[spalex]

(04-05-2015 11:18 PM)SupaDorkLooza Wrote:  

Quote:

What is your opinion on the military?

edit: Spalex, I don't know how they do things in Poland/Australia but in the US armed forces those medically discharged with injury usually receive lifetime monthly compensation based on disability ratings, no need to turn tricks

Yeah thats what they tell you they will do!
In 99% of cases those mother fuckers are worse than a shady insurance company when it comes to paying out.

[LeeEnfield303]

24 years Army. About 3/4 of that I'd relive, the rest sucked. But, you'd say that about any career.

Did stuff I'd never thought I'd do. But, as others allude to, you have to stay on the VA like a goddamned hawk. Fight for every benefit scrap, because they sure as hell won't do the decent thing and give it to you.

Good luck with your decision.

[Easy_C]

Don't you DARE think about joining the military until you read what John Reed (West Point alum, officer in 82nd airborne, and later Harvard Business School alum) has to say about his experiences. I can personally vouch that most of his criticisms are true although how his complaints manifest has shifted slightly over the years (e.g, I didn't see much false document signing). http://www.johntreed.com/military.html

In particular read this post:

http://www.johntreed.com/gotousma.html



That said I will point out that there's a lot of post-military benefits. You get access to a lot of the same hiring benefits that LGBT/blacks/women get (vets count towards diversity quotas) and access to some unique hiring opportunities. For example Goldman Sachs has something called the "veterans integration program". If you want to go back to school you'll also find that a lot of institutions absolutely love military veterans(and a few hate them, but most love).

The catch is that these benefits aren't going to cut it for you. If you've got a shitty GPA at a shitty undergrad school don't expect your military service to make up for that. It will however give you a significant edge against people with a similarly competitive profile competing for the same jobs/schools you want. An exception is blue collar jobs like energy and transportation. I've witnessed those companies hiring vets aggressively and the recruiters that I've spoken to say that it's because the vets they've hired generally have a better work ethic, resilience, and more respect for authority than the ones they hire right out of school

[Simeon_Strangelight]

(04-07-2015 12:45 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  

Don't you DARE think about joining the military until you read what John Reed (West Point alum, officer in 82nd airborne, and later Harvard Business School alum) has to say about his experiences. I can personally vouch that most of his criticisms are true although how his complaints manifest has shifted slightly over the years (e.g, I didn't see much false document signing). http://www.johntreed.com/military.html

In particular read this post:

http://www.johntreed.com/gotousma.html



That said I will point out that there's a lot of post-military benefits. You get access to a lot of the same hiring benefits that LGBT/blacks/women get (vets count towards diversity quotas) and access to some unique hiring opportunities. For example Goldman Sachs has something called the "veterans integration program". If you want to go back to school you'll also find that a lot of institutions absolutely love military veterans(and a few hate them, but most love).

The catch is that these benefits aren't going to cut it for you. If you've got a shitty GPA at a shitty undergrad school don't expect your military service to make up for that. It will however give you a significant edge against people with a similarly competitive profile competing for the same jobs/schools you want. An exception is blue collar jobs like energy and transportation. I've witnessed those companies hiring vets aggressively and the recruiters that I've spoken to say that it's because the vets they've hired generally have a better work ethic, resilience, and more respect for authority than the ones they hire right out of school

That is absolutely correct.

In many countries, but especially in the US you have unique job opportunities after your military career either in government posts or in some corporate areas.

The problem in war times (we are in war times now for many countries) is to get out of it unscathed. Combat troops have the most fun, but often get fucked up and then your life is as good as over. Being in the Swiss or Norwegian combat troops is great, but kicking in doors in Afghanistan or some of the 100+ countries where US troops are stationed at is not so great (there are plenty of conflicts going on we are not told about - Ukraine, African countries, South America - plenty of chances to die in an official "helicopter accident".

But you don't have to be one of the combat troops to get veteran benefits.

If Goldman Sachs is your desired goal, then do the CFA and CAIA while in the service. Those are courses that you just need to study on your own with yearly tests. If you leave the service with the CFA and CAIA under your belt and get priority hiring by Goldman, then you are doing good.

