Joining The Military

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Wasabi Poptart

Honestly, I would try to get a place of my own instead of living in housing if it's affordable. Navy housing is nice since they have been renovating most housing communities. However, we lived next to some of the most ignorant, trashy people I have ever dealt with. The management was no help in resolving the situation. So, I found a new place and moved us out of housing (my husband was in school at the time). I am not looking forward to living in housing when we go to Hawaii, but I don't know that we will be able to. I haven't checked rent for houses there yet.
 
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Jonzac

crono1224;399406][QUOTE=Jonzac said:
I'm Air Force and your experience really depends on the job you choose.

Intel for example is mostly "in an office"...now that office will often be with an Aircraft squadron or it could be in the DC area at Ft Meade.

KNOW THIS FOR A FACT. No matter which Service you join YOU WILL DEPLOY somewhere, sometime...it could be a year in Korea, Qatar, Afghanistan or MacDill AFB, FL..it will be time away from your wife/family.

The job you choose should be tied to what you REALLY want to do... you like computers, there are sys adm type jobs. You like guns...Security Forces. Mechanical..Aircraft or vehicle or ICBM maintenance.

Talk to the recruiter...then come back here and let us know what they said/promised.

Forgot to mention housing...most bases have some, you might have to wait a few months until a spot opens up but you get a "housing allowance" that is added to your base pay. You get the "housing allowance..or BAH" if you live off base. If you live on-base the goverment keeps that allowance since you live ON-BASE.

For your wife, if you do deploy there is MANY support entities on base that are designed to help her out...in addition to the folks/family of your unit.

Would I do it again...yes..even if it meant coming back to the pentagon again.
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A couple things, I have been warned that recruiters can be slightly unscrupulous in their recruiting, being that their job is to fill their quota so saying things that aren't completely true isn't that huge of a deal to them. Is this true, and if so what should I do to combat that?

Second, why is air force 'better' for families than say army, I heard that the deployment time is shorter usually, but are there other things?

Third, I was looking into Intel cause I think it could be interesting helping in the support of whats happening, where troops should go, and what not. But I wasn't sure the difference between army and air force Intel, such as is one more of a main focus of the branch and one maybe an addition. I can't really think of how to phrase it. But like the army's intelligence is more all encompassing, and air force is very specific? (If anyone could crack what i was saying feel free to answer if not it's fine.)

*edited* Forth, regarding BAH I thought simply having a dependent made me eligible to receive it? If not would it not be smarter to live off site so that I have access to the money?[/QUOTE]

Recruiters CANNOT lie, if they do and get caught they could easily be brought up on charges....that doesn't mean they will TELL you everything either.

I haven't lived on other bases so I can't say that the Air Force is "better" housing...I can say that the AF has put an ass ton of money to build new on-base housing in most bases and married airmen are eligible for a 1200sq ft 2-bedroom on base.

Intel for the Army is oriented towards close threats and things that affect their troops. AF Intel is focused on Air Threats, Satallite Imaging, and they have tie in with all the Services. Be warned all Intel AFSC (or job codes) are in high demand and could mean several deployments. I"m not saying its guaranteeded you ALWAYS be gone, but Intel is a career field with higher than average deployments...I've heard nothing but good thoughts from Intel guys though so most seem to like their jobs.

Regarding BAH... you CAN live off base but remember if you do you now have to pay Garbage, Electricity, Water, Property Tax (if you buy), etc. On-base you pay for TV, phone, internet. Even the new privateised houseing you only pay utilities if you go OVER the average of all peoples usage.

I've ALWAYS lived on-base except for this tour at the Pentagon...and I do like it...you behind a fence for security, people to take care of your family when you deploy, a 2-mintue commute to work....VERY NICE.
 
