im thinking about joining up in the future and im wonderin about army or air force...comments?

Question

as far as....coverage, income, responsibility, expectations, commitment time, any "inside" issues( beds, racism, etc) hygiene availibility and so one goes....

i wnet to ft stewart(a GA army base of the 3rd ID) and absolutely loved what i saw

COMMENTS? ADVICE? FEEDBACK?

plz answer expiacially if you have expierence or still is in the forces?

Answer 1

haha..air force for wimps...that's funny...lol

My husband is in the Army and we have a love/hate relationship with it.

Like any job, it has it's pros and cons...but we feel the pros outweigh the cons...military life suits us and we're good at it.

Let's see-in the Army...as a private, the pay is really low...but most privates are fresh out of high school or college and don't have a lot of bills or a family to support. Once you become an E-4 or E-5...the pay gets a lot better.

A soldier has complete medical and dental coverage...

Responsibility and expectations are going to vary with MOS (your job) and rank. But there are definately a lot more expectations and responsibilites in the military than in the civillian world. Time committment is going to very with job and rank. It's tough...but it's a good tough..ya know...something you can take pride in.

Ummm...not real sure what you want to know about beds and I'm white, so I cannot really speak about racism-since obviously I am not on the recieving end of it...but it is my understanding that the Army is diverse and is proud of their diversity. The Army has zero tolerance for racism...a soldier can get in big trouble for making racial slurs. The African-American and hispanic families I know have never really said anything about racism.

Actually-one of the things I like about the Army is the racial diversity...there are many bi-racial families in the Army and it is perfectly acceptable.

The military community is highly supportive one. The Army has tons of services and programs that cater to soldiers and their families. And living on post was a GREAT experience for us. There really is a sense of community and committment to your neighbors.

Hmmm...hygiene availability is not an issue...unless you are in the field or training...it's very likely you won't get a shower...they're trying to simulate a war time experience.

Gosh, I could go on and on about the perks.

As far as cons...well, there's the moving of course, There's the rigorous training...soldiers have to report for physical training at 6:30 in the morning and they usually don't get off until 4-6pm...again, that's gonna vary with job. The Army is very strict about appearances...uniforms, hair, hygiene, etc.

There's also the deployments and hardship duty stations (such as Korea...where my hubby is right now).

I think that being in the Army can bring out the best in a person.

You know...if it's something you really want to do...you could enlist for 4 years...a third or half of that time will be spent in training...that will suck...no getting around that...and if you like it...re-enlist, if not get out...consider it a life experience...not to mention the college money!!!! A lot of people get in for the college money and decide to stay in because they like it so much.

I hope you decide to join!!!! I hope it's right for you.

EDIT: about the Air force...there does seem to be the perception that they 'take care of their own' better than other branches...I dunno...but i have also heard that promotions are very slow in the AF.

Answer 2

I used to work for the military a few years ago. The Army were pretty much the physical guys. They were the ones that were deployed the most and had to work much harder. It did not matter if you were a grunt or pushing paper, you work harder. The Air Force guys had it made. They did not have to be deployed as often, and it is a much better branch of the military if you are looking for an education sometime in the future. The Army has more bases around the world than the Air Force, so they get to see a lot more of the planet. It all depends on what you are looking for. My uncle was in the Air Force, now he has 2 doctorates and a whole lot of other degrees, never left the U.S. I have friends in the Army and they have been to Germany, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Italy, and Fort Irwin, California. One just went back to Afghanistan for the 3rd time a couple of months ago, and my other friend is going to Iraq in one month. Hope that helps some.

Answer 3

I've never met a Marine, Soldier, or Sailor that did not absolutely love the living conditions that the Air Force enjoys. That's why they think we are "soft" because we don't dig our beds and live in field conditions all the time. Educational benefits are excellent as well.

Pay is the same regardless of service, based on rank. Responsibility is different depending on the service, and also on the jobs within each service. Promotions are harder to come by in the AF vs. other services, its also hard to lose rank in the AF than the other services. Promotion difficulty comes from others in the service that are highly knowledgeable in their respective fields, and those are the ones you compete against for promotion.

