To all the former & current military people

[studentcj]

which branch do/did you serve in

what age did you enlist

what has been your favorite duty station as of now

what are the 3 things you like/liked about the military

what are the 3 things you dont like about the military

how many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving

if you was able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired

Can you stack money while in the military

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them

can a person in the military have a successful relationship

[retdetsgt]

You need to go back to asking questions that don't require essays to answer.

[FedLeo]

which branch do/did you serve in: Army Engineer, then Military Police

what age did you enlist: Did not Enlist. Commissioned 2LT after college.

what has been your favorite duty station as of now: Korea, Savannah, GA.

what are the 3 things you like/liked about the military: Not having to pick an "outfit, opportunties for Education/training,

what are the 3 things you dont like about the military: Deployments, Deployments, Deployments

how many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving: 7 years, 7 Years.

if you was able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired: No.

Can you stack money while in the military: Yes.

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them: Officer = More Money = More Responsibility.

can a person in the military have a successful relationship: Yes. But you have to pick the right person who doesn't "require" you to be around all the time. Year long deployements, with year long train ups for the deployments = A Hell of a lot of time away from home.

Join the Coast Guard. Not as many deployments, but still the same benefits as the other branches. You'll just have to take the ribbing that you "aren't" in the military being a Coastie!

[Sangiovese]

which branch do/did you serve in
Navy - attack submarines

what age did you enlist
18

what has been your favorite duty station as of now
Spent time up and down the east coast. Virginia Beach was probably my favorite "normal" duty station, but the six months I spent in upstate new york at prototype training was by far the nicest place I lived while on active duty.

what are the 3 things you like/liked about the military
1. What I did was important
2. I worked with amazing people
3. I was constantly challenged

what are the 3 things you dont like about the military
1. Individuals can have a lot of authority. Therefore a single unscrupulous individual above you in the chain of command can really mess you over if they abuse their authority.
2. You spent a lot of time away from home
3. The pay really stinks for the hours and responsibility you have (but there are a lot of lifelong benefits to being a vet)

how many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving
I served for 10 years.

if you was able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired
Nope. Officers miss seeing their kids grow up too.

Can you stack money while in the military
If you are single, live on base, and resist the urge to blow it all, you can bank a lot while you're in.

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them
Talk to some actual veterans (and not just recruiters) and make an informed decision. It is a serious commitment and you shouldn't base it on what some random people on a message board say.

can a person in the military have a successful relationship
There are unique stresses on relationships in the military aside from just time apart. You will experience things that people who have not served just simply cannot understand... and that will be a source of isolation/conflict with your significant other. It can be done, but my experience and all of the data I have seen suggests that there are many more failed relationships than successful ones among people serving on active duty.

[CincyCop]

Which branch do/did you serve in?
Navy - Naval Officer/Naval Aviator, SH-60B Seahawk helicopter pilot.

What age did you enlist?
22, commissioned after college graduation as an Ensign/O-1 through AOCS.

What has been your favorite duty station as of now?
Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, CA.

What are the 3 things you like/liked about the military?
1. Service to country.
2. Flying...way down low in the weeds...looking for Ivan...good times.
3. Seeing the world (ok, half the world).

What are the 3 things you don't like about the military?
1. Collateral duties...we didn't get to fly unless our paperwork was in order.
2. Boats...I don't like boats...boats smell funny.
3. Promotion BS.

How many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving?
I served 6 years active duty, 1 year reserves, 5 years IRR. I had initially planned to serve 8 years active duty.

If you were able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired?
N/A

Can you stack money while in the military?
Absolutely.

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them?
Go for it. If you have a specialty in mind, I would push for a written guarantee towards that specialty (if able). In the mid 1980's, the Navy provided written guarantees regarding AOCS pilot slots...and they kept their promise...provided the flight training was completed successfully.

Can a person in the military have a successful relationship?
Yes. Although I was single while in the military, many of my friends who were married had good relationships with their spouses (I think). There were support groups at the squadron level for spouses during deployments.

