Planning on to enlisting...?

Question

I'm planning to enlist in the US Military (MarineCorps or Navy) and I'm 13... Why do people think I'm stupid or weird or wanting to enlist?

Is it because of my age group or just general preference of the public?

I mean I'm planning onto enlisting when I'm 18 ... lol... 13 year old infrantry... I have to see that someday...

Answer 1

Please know your chances of flying a plane for any branch of the military is slim to none. They do series of tests and exclude all but a tiny portion of the applicants. They won't tell you that though, until you are signed up. Then it'll be swabbing the poop deck or peeling potatoes for you.

Before you join the military please know that many members of the military are paid only once a month and the wages are laughably low.

Then please know they sometimes send your paychecks to the wrong accounts and don't fix it until a few months later, because in the uniformed services, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. Not everything is computerized and fixing things is slow.

They will even send you incorrect orders. My personal favorite was when they sent us orders to go to Korea just 2 days before our wedding, when we were really in the middle of an educational delay. It took several days to clear it up. We had to fax delay orders to 6 different people and we had angry brass calling us on our honeymoon. "Honey, General Sphincter is on the line again- he wants a hard copy of your original orders sent to him no later than 2 days. We'll have to overnight it!" Overnight = $20 for their f'ing mistake!

If they overpay you, they will just rip that money back out of your account before you even get the notification letter in the mail, so you have all kinds of bounced checks.

You will be told you get a pay increase so you sign up for more time, and then don't get an increase. When your time is up, now they are keeping soldiers "indefinitely" because so few people will sign up during a war. They have the right to keep you far far beyond your contractual period.

Crime on the bases is high because soldiers are paid low wages and some are on welfare. They never catch the theives. Expect your stuff to be broken into many times a year. Don't leave things out in your car. Put locks on all the doors of your living quarters.

Please know that when you enlist, you are not given all you need in the field, even just for simple field exercises. You may have to invest $1,000 for basics like a field flashlight, camel pack water backpack, extra socks and fatigues, walkie talkies, flea collars to put around your ankles (sand fleas), and the list goes on...

Please know that, as a soldier of any stripe, you must undergo a series of relatively new and unknown innoculations that have proved in the past to make men sick. When you complain, and have proof, your claim to benefits will be denied.

Please know that when you enlist you will be exposed to toxins and your superiors may keep this from you, which is related to the above warning.

The tips of US munitions are now being made out of depleted uranium. When they go off, the area all around the explosions are filled with uranium particle dust which goes into the lungs and causes all kinds of symptoms, like asthma and numerous neurological problems. They don't give you a face mask. In fact, they tell you it is harmless, but if you check the radiation levels of the air particulates near Iraq post bombing, you can see the elevated levels. The particles even drifted over Europe and lowered their air quality ratings. Google the halflife of uranium. It's in the hundreds of thousands of years.

At the beginning of this current Iraq war, our president signed into law huge cuts in veteran's benefits. He just wants to show all you soldiers how he supports your hard work out there in the 120F Iraqi sun.

You will be asked to do things that are against your morals. You will not be able to avoid them. You may be forced to kill people you personally know for certain are innocent. You will feel hot, bored, desperate, freaked and sad. Not in that order.

You will have hardship tours of long periods without your family friends and loved ones.

Girls around the bases have many vd's.

Please know that whatever the recruiter tells you, it is surely to be at minimum 100 times worse. The recruiter is not paid to play tictactoe with you. He is to say whatever it takes to get you to sign.

Please know that when you are a member of the services, your body becomes just "government property" and you are treated as such. You are made to swear an oath stating just that during induction ceremonies. If you have any grain of personal pride and human dignity, you may want to think about that.

While it's fun to shout WHOOAH! and dress in fatigues, the US military offers no real benefits. Sorry kid. They will leave you high and dry. Legless and poor, with nervous ticks like eye twitching.

Answer 2

I'm sure no one really thinks you are stupid. It's just that you are young and to us older folks (I'm only 20!) that remember what it is like to be your age, it is kind of early for you to think you have a definite plan for the future. Your priorities may change before you reach the legal age to trian in the Military. Don't let what other people say affect how you feel about your interests or what you want for your future. Also don't close yourself up from other options or opportunities that may come your way throughout your high school career. Sometimes college is a very good option before joining the military (you get paid more!) do some research and talk to some recruiters! (but remember, some recruiters will say many vague and encouraging things to get you to join!) Just make sure you and your future will be getting the best deal!

Answer 3

I don't think you're weird OR stupid.

My dad knew he wanted to join the Navy when he was your age -- and that's just what he did, and he bacame a fighter pilot just after his 19th birthday and flew the most advanced airplane of his day. After his Navy service he then spent 30+ years flying for the airlines, having fun and seeing the world and making some major income. It certainly was a good choice for him! His brothers (my uncles) also enlisted as soon as they turned 18, and learned trades at which they have all been quite succesful (they are machinists, communications specialists, and industrial electricians). I myself joined the Navy when I was 20, as soon as I had completed my Associates degree. It was the smartest carreer move I ever made, their training was great and I've been using it ever since -- today I am a professional Electronics and Software Engineer.

Make sure that you (1) finish High School, and (2) have at least some idea what you want to do, both in the military and in civilian life afterwards. You will get the most out of your military years if you go into them with a goal or at least a general direction in mind. If you are going to go into the technical specialties, try to get at least some college under your belt too -- it makes the military schools a little bit easier.