Unfortunately most recruits don't plan ahead smart enough. Idealism is probably the worst reason to join. The force doesn't give two shits about you - and it's not even personal - the officers would love to give you everything possible, but they can't. It's a negative system - you gotta milk it as much as you can.

[Sp5]

Some states have absolute veterans' preference in hiring for state and municipal jobs.

That means they have to take all of the qualified veterans before they take any of the non-veterans.

[cool guy]

(04-07-2015 12:45 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  

Don't you DARE think about joining the military until you read what John Reed (West Point alum, officer in 82nd airborne, and later Harvard Business School alum) has to say about his experiences. I can personally vouch that most of his criticisms are true although how his complaints manifest has shifted slightly over the years (e.g, I didn't see much false document signing). http://www.johntreed.com/military.html

In particular read this post:

http://www.johntreed.com/gotousma.html



That said I will point out that there's a lot of post-military benefits. You get access to a lot of the same hiring benefits that LGBT/blacks/women get (vets count towards diversity quotas) and access to some unique hiring opportunities. For example Goldman Sachs has something called the "veterans integration program". If you want to go back to school you'll also find that a lot of institutions absolutely love military veterans(and a few hate them, but most love).

The catch is that these benefits aren't going to cut it for you. If you've got a shitty GPA at a shitty undergrad school don't expect your military service to make up for that. It will however give you a significant edge against people with a similarly competitive profile competing for the same jobs/schools you want. An exception is blue collar jobs like energy and transportation. I've witnessed those companies hiring vets aggressively and the recruiters that I've spoken to say that it's because the vets they've hired generally have a better work ethic, resilience, and more respect for authority than the ones they hire right out of school

His Facebook also has a lot of good info on current events. https://www.facebook.com/johntreed.publishing

[SlickyBoy]

(04-07-2015 12:45 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  

Don't you DARE think about joining the military until you read what John Reed (West Point alum, officer in 82nd airborne, and later Harvard Business School alum) has to say about his experiences.

I second, third and fourth all of that. Reed knows his shit. I was in the US Army, both active and reserve components, for just shy of a decade, most of it on active duty. I was both conventional infantry and later an SF guy (yes, green beret), CONUS and OCONUS stations of duty.

Your question is very open ended so I would not throw all of the options into the yes/no military bin. It is a different question for you than it was for me since you are deciding whether or not to serve the CURRENT manifestation of this place called America. Illegal aliens are on juries, politicians have sold out to foreign interests wholesale, rabid homosexual advocates and SJWs wag the dog of government, and their politically correct tentacles make their ways into critical decisions where they have no business being. I just could not be part of (or proud of) that mess anymore.

But it isn't my life.

Whatever route you choose, remember one thing - if you go the he-man route and sign up to be a badass in the Army or USMC, you WILL be stationed far, far away from any access to poon for the duration of your enlistment - unless maybe you go to a favorable spot overseas. Korea and even Thailand occasionally (not p4p) were very good to me, but it was still tough to find the time. The combat arms need to be someplace in the middle of nowhere to train for their jobs, and the middle of nowhere is exactly where the poon is NOT. You will be surrounded by fat chicks with attitudes and on average about three to four points below civilian women on the looks scale. Be very certain you need to do this and don't do it just because you think you have no other options.

Then please, investigate **all** possibilities in the Air Force. At least they have better looking women.

[draketton]

(04-04-2015 01:07 PM)Unfadable Wrote:  

I have been in the regular army for about 6 years. 90% of the army has nothing to do with fighting, just support.

The first 5 1/2 I was in the Infantry. I had a good time, met a lot of people and did a lot of cool shit, but at 28 years old my body is literally destroyed. There are a lot of things I cant do anymore, and every moment of the day I am hurting one way or another. I was always either deployed or training as well, so I never had time to go anywhere or do anything other than work. Even exploring the places I went for special training type events was out of the question, because we were locked down at all times. The level of suck is not even worth trying to explain.

