Do I have a say where I go within Infantry?

Question

I am enlisting into the US army active duty as an infantryman soldier. Do I have a say what division I will end up in? If I go airborne do I have a say if I be put in the 82nd or 101rst? If I stay strictly infantry do I have a say if i get put in the 10th Mountain... or the "Big Red One" 1rst infantry, or the 2nd, 3rd, etc?? What will happen to me after basic training and where will I go...?

My main goal is to become an airborne Ranger. I know I have to do airborne to even be able to go to Ranger school, but If I dont pass Ranger school am I then stuck in an airborne division? Or can I still be in a normal Infantry division and just have a nice airborne pin....

Do NOT give me bull **** about dieng, or being foolish or anything...

Answer 1

where ever you go ,serving in the armed forces is honorable

Answer 2

No you do not!

You go to AIT! I suspect you will be followed closely there! You can apply for Jump School and Ranger Training at Ft Benning, bit few get in and the ones that do are the cream of the crop generally! It will not only be based on physical toughness, but mental toughness as well, and you ability to think on the go!

I was in the 101st, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 7th Infantry Division. In 2004 the 101st became an Air Assault Division.

I imagine their are still Airborne Brigades like the 173rd that was in Vietnam, and I believe the 82nd does its own jump school now! There are ranger battalions, and there is still the special forces. Among them is one of the most elite groups in the military that use the H&K 416 as a weapon!

Hope the war is over when you are finished!

Answer 3

The fact of the matter is its needs of the army. If you go to airborne training pass that and go into ranger school and dont make it most likely you will end up in an airborne unit. However it is not unheard of to go regular infantry or even mechanized infantry with jump wings. not to mention there are renlistment incentives that will let you choose units when the time comes to reenlist. If you plan on going ranger I am guessing you plan on staying in a while.

When you enlist make sure it has army ranger in your contract. Then they will let you have a wish list of duty stations you pick where you want to go normally three conus (in the continental US) and two over seas duty stations. You will not necessarily get on of these it is just a wish list. You will be stationed based on needs of the army. Good Luck!

Answer 4

IF your going infantry your better off pushing for as many schools and tabs that you can get. The payoff for being a Ranger, airborne, or SF benifits are HUGE. If you don't make airborne or ranger, or anything, you will get sent to a straight "Leg" unit. Probably like Korea or Ft. Lewis Washington, or 10th Mountain, or the 101rst. The benefit of the 101rst is you can get air assault qualified to jump out of blackhawks, and I believe they offer air assault in korea to. If you make airborne but not ranger then most likely you will be in 82nd in Fort Bragg.
I believe I am the best to listen to in your case because I went the exact same route. I enlisted 11x Airbirne ranger, dropped airborne and got sent to Korea. Then transfered to the 101rst where atleast I got air assault qualified.
You chose a hard road my friend. Basic is no joke. You get past the12 weeks, then it's 2 weeks airborne school, then RIP for rangers. I think thats 3 weeks. GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 5

When you enter the military, you belong to them. You can request airborne & if you measure up, you may get it. If you pass airborne training & you have what it takes to become a Ranger, they will know & you may be invited to join. As for where they place you in the military, it is all their decision, your deciding anything pretty much ended with your enlistiment. Oh, they may give you a choice of duty stations, but that means next to nothing, they will send you where you are needed. Now, don't take me wrong, they love you & will take good care of you but they aren't going to treat you like your Momma would, no, your a big guy now & must act like one. Good luck.

Answer 6

If you want to go ranger, you can get it into your contract to attend basic, ait, jump school, rip, then get assigned to a battalion (not your choice which one), then attend ranger school when they send you.

If you decide on regular army infantry, you can get jump school in your contract then go 82nd after that, 101st is airborne by name only. If you plan on going to ranger school, go 82nd, 101st, or 10th mtn. They generally get more slots and push ranger school harder than mechanized infantry - 1st id, 3rd id, etc. If you do not pass ranger school from one of these divisions, you will just return to your original unit that sent you. If you go ranger battalion, they will reassign you as per needs of the army. Neither unit will send you though unless they think you are ready.

Answer 7

The best time to do Airborne and Ranger school is straight out of Basic and AIT.

If you haven't already done so, go over your desires with your recruiter.

Answer 8

You can make a request and if its accepted then you will get appropriate training. But in the end, its the Army's decision.

Answer 9

I don't think you get much of a say in anything once you sign. You can earn a place on some elite teams through your performance, and you can volunteer for certainy duty to avoid other duty, but I don't think you get to refuse things.

Answer 10

I guess you can ask to be assigned where ever you like, You could(if you are lucky) and sent to the 173rd airborne.

Answer 11

You may request, but, the final decision is the Army's.