[retdetsgt]

which branch do/did you serve in Army

what age did you enlist 18, almost 19

what has been your favorite duty station as of now Probably Ft. Lewis, WA. It got me adjusted to Pac. NW weather.

what are the 3 things you like/liked about the military
1. Diversity of people. I hung out with guys from Birmingham and from Harlem. I would have never had that exposure anywhere else.
2. The consistency. The rules and regs were usually clear and more or less fairly enforced.
3. As a young person, I was given a hell of a lot of responsibility.

what are the 3 things you dont like about the military
1. I felt like I was U.S. Government property sometimes. Lack of freedom.
2. Little people with big egos that have rank.
3. I was constantly in trouble because I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

how many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving

I enlisted for three, ended up serving 6

if you was able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired

I was both. I probably would have stayed in if I could have had equal opportunity for promotion, etc. But I didn't have a degree at the time and that was necessary, at minimum.

Can you stack money while in the military

I could as an officer. I was enlisted prior to the end of the draft and enlisted people were paid ****. Just about everyone lived from payday to payday if you were below NCO.

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them

Do it.

can a person in the military have a successful relationship

Lots of people do.

[Rlong1985]

1. which branch do/did you serve in: US Navy

what age did you enlist: 20

what has been your favorite duty station as of now: Naval Station San Diego/North Island

what are the 3 things you like/liked about the military: Stability, Pay, Benifits

what are the 3 things you dont like about the military: GONE ALL THE TIME

how many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving: 5

if you was able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired: Do you have something against Enlisted? I personally if I had the option would rather serve under an Officer who has served as an Enlisted than Academy, or ROTC graduates. Remember you have to learn to follow before you can lead.

Can you stack money while in the military: Of course you can save money. Just don’t buy a car at of the lots outside of base....good way to get taken.

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them: Consider your options and what you want to do. If you want to be hands on with the equipment like maintenance, and the technical side of things go enlisted. If you want to do paper and be in charge go Officer.

can a person in the military have a successful relationship: Yes

[CincyCop]

...if I had the option would rather serve under an Officer who has served as an Enlisted than Academy, or ROTC graduates. Remember you have to learn to follow before you can lead.

I agree 100%.

There were several Officers/pilots in my last squadron that were prior enlisted and from my observations they were some of the best (if not the best) leaders in my peer group. The enlisted personnel that served under them were quite vocal (in a positive way) regarding their leadership abilities.

[retdetsgt]

I agree 100%.

There were several Officers/pilots in my last squadron that were prior enlisted and from my observations they were some of the best (if not the best) leaders in my peer group. The enlisted personnel that served under them were quite vocal (in a positive way) regarding their leadership abilities.

One thing I noticed as an enlisted man and did my best to avoid after I was commissioned was that officers tend to "talk at" enlisted people rather than "talk to" them. There are times you have to give orders and there is no time nor place for discussion, but not all the time. I also knew from the get-go to solicit and listen to advice from NCO's. I did my level best to always make sure the NCO's in my platoon knew that at the end of the day, I was in charge and with that, I would take responsibility for whatever went wrong. But I valued their experience and judgment and they got credit where it was due. It was my job to get them back alive, but it was also their job to get ME back alive too!

One of the problems I had when I was enlisted was that my brother was an Army captain. I knew him and his shortcomings. Therefore it was hard for me to swallow the idea they tried to instill in me in basic of how I should hold officers in awe. My brother was as much of a goof as I was.

In reality, money not withstanding, if I had the choice between being Command Sgt. Major and a full colonel, it would be a tough decision. CSM's make the Army go 'round. And at the end of the day, I wonder which one really has the power.

[FedLeo]

Leadership is a dependent on the person, not whether or not if they were an Enlisted. I've served under several officers who were prior Enlisted and couldn't lead their way out of a paperbag. I've also served under several leaders who were Academy grads and were great leaders.

CSM = $71K/year
COL= $104K/year

Pretty easy decision for me. Besides, just b/c you're a CSM or a COL, doesn't mean you know how to be a leader. I've worked with several CSM's who were ROAD (Retired On Active Duty) and COL's who were ROAD. I've known COL's who ran the Brigade and I've know CSM's who ran the Brigade. It all depends on the person and leader.

I was told by a great leader once; "When in charge, be in charge."

[retdetsgt]

Leadership is a dependent on the person, not whether or not if they were an Enlisted. I've served under several officers who were prior Enlisted and couldn't lead their way out of a paperbag. I've also served under several leaders who were Academy grads and were great leaders.

