Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

[TMagic]

What is/was your experience like?

I'm currently 24 years old graduated a year ago and have really nothing to show for it. So i've been heavily considering the military as an option.

I was thinking of Air Force as it seems to offer the best quality of life. As well as not having to be out to see for 6 months or out on the frontlines of a war.

The military just seems like a great option. Correct me if im wrong on any of these things that I view as positives...

You have job security
You know exactly what you're getting paid
You receive bonuses
You get a guaranteed raise year after year
Dental and Medical taken care of
Free housing if you live on base
a housing stipend if you live off base
No electricity bills on base
Any higher education paid for, transfer these same benefits to kids
One month of vacation a year
Free travel to any destination if plane issuing going somewhere you'd like
Retirement after 20 years. Receive retirement check after retiring

It seems like a pretty good deal. From the looks of it, and this may be me just being naive, you're entire paycheck is just free for you to do whatever you like. With most bills being taken care of, it seems like the only thing you have to worry about is gas for your car and food. Maybe cable and internet if you have that. So if I make 30,000, then after taking out some necessary expenses that aren't covered by the military, I could have 20,000 to spend freely? Even more after increasing rank and adding years of service.

On top of that, I could retire at the age of 44. And still retain some military benefits on top of receiving a retirement check every month. And I could still work. So I would essentially have two incomes.

So it just seems too good to be true. Can some of you ground me and tell me what your experience is in the military and how the incentives really work? In addition, can you speak on how you enjoyed it or not?

Thanks fellas!

[dickey1331]

I'm in the Coast Guard and I really enjoy it. Been in over 4 years. I'm an Operation Specialist. Basically we do search and rescue cases among other things like security. Things I like the most about the coast guard is you get to for the most part, stay in America. You have opportunities to go to the middle east but it's voluntary right now. As for pay I'm an E-5 with 1 dependent and I make about $5000 a month here in Alaska. Your pay will change wherever you go. I get my basic pay, BAH (housing), BAS (food), clothing and COLA(cost of living). Only thing that guarantee is basic pay. Everything else to non taxable so even though I make roughly $60,000 a year only about $24,000 is taxable. If you have other questions I can see if I can answer them. Each brach is different.
Also I forgot retirement is pretty good, only problem is they are thinking of changing it to a 401K and not being able to get the money until 65 so who knows if it will change. Rumor is they aren't gonna grandfather people in either.

Do you really care where I sent this from?

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

What is/was your experience like?

I'm currently 24 years old graduated a year ago and have really nothing to show for it. So i've been heavily considering the military as an option.

I was thinking of Air Force as it seems to offer the best quality of life. As well as not having to be out to see for 6 months or out on the frontlines of a war.

The military just seems like a great option. Correct me if im wrong on any of these things that I view as positives...

You have job security
You know exactly what you're getting paid
You receive bonuses
You get a guaranteed raise year after year
Dental and Medical taken care of
Free housing if you live on base
a housing stipend if you live off base
No electricity bills on base
Any higher education paid for, transfer these same benefits to kids
One month of vacation a year
Free travel to any destination if plane issuing going somewhere you'd like
Retirement after 20 years. Receive retirement check after retiring

It seems like a pretty good deal. From the looks of it, and this may be me just being naive, you're entire paycheck is just free for you to do whatever you like. With most bills being taken care of, it seems like the only thing you have to worry about is gas for your car and food. Maybe cable and internet if you have that. So if I make 30,000, then after taking out some necessary expenses that aren't covered by the military, I could have 20,000 to spend freely? Even more after increasing rank and adding years of service.

On top of that, I could retire at the age of 44. And still retain some military benefits on top of receiving a retirement check every month. And I could still work. So I would essentially have two incomes.

So it just seems too good to be true. Can some of you ground me and tell me what your experience is in the military and how the incentives really work? In addition, can you speak on how you enjoyed it or not?

Thanks fellas!

I'm a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy, pretty much a medic but we don't like to be called that. I've worked with all branches of services.

The military like any other job has it's pros and cons. As far as job serurity the military is not like it use to be. I'm not sure about the other services but in the Navy more and more people can't re-enlist once their contract is up. It is now tougher to get in, and even tougher to stay in. This is only my experience in the Navy, so the Air Force may be different. It just depends on what job you want to do and the manning requirements.

You do know excactly what you are getting paid, but it can be a headache sometimes. With deployments, moving around, promotions, dependents, your pay can change often and the the people processing your pay are not perfect.

Bonuses depend on your specific job. It sounds like you want to go to the Officer route so it may be different from enlisted. But some jobs get bonuses some don't. And some people with the same job get a bonus and others do not. I have not recieved a penny in bonuses, but I know other people who do the same job as me who recieved $8,000 when they joined.

