ENTERING THE AIRFORCE....stationing etc...?

Question

My son ,who is 19 years, intelligent but needs a match under him right now, is interested in the Airforce. As a "Mom" my fear is his stationing of course, also basic sign up years and all. And the quality of the education and experience. I am familiar with Army and the Marines. I back our troops and our Country's need for a well trained armed force but the whole idea terrifies me-does he have any control? My husband says his scores on the test and such help?

Answer 1

Mom, I am retired from Air Force after 23 years, My son is in the AF and my daughter is in AF. If you have any questions regarding the AF e-mail me at [e-mail]

I was an AF recuiter for 7 years and the AF is a great way to go. I would be happy to answer any question but not in this format here. Good luck!!

Answer 2

My husband, who joined the air force when he was 19, is now stationed in Ramstein, Germany. He loves it..and where we are there is no danger. Most of the time troops have to deploy for 4-6 months, but really they aren't in any danger. The Army and Marines are the ones who are doing the shooting over there. Air Force helps to maintain the bases that troops are deployed to. Basic training is not that difficult, and then he has to go to tec school for a few months depending on what job he gets. Some people sign up for 4 years, or 6 years. If you sign up for six you get an stripe for rank, which also gives you more money in your pay check. I know its probably really scary for you, but it is a really good experience to get out on his own and see the world, or just the US.

Answer 3

Matt F - I have been in the AF for 10 yrs and some of the things you said are not quite true. You are not obligated to serve a year overseas, though it is great. I spent 5 of my first 6 years overseas. Also, no test score influences you base options; that is all left up to the people at the Air Force Personnel Center. And you dream sheet of bases has little to no bearing on where you will be assigned. And finally, in tech school, you will not be segragated into classes of those who are going overseas and those who are not. You will be in a class with people who arrived at or near the same time and as you get closer to graduation you will get order; some overseas and some CONUS.

Answer 4

I am former military and agree that you should email the retired gentleman who left his email address. The AF is by far the best branch of our military. Basic training is not a cake walk and is not based on just physical conditioning. We also participate in a lot of class room activities and take graded exams. Lackland AFB in San Antonio has a great climate. I stayed in Texas for job training and then went to Charleston AFB, SC. My AF experiences were wonderful and I've missed being a part of such a wonderful institution. I'm sure that your son would enjoy his experiences as well and I hope that you support him in his decisions as my parents supported me more almost 20 years ago.

Don't forget, email the retired gentleman. He'll be able to give you great information.

Answer 5

First off, i would like to say that it is nice to see that there are others willing to still join the military after all that is going on. I'm enlisted with the Air Force and will be leaving for bootcamp during the summer. During basic training he will be stationed at Lackland Air Base in San Antonio Texas for six weeks, upon completion of that we will then report to tech school for follow on training with his particular job. While at tech school, he will be in a class that will be assigned to be stationed overseas or in a class that will be stationed in the states. The Air Force has one of the best educational beneifits around. Once he recieves his certificate of enlistment, he will also recieve a certificate of acceptance into the Community college of the Air Force. Your husband is kind of right by saying that his scores will help on where he will be stationed but no matter if he is stationed in the states or not, he still has to complete at least one year of overseas duty. He can choose to break it up into two six month tours or he can do it in one shot and get it done with. His basic sign-up years is a minimum of 4 years, he can choose to do longer. Like me, i have a(n) 8 yr. contract set up with the Air Force. He has some control, when he gets to basic, the MTI'S will let him write down a list of his top ten bases he would like to be stationed at. one list for state-side and another for overseas. One of the Air Forces' core values is " Excellance in all we do" so your son will have a nice educational background, and the experiance given to him, he will be able to use as a civilian. His training will bump him up to the top of the list for any job opening due to his military training.

Answer 6

Hi the stationing of armed forces personel can depend on your son's choosing after basic trg etc. he should then be offereda number of options for postings, however if he excels and i hope he does he may be required to go anywhere in the world.

He may be able to ask for specific postings i.e close to home but there has to be circumstances. But in theses troubled times even though he is staioned in the uk chances are he may be off to a conflict zone. This should not deter him from joining. I was in the Army and travelled. it's a great vocation. If you are concerned furhter why not go to yuor local recruiting office where staff will be able to sit down with you all and answer any questions truthfully and honesty. Good luck to your son

Answer 7

Get EVERYTHING in writing! Guaranteed jobs and everything thing that is important to you. Ignore all verbal promises. Be aware that for the most part the GI bill is like a forced savings plan. They take your money out of your check, then they give it back plus a little more, much like if you had just saved the money in a savings account yourself.

You can maybe try to get stationed at a training base to avoid conflict and to stay domestic, but when you are a member of the armed forces, you go where they say you go.

Answer 8

hi was in the Navy---tell him to pick the field with the longest schooling---if hes smart look into computers--experimental fields(lasers, radars etc). right now air plane mechanics aren't in high demand and pilots wages are falling but both are interesting fields. tell him if he joins to practise spit shining with polish on a shoe, practise on a twin bed folding hospital corners and making the bed up (2 sheets wool blanket) tight as he can, and shave his head before he gets to boot camp so the drill guys cant tease him:) little things that make boot camp a little more ....fun:)also don't pick Hawaii if he has the choice---hell be low pay and every things high price including the beer:)

Answer 9

the best choice. Basic is cake, in Texas. Depending on his desires and test results he can signup for a guaranteed career field. Very little influence on stationing, he'll almost always be stateside first assignment.