i'm now aware of how MANY programs the army offers that i never even knew about. please, keep this post in mind :D best of luck everyone, and again, to Crayola, i wish you the best!
#2 Feb 24 2005 at 8:04 AM Rating: Good
*edit*

reason i posted this here, instead of a general forum or whatever... i made some good friends online in 1 year 3 months of playing this game. in that time, i realized alot of people are out of highschool and still living at home, not sure what direction they need to head in. alot of other people only know the army for what they see on CNN, and it's just not the whole picture. bad information is often worse than no information. i have answers to most questions if you have em!

k, i'm out. peace V
#3 Feb 24 2005 at 10:10 AM Rating: Decent
I wasn in the Navy for 3 months, that was long enough for me. I got in the deferred program at 17, I wanted to be a fighter pilot and since I scored a 93 on the ASVAB, I was told I could be. So im getting signed up for my job and then he notices I dont have 20/20 vision and tells me I cant be a pilot. So since im there he talks me into signing up as an Aviation Electrician. A few months later I realized that I only wanted to go in to Fly and since I couldn't, I didnt want to go, so I got out. Moral of the story is, if Grim signs you up make sure your only 17, so you have sometime to think it over.
#4 Feb 24 2005 at 11:25 AM Rating: Decent
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i've been in the military for about almost 7 years now i joined at the age of 17 after 2 week from gradutating high school. before then i dropped outta high school, did a few things i wasnt' suppose to do and my life was pretty much and it's way to jail. I decided to clean up go back to school and work my way into the military.

my suggestion if you go to the miltary you have to know what you want for you future. the military opens alot of doors for people at the same time you job is you risk your life. I have to say that if i was never in the military i would be going no where. i'll prolly be working at burger king.

again i came straight from high school, so i mean you want a good career the military is it. BUT you have to know you prioritys in life, what do you wanna do and how your going to get there cause the military basically there jobs if to help you get your goal.
#5 Feb 24 2005 at 11:49 AM Rating: Decent
The world needs more recruiters like you.

When I was going to be a CTI (Cryptographer) in the Navy, my recruiter, Jeremy, told me as it was. He told me about the training for a CTI. It went Basic, A School, Spy School and the SER. I didn't know much about the SER training so he told me the truth. This is when I decided that I would become a CTO. The difference between the CTO and CTI is that the CTO is on ship or land and the CTIs are aboard aircraft. This way, I wouldn't have to go through SER but I would miss out on Spy School. I was also considering becoming a IA (Intelligence Analyst). I wanted something with the Top Secret clearance to get me into the CIA.

Well, Jeremy left and Wes (Senior Chief Dodd) was my recruiter. He was a really cool guy but he wasn't as truthful as Jeremy was. He said that I would probably have my pick of where I wanted to be stationed. I was shooting for Okinawa. I got as far as MEPs right before the signing and decided not to do it. The reason why I didn't do it was because of my psycho ex girlfriend (reference to the "Have you found love on FFXI" thread). I could go in now but to be honest, I don't want to go through the training to be thrown on a ship somewhere or in some ghetto country. I fu*king hate water anyways.

So, I'm just going to do my career thing as a Account Executive and maybe become a cop soon. I'm only twenty one, I have plenty of time.

Edited, Thu Feb 24 11:53:07 2005 by GogetaExtreme
#6 Feb 24 2005 at 12:56 PM Rating: Decent
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341 posts
lol, come on now Minneapolis isn't that bad.... unless you're actually living in Minneapolis.Yes the weather here sucks, but once you get use to the cold (and it doesn't take that long, hell I came here from texas) it's not so unbearable. Anyway I hope you enjoy your stay w/ all of us here in MN. Good luck w/ the recruiting thing.

Salvation
#7 Feb 25 2005 at 9:42 AM Rating: Decent
Neorei: wish i'd have known you were military while i was still playing the game. i'd have jumped into your LS in a heartbeat. i appreciate what you had to say in your post, because you're deadly accurate. i can only account for the US Army, as each branch is different. there are people who take what the army offers, and thrive. make rank fast, get some excellent military schools, and really take advantage of the free college in and out (you ONLY pay for books while you're in). yet others... well, they really don't adjust, or they CHOOSE not to adjust. they end up hurting themselves career wise, which is a shame. so much potential for everyone that joins any branch!