You can transfer your education benefits to your children or spouse, but I think you have to of served at least 6 years and obligate 4 more years of service before they can become eligible. The guidelines recently changed, and a New GI Bill, the Post 9/11 GI Bill was recently established and is still being worked out.

The free travel you're talking about is called Space A Travel. It sounds good, and when it works it is obvisouly good, but it can be a pain. I know a few guys who thought they could travel free, but the plane ended up being booked full and they had to buy their own plane ticket and arrived late after returning home from leave.

Overall the benefits and pay are good. I'm 23, I've been in 4 1/2 years, and I made over $40,000 last year. I have some college, but I doubt I would be able to make even close to what I made if I wasn't in the military and have the same cost of the living. I live off base so I have to pay rent, cable/internet, phone, electric, car payments, etc like everyone else. But I still have a good amount left that I don't have to live paycheck to paycheck and my wife and I live damn good for a young 20's couple.

But while everything can look good on paper it can be a headache dealing with benefits. It seems like you have to jump through hoops to get some of your benefits. I've not had too much problems, but I've heard stories from other people having messed up pay or difficulty getting their dependents benefits because of lost paperwork. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, that is what the military is about.

The military can be tough with deployments and moving around so much especially if you have a family. Some people join and the reality sets in, and they end up hating it. If you want to join, just make sure you do your research and know excactly what you want to do.

Even if you're leaning towards the Air Force I recommend you talk to other recruiters from other services just to see what each service offers for Officers and what best suites you.

I'm rambling at this point, but good luck in whatever you do. The military isn't perfect, but you get what you put into it. I joined after high school because I didn't know what I wanted to do yet and my mindset was I'll join for 4 years and see if I like it or not. I wasn't thinking about the full 20 years and I'm still not. I have 2 years left and I would like to get out so I can have more stability in my life and get settled in one location. But I know when I do get out I'm giving up a lot. Overall my experience has been a good one. I've done a lot of things I never thought I would do. I've been overseas, I'm in Cuba now, been to different places in the US, and have experiences that have helped me grow and I can use those experiences whatever I decide to do.

[chia51]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

What is/was your experience like?

I'm currently 24 years old graduated a year ago and have really nothing to show for it. So i've been heavily considering the military as an option.

I was thinking of Air Force as it seems to offer the best quality of life. As well as not having to be out to see for 6 months or out on the frontlines of a war.

The military just seems like a great option. Correct me if im wrong on any of these things that I view as positives...

You have job security
You know exactly what you're getting paid
You receive bonuses
You get a guaranteed raise year after year
Dental and Medical taken care of
Free housing if you live on base
a housing stipend if you live off base
No electricity bills on base
Any higher education paid for, transfer these same benefits to kids
One month of vacation a year
Free travel to any destination if plane issuing going somewhere you'd like
Retirement after 20 years. Receive retirement check after retiring

It seems like a pretty good deal. From the looks of it, and this may be me just being naive, you're entire paycheck is just free for you to do whatever you like. With most bills being taken care of, it seems like the only thing you have to worry about is gas for your car and food. Maybe cable and internet if you have that. So if I make 30,000, then after taking out some necessary expenses that aren't covered by the military, I could have 20,000 to spend freely? Even more after increasing rank and adding years of service.

On top of that, I could retire at the age of 44. And still retain some military benefits on top of receiving a retirement check every month. And I could still work. So I would essentially have two incomes.

So it just seems too good to be true. Can some of you ground me and tell me what your experience is in the military and how the incentives really work? In addition, can you speak on how you enjoyed it or not?

Thanks fellas!

The military is fine for 4-8 years... once you get to that point you start to 'see' past the 'glimmer' for what it really is.

I am prior AF and can tell you that the AF does have the best QoL among the branches and is by far the easiest to get into also the PT (Physical Training) is a joke.

My wife is still in and she is pushing 10 years... and she/we are really sick of it, if you take out the 'traveling/PT' portion of the work, it really boils down then to not being much different than the private sector. Atleast IMO.

You have job security - Not necessarily.

You know exactly what you're getting paid - What job doesn't tell you how much your getting paid?

You receive bonuses - Not all jobs get bonuses and the bonuses change quite often, alot of factors go into bonuses as well.

You get a guaranteed raise year after year - LOL... you get inflation rate adjustment and maybe 1%-3% ontop of that... if your lucky.

Dental and Medical taken care of - Yes free medical care.

Free housing if you live on base - As for the housing on base, sure its a 'good' deal if you can get onto it... some bases base housing are completely booked up and have wait list to get in them. The base we are at are on a 3 month list. There are no guarantees that you would ever get on base housing.

a housing stipend if you live off base - Yes, you get BAH (Housing payment) and it depends on several different things on how much you get. Google BAH. With that money, you can say get 1000/mo and only pay rent of 800/mo you pocket 200/mo. But overseas you do not get to keep the money if your rent is less than BAH.