Last year I was injured during training, and the army sent me back to school for a commo job once I recovered. I am in charge of the help desk now at a foreign naval base. We pretty much just handle computer imaging and network issues for the units here for about 8 hours a day. I have a government car, get to go do what I want after my shift is over, work in an air conditioned building with DOD contractors, and have already started getting job offers if I decide to get out. The army pays for my technical certs like a+, net+, sec+, and gives me time off to attend 2 week training courses designed to help pass those exams any time I want. Overall, it is a completely different world. There is still the usual army bullshit to deal with, but you can't get away from that anywhere.

If you decide to join up, when you are sitting in that chair choosing your job...choose wisely my friend.

How many long-term infantry veterans have injuries like you do? Is it virtually guaranteed from infantry service, or do only the guys who drew the short straws end up like that?

[SlickyBoy]

Injuries are a way of life with any physical job. If you join the infantry, you will march - a lot - with a ruck sack. The ruck sacks, by he way, have gotten considerably heavier since about the 1980s. There's just more stuff to bring that old soldiers never had - commo, chemical gear, night vision, batteries, etc. Plus the "bring everything just in case" mentality of the commanders nowadays. Expect your ruck to weigh a minimum of 60 pounds, plus your other crap - vest, LBE, whatever else they're putting on these days. Back in Vietnam there was rarely armor (it sucked anyway), the average ruck weighed about 45 pounds - and it was almost all ammo in there.

Depending upon how many years you spend in a line unit, your spine will compress, making you about half an inch shorter upon retirement, if you stay that long. Your tendons, feet and other body parts take a serious beating also.

It wasn't as bad for someone of my generation and earlier who a) drank milk as a kid, providing calcium to strengthen bones and b) played outside quite a bit, further developing musculo-skeletal durability. Youth of today are not only more obese but on average have 8-10% less bone mass than the youth of 20 years ago. Injuries from just rucking up and down the mountains of Afghanistan bear this out, as do the higher injury rates of females who try to play tough guy and keep up (in combat support units)

Some people say the wear and tear comes from parachute jumping but thats bull - other injuries happen but the jumps are so infrequent compared to marches there's no comparison. Infantry loves to ruck march and ruck marching wears you down.

You are a disposable pack mule in the infantry - yes, it will build character and camaraderie, but your body will pay the price if you ignore the warning signs along the way.

[Unfadable]

(04-07-2015 11:18 PM)draketton Wrote:  

How many long-term infantry veterans have injuries like you do? Is it virtually guaranteed from infantry service, or do only the guys who drew the short straws end up like that?

I agree with slickyboy on all of his points. You are a glorified pack mule as an Infantryman, and are probably treated worse than one most of the time.

I would also say it is kind of luck of the draw. Your mileage in the army really varies depending on the units you get assigned to. Some of my friends don't have any major issues, but all of us from my first deployment to Afghanistan are broken. It was a rough tour in shitty terrain and our mission tempo was non-stop, to the tune of 400+ patrols in one year with no days off, aside from RnR.

[LeeEnfield303]

If you go infantry, armor, airborne, other MOSs with high physical demands, then 20 years is going to cause some permanent damage. No way around it. Can you live with it? Sure- tens of thousands of vets do every day. But your body will be worn down pretty hard. I have many vet friends in these specialties who are almost all disabled to some degree....not necessarily debilitating, but it's something to consider.

[Easy_C]

Not long term, former Artillery officer here. I received some relatively minor injures from an IED blast that probably should have killed me. There may be some more serious damage due to TBI but that's still a medical investigation in progress.

[Lucky]

Heard a lot of good things but some bad things too.

[Constitution45]

Out of interest, those who have been in the military.

Would you say there is another job which is on par with working in the military, or is there another career path that you would have chosen to do over the military if you had your options again ?

[Aliblahba]

The Marines changed my life for the better in every way possible. In high school, I was socially awkward, introverted, skinny fat and unpopular. It is a big decision, but I made the plunge. In 3 short months of bootcamp, my life turned around. It made me realize the sky is the limit, gave the confidence to take on the world, and forced me out of the box. My lay rate went up exponentially, I became popular, started whooping ass, and gained an invaluable skill set. I used to think I'd never see foreign countries, but after visiting around a dozen while enlisted, I realized my desire for travel, and have lived abroad for years.

