Looking Into Joining Some Branch of the Military

[DC3-CVN-72]

Go Navy !

I spent 4yrs. active, 4yrs. inactive/reserve in the U.S. NAVY. My only regret's are that I did'ent go in write out of H.S. {I waited 5yrs.} & that I did'ent go in as an officer. The branch of service is a personal choice. You can't go wrong with any of them. They are all filled with highly motivated & profeshional people. Decide what you want do first, that is the most important thing. Then pick the service that you think will best help you meet your goal. I have a 13 yr. old son. He is verry smart and has been in advanced classes for most of his school yrs. this is the same advice I gave him. At this point in time he is intersted in computers, foreign languages, & his words "for sure jumping out of airplanes ! " Good luck with your choice. I would also like to thank you in advance for your service.

 

[JCook5003]

Ok guys-

Well based on a lot of advice here I did a lot of research.......now I am at a new juncture and may need some new advice.

I am thinking about joining the Coast Guard enlisted next spring once I finish my associates in computer science. I would be 26 when I got my BS and I would have only one real chance to apply to OCS before I turned 27.

If I enlist I could apply to OCS all the way up to age 30....and all I have to have are E-4 rank and I think 35-40 college credits which I will have 70-75.

What are my chances of going from enlisted man to OCS? I was reading there was an average acceptance percantage of about 14% for civilians applying to OCS, but it was substantially higher for enlisted personal applying, is this true?

Also what advice would you give me on going enlisted? Also what enlisted coast guard careers would you recommend and why?

Thanks In Advance.
Josh

 

[Slinky]

I'm Navy but working SAR means hanging out (and occasionally F*^&ing with) the Coasties.

Here's some advice from someone who was once in your shoes

Approach your recruiter as you would a used-car-salesman he has quotas to meet.(X number of mechanics Y number of cooks) He will try to sweet-talk you into filling them, so know what you want and be assertive. Do not be afraid to walk out the door and talk/threaten to talk to someone else. Nothing is official until you've gone to MEPS and even then its not FINAL until you've taken the oath.

Don't take an apprenticeship, make sure they guarantee you an A-School and that they do so in writing. Being a rated crewman when you arrive at your first command will save you a lot of grief. That said, do your research, you do not want to end up committed to a job/rating that you hate.

Do something fun, don't sign up to "work on computers" the whole point of being in the service is to do things that most people only read about. In my 5 years as a Helicopter Crewchief I've; Rescued people from rooftops, Delivered food to the starving, fought in Iraq, patrolled the DMZ, hunted pirates, and visited more ports than I can easily remember.

If you want an office job, stay in school, you'll have more free time and less to worry about.

Good luck

PS.
feel fre to PM, or EMail me at [email protected] if you have any specific questions.

 

[doubleg]

I signed my soul away to the army, leaving for boot camp in june to be a 31 bravo.

 

[gunnerh]

Josh Getting into OCS is easier for a Petty Officier then a civilian. Get the "A" school you want by signing up for it before you enlist. The wait may be longer to get in but you will make Rate sooner. Talk to the CG recuiter.Tell them what you want and see what they can do for you. The CG recuiters do not have Quotas like the other armed sevices. Too many people not enough openings. Good Luck

 

[JCook5003]

gunnerh Thanks for the insight I am going to go talk to a recruiter next week while I am vacation the closest one to my home is about 2 hours away........

Thanks for the advice guys anything else you guys can think of is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[.455_Hunter]

Coming from an Army guy...

I got a four year Army ROTC scholarship out of HS. It paid tuition and fees for my four years of college (B.S. Mechanical Engineering). I put the Ordnance Corps at the top of my branch wish list, and got it as first choice. In my experience, the higher your standing in the "order merit list" (kinda like class rank) plays a big part in whether your branch (job) requests outway the "needs of the miltary".

As a junior officer, I learned many things, some of the most important being:

1. Listen to your NCOs for advice, but remember, your job is to MAKE decisions, not just be a "yes man" for your subordinates just because you are supposedly inexperienced. Always keep the BS detector working overtime!

2. It is perfectly OK to tell an uppity Command Sergeant Major to pound sand if they are acting stupid. That is why you out rank them!

3. If you have a lot of junior enlisted folks under your command, it will be like the Jerry Springer Show everyday!

The four years I spent on Active Duty were an excellent experience and will shape the rest of my life.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to know more or ask any questions.

 

[R127]

Well here's something that will raise a few hackles but what the heck? Times change and a reasonable man has to face the truth.

I mostly want to get some info what it's lke in the military, Specifically the Coast Guard, Navy or Air Force when you enter as an officer.

All the fun stuff previous mentioned by others plus...