Gogeta: hey bro, shoot me any and all questions about that intel analyst job you wanted. we HAVE that in the army, and there's no water involved. not recruiting you *i am not trying to recruit anyone on this site, that would be kinda dumb lol*, just letting you know the info. if you are interested, i can research that sort of job and send you some information on it. would be too easy for me to do that :D when april 10th hits, and i'm actually AT my recruiting assingment, i'll have access to info on every job in all the branches. yayyyy me! but for real, let me know if you'd like some information. 21 years old, man... you'd have SUCH an advantage on the 17/18 year olds joining. i was 17 when i signed up :D

Salvation: hey man, i'm not gonna be in Minneapolis exactly. that's where my Battalion is headquartered at. then my Company is at Brainard (spelling?), and MY recruiting station is in Alexandria. you familiar with it? give me a heads up :D
#8 Feb 25 2005 at 10:08 AM Rating: Decent
I will miss you? oops I mean "!"
#9 Feb 25 2005 at 11:25 AM Rating: Decent
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3,139 posts
I in now way want to sway anyone from joining the military from my post, but i feel i must educate people from my perspective.

I manage a rather small company (about 25 employees). I am in charge of recruting (and subsequently releiving) people of jobs. Every few months, i post a monster add for new employees.

EVERY SINGLE TIME I GET 100's OF EX MILITARY APPLICANTS.

I get people who have been in the military up to 10 years, applying for a job with a a starting pay of $8.75 an hour. The starting pay is clearly posted on the monster add, and most of them would be more then happy to accept the $8.75 an hour.

This is not to say that the military doesnt have good programs for people, but it is to say that if your thinking of joining the military, you had better be certain you use the programs and benefits they give. If you dont, you just might be back in a workforce paying $8.75 an hour, with no future or anything to look forward to.

I for one appreciate EVERY SINGLE person in the military, for protecting our country, saving our lives, and protecting our freedom. I appreciate that people are willing to risk their lives for the safety and sanity of our country, and other countries as well.

Again this is not intended to sway anyone from joining the military, it is intended to promote the added benefits the military offers.

Hope that came across to everyone the right way ???



#10 Feb 25 2005 at 12:02 PM Rating: Decent
It's not just ex Military. It's even college graduates. I've seen people come out of a four year college and get a job making $8 /hr. Is it that person's fault? Not neccessarily. It's our job market:candidate ratio. Supply and demand.

@Grim: Yea, I know you're not trying to recruit me. I made my decision long ago, I'm not going to go the military route. I'm going to start low as a County Police Officer and then hopefully make my way up. I really want to be put on the drug task force. The DEA would be fu*king awesome.
#11 Feb 25 2005 at 12:12 PM Rating: Decent
gotta jet now, but will post later. Acepod man, great observation and you're not even a tad far from the truth. If people choose not to use options given to them, and simply collect a paycheck, do the minimal, then what sort of resume can they produce after the military? did they actually TRY to learn job skills? take advantage of free college? get the $1,004 a month for 36 months when they are OUT of the military? nope. there are tons of Prior Service people in the army. they did 4-8 years, and got out to find "bigger and better things". well, the workforce outside isn't stable, and really doesn't offer job security or steady income. at any rate, i gotta jet.

lol Crayola. feel free to post your opinions here. great to see your name again.


EDIT some people might have read these posts and had the urge to write "anti-military" stuff because of the war going on. well, noone can stop you from doing that, but please realize. i'm not promoting war, and odds are, NOONE here is. with that said, what point could be made by writing it here? if noone else joins due to attitudes like that, then the people ALREADY enlisted will simply have to do 2nd and 3rd tours in Iraq. I thought afghanistan would be it for me, but i was needed in Iraq as well. anyhow... later :D
#12 Feb 25 2005 at 12:48 PM Rating: Decent
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341 posts
Quote:
Salvation: hey man, i'm not gonna be in Minneapolis exactly. that's where my Battalion is headquartered at. then my Company is at Brainard (spelling?), and MY recruiting station is in Alexandria. you familiar with it? give me a heads up :D


Damn, they're stationing you all the way up there? That sucks :(
Yeah, I'm familiar w/ Alexandria, it's a bit of a drive north of the TC (Twin Cities) not much to do out there. You'll get to see a lot of lakes and trees. Well I sincerely wish you the best of luck with that and hope that it isn't too boring for you.