I get preference with having that EGA on my resume, along with the years of defense contracting. Employers know that no matter what kind of shit they throw at me, I can handle it and lead a team through the toughest of times.

When someone asks whether or not they should join, I tell them to read The Ants and the Grasshopper.

[spalex]

(04-09-2015 10:26 AM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

Out of interest, those who have been in the military.

Would you say there is another job which is on par with working in the military, or is there another career path that you would have chosen to do over the military if you had your options again ?

Yeah. Being a Private Military Contractor (colloquially known as a mercenary) is about the only job I can think of that takes all the good stuff about being in the military and eliminates all the bad stuff (apart from being away from home forever.

[Easy_C]

(04-09-2015 10:26 AM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

Out of interest, those who have been in the military.

Would you say there is another job which is on par with working in the military, or is there another career path that you would have chosen to do over the military if you had your options again ?

Yes. I actually would have gone to a top 10 business school(which, with a 1550/1600 SAT I could easily have gotten a direct admit for) and gotten an entry level position with an audit or consulting firm. The work isn't as exciting but you still get to travel and the exit opportunities are much better.

Also, as an officer your hours may vary. I was pulling 70 hour weeks....during the roughly half the time that I got to spend at home and not in the field. For that and all the same disadvantages you could be making two or three times the salary in investment banking, while also getting fantastic exit ops.

[DMario]

(04-05-2015 02:13 AM)Unfadable Wrote:  

Once you go through the system yourself, you might be singing a different tune. Sounds like you know what you want to do though, so good luck.

This is 100% True. I joined the Marines when I was 17. I feel like when you join young you miss out on a huge social aspect of your life. I was sent to Afghanistan when I was 19, and all I could think about for 7 months was how much I wished I was on a college campus chasing pussy.

I was later fortunate to get a job where I would live abroad for 3 years. I'm currently on year 1.3 and have visited about 20 countries so far chasing foreign broads, so thats a positive.

The Military is definitely what you make of it. I know Marines who have an awesome time, and ones who hate their life.

I would read this as well before joining, alot of this stuff they wont tell you. http://ihatetheusmc.com/things-that-are-...ster-list/

[obrero]

If you do decide to join I would recommend getting into one of the special operations forces. Either Army Special Forces or Air Force PJ. I never liked SEALs because they're arrogant, Delta Force is invite only and I don't know anything about Marine Recon.

Special Operations don't have to deal with a lot of the P.C. bullshit that goes with being in the military, plus make a lot more money once mission qualified. Not to mention, when they get out they are the ones with 150k+ contracting jobs waiting for them.

[SlickyBoy]

Delta force is not invite only, but it is limited to E5 and up. That said, it is true (they won't tell you this) that you can pretty much forget being an operator on an SFOD-A team there unless you were first in Ranger Battalion, and of course only if you're a total stud, physically. Officially any male from any MOS can try out, but realistically it's a private club. Its similar in the Seals' devgru unit.

As for SOF units, delta are the rare ones who truly escape the day to day nonsense you find everywhere else. Even army SF (green berets) get their share of busy work and flag pole bullshit duties. It's still a lot better than the regular army, but not nearly as chill as you might think. Its a PC shit show all over the military nowadays.

There are better ways to make $150k, but you need not be ex-delta to do that as a contractor if you want.

[RIslander]

I'm bumping this thread because I have a close friend who is a bit down on his luck and considering joining the U.S. Army Reserve as an officer. Most likely Military Police or Chemical Warfare Officer. He is in his early thirties and fairly fit. His rationale is a steady paycheck for 1 weekend a month/2 weeks a year, healthcare and education benefits. I believe that if not active he can count on $7000 a year as a 2LT for 45 days work and $45/month for excellent healthcare.

He is a blue pill type and we talk near daily... and he is seeking advice from his friends. For those of you with experience... what advice can I offer him? I have no military experience.

[The Beast1]

How old is he? I can only speak to my attempt at joining as a full time naval officer , but i aged out really quick which sucked.

