What advice do you have for someone who wants to join the army?

Question

I cant seem to find a website with the opinions of actual soldiers about the army and I dont really know anyone personally. Please dont give me your opinion about the war or politics because I dont really care but I would like to know if anyone has personal advice good or bad on their experiences or if they know a non-biosed web site I could check out. Thanks

Answer 1

Joining the military might be one of the most important decisions  you ever make in your life. I know young men who had to get out because the stress was more then they ever imagined. I also know ones that are ready to go back to Iraq because they believe in what they are doing. Ask yourself why do you want to join? Are you prepared to die for what you believe in? Could you live your life with a happy face if you lost a arm or leg? Some real tough questions to ask yourself and I hope you make the right decision for you. God bless and good luck.

Answer 2

don't do It go join the navy if you want to join the military ,why you may ask am i saying this because my hubby went blue to green and compared to the navy the army sucks big fat donkey d***

Answer 3

Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut.  Do whatever you can as well as you can.  Take pride in the uniform you're wearing and remember who you represent.  If/when you become a NCO try to emulate the good ones you knew while you were coming up.  Your Soldiers welfare should come before your own.  Take care of your people and they'll take care of you.  It's easy to become discouraged at times dealing with poor leadership or idiots.  Just remember that nothing lasts forever and it could always be worse.   Remeber that being motovated isn't about being loud or the hair cut that you have, it's about focusing on and accomplishing your mission.

You may want to check out www.military.com  All of the forums regardless of branch of service are full of AD and veterans who have worked many different MOS in many different places.

Answer 4

stay motivated, the military is designed to weed out the weak to find the strong to be able to accomplish the mission. Been in the army for 3 years now, been to iraq on my way to afganistan in a few months. It has been the best decision i have ever made.

If you have other opportunitys like collage or a chance to work for a good company that will benifit you over time then you should try other things than the military. But if you were like me, where those things werent an option then i would do it.

the army is what you make of it, if you let it it will turn you into a strong person capable of achiving any goal possible. or it can chew you up and spit you out.

Answer 5

don't believe anything your reqruter says if he/she says something you like tell him you want that in writing, if it's true he/she should have no problem  giving it to you.  the other thing is at basic and AIT lay low the less attention you attract the better, KP and Fire watch/gaurd duty gets old real quick.  The Army is a good life and has good benefits after service.  I'm a disabled veteran and still would do it all over again.

I served for 19 years both active duty and National Guard.  The Guard is the best unless you need the full time job or want to leave the area you live in.

Good Luck I'm sure you'll do ok what ever you choose.

Answer 6

I am a combat veteran of Viet Nam. I wish I had gone to the Peace Corp, instead of carrying all this baggage of war, and finding out as today's soldiers will find out, it was all for naught, but for someones ego. War is the failure of diplomacy.

Answer 7

The army can be tough depending on what kind of person you are. Most of the time, it's not a physical tough, but emotional. The army will do what they want with you without looking back. They split me and my husband up after promising they wouldn't. He's in Korea, I'm in Kentucky. It'll be 14 months apart by the time he gets home, and a few months after that, I'm set to get deployed, and he stays here. So more time apart. Things like that can get kind of hard. Other than that, day-to-day activities aren't bad. Go to work, come home, do what you want. It's not bad.. I guess.

Answer 8

Do a lot of running before leaving for Basic. It helps build muscular and cardiovascular endurance, which comes in handy for morning PT and field exercises when you're rushing to clear buildings / securing areas with full gear on.

Definitely work on your pushups and situps too which will help prepare you to pass your PT test and also build up your strength / endurance in those areas as well. Be sure to stretch a lot and drink plenty of fluids before a workout, especially running.

Beyond that you just have to get used to being hot, sweaty, dirty, uncomfortable and being forced to wait around for the next "thing to do" to happen.

Also you need to go prepared mentally. Your DS and Instructors may come down on you hard and call you all sorts of stuff, but they are just doing it to make you better / stronger. I rolled with it and a much easier time than the guys who took that stuff personally. Don't get into any fights either with your fellow soldiers, believe me it can happen A LOT in Basic and always remember that after you graduate, you'll probably never see those people again.  

Also during downtime, you need to have something to do otherwise time will stretch on FOREVER. I want to write a book some day so while I was in BCT waiting around I'd be day dreaming plots / events / characters etc and writing down the more interesting stuff on my little notebook I carried in my shoulder pocket.

It's a big change. You life will be controlled by other people during training, what you can eat and where you can go etc. Creature comforts go out the window and there's no time for you to be having a bad day, just keep on moving and get it over with.

There will be hard times during training where you just want to quit, mine were mainly during the long distance runs and 15km+ roadmarchs and I'd just have to keep my mind off of it by thinking of my family. I remember I failed my final PT test in Basic and we were allowed one makeup test right before graduation. I took a pacer and I told him to talk to me about something or cuss me out to p**s me off the whole way and it worked. Needed a 17:30 to pass, and my pacer kept me going strong that I came it at 15:40, not bad for a former couch potatoe.

It's crazy! Let me know if you have any more questions. Feel free to email.

Answer 9

Don't. Join the coast guard instead. HTTP://WWW.gocoastguard.com...

trust me, you'll like it better.

Answer 10

The army was wonderful for me and my family. I served 22 years on active duty. I will tell you what I told my troops about re-enlisting.

Some Can, Some Can't. Some should, and some shouldn't.  Now you tell me which is you?

Answer 11

Hi, I too am joining the Army, and I have been talking with someone who has been in for 7 years. Here email is [e-mail]  tell her that you have some questions, and she will be really willing to tell you her experiences and guide you in the right direction.

Good luck!

Answer 12

DONT!!!!   Women have a 1 in 3 chance of being seXually assaulted,... by their own troops!  and when you try to report your assailant/love interest, they basically shut you down and sweep it under the rug cuz, it hurts RECRUITING!  dig the vicious cycle?...

juCollege is almost free for God's sake!! you're better off getting yourself into school .....

Answer 13

if you can wake up early in the morning, run, and have the drive, you will make it just fine