J

Jonzac

Wasabi,

I've known some folks that have been stationed there and the rent is expensive. It does get cheaper the farther from Honolulu you get...if you lucky you could be assigned to the Marine base on the North Shore
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

Jonzac - I had a friend who was there with her husband and she loved it! My husband's going to be based out of Pearl Harbor, though. Here in CA were were in privatized housing. That fence of security was non-existent. They had a private security company who had to be called in if there was a problem. They rarely came, but would tell management that they did show up and didn't see anything going on. I used to call the local cops instead because at least they would take care of business.
Once, there were guys with air guns running around in the common grounds shooting at each other at 11pm. Seeing a group of men with guns running past your living room window that late at night when your husband is gone and you have a 1 year old asleep upstairs is a little unsettling. Not to mention they were yelling and cursing at each other. Once I realized they were playing war games that late at night, I went from scared to annoyed. I called security. No one came for over 30 minutes. I called the cops. They came out within 10 minutes and were giving these guys hell once security finally rolled up. The security guard told me he didn't understand where the common grounds area in my part of the complex despite my description including cross streets.
 
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Jonzac

Bah, privatized housing is a complete cop-out from the Services to take care of its people. They were talking about doing that in the last base I was at, and I'm sure it will happend because some pencil pushing goverment employee has bought the bill of goods that somehow a private company will do it cheaper than the Services will...cheaper and better....its bullshit!!
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

I know from when my husband was in Sicily (before we were married) that base run housing is pretty good. You don't screw around or they will go to your command and you can get kicked out of housing all together if you're a constant thorn in their side. Not so much with privatized.
 
C

crono1224

Jonzac;399683][QUOTE=crono1224 said:
*SNIP*
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Recruiters CANNOT lie, if they do and get caught they could easily be brought up on charges....that doesn't mean they will TELL you everything either.

I haven't lived on other bases so I can't say that the Air Force is "better" housing...I can say that the AF has put an ass ton of money to build new on-base housing in most bases and married airmen are eligible for a 1200sq ft 2-bedroom on base.

Intel for the Army is oriented towards close threats and things that affect their troops. AF Intel is focused on Air Threats, Satallite Imaging, and they have tie in with all the Services. Be warned all Intel AFSC (or job codes) are in high demand and could mean several deployments. I"m not saying its guaranteeded you ALWAYS be gone, but Intel is a career field with higher than average deployments...I've heard nothing but good thoughts from Intel guys though so most seem to like their jobs.

Regarding BAH... you CAN live off base but remember if you do you now have to pay Garbage, Electricity, Water, Property Tax (if you buy), etc. On-base you pay for TV, phone, internet. Even the new privateised houseing you only pay utilities if you go OVER the average of all peoples usage.

I've ALWAYS lived on-base except for this tour at the Pentagon...and I do like it...you behind a fence for security, people to take care of your family when you deploy, a 2-mintue commute to work....VERY NICE.[/QUOTE]

Gotcha, it does sound like air force would be one of the better fits. I ask about the Intel thing because I am unsure how long I would be in the service if I go, but I was hoping that my time could transfer to outside jobs (it appears like NSA,CIA and stuff have jobs for Intel people). So I was curious if one or the other would be better for that, and if either one was more of the primary Intel.


Another question, are the weight requirements in effect still to be recruited? (I'm not very out of weight, but I maybe 10-20lbs over).
Second is there any other requirements that I should know about, and in addition how is recruiting currently are they in need of people or no?
 
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crono1224

I am actually thinking more strongly of the army, because I would be able to specifically pick my job, and there seems to be arguments (on this air force forum) over their Intel jobs and some being useless (1N0X1- Operation Intelligence). So I was thinking of applying to be a 35F in the army (intelligence analyst).

Also I heard that having more college credits can get you enlisted at a higher E rank (I have an associates, and like 2/3s of 2 others).
 
J

Jonzac

I'm not sure about how the Army works, but do "watch out" for large single MOS or AFSC...they often have many subcatagories that will land you somewhere you don't want to be.

For Example.

I'm a 21A/M (Aircraft/Munitions Maintenance)...sounds simple..but I could work on everything from fighters, to cargo aircraft, to bombers, to conventional munitions to nuclear munitions to ICBMs. Even though I just waned to work on fighter aircraft

Like I said...talk to the recruiters...then come here and we'll help you through it.
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

Dusty668 said:
Air force height weight chart: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforcejoin/a/afmaxweight.htm
Army: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blmaleweight.htm

Don't know how old they are, or how official. The army one looks right for when I was in though around the 69 inch height range. The Army will compensate for body fat though, if it is lower than a stated amount.
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Probably still accurate. The chart says 5'8" needs a minimum weight of 125. Calli's oldest is 5'8" and was 123lbs when he first started talking to the recruiter, and he's been fighting like mad to stay above 125.
 