Doubly so, there were tests that needed to be done. Do army reserve officers have to take the OAR? Being so far out of school, it took me some time to recall a good half of the material. Needless to say, it was rough.

The easiest thing to prep for were the physical tests. Seriously had no problem doing that. I like working out.

To be honest, it sounds like he's joining for the wrong reasons. I recall a lot of people used to do this in the 90s and early 00s for the benefits and then got called on their grifting asses when the call to deploy happened.

Is he comfortable dropping what he's doing in the event he gets deployed? He doesn't have tits so he can't get pregnant to avoid it.

If he wants cheap healthcare, sign up for a healthcare ministry .

[Matrixdude]

As a active duty Chem officer, butterbar LT, he will be fetching coffee for his commander and rarely doing anything related to the Chem branch. In the Reserve I don't expect much different. Tell him to go MP. Anyhow does he expect to game the US Army as a +$7000/yr side hustle? He might get deployed so there's that

[Waqqle]

(04-04-2015 10:26 AM)TheDuncan Wrote:  

I have been thinking about the military for quite some time, steady pay, travel, disipline and depending on your job you could learn some sort of skill.

Obviously if you join the Marines or Army (infantry) you may run the risk of combat and injurys from training but as long as you know and expect that, sure it seems like you will deal with a lot of bullshit but to me it seems like the pros outweigh the cons.

I have talked with vets and they all think it seems like a good route to go if you dont want to go to school or work a regular 9-5.

I have researched all the branches and they all have things that catch my interest, leaning towards the Marine Corps (maybe im bias as I have Marine family and friends)

What is your opinion on the military?

This is going to be long but hopefully it will help anyone here who is thinking about joining the US military.

I was in the Army but, if I had to go back and join the military again knowing what I know now, I would join the Coast Guard. Coast Guard bases tend to be in scenic coastal places where it doesn't completely suck to live in (most bases in the other branches are in places that suck), the Coast Guard has a reputation for taking pretty good care of its members, and it is the only branch as far as I am aware which does not have barracks (even lower enlisted people get BAH - Basic Allowance for Housing - to live off base).

You almost certainly won't get killed or sustain any life-changing injuries in the Coast Guard and you might actually get to do the job that you signed up for. Further, because the Coast Guard is the smallest branch, there are not really any "Coast Guard towns" in the same way that there are "Army towns." This means that, wherever you are, you will most likely not be exclusively surrounded by people affiliated with the military and/or trying to marry a wasted 19 year-old Marine to get Tricare and lifetime alimony security before swelling up like a diabetic's foot. In the Coast Guard, it is entirely possible that you can remain a member of society for the most part. In the Coast Guard, you are basically a sea cop which is pretty cool.

Very few people re-enlist in the Marine Corps, the Army, or even the Air Force. Lots of people go career in the Coast Guard though. If you can't get in or don't want to join the Coast Guard, the next best thing is Air Force because they have the most females and less likelihood for getting physically messed up than the Army or the Marines as well as it being more likely that you will be stationed somewhere that isn't awful than it will be if you join the Army or the Marines. After the Air Force, there's the Navy but don't join the Navy unless you are ok with being on a vessel for 6 months at a time.

I do not recommend joining the Marines unless you want to see real combat and shoot people because it's pretty crappy if you aren't doing that. You get paid the same as in the other branches but you are treated worse and, if you aren't at least going into combat, I imagine it would just feel stupid to do the same jobs as people in other branches but be treated worse than them while still getting paid the same and being promoted more slowly (if at all - look up "terminal lance").

I don't recommend the Army unless none of the other branches will take you and you are just in a massive hurry (the other branches tend to take at least a few months to get you in whereas the Army can get you in within weeks) or, like the Marines, you desire to go into combat and shoot people. Otherwise, the situation is similar to the Marines in that you will do the same jobs as an Airman but be treated worse and probably get promoted more slowly than if you were in the Navy.

