If you join the army or navy, does that mean that you have to go to war?

Question

i know NOTHING about the army or the navy, so please don't call me stupid for asking.

I have wondered this. If someone joins the army or something, what does that mean? Do they go to war, or can you join the army as something else... like an accountant or something.

thanks for the help

first answer really answered my question. thanks

this is all really good info! i wish i could give 10 points to all of you

Answer 1

you can be assigned alot of jobs, but there are accountants in Iraq right now, there are cooks there, truck drivers, every job, they move entire bases there.

So you will have to learn to fight, go though basic training, the only people exempt from having to fight are the chaplains.

So no matter what the job, you can be assigned in a war zone.

Answer 2

Yes and no.

When you sign up for military service, in any branch, you are committing to go to war if asked to do so. The Army has been making a particular point of this the last few years in training. Everyone, whether they are infantry or a cook, is a rifleman {non-gender specific} first.

Especially with the new modes of conflict, many roles that were not traditionally "going to war" can have risks just the same.

You can be an accountant, and many other jobs that are not "actual" combat arms, but your first training is combat arms and you have to be prepared to implement that training.

Answer 3

Having been in the Army, I can attest that being on land on pay day can have its advantages. I personally don't think I could take the close quarters and the isolation of being on a ship for 6 months at a time. As far as your comment concerning "no chance of dying" you might want to check out the Iraq fatalities for the past several years... It's not just soldiers that are dying overseas. Being in the Navy, you can also be stationed at Marine bases... depending on what job you do. Don't think I'd want to be around that type of element very long either.

Answer 4

Yes, If you join the U.S. Army and pass BCT and AIT training, it DOES mean that you can be deployed ANYWHERE the U.S Army wants you to be. I don't care if the Army trains you as a toothbrush bristle cleaner, you are fair game to be deployed, and even though they train you as a toothbrush bristle cleaner, nothing says they can't send you to Iraq and make you an 11B infantryman or any other damn thing they want you to be at the time, because by virtue of joining the army and going through Basic Combat Training, EVERYONE, I repeat, EVERYONE has a primary MOS of Infantry!That is NOT to say it WILL happen, but it COULD happen. Get it? Got it? GOOD!

Answer 5

Not necessarily. You would go where the military sends you. A lot of it would depend on what type of work you would be doing in the service. Once you sign your name on the dotted line, you are theirs until the contracted time runs out, and even after then there is a time period that the military could restate you.
The military is a fine career. There are many great Americans serving our country. Good luck.

Answer 6

There are many jobs that the army recruits for and not all of them are combat jobs. You can be a doctor, cook, or accountant, lawyer, etc. IF there is a war, then many times you would be stationed in that area, but not in a combat role, so you wouldn't be seeing combat, but doing your job in a war zone. It just depends on what you sign up for.

Answer 7

There are NO guarantees. However, in the Navy you have little chance of seeing actual combat. You might be in the area at sea. The army or U.S. Marines have a better chance of being in combat. In Iraq, unfortunately, there are no FRONT LINES, so even our women who are in Iraq in a support mission can most likely see combat.
(USN/retired)

Answer 8

You don't have to go to war, but you volunteer for it by accepting training. You'll meet people who haven't deployed in 30 years. On the other side, you see people deploy right out of training.

Answer 9

If your deployed you have to go to war, but the army has other positions, but if your told to go, you have to go, but not everyone in the army fights if that is what you meant.

Answer 10

There are many jobs in the military, but if you're not willing to go to a dangerous area you shouldn't join.