okay, now i have another question?

Question

i'm joining the army, and i asked before about people's experiences, got lots of really interesting responses. (i appreciate them all good or bad after all i asked for experiences right. i really appreciate everyones honesty). but now i have another question. what is the difference in the air force, navy, army, marines? i mean like in pay and benefits, etc....................... i only ask because a couple people advised me to join the navy or air force.

WELL SASSIKATZ or what ever your name is. that's ONE reason to join, dah!!! who doesn't work for PAY!!! go back home to your parents and live in comfort. I ON THE OTHER HAND don't have that priveledge!! so mind your own business!! by the way, what would you join for?? well you wouldn't join would you!! all talk aren't you.

Answer 1

Each branches do different stuff. It all depends. They say AF has easier basic training. It all depends. Just join any branch and do the most you can. I'm in the army and I like it. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Unlike keat27 who had NEVER been in any branch to advise you one way or another, the pay and benifits are the same for all 5 branches(you forgot Coast Guard). The only way it differs is if you're in the officer ranks such as myself. If you're joining based on pay, then you're in for a harsh lesson since the military doesn't pay very well. Being Navy myself, I don't really advise anyone to join the Army. Not too much room for civilian employment with them. I come from a large military family and all of us are serving in the main 4 branches (both as enlisted and officers). So i guess the main question would be what are you looking for by joining? If it's for training in something that will transition well to the civilian world, then I'd have to say Navy or Air Force, although the Navy travels more than any other branch.

Answer 3

The basic pay and benefits package for all four services is exactly the same, since it is set by the Department of Defense. Each branch may have some different options, such as enlistment bonuses, based on what they need. I believe, but I am not sure, that the Army has the best array of enlistment bonuses right now since they are the ones having the most trouble getting their recruiting goals.

Other than that, there are the intangible benefits from each service, such as attitude, duty assignment, and how they treat their people. The general consensus is that the Air Force has the best treatment, including barracks rooms, work shifts, and food. I am not sure if this is true since I have seen both good and bad in the Army.

One important consideration would be where you want to be stationed. For example, if you want to go to Germany, you need the Air Force or Army, but if you want England, the Air force is way easier than the Army to get there. Stateside, look at the posts near where you want to live since there are bases for all of the branches in lots of locations.

I strongly recommend the Army, but it really is personal bias. I served 8 years there, with 1 year in the Marine Corps first. I have two kids in the Army now, also.

Answer 4

The pay scale is exactly the same in each of the services. You are paid based on your E rating (rank). The only additional pay may be hazardous duty pay, when you are in a war zone.

The navy and the air force may keep you out of harm's way, depending on your MOS, but lately even these services are pulling duty in hazardous pay zones, too.

Which service to join, is an individuals decision to make. Most often, people join a certain branch because a relative served in that branch. They all have there advantages and disadvantages. If you are looking for a better than average physical challenge, consider the Marine Corps. If you want to see the world in the comfort of a destroyer, join the Navy. If being around aircraft, or flight operations appeals to you, join the air force. The army, being the largest branch, has many jobs from which to choose.

Each branch will try to match you up with certain talents you may bring to the table. In any case, you will learn to shoot.

Answer 5

That's simple... as a US Marine I can tell you that we are promoted much slower then other services. So it is simple to say... lower rank=lower pay. In the army, you should be able to pick up much quicker then the Marines or Navy. I'm not really sure about the Air Force. That's it for pay. On the other hand you have the benefits. Army gives a lot of benefits such as signing bonuses and such. Especially now that all branches are hurting for recruits. For medical training you should join the Navy where they will help pay for medical school. And for the many comforts in life..... on base or in the field.... join the Air force.

Answer 6

Ok here's the deal. It really depends on what you want. Personally, I would never tell anyone to join the USN unless they are gay. I mean, you REALLY have to like men--especially if you get sub duty. I pity anyone who joins the Navy without knowing what they are getting into. Any kind of ship duty can be miserable. The ONLY reason to join the Navy (enlisted I mean) is to go Nuclear--that is great training and it translates into good experience after you get out.

The USMC is another one that I would never join. I mean, again there are some exceptions, but basically, the marines are trained to obey and die. It is not what I would call the "thinking man's" service. I may get a lot of Semper Fi flack for saying it, but they teach Army Rangers how to fight. They teach Marines how to die, and their benefits (from what I remember) are not as good as the Army's.

The USAF probably has the cushiest life, but they also don't have the best benefits. Their food, bases and such are usually the best though. So if you are going career, USAF is not a bad way to go.

Finally, you have the Army. They have great college bennies, pay the best, promote the fastest. I wouldn't suggest going infantry, but other than that, it is a pretty good life assuming you aren't constantly in the field.

But...the bottom line is...right now, the U.S. is stuck in a quagmire in Iraq. There is a STRONG likelyhood you will end up over there being shot at for really no reason. Despite the rhetoric of the Bush administration, the occupation of Iraq is not WWII...it's hit or miss whether we should pull out right now, and we certainly shouldn't have gone in in the first place. So, you will be trained, guaranteed college money, and very very likely you will be sent into a dangerous combat zone for 4 years, and can be kept there for at least 8 years. I can't tell you how strongly I think this is a bad idea. I would recommend biting the bullet now and going to college via loans. Even going ROTC and hoping for a scholarship is better than signing 8 years of your life away. At least you give yourself 4 years for things to straighten out in the middle east.

Answer 7

I have 5 years & 9 months of Navy experience.
Differences between the branches are their resources, their jobs, & type of training.
Pay is the same in all the branches.

Army does a lot of frontline work. Right now, they are the people who get sent to Iraq more often.
Navy, ships are their specialty. They get sent on 6+ months deployments. They are long distance fighters. Navy do their things from a distance & avoid a fight whenever possible. (He who fights & runs away lives to fight again another day) I rather run, live, come back & win instead of staying & die.
Air Force, their specialty is the skies. Don't know much about their stuff.
Marines, they do a lot of frontline work, too, but they sometimes get a lot closer. To me, they're a version of the Army who works with the Navy.

One thing about the Navy & Air Force i've noticed, more women join them than the Army or Marines.

Answer 8

Pay and beneifts are DoD wide. The pay scale covers every member of the Armed Forces. as to certain benefits (housing allowance, COMRATS, COLA, etc) that will be determined by your command and wherever you are stationed.

Answer 9

Unfortunately I do not know personally; have you asked the various offices (army, navy etc.) about their benefits etc.?

Answer 10

If its just about $$$$ you're joining for the wrong reason!