The Army is also probably larger than all of the other branches combined in terms of how many people there are in it. This means that you are invisible and expendable. If want to learn what the word "Kafkaesque" means and to understand what it feels like to truly believe that nobody in the entire cosmos will ever care or even know about you or anything that happens to you, join the Army.

I watched people get broken to pieces physically for stupid things just because someone did not want to bother making an exception to some arbitrary rule in a particular instance. Why? When a cheap electronic device is broken, do most people order a bunch of replacement parts and put a bunch of time and energy into fixing it or do they just wait for it to stop working completely, throw it in the trash, and buy a new one? That's why. You are a long unmemorable number on a piece of paper that no one will ever read (and which will probably be lost by S1 - basically Army secretaries - at least 10 times). You will never meet or likely even know the names of the people who have the most power over you and you will be no more valuable to them than an old cell phone.

For example, I had 1 female in my company who developed Crohn's Disease and had to have the bottom of her intestine removed. It took her around 3 years to finally get medically discharged if I remember right and she still had to go to PT (Physical Training) the whole time, colostomy bag and all, which only made things worse as you might imagine. Another female who was in my company is now on her 5th hip surgery after the physical therapists kept making her do squats with weights immediately after her previous hip surgeries just because that's what it says on some paper somewhere (luckily, she is out of the Army now but it took about 3 years for her to be processed out and she is probably unable to have children now).

There was always someone going suicidal where I was stationed. I went with another guy to pick up one of the soldiers in our company from the hospital after he had spent a week there following an attempted OD which someone on the suicide hotline managed to talk him out of (took that guy almost 2 years to be processed out, during which time he deteriorated further). Another guy from my company went suicidal after I left because his shoulder got destroyed and the physical therapists destroyed it further the same way they did with the female's hip. By the way, if you are told to go to physical therapy, you have to do what they tell you to do (even if they are wrong and everyone knows it) because it will be insubordination if you don't. I personally never heard of anyone's situation not being made worse by physical therapy at the particular base where I spent most of my time in the Army. When I was told to go, I just didn't show up and my absence was never noticed because, again, you are invisible and nobody gives a crap about you.

I could go on and on but my point is this: if you are going to join the military, at least talk to a Coast Guard recruiter and, if they really can't get you in, default to the Air Force or the Navy unless you really just want to get shot at and kill people, in which case go ahead and join the Marines or the Army but be sure to join specifically as infantry. The Army is probably the only branch that will let you enlist with a specific job in your contract (the others just put you in whichever slot needs filling) so you can enlist specifically as infantry or some other "combat arms" job. This is, by the way, another reason I recommend the Coast Guard or at least the Air Force. Those two branches have the most jobs which are applicable to the civilian world so, if you decide not to re-enlist, you won't be limited to only security contractor jobs. If you like being a security contractor, bouncer, or something like that though, combat arms may be for you.

*Note: You can only join as an officer if you already have at least a bachelor's degree so, if you don't, you will be enlisting, probably at the lowest rank and will almost certainly spend the entire duration of your first contract as a lower enlisted person (not an officer or NCO - Non-Commissioned Officer). If you want to be an NCO, you will most likely need to re-enlist. If you want to be an officer, you will need to sign a 10-year contract as opposed to a normal enlistment contract of 3-6 years.

*Note: All information I have given is for active duty and training. It may not all apply to National Guard and/or Reserves. I do not recommend joining either National Guard or Reserves because you will not get all of the benefits you will get as active duty and you will not get paid as much because you will effectively be a civilian most of the time (I think Guard and Reserves only do drills weekly and monthly respectively if I remember right - double check that as I was not in either). If you're going to join at all, I recommend just going all the way and being active duty. You're still going to have to do basic training either way.

*Note: Watch out for females. A lot of guys get falsely accused for all kinds of reasons. Always be in a "battle buddy" team to cover your ass and have witnesses. I wrote a character statement for one guy who got falsely accused by a female he was trying to white knight for.

*Note: For the love of God, do not get married or have a kid while you are in the military. Your bed will get cold at times but warming it up is not worth what you will have to pay in the divorce (the divorce rate in the military is even higher than for civilians) or even before it (look up "dependapotamus"), and Heaven help you if your spouse falsely accuses you of something at some point so that she can get you pulled out of your house off base and back into the barracks where the military will do all kinds of things to you to punish you on her behalf. I have seen it happen. Don't do it.