Do you like bureaucracy? Like a whole lot more bureaucracy than you ever had at any civilian job or school in your whole life? Can you handle calling Obama or Clinton your commander in chief for the next four to eight years and having to display public respect for them on at least an occasional basis?

Can you handle the cognitive dissonance of first swearing an oath like

"I, _____, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

or

"I, _____, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."

And then

A: Do the bidding of people like Clinton or Obama and Schumer and Feinstein and Kennedy and a whole host of others who took a very similar oath which they hold in contempt to put it mildly.

B: Never, ever get used to actually defend the Constitution of the United States or defend freedom. Instead you'll get to watch as you pour your heart and soul into hoping and trying, probably losing a few really great friends along the way, and still seeing our supreme law of the land used for toilet paper while the weasels go nuts ripping our country apart.

If you don't care about that stuff then you'll probably be happy as a clam. I'm one of those high minded idealists though and I just can't see willingly taking a job as a government employee to be the muscle for our current corrupt anti-American anti-Constitution regime. If you want to defend freedom then vote, run for office, work hard to wake other people up, that kind of stuff. If you want to help keep your fellow Americans safe buy a pistol and get a concealed weapons license or lobby to get concealed carry laws passed in your area. Concealed carry is proven time and again to actually reduce violent crime rates plus only an armed populace can ever hope to have any measure of security against random attack be it your garden variety psycho like the mall shooting or a terror attack like 9/11. Only armed citizens can be everywhere at once. If you want to defend American sovereignty then go join the Minute Men down on the border so you can at least have a chance at doing something that keeps invaders out. EMT or fire rescue still let you do some real good too.

The point is there are a million other completely lawful outlets for the natural and manly desire to serve one's society and do some good that are a lot more effective than being a tool for some stooge politicians. You always hear some chucklehead or another on one gun board or another talking about rebelion this, come and get them that, cold dead hands, is it time yet?, blah blah blah. Empty words and pointless garbage. What makes a whole lot more sense is to stop playing games and start acting like Americans again. That means stop helping the politicians stab us in the back and start taking individual personal responsibility and taking active roles in our community again. It should be obvious to anybody that state run collectivism in any form is a bad joke for anybody who cares about the cause. Try this one on for size, is the second ammendment and individual or a group right?

The Coast Guard on average is probably your best bet if you're looking for a branch that still mostly gets used the way they should be. Of course that is changing and will continue to change as we get deeper and deeper into the paranoid security state mentality that is sweeping the nation but that's just life in our age. I have much respect for rescue swimmers.

 

[Old Dog]

Guess a post such as the following was inevitable:

B: Never, ever get used to actually defend the Constitution of the United States or defend freedom. Instead you'll get to watch as you pour your heart and soul into hoping and trying, probably losing a few really great friends along the way, and still seeing our supreme law of the land used for toilet paper while the weasels go nuts ripping our country apart.

Sorry, after more'n twenty years on active duty, I respectfully disagree. But then, to anyone who hasn't done it, they'll have no clue.

JCook, good luck with whatever route you take.

 

[R127]

Twenty years when? Because since the early 1900's we've lost a whole lot of rights and seen the constitution completely thrown in the garbage by our outlaw government. I don't have any disrespect for veterans but realistically the truth is the constitution has not been defended and the invaders have not been kept out.

Like I said, no disrespect for any individuals but the system is broke. The fix for unlawful government is not more government employees. It just doesn't work that way. A lot of good people had the right intentions and gave it their all but for various reasons the job simply did not get done and is not getting done. It is not reasonable to expect more of the same will suddenly start yielding different results. We have to be realistic and identify the fact that what we've been doing is ineffective and it's time to try something else.

 

[JCook5003]

Thanks for the advice so far guys keep it coming.

 

[O C]

Join Up

I don't care what branch you join, but join. When you get to a ripe old age you,ll be able to say" I did my part, and I'm proud of it."
If you're wanting to be treated good, forget it. The military ain't the place. If you want to grow up under adult supervision, join up.
If you want to go to your grave with the satisfaction of knowing you helped defend this great nation, join up.
If you want to kick in doors, the SEALS, Rangers, Special Forces,Marine RECON, AF Forward Controllers are looking for people, but join up.
If you want to see how many different kinds of people make up this nation, join up.
If you want to bitch and moan about how the higher ups don't know their ass from a hole in the ground, join up.
If your system can take bad food and large quantites of bad booze, join up.
If you want to stand tall, and salute the flag with a tear in your eye, and show the world what a ass whoopin' genuwine Red White and Blue AMERICAN looks like JOIN UP. And all who went before will pray for your safe return.

 

[Bezoar]

Go NAVY. Right now the coast guard is only looking for current or just retired Navy. Otherwise from what i can get from recruiters, is that unless you have a masters or bachelors degree, gooood look gettinga cg recruiter to talk to you. In the state of michigan, its a 6 month wait before you can get to see a coast guard recruiter.