CSM = $71K/year
COL= $104K/year

Pretty easy decision for me. Besides, just b/c you're a CSM or a COL, doesn't mean you know how to be a leader. I've worked with several CSM's who were ROAD (Retired On Active Duty) and COL's who were ROAD. I've known COL's who ran the Brigade and I've know CSM's who ran the Brigade. It all depends on the person and leader.

If you read my post, I said, money not withstanding. Of course a a colonel makes more money....

There are exceptions to everything, but all in all I do believe former enlisted have a jump on new college grads, at least in the junior officer ranks. I've seen some kids come right out of college and make great street cops and former military be lousy at it too, but that's not the general rule.

I dunno, maybe the Army has changed a lot since I got out, but my experience was a lot different from yours. I've met a lot of marginal E-7's, even a few E-8's that didn't impress me much. I've met some CSM's I didn't necessarily like, but I knew immediately why they were E-9's. More than a few times, I've seen a CSM get on the phone, call another CSM and things started happening while the officers were running around with their thumbs up their asses. Some may have been in a little too long and burned out, but I never saw one who didn't know his job and have leadership skills.

It used to be fairly easy to make E-6, mostly you had to stay alive, breathing and be an average soldier who didn't get into trouble. E-7 usually were above average and put in extra time and work. To make E-9, you had to be outstanding in just about every aspect of the Army. These were the guys who were there when the CO came to work and still there when he left. But I can't argue with your experience, perhaps that's not the way it is anymore.

When I was in, the colonel made the strategic decision and the CSM made sure it was implemented, two totally different responsibilities. Maybe the Army's run different now, but back then neither could do the other's job and run the brigade without the other. The colonel may delegate some responsibility to his XO, but that's it. But as I said, I've been out for a long time and I was just an infantry grunt.

[grunt42]

More money, yes more respibsubility No Way! If anything they walk around with a blind eye so they can deny all.

[retdetsgt]

More money, yes more respibsubility No Way! If anything they walk around with a blind eye so they can deny all.

Your spelling says it all.

[Trip]

Which branch do/did you serve in?
Navy - Naval Officer/Naval Aviator, SH-60B Seahawk helicopter pilot.

What age did you enlist?
22, commissioned after college graduation as an Ensign/O-1 through AOCS.

What has been your favorite duty station as of now?
Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, CA.

What are the 3 things you like/liked about the military?
1. Service to country.
2. Flying...way down low in the weeds...looking for Ivan...good times.
3. Seeing the world (ok, half the world).

What are the 3 things you don't like about the military?
1. Collateral duties...we didn't get to fly unless our paperwork was in order.
2. Boats...I don't like boats...boats smell funny.
3. Promotion BS.

How many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving?
I served 6 years active duty, 1 year reserves, 5 years IRR. I had initially planned to serve 8 years active duty.

If you were able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired?
N/A

Can you stack money while in the military?
Absolutely.

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them?
Go for it. If you have a specialty in mind, I would push for a written guarantee towards that specialty (if able). In the mid 1980's, the Navy provided written guarantees regarding AOCS pilot slots...and they kept their promise...provided the flight training was completed successfully.

Can a person in the military have a successful relationship?
Yes. Although I was single while in the military, many of my friends who were married had good relationships with their spouses (I think). There were support groups at the squadron level for spouses during deployments.

Hey Cincy,

Am only just now really discovering this thread. You weren't on the USS Enterprise by any chance were you?

[manahmanah]

which branch do/did you serve in

The Space Marines

what age did you enlist

I was conscripted at age 19.

what has been your favorite duty station as of now

When I was stationed on the Rodger Young Spacecraft.

what are the 3 things you like/liked about the military

Co-ed showers, citizenship, and killing bugs.

what are the 3 things you dont like about the military

Having my right foot bitten off by a bug, very fast battlefield promotions (I hate responsibility), and when my "laser" gun jams.

how many years have you been in......how many years do you plan on serving

I did my 2 years mandatory time.

if you was able to be an officer in the military instead of enlisted, would that influence you staying in until you retired

No. I wanted to go Military Intelligence but was too dumb, and had to serve in the space infantry.

Can you stack money while in the military

Of course.

If someone has had the itch to join the military for many years, and the have the opportunity to go in as an officer, what would you tell them

No way! Occifers are the first ones the bugs kill. Then the radio guy.

can a person in the military have a successful relationship

Only if they do not serve in the same space infantry unit.