Salvation
#13 Feb 25 2005 at 12:53 PM Rating: Decent
I hope you don't think my earlier post was meant to be negative on the military, because it wasn't. I was just sharing my brief involvement with the military. I am not against the war, I feel it is something that needed to be done. I respect every member of our military for what they are doing, and I myself would have been out there as well if I had 20/20 vision. My sister server in the Navy for 2 terms, and My best friend spent most of the past 2 years over in Iraq. Ha ha Grim you have to go from Cali to MN, I live over in Wisconsin and the weather isn't much different here, better bring some winter gear, btw I know where Alexandria is I designed the Fire Protection system for the Menards in that city.
#14 Feb 25 2005 at 2:48 PM Rating: Decent
Kramer/Crystail/Sir Lion,

hehe no, you weren't negative at all. there's just so much to the military, having others give their own experiences just broadens horizens. odds are most people skip over this thread anyhow, except for the few peeps posting :D but that's fine. just hard to keep quiet about something that has done me right. if you see a good movie, you wanna tell others. if you're Christian, you want to tell others. well, the army has done so much for me (yes, there have been ALOT of trying times of course lol), i wanna just let others know what it's really all about. not just CNN :D

Grimshady <=== answers questions if you got em
#15 Feb 26 2005 at 5:22 AM Rating: Decent
Not to hurt the enlistment process, but you should remind these people about the risks of joining up. It's not all MGI Bills and college money and happiness. People get hurt, and people die. We're at war, and sh*t happens. If you volunteer, and keyword here being volunteer, nobody can force you to join, you will serve your country. For alot of people this can mean alot of things. You might serve behind a desk, or you might serve in the front lines. My military career was both short and painful.

During a routine training excersise, a fellow shipmate didn't follow safety procedures. And long story short, I ended up getting a medical discharge (that is Honorable if you must know). Now I'm getting a rather nice, and most importantly, livable, income from the Navy and the Department of Veteran Affairs.

I'm a disabled vet, because somebody decided he wasn't going to follow orders. Because my rating is high enough, I'm pretty much retired, I can enjoy a pretty nice standard of living.

That whole "walking without any difficulty" thing is overrated. So what if I have a limp, often need a cane or a walker. Yeah, and I'm gonna need about 4 different surgeries (2 of the same per leg) shortly. But it's paid for, the Navy takes care of their own.

Not to be ungrateful, I'm not. I know others have sacrificed more than I have. But I'm sick of recruiters feeding all this BS to people. When you have an "honest" recruiter, he's telling you about the horrors of Bootcamp, or that you might not exactly get stationed where you want, or that your job you took might not be exactly what the little description says. I don't remember signing up to fall two stories onto a cement floor. It's not all glamour, you will do things that might not let you have a decent nights sleep for the rest of your life. But freedom isn't free, and alot of people have paid that price. I'm proud that I served, and I'm proud of those that serve. But when people are fed lies and half-truths so that they will serve, I have problems with that. Serving shouldn't be about the "AWESOME programs for jobs, money and college", it should be about serving. Those programs should be there to give something back to those who have already given so much. It shouldn't be the selling point to serve, it should be the "Thank you, for serving".
#16 Feb 26 2005 at 8:36 AM Rating: Decent
tactful, let me be tactful...

ok, let's try this: i've killed and shot people overseas. i've watched about 15 of my fellow soldiers get killed, 3 of them being very close friends. while in Afghanistan, we were convoying to Kandahar. our lead vehicle in the convoy tripped an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). these were starting to be a huge problem for convoys, and the army hadn't truly trained for these properly yet. well, the lead vehicle got demolished, and all 3 passengers died. i've NEVER been more frustrated in my life than in that one situation. WHO do you take your anger/frustration out on? there's noone running away from the scene, noone to shoot at. NOONE to shoot at. you have to let that sort of anger build up inside... then when your time over there is done, and you come stateside again, life seems to come to a complete halt. you go from 24/7 soldier, ready to throw your crap on and sprint to the frontlines, to a normal suburbia kind of life. it's difficult. very difficult.

so, i don't have a problem telling people about experiences over there. most people see the war portion on CNN anyhow (our camera man in Nasariya *Iraq* got shot...), but that's not ALL the army is. now, all the programs, from Training, Money, and College, are used to lure people into the army. of course there has to be more than simple Service to Country as a lure. while going through Recruiting School they showed us a quick chart, showing statistics on why people have joined over last 10 years. Training, Education, Adventure, Money, Service to Country and Travel are the 6 blocks. only 15%, roughly, join due to Service to Country. 15%. that's not a number i'm making up, that's a true statistic. myself, i walked in to see the recruiter. he came to our highschool for a few hours in the library, and i bee-lined to him and told him it's what i've wanted. know what i got for joining up? lol no money, nothing huge. i got the GI Bill (college money for when you're out), Airborne Training (jumping from planes), and station of choice (i chose South Korea for 1 year).

what i'm getting at, is people today simply don't WANT to serve their country. the majority, that is. Iraq isn't pretty, when you think about casualty numbers. you think parents WANT their kids to join? hell no! and most kids are so hopped up on video games *cough*cough* that RL challenges and getting out of the house seems foreign to them.