 

[PressCheck]

I suggest the Coast Guard, or the Marine Corps.

 

[flynlr]

keeping the net running in the sand box? whats more fun then that?
Airforce.

 

[papajack]

I like the USAF, very egalitarian, as enlisted works with officers.

 

[dm1333]

Bezoar,

I don't know where you got that info about the CG only taking "current or just retired Navy" but that is not true.

R127,

Way off topic. Sounds like you have some dissatisfaction with our government but this thread is not the place to voice that.

 

[USMC - Retired]

I'm confused....


First you say you want to join the military....


Then you say your want to join the Coast Guard, Navy or Air Force...



Make up your mind. The military (USMC), or one of those three. You can't do both!

 

[R127]

R127,

Way off topic. Sounds like you have some dissatisfaction with our government but this thread is not the place to voice that.

Hardly. You give a huge chunk of your one and only life in this world to any employer you work for. The military is a branch of the government. How much of your life do you want to give to the government? Why does a military career look attractive? Is it for training, adventure, love of country, etc etc? These are basic fundamental questions a thinking man should ask himself about any job he might take up. If you care about things like liberty and the constitution there are some very serious issues with working for the government that need to be scrutinized and weighed. If you don't really care about that junk then it doesn't matter. Would you work for Digital Angel or Monsanto? Same thing. If somebody is about to give 4 to 8 years of their life to, and possibly even die for Hillary Clinton they should think about that before they jump in with both feet.

I'm not trying to tell JCook5003 or anybody else what to do with his life but I do feel he deserves to hear more than one side to such an important decision.

 

[Old Dog]

Gee, R127, almost sounds as though you're saying that those of us who serve, or have recently served, don't actually care bout the Constitution and things like [sic] liberty.

If you care about things like liberty and the constitution there are some very serious issues with working for the government that need to be scrutinized and weighed.

Frankly, I find your comments rather insulting in nature. As I stated in a previous post

But then, to anyone who hasn't done it, they'll have no clue.

USMC Retired, dunno if this thread is really the place to assert the "combat" superiority of one branch over the other. The young man was looking for real information, not the stale joshing about which branch is actually "the military." (from the former squid with 18 months boots-on-the-ground time in combat zones.)

 

[USMC - Retired]

Just a little friendly jabbin Old Dog. Not meant to be serious, sorry if it came off that way. (We really need a sarcasm smilie here)

I of course respect anyone who serves no matter the branch.

 

[Old Dog]

No worries, USMC Retired.

-- Will (USN 1979-2005, 2 tours with the USMC)

 

[R127]

Gee, R127, almost sounds as though you're saying that those of us who serve, or have recently served, don't actually care bout the Constitution and things like [sic] liberty.

Nope, that isn't the case at all. In fact I'd say a great many people who were or are in the military do care about the constitution and freedom. I have no beef with vets in general at all. I am saying that the actual realities of the situation is that the military as an institution simply does not and cannot defend freedom or the constitution. We can get extremely specific and document more than a century of this if you would like but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that it is obvious to most people that the constitution is pretty much irrelevant to our government these days and that our freedoms have been and are being systematically destroyed. I don't blame individuals in the military for that. Many of them were or are there because they were or are honestly trying to protect those things but like everything else we've tried so far it just didn't work out. Let's face it, the military is simply an enforcement branch of the government. Enforcing government will when the government is set against the constitution and freedom does not protect the constitution or freedom. When you dance with the devil the devil doesn't change.

What I am saying is that if a person wanted to join the military out of some desire to protect freedom and the constitution there are many other more effective avenues to explore. Obviously doing the same thing that has not worked before over and over again is not suddenly going to make it work now. We need to try something new.

As I have said before if that isn't your reason for wanting to seek employment in the military then none of that applies to you. If it is your reason then you need to think about it long and hard because what you are signing up for is to enforce the will of the government. In real terms that means you will be enforcing the will of the commander in chief, either Obama or Hillary, and a liberal socialist congress. If you have no problem with that then go for it. I for one do not want to lend my strength to those people.

 

[Nate C.]

I heartily recommend the Coast Guard. This branch fulfills traditional military roles in addition to homeland security (law enforcement / maritime security), environmental protection, and humanitarian assistance. Regardless of where your interests lie, the CG has something to offer. Due to the small size of the CG, the random Coastie tends to have more autonomy and authority than a service member of equivalent rank in another branch.

 

[JCook5003]

Wow thanks guys.....if nothing else I have learned once your a marine you definatley are until the day you die, thanks for all the advice so far I will let you know what I decide to do, I am going to talk to a CG recruiter on vacation next week.