The AF doesn't have field exercises as much as, say the Army. We are a smaller force, and many people work outside the "combat zone" in support roles vs. actual eye-to-eye with the enemy. Although there are jobs that take you in the line of fire as an enlisted person. We send our Officers out to do our fighting, in that sense, I'd say were are smarter.. or dumber for sending our future leaders to fight and possibly die.

In the Air Force, Enlistments are for 4 or 6 years, your choice.

In the Air Force, your chances of finding a job that equates to a civilian job is probably easier. Not a lot of jobs for retired infantrymen in the civilian market.

Answer 4

I've been where you are, so hopefully this will be of some help to you.

Originally I wanted to go Air Force, and most of my family told me to do that. After time speaking with both recruiters I found a few main differences.

1. Army will write your job into your contract(you have to push for it, and don't sign if it isn't there). Air Force will give you a job "field" which is an extremely broad range of jobs.

2. Army will let you choose your first duty station, based on the needs of the Army. In my case I was give 3 choices, or CONUS(anywhere in the states). Air Force wouldn't offer me this.

3. Air Force has a higher standard of living, ie they get nicer barracks.

Pay and benefits are all the same, though Army is said to promot faster(I had a few ex-Air Force guys in one of my units, they came over because they couldn't go up in the AF). With faster promotion also comes faster demotion. IE Army gives it faster, but will take it away faster as well.

For me I went with Army, because knowing what job I was going to do was the most important thing for me. I also wanted choice of station, I didn't really care where I was going, I just wanted to know before I signed up.

I hope that's usefull for you, as always sit down with the recruiters and hear what they have to say. But remember, if it isn't in writing, you don't get it. Make sure you read that contract and understand each line before you sign it. That's not just with the military, that's with everything that requires a signature on it.

Answer 5

I was in the army, Master sergeant, 2nd battalion, 1st armored, and it was tough, but they treated me well, After I made staff sergeant I began to get respect, and it went well. there were a lot of rough times. Being that I was a Tanker, I was always on the front lines and it was very rough, always the first to go. My father served in the Air Force and said that it was much better treatment. When they flew, it was in a 747, when we flew it was in a bouncing turbulent C-130. We slept in tents and My father stayed in hotels. Their food was better , and the money was better even if you were in the reserves. He was active duty. If I were you I would join the Air Force. If you want to drive tanks or pond the ground with artillery or want to be a ranger, Special forces Etc. Then join the army. If you want to make money and live in luxury then join the air force. Don't get me wrong, the air force is still a hard branch, but they seem to get better treatment Sometimes.

Answer 6

Ft Stewart is where my uncle lives (He works for them now....he is a "retired" Marine) And despite how hard the training looks I say GO FOR IT!!! Any kind of military, army or whatever will strip you down from ALL your pride, but will build you with so much courage and confidence and mental ability it is AMAZING!!! It's a lot of fun, and there is no racism or anything like that.....One thing about Hygene...you'll learn how to take a shower and get dressed in less than 5 minutes!!!! You get 2 mins to take a shower and 3 to get dressed!!! If you decide to do it I say Good Luck and Have Fun!

Answer 7

Don't join any branch. Stay home and get a real job. If you join you will be fighting for a government that doesn't care about you. You wont be serving America or fighting for America instead you will be fighting for George Bush Inc. and their interests.

Be smart and keep your distance from the miitary.
Oh keep in mind that the recruiters are just salesmen interested only in numbers. They will tell you anything and promise you anything to get you to sign up.

Answer 8

What do you want to do? All branches have the same medical coverage, pay rates etc. A medical equipment repair specialist is more likely to sleep between sheets than a Ranger, SEAL, Marine Recon or Special Forces soldier.

Figure out what you are qualified to do, then figure out what you want to do. Then do it.

Answer 9

I would say army. My husband has been in for 11 years now and loves it. He says the airforce is for wimps. I don't have any personal knowledge but from what he says go army.

Answer 10

Value your life and don't join. Value it even more and get an education. Your abysmal spelling and grammar only reinforces the widely held notion that the military are targeting the young, uneducated and disadvantaged in their recruitment drives!!!