Covar

Covar

Dusty668 said:
Air force height weight chart: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforcejoin/a/afmaxweight.htm
Army: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blmaleweight.htm

Don't know how old they are, or how official. The army one looks right for when I was in though around the 69 inch height range. The Army will compensate for body fat though, if it is lower than a stated amount.
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22%, I get taped every time I take the APFT. To the best of my knowledge the only difference between someone who is under the maximum weight for their height, and someone over who has a low body fat percentage, is the person under will not have to constantly get a tape test.
 
D

Dusty668

They went back to the tape test? It was a pinch caliper test when I was in. I kept getting reprimanded cause I'm ticklish.
 
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Wasabi Poptart

I know for the Navy they weigh you, if you aren't within standards then you are taped. If you don't make the standards when you're taped you get put on FEP (Fitness Enhancement Program). The only way you get the calipers is if medical recommends it and if you ask about it. Otherwise they don't use them.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
My MOS when I was in was Administrative - Financial Accounting. When I got to my first duty station, I found out the subcategory of my job also included such "accounting" things as inventory. I ended up in the storeroom of a chow hall giving food to cooks. The only good thing about it was that I had the keys to everything and could go in anytime I want & make myself a steak.
 
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crono1224

Dave said:
My MOS when I was in was Administrative - Financial Accounting. When I got to my first duty station, I found out the subcategory of my job also included such "accounting" things as inventory. I ended up in the storeroom of a chow hall giving food to cooks. The only good thing about it was that I had the keys to everything and could go in anytime I want & make myself a steak.
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So what you are saying is make sure when I talk to a recruiter that a subcat doesn't include 'toilet engineer' or something? :D
 
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crono1224

Using words like specialist, -ologist, engineer can make even the shitties job sound important. heh
 
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crono1224

I figured I give a little update on this thread if anyone cared. I am in the middle of going through Navy, I took the ASVAB and scored pretty highly which they said lets me have the pick of the litter. The job I am really thinking about is something in Intelligence, but apparently a 'Nuke' job is open to me. I'm not that huge into it, but I know it's in high demand and gets either 12k sign up or 12k a year additional bonus. The draw back is 1.5 years of schooling nearly 3-5 times the average for other jobs, and it maybe out of my league in terms of intelligence requirements.

So anywho, I am currently waiting on getting operative reports for the 20+ surgeries I have had, cause apparently the military wants documentation of everything that has possibly occured to you, and it sucks cause for one of the hospitals it is going to cost ~40$.

Lastly, anyone have any tips for basic, what to expect, what are the workouts like, what should be focused on for getting into shape? Is there going to be like 100+ pushup days, cause I am awful at them.
 
Sparhawk

Sparhawk

Once again, make sure you have it in writing for anything that you agree to and read what you are about to sign and make sure you understand it.

Nuke jobs can be good for when you get out of the military, but be assured that you will spend time underwater for that assignment, also a fairly high washout rate for the tech school stuff.

Basic, make sure you are in a least a decent shape before entering, be able to run 1.5 miles, do a decent amount of pushups, be able to LISTEN to what your DI is telling you to do, don't assume what he is going to tell you. And most of all, be prepared to work with all kinds of people, you will encounter them from all over with all kinds of backgrounds.

Oh, one more thing, learn to be patient, there is lots of "hurry up and wait" stuff that will happen through basic (paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, shots, classes, paperwork, and if you're going into a field that requires a security clearance more paperwork).
 
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crono1224

What happens if someone washes out of a school? Also ya, I gotta wait for my stupid stuff to get in order to make sure there is no problems, the majority of my surgeries were for cleft-lip and palate, which I can't see how it would affect joining, I did have one shoulder surgery but that shouldn't be an issue. Also I guess I gotta work on swimming to :/. The nuke job is probably not, just doesn't seem something I am interested in, but it is a fairly decent job in general.
 
Sparhawk

Sparhawk

Washouts usually get assigned to whatever job they are needing filled the most. I knew a guy in tech school in the Air Force that washed out of the Air Traffic Control program that ended up going to cooking school and working at a mess hall in Kuwait.
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

A guy my husband worked with a few years ago had the cleft lip/palate surgeries when he was a kid. Didn't affect him joining in the least. I don't know what the Navy's swim qualifications are, but I did the open water swim test for PADI scuba certification. I had to do 200 yards free swim and 10 minutes of treading water. It was pretty easy, but I also used to swim a lot.
 