[Waqqle]

You can get good things from the Army specifically if you go in with open eyes. Just remember some rules (which may also apply to other branches):

1. No one really cares about you unless maybe you are a Coast Guardsman or an Airman. Never assume that they do. If you die tonight as result of some stupid oversight that should have been fixed 30 years ago, the people with the authority to save you or fix the problem will not only not do so but they will likely never even read your case file because, at any time, there are at least 10,000 other units of government property contemplating suicide in their barracks.

2. Never assume or expect that things will ever go any kind of way but wrong and prepare yourself accordingly.

3. Always watch your ass and move in a battle buddy team of at least one other male and/or two females so that it is harder for someone to accuse you of sexual misconduct.

4. Never submit your last copy of any document. Always have at least 1 or 2 extra physical copies because your documents will be lost.

5. If someone has not gotten back to you about something by the tine they were supposed to, keep pestering about it until they get you what you need. Don't expect anyone to be competent or remember you.

6. Anyone above the rank of Captain is a politician. They don't care about you and you will not be able to access them. They will pretend to care and will say as much but they don't care and will never know who you are.

7. Don't believe anything said by anyone. Watch how people actually behave. That will tell you what they are really all about.

8. Don't volunteer for anything. You won't get paid more for doing so. If you volunteer for anything, only do so if it improves your chances of being promoted (and therefor paid more) faster.

9. Do not get married. I already said this but, seriously, don't do it.

10. Do not enlist as an 88M (Army truck driver). This is possibly the most deadly job in the entire military but you won't get to shoot anyone and it is not as respected by anyone outside of the military as infantry or other jobs. Also, what does it translate to in the civilian world post-military? Trucker. An honorable profession but not one known for getting paid or being treated well).

11. Don't believe anything a recruiter tells you. They can make the job of cleaning outhouses sound like James Bond stuff. Look up everything they tell you online and double check it.

12. Just go ahead and delete whatever social media you have now so it doesn't get you in trouble. When you join the military, you give up certain citizen rights, one of them being the right to free speech. Many people forget that, especially during elections (I was in during the Trump election - that was fun).

13. Don't take yourself or anything else too seriously. The more you take things seriously, the faster you will go insane and wind up in Behavioral Health (Psychiatrist).

14. If you let anyone screw you, they will.

15. Never argue with a command from a superior, no matter how obviously stupid. When you receive an order, do not try to interpret the "spirit" of it or anything like that. Take the instructions literally and do exactly what you are told. If it ruins something or makes trouble, they will be responsible. That's why they get paid more than you. If it's not your problem, it's not your problem.

16. Don't start smoking as you'll piss away your money. Don't start drinking for the same reason and because you might do something for which you will be punished.

17. Cultivate and nurture a network of allies within your company and unit so that, if/when you get in trouble/accused of something/whatever, you have character references.

18. Don't overtrain, eat enough protein, and stay hydrated.

19. There are opportunities and benefits available that you will not know about unless you ask around so always be doing that. For example, you can use at least some of your time in the military to complete some college courses. There are ways to do this so that you could even already have a bachelors degree by the time you graduate. Always be asking and networking.

20. Always remember: Fuck you. Papers got lost? Fuck you. Asbestos in the barracks? Fuck you. Confined to base because of something someone else you don't know in another unit or even another branch did? Fuck you. Don't have enough money left after making your student loan and child support payments to have your dress uniform dry cleaned every Thursday just so you can wear it to formations in the mud and rain? Fuck you. At all times, fuck you.


Bonus: 21. I'm not sure about other branches but, in the Army, if you have been in for less than 6 months (including Basic Combat Training), you can still quit by informing your command team (your Captain and 1st Sergeant) that you want to quit. Most people never learn of this until long after they've passed the time limit but one guy in my company did it and it took about 1 month to process him out. It's like they scrub you from the system as if you had never joined. This is called Entry Level Separation.