Pokiehl, i feel for your situation of getting hurt and getting Medical Discharge. it's a crappy deal, and it sounds like you would have rather finished up your Navy tour the right way. wish there was something i could do for you, and i'm glad the Navy is helping financially still. :D

this is sort of a unique thread, really, since it belongs in Out of Topic Forum, but it's great hearing everyone's opinion that i remember from the game. feel free to reply, and it doesn't have to be about 15 of my comrades dying or me shooting people. =*( but i'm all about answering stuff, so throw it at me.
#17 Feb 26 2005 at 1:26 PM Rating: Decent
And that's exactly what I'm saying Grim. That's not all the military is, but it's part of it.

And I wish recruiters would emphasize more on the honor and service thing than the "And if you take this job, you get a $$$$ sign-on bonus, and don't forget to sign up for this program" kind of thing.
#18 Feb 26 2005 at 2:56 PM Rating: Decent
Pok, it's sort of a catch 22. i thought the same until recruiter school. all the instructors talk about how it was for them and in their specific areas. unfortunately, most kids don't understand the honor of serving our country. it's much easier to sit back and enjoy it, while talking trash about our soldiers at war. i'm not a politician, so our REASONS for war are moot to me. i'm not ignorant to politics, but that sort of thing simply isn't in my lane.

anyhow, lol. recruiters have a HORRID reputation for lying to soldiers. funny thing is, how do people know? i ask alot of people that question, "did your recruiter lie to you?" to friends and people in my unit. 99% of them say no, but he didn't really give me ALL the info about basic training or being deployed to the middle east. well, recruiters have a job, which is a difficult job. we HAVE to put kids in boots. if not, then we don't have the freedoms we enjoy today. so they have to find a middle ground with the recruits, between telling EVERYTHING about war, and telling what's asked. is it always right? no. is that lying to them? no. i'm not sure how i'll be out there, but it's a different generation than 10 years ago. than 20 years ago, even. serving our country just does NOT sound enticing to kids who can make money with good jobs, or go to college that mom/dad are paying for... doesn't even sound as good as staying at home, going to community college, and smoking weed for years.

#19 Feb 26 2005 at 6:07 PM Rating: Decent
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143 posts
imho i think everyone should have at least 4 years military experice. but i'm not as gung ho as i was but i think it should be a american citizen duty to serve his/her country and prolly get a jump start in life.

it's a hard job and i know cause i've seen marines/speical forces that were good friends of mind NOT return during the afgan war (Uss George Washington) and trust me it's a very hard life but the reward and benifits will take care of your loved one if some my happen to you. my 4 Uncles, Dad, Grandfather, brother, cousins are all in the military. they retired at a young age of 38 years old (they joined while they were 18).

yeah so i'm backing grim on this. Military is good and sometimes fun and trust me you live 100 more than the avg american :)
#20 Feb 26 2005 at 6:14 PM Rating: Decent
Neo, what were YOUR reasons for joining?

Pok, same question to you.

also, did you guys find (in whatever amount of time you were in) what you were actually looking for?

are you guys better off for joining?

do you regret joining?
#21 Feb 26 2005 at 8:25 PM Rating: Decent
wow i thought this was a server forum not a recruitment center, i guess the military has swung way low to try to recruit ppl. i have served and have heard all the stories of how great it is to serve your country. i think some of these kids on here dont understand just how phony you are grim. truth be told i seen right thru you in your first post.please kids think twice about listening to this ignoramus.
#22 Feb 26 2005 at 8:48 PM Rating: Decent
20. it took 20 posts, Dinovon, til someone would think this is phony. unfortunate, since it's not phony at all. if you have something real to add, please, post it :D

only intention for this thread was to talk about this stuff, not recruit. in absolutely no way would i, personally, benefit from someone here joining. hell, i wouldn't even know about it til months down the road.

at any rate, i'm not here to cause problems or make yet another flame thread. i'll be the one to stop posting if that's what people think this is. unfortunately, Dinovon, not everyone believes in this stuff.
#23 Feb 27 2005 at 6:55 PM Rating: Decent
im in the navy.../emote plays that one village people song.

NAS Lemoore, Ca

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