Joining the military only to get your education paid for

[puma2]

I'm a little late putting my 2 cents in, but here it is.

As a grunt in the Iraq invasion in 2003, I saw a lot of soldiers doing their jobs because they were professionals and there was hard work to be done. There was some flag waving, but not a lot.

Personally, I became more patriotic after I joined. I joined primarily for reasons other than patriotism, as did many of my fellow soldiers. Everyone has there own reasons for joining and I don't care what they are as long as you do your job well and everyone covers each others' @$$s when things get rough.

[BP348]

I'm a vet but i've never been to a combat zone so I haven't been there or done that nor do I have the T-shirt. But IMHO it's not a pure black & white situation. I'd have to go back and find it and honestly I'm to lazy to do that but I think RDS said that many join the military because it offers options. Man is that rining a bell!!

I'd be a liar if I didn't say that when I was looking into the different military branches the benifits offered were a big part of the decision. Did I join to serve my country? Sure did but I also did it for the long term benifits as well.

P.S. Why is everyone planning on drinking crap beer with Trip in DC when you can get Yungeling? If you're going to drink beer on the East coast that's the number one choice right there. Love that stuff and it's America's oldest brewery!! How American is that?

[Trip]

I'm a vet but i've never been to a combat zone so I haven't been there or done that nor do I have the T-shirt. But IMHO it's not a pure black & white situation. I'd have to go back and find it and honestly I'm to lazy to do that but I think RDS said that many join the military because it offers options. Man is that rining a bell!!

I'd be a liar if I didn't say that when I was looking into the different military branches the benifits offered were a big part of the decision. Did I join to serve my country? Sure did but I also did it for the long term benifits as well.

P.S. Why is everyone planning on drinking crap beer with Trip in DC when you can get Yungeling? If you're going to drink beer on the East coast that's the number one choice right there. Love that stuff and it's America's oldest brewery!! How American is that?

Yea, you and Switch are really into that Yungeling stuff....I'm gonna have to try it, LOL. My younger neighbors seem to be into Blue Moon around here.

[retdetsgt]

I can't speak for anyone else, but if my situation had been different at 19 I might not have joined. As I said, I'd just blown two college scholarships, sitting in my Dad's house in a small town with no decent job prospects other than working at a service station or in a grocery store. I can honestly say that I called military recruiters as a last resort. Back then, kids didn't live at home with their parents into their 20's or older. I HAD to do something.

The military gave me the chance to get out of that predicament and open up other opportunities. I looked at all the branches and the Army was the only one that would guarantee me the school I wanted. The AF gave me the choice of some wide fields, electronics, mechanics and a couple of others, but that was it. A friend of mine in the AF told me of some of the Gawd awful places they had AF bases though and that was discouraging. The Navy offered me no guarantees of anything and I remembered that I would walk a lot farther than I could swim so I took the Army so I could go to that school.

I did get the school and I learned to repair field radios and such. It sounds dumb now, but at the time I thought that would open up the field of TV repair when I got out. In the mid 60's, that was a damn good job.

I loved my country and certainly felt some patriotism, but my motives for joining were admittedly selfish. This is why I got into a shouting match with my congressman when he voted to cut off federal funding to public schools who allowed military recruiters in. His reason was because of the don't ask, don't tell, but to me it limits opportunities for kids at a dead end in life to move on to something better.

As a side note, the pay was quite a bit different pre volunteer military. My pay started at $78 a month in 1964, the same as it was in 1952. A couple of years later as an E-4, I was making about $200 a month, gross. As an 0-2, I was making just over 700 bucks a month in 1970. Even with the cost of living figured in, that wasn't much compared to today's. Nobody went in for the money, but there were other benefits such as the old GI Bill that I completely tapped out later and the low interest, no down payment home loans I could get.

[armydiver]

Yea, you and Switch are really into that Yungeling stuff....I'm gonna have to try it, LOL. My younger neighbors seem to be into Blue Moon around here.

I grew up half an hour from the brewery in PA. I remember when it started trickling south and everyone was telling me about this "new" beer that was so great. I had to chuckle. It is fantastic. There's a 12 pack (sans about four or five) in the fridge right now. I'm not too picky. As long as it's not light and it's cold I'm pretty happy.

[Trip]

I grew up half an hour from the brewery in PA. I remember when it started trickling south and everyone was telling me about this "new" beer that was so great. I had to chuckle. It is fantastic. There's a 12 pack (sans about four or five) in the fridge right now. I'm not too picky. As long as it's not light and it's cold I'm pretty happy.

Ok then, armydiver, it's Yungeling I'll buy ya if you want. Or shoot, even jack daniels if you want, lol. Btw, do you ever head up to DC? When's the next time? I'm hearing stirrings of possibly going to Afghanistan, and the way things work with me, it could be with a snap of a finger, or it could take a month, or it could die on the vine. My brother works for a big defense company that just relocated him from Ohio to Saudi Arabia within like two weeks notice (he wanted to go, wasn't forced.) Now his wife and two young sons are heading over next week. Things happen fast like that. I'm sure they have for you as well. So if you're heading north, let me know. I was pretty obnoxious on this thread so I really owe you. Besides, who knows, I may be working beside you in the future and I don't want you to be pissed, LOL, and stuff me somewhere, cause I promise you I do babble, even out on the front lines, just that people usually laugh and tell me I keep them entertained, not smack me

[armydiver]

No worries. Simple difference of opinions that's all. I don't get around DC much. Actually, I avoid it like the plague. If the whole LE thing doesn't play out like I want it to, DoD is certainly an option. I've put some serious thought into contracting as well. So who knows, maybe you'll get stuck entertaining me. If you do get over to Afghanistan you might end up working with some of my old boys. If you end up in a task force involving colors as designation, you'll know who I'm talking about. Have fun, I always loved that "are we going and when" feeling. *sarcasm

[Trip]

No worries. Simple difference of opinions that's all. I don't get around DC much. Actually, I avoid it like the plague. If the whole LE thing doesn't play out like I want it to, DoD is certainly an option. I've put some serious thought into contracting as well. So who knows, maybe you'll get stuck entertaining me. If you do get over to Afghanistan you might end up working with some of my old boys. If you end up in a task force involving colors as designation, you'll know who I'm talking about. Have fun, I always loved that "are we going and when" feeling. *sarcasm

Really not even simple difference of opinions. I was just on my high horse is all. I'm back down now. You guys are the real heroes. So have you thought of dialing up Blackwater (now Xe), Triple Canopy, Dyncorp, Global, MVM, etc., or any those type companies? You should. Contrary to how much people like to crap on them, except for bad judgment calls in difficult situations here and there, they're consummate professionals, getting the job done right.... and there are a lot of people who were kept alive by them. Lots of very appreciative State Dept officials for example. Go onto those websites for a starter. They're always posting "needs."

Yep, wouldn't be surprised to cross paths with ya, or with some of your old team..... happens all the time with me. If you or your team ever want help with something, let me know, armydiver.