No electricity bills on base - Yes, no electricity bill, no water, no sewer, etc... you receive no BAH.

Any higher education paid for, transfer these same benefits to kids - Yes, the GI Bill is the best part.

One month of vacation a year - Yes, you have to build up your leave first though.

Free travel to any destination if plane issuing going somewhere you'd like - Yes, but you are also dealing with many other people trying to do the same thing, retirees, families, deployments, etc... also I think its $5 for a sack lunch which you have to puchase, iirc. Space A Traveling is not 'as' easy as some make it out to be. Also you have to plan for the plane breaking,etc... which they always do in 'good paying' spots.. trust me... as a crew chief for a bit there, the plane will 'break' in Hawaii 99% of the time for 3-5 days.

Retirement after 20 years. Receive retirement check after retiring - Yes, lets just hope they don't take it away (Congress).

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

Hey Chia I actually though the Air Force had pretty tough Physical requirements and tests? I have a couple of Air Force buddies who always brag how their PT tests are tougher then the Navy (not saying much) and I read a article last year that the Air Force PT test is on par with the Marine Corps PT test which is the toughest of all the services in regards to physical training.

[dickey1331]

If you want easy PT test join the coast guard. For my job right now all I have to do is weigh in. No PT test for me. I don't even work out. If I had a job that required it, its still really easy.


Do you really care where I sent this from?

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

If you want easy PT test join the coast guard. For my job right now all I have to do is weigh in. No PT test for me. I don't even work out. If I had a job that required it, its still really easy.


Do you really care where I sent this from?

We take PT tests twice a year in the Navy, but because of deployment, and changing duty stations I've not taken a PT test in almost 2 years.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

Yeah I wasn't down for that career military path. In the beginning I was, but as the years went by and I seen how shady JSOC can be, once the contract was up, I was out.

My wife did 6 years in the Navy before she got injured. Her dad did 6 years in the Army and 20 years in the Navy.

[Crimsontide27]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

The biggest advice I can give you is to listen to everyones experiences and realize that yours will most likely be different.

There is a million different experiences that you can have based off of....branch you choose, MOS you choose, duty station, chain of command at your company level etc..

Everyones experiences are different. Ive been in Iraq and watched soldiers re-enlist for a 20k tax free bonus and recruiters not fill out the proper paperwork and the soldier gets nothing. Ive seen rules and regulations change at congresses discretion when it comes to deployments. Ive seen some people get their entire education paid for while on a military base, yet the same rank solider one company down isnt allowed to go to school because the 1SG doesnt deem it " in his best interests"

I dont regret the military one bit at the end of the day, but I wish I would have gone in with more realistic expectations than what I did.

Looking back on it, besides the seperation from wife and son during back...to back...to back hardship tours ( which is supposed to be against regulations in the first place ) the hardest thing I dealt with was the lack of being able to control my own career.

Want Airborne school? Re-enlist for it
Want Air Assualt school ? Re - enlist for it
Want to go to college? Re enlist for it
Want to go to Flight school? Only if chain of command wants you to go
Want to do anything to better yourself? Re-enlist for it.

My experience in the military was always dictated by immediate chain of command. Most were older and bitter and did not want anyone to do anything better than they had accomplished. Their logic of thinking was 'why help someone, when no one helped me" type of attitude.

But as I said earlier, their are so many variables in the equation that its hard to hear about what its like and go in with that same expectation. Everyones tour is different.

[ANDROMADA 1]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

Nobody mentioned the best part of joining the military...You get to shoot things and blow Ish up!! M16, 50 cal, claymore , grenades, m60. Ahhh the good ole days. At any rate it is an honor to serve your country. I did it and have a long line of family members that have as well, Army and Marines. Just make sure it is something that you are 1,000% ready to do and commited. If you are the least bit hesitant then don't do it. Its Not for everyone. You are literally putting your life on the line for the greater good. So think about it.

bTW when they say you do more before 10 am than most people do all day, they mean it.

good luck

[Crimsontide27]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

Nobody mentioned the best part of joining the military...You get to shoot things and blow Ish up!! M16, 50 cal, claymore , grenades, m60. Ahhh the good ole days. At any rate it is an honor to serve your country. I did it and have a long line of family members that have as well, Army and Marines. Just make sure it is something that you are 1,000% ready to do and commited. If you are the least bit hesitant then don't do it. Its Not for everyone. You are literally putting your life on the line for the greater good. So think about it.

bTW when they say you do more before 10 am than most people do all day, they mean it.

good luck

Proves my point to every experience is different

I was an 11 series ( infantry ) and tossed a grand total of 1 live grenade, played with a toy claymore ( I see the light, I see the light...I see the light.../click ) , there is no M60 anymore , you use a 240B...and all you do is learn to assemble, disassemble, and clean the darn thing...

