Military Advice?

Question

Fellow service members, does it irritate you when you see military spouses giving advice on military issues when clearly they don't have a freakin clue what they are talking about? Such as:

1) ASVAB scores and testing (If you have never taken it how can you tell people how to study for it or how to interpret their scores. Word of mouth need not apply.)
2) The Red Cross (Stop telling people to contact them for everything. They are there for emergencies, not to collect child support, fix PCS problems etc..)
3) Contact your recruiter. (Duh, what type of answer is that? Maybe the person asking the question wanted an unbiased answer. Of course they know to ask their recruiter.)
By all means, I am not dogging military spouses. But being married to a person in the military doesn't make you an expert on military issues.
Anyone agree?

And Roger. That is exactly what I meant. Thanks for proving my point.
There is no overall "ASVAB Score." When you hear someone saying "I got an 80 on my ASVAB," they are talking about their AFQT (Armed Forces Qualifying Test) score, not an "overall" ASVAB Score.
The person's AFQT score is a percentile score, based on the population of test-takers in the above study. The percentiles are based upon a 99 point scale with 99 being the highest.

By the way you spell, I highly doubt you got a 98.

Answer 1

I am a military spouse, but I do agree with you.

The ASVAB testing I did once (forgot to go back to re-test during senior year)....and that's about as far as it goes for me.

The Red Cross isn't the solution to every problem. They cannot solve financial issues.

Recruiters are there for one purpose-to recruit. Even they don't have the answers to everything.

I grew up and married military, and I am still not an expert. I only answer when I am able to give the specific information that is asked from the user.

(Shame my other account got suspended for some reason. I could give a heck of a lot more examples of "know it all spouses".)

Answer 2

Def go to school first UNLESS you cannot afford to. Then a 4 year enlistment is great especially with the new gi bill that pays basic housing allowance... lets say 1500.00 a month while you are going to school full time. So enlist 4 years=military pays for your school+housing every month while in school (if your rent is 700 you would pocket 800 no need for a PT job) or go to school first and become an officer (if the military is what your job will be for awhile if not life).... cannot go wrong its just what fits you best.

Answer 3

I agree that their knowledge is limited. But, what bothers me most is the questions from absolutely sincere people that border on the ludicrous. Those wanting to know if they can enlist with patently disqualifying conditions or think if one branch rejects them they can head off to another branch's recruiter in the next town over and get sworn in.
I'm sure the other one which drives veterans and active duty alike to the brink is when someone wants to know if there is an internet-searchable list of folks who are deployed to the various combat theaters.
Thanks for providing a question which gave me the opportunity to vent a little.

Answer 4

I agree with that. Not just spouses though, I have seen several answers from dependent children as well. Answers tend to be around the subject, but lacking specifics asked for.

Answer 5

What makes you think that a spouses wouldn't know about those things? I kow about the ASVAB--took