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crono1224

Ah that shouldn't be too hard, I am going camping on Lake Huron this coming week, so I should have time to practice both of those. That's good that the surgery didn't affect them joining, I am close to getting everything in order to get in :).
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

just FYI, nuke is a much more demanding qualification than many of the other jobs offered.
If it's anything like when I went in, you'll also have to pass the nuclear qualifying test, which was a fair bit harder than the asvab. And yes, there's a high wash-out rate.
U.S. Navy Nuclear Power School

This little article scratches the surface, but like everything you might read about boot camp or military life, you'll realize later that while everything in the article true, it really doesn't give you any idea of what it's actually like

you will also tend to work longer hours and have less of a life than an equivalent non-nuclear field. Up to you to decide if that extra pay is worth it. 12K is nice....when I went in, it was only 5K
 
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crono1224

I figured, I got a wife currently, so I don't think a super demanding field such as that is for me. The money and the possibility for life outside of it seemed decent but not really my cup of tea. Were you in the navy as well Tin?
 
Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

Being a nuke is not for everyone. It is a highly technical field, requiring you to be apart from your family for up to 6 months at a time, if not longer as necessary. It's good that you can make the assessment of what you're after now, rather than later on and be regretting it.

Intel is a good field to get in, but is highly deployable, depending on your specialty, and has limited applications in the civilian world. May I suggest something of a more technical nature, giving you skillsets that can be applied in a civilian engineering position? (assuming, of course, that that's what you want to get into... *chuckle*)
 
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crono1224

Officer_Charon said:
Being a nuke is not for everyone. It is a highly technical field, requiring you to be apart from your family for up to 6 months at a time, if not longer as necessary. It's good that you can make the assessment of what you're after now, rather than later on and be regretting it.

Intel is a good field to get in, but is highly deployable, depending on your specialty, and has limited applications in the civilian world. May I suggest something of a more technical nature, giving you skillsets that can be applied in a civilian engineering position? (assuming, of course, that that's what you want to get into... *chuckle*)
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I got an associates in Criminal Justice (doesn't really mean shit), but I like the socio/psychological sorta analysis sorta stuff, so that's why I figured it would be intresting. I'm not as huge on the techincal side, although worst case I could be Network Intel, which could probably translate to a Network job, or Network Security job in the civilian world. Also maybe at worst I could go into one of the 3 letter organizations, and I would already have security clearance (not sure how rare or hard it is to have).

Tinwhistler;425035][QUOTE=crono1224 said:
I figured, I got a wife currently, so I don't think a super demanding field such as that is for me. The money and the possibility for life outside of it seemed decent but not really my cup of tea. Were you in the navy as well Tin?
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yup ;)[/QUOTE]

Something about that picture just makes it seem like it was taken forever ago. So what did you do in the navy?
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

EMN (eletcricians mate nuclear), pic was taken almost 20 years ago.

When I went in, you didn't get to choose your career path in nuke...you were randomly assigned to ET, EM or MM. Most folks got MM (like 65%) and only 10% got the coveted electronics tech job.
 
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crono1224

Tinwhistler said:
EMN (electronics mate nuclear), pic was taken almost 20 years ago.

When I went in, you didn't get to choose your career path in nuke...you were randomly assigned to ET, EM or MM. Most folks got MM (like 65%) and only 10% got the coveted electronics tech job.
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How did you enjoy being a nuke. I think the navy is the same way now? I am not really sure next time I talk with my recruiter I will have to ask if you pick specific jobs or just the semi general field.
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

honestly, I hated the military. I wasn't big on following other people's rules. I've become a lot less of a wild child as I've gotten older. I've also come to recognize that I got some good value, character-wise, out of my time there. I kind of wish I'd have stayed in longer.
 
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crono1224

Tinwhistler said:
honestly, I hated the military. I wasn't big on following other people's rules. I've become a lot less of a wild child as I've gotten older. I've also come to recognize that I got some good value, character-wise, out of my time there. I kind of wish I'd have stayed in longer.
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The real question is would you recommend someone to join?
 
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