50cal is nothing more than teaching how to remove the barrel and do head space and timing on it...M16..outside of basic you fire it maybe 2x a year when you go to zero it and go to the 40 target range that everyone uses etc...

I saw combat time in Iraq and people got field grade article 15s if they so much as removed the 100mph tape from around the magazine, much less return fire on an enemy that was trying to kill you.

So see...already, experiences are very different.

[braves40]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

I am currently on my 5th year of a 6 year contract with the Air Force. My AFSC is 3e3x1 or structural engineer. Basically what that entails is when were at home station we do base maintenance (patching drywall, fixing doors, real easy stuff) but when were deployed we are usually attached to the Army or Marine units and go out with them.

I have been deployed 3 times in my 5 years with two to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. My first two deployments I was attached to the 10mtn division and was tasked with setting up their ECPs (or Entry Control Points) or setting up a BARE base, meaning putting up c-wire, tents all the good stuff while usually getting shot at. Ive been on convoys, been shot at, mortared and have returned fire at the enemy. So when someone tells you that the Air Force is the easiest of branches remember that. Of course if you arent going the CE (civil engineer) route or cop route you probably will only deploy to the cupcake locations and love the Air Force.

Personally for me, Im glad I joined but I cant wait to get out, Youll learn as you go through the Air Force (or probably any branch) that its not what you know, its who you know and how good you are at brown nosing. Its basically just a bunch of hypocrisy. Now for the PT test being easy, the Air Force just implemented a new PT test this year. For men between the ages of 17-to 30 you have to do atleast 33 pushups, 42 situps, and run the mile in under 13:38 and your waist has to be under 39 in. Sounds easy right? If you got the minimum on every portion of the test youd fail (quite miserably really) So lets take my stats to see what youd have to do to pass. I did 64 pushups for the max points (10) I did 50 situps (8.5 I believe) my waist was 36in and my run time was 12:20. The score is added up and is out of a hundred. Sorry I dont remember any of the scores for run or waist but I ended up only scoring a 84%. So really, its not that easy of a test, I cant speak for any other branches though.

Whatever you choose, good luck man and remember the military is what you make of it. If you wanna hear more about my time in the Air Force (if you are thinking of a CE type job definately email me) you can pm and Ill go into a lot of detail about what you wanna know.

[jct32]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

I'm a Navy Nuke. I consider it the best job in the military, obviously because I am proud of what I do. Comes with big bonuses, and ours aren't getting taken away. I'm about to re-enlist for 75,000, after I already got my initial bonus of 21,000 for enlisting.

However, from non-nukes there is a lot of hate towards us because of our bonuses and quickly moving up the ranks.

I think it's the coolest thing that I work on a Nuclear reactor. Plus, whenever I decide to get out I pretty much got the hookup. A majority of civilian nuclear plants will hire a nuke, just because of their Navy experience, no degree required. It's a pretty good fallback.

Like it's been said people are going to have different experiences. If you want to do something specific push for it, I know the Navy will allow you to enlist and have it promised in your contract (remember to always get it in your contract) to go to a certain school for whatever job you want. It's up to you to finish the school and get the job you want.

[oneamongthefence]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

It also depends on the job. My big mistake was letting the recruiter convince me that I had a job I wanted turns out I did not. Really pay attention to tho guys as to what they say and how they say it.

Also, you have to be ready to sacrifice a lot. You're on call 24 hrs a day. They can call you in and there's nothing you can do about it. Even if you're off.

There is a lot of brown nosing and its just sad.

There are a lot of policies and instructions that are rediculous.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Any veterans/people with military experience out there?

Proves my point to every experience is different

I was an 11 series ( infantry ) and tossed a grand total of 1 live grenade, played with a toy claymore ( I see the light, I see the light...I see the light.../click ) , there is no M60 anymore , you use a 240B...and all you do is learn to assemble, disassemble, and clean the darn thing...

50cal is nothing more than teaching how to remove the barrel and do head space and timing on it...M16..outside of basic you fire it maybe 2x a year when you go to zero it and go to the 40 target range that everyone uses etc...

I saw combat time in Iraq and people got field grade article 15s if they so much as removed the 100mph tape from around the magazine, much less return fire on an enemy that was trying to kill you.

So see...already, experiences are very different.

This is a very good point. Everyone's experience is different. I've been in 4 years and other people who have the same job as me, same rank, been in the same time, some people I went to training with, have completely different experiences then myself.

Even boot camp is different. My home command is in Great Lakes so I've talked to a lot of recruits and what they tell me about boot camp is completely different then my experience.

Every command, department, duty station, is different. The biggest impact on your military career will be you......and your chain of command. If you have a bad chain of command it can be hell, and if you have a good chain of command it makes your life a lot easier. One of the things I do not like is how much other people have an impact what your career.