A lot of people are going to be negative just because they can't let go of their own personal partisan politics. I had to put up with the same thing in my day. You can ignore them, they were wrong then (and when my Dad enlisted, just before the Viet Nam War really got going, and when my uncles enlisted, smack in the middle of the Viet Nam war) and they are wrong now.

Some people in your family will be worried about your safety (same happened to my dad, my uncles, and myself) especially in the world's more tumultuous times. They don't understand what a great move it can be and how much it can help you in life, they just see the risks. I enlisted during the Reagan years and all my mom could think about was that I was going to get killed. She never considered just how much discipline, focus, and drive it would give me -- you'd think she would what with my dad and his brothers, but that's a mom's job, to worry about her kids.

Anyway, I'm proud of you already! Hopefully some day I'll see you in the street in your dress uniform and I'll buy you lunch and say "Thanks for having the guts to carry on the tradition of service!"

Answer 4

Don't make any decisions now bud.. your young yet and you may chang your mind by the time your 18. Even if you are 18 make absolutly sure it is what you want to do. Do alot of background check on exactly what job you want and why you want it, and by all means don't listen to recruiters... You've prolly heard it before but all they want is your name on the dotted line and little else... for the most part it's true.
When you do decide to do it make sure you have someone who knows somthing about the military helping you along the way (uncle, dad, big brother) the worst thing you can possibly do is make your decisions yourself with the recruiter,,, they have this way of imposing their will on you.
The only way you can be stupid and enlist is if you do it carelessly without doing the research and have your choices dictated to you by some recruiter. Last warning I'll give to you is to make absolutly sure when your signing your final contract that every thing you want is in it and in writing... NEVER TRUST WORD OF MOUTH ANSWERS ! IF IT'S NOT IN WRITING YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT.

Answer 5

zard25, I fired off an email on what I hope is your Yahoo! address. I applaud you 100% for telling it like it is. I had more than a good laugh over everything you described in detail.

Of course, there are moments when you're glad you're in the service, but then reality catches up with you fast. Despite that, I'm still in and staying. Can't catch a better war than this, and there's really no other game like it in town.

And Questioner, it's good to have ambition, but like everything in life you have to be ready for it. At the minimum, prepare to push yourself physically now so your career won't stutter later for being unfit. Challenge yourself academically so your test scores are high and your promotions are on time or better. And learn to ditch expectations. Nothing you see in the movies will remain relevant. Not even someone who is just three years out of the service will be able to give you 100% of the picture. The military changes that quickly, though many things remain timeless.

Excuse me, I have to readjust to 50F temperatures now. Big drop from living with 90-120F for a whole year. Have a good one, Questioner.

And you too, zard25.

Answer 6

Hey im 14 so i no how it feel when people are like your stupid for saying to want to do something great. Its the war and people who dont believe in it are asses. You might change your mind but its a great oppurtinuty to life. My brother is in the Marines. Go for the Marines!!!!!!!! Also, my brother got the ideal when he was in 8th grade to go into the Navy seals. Then he changed his mind a bit, but now he is a Marine. I think he made up his mind by going to recruiters, so i woudl do that. O yeah its not a bad plan starting to look to see what you want to do with you life. Have you seen how many people are jobless because they dont no what to do? SO stick with it and dont let anyone make you mind up and five years arent that far away, and you could join when you 17 or 16 if you wanted to.

Answer 7

Well, if you truly want to do that, more power to ya. But remember, 5 years is a lot, don't be suprised if you change your mind and don't set it in stone right away. You don't want to end up doing something you really weren't meant for just because of some childhood illusion that you'd want to be that person. You aren't stupid or wierd for wanting to enlist. People have no right to say that unless they themselves have enlisted, and even so, they aren't you. It's your choice, and hopefully 5 years down the road you'll choose the best option for yourself.
If you're absolutely sure about this being what you want for yourself, that's great. Use that to motivate yourself to make the right choices now. Don't be flunking classes, getting girls pregnant, breaking the law, getting drunk and stoned, those sorts of things. It takes a special kind of person, one of honour and integrity, to join the U.S armed forces.
Best of luck to you.

Answer 8

One step at a time,

Your still a boy enjoy being one work hard at your education, focus on graduating from High School with good grades then go to College and University when your your 20 or 21 and you've thought real real hard the reasons why you want to join the military if you still think you've got it mentally and physically ok but once your off that bus they are going to boot your *** and really test you to the limit it's going to be go go go.

Don't join unless your doing it for the right reasons and have
thought through it clearly.

Answer 9

People think you're stupid because they do not understand what drives you to do it. They are too caught up in politics to understand that fighting for your country is one of the most noble things a man can do. Join the Marines. Navy's just a corporation. Marines, are a family.

Answer 10

you receives stuck because it quite is on your list with the cruise line or maybe as they do your historic past research they are going to locate it. It you're intense you disclose the meth use, you receives a waiver for drug use and also you'll be saved from being a medic. do no longer lie about elementary stuff like this because it is going to likely be discovered and in case you'll get a waiver for it why might want to you threat mendacity.

Answer 11

Good for you kid! I knew by your age that I wanted to serve also, I enlisted in the Marines in '79 when the Iranians took our embassy people hostage. I went in right out of high school and I'm glad because I got all my wildness out and then went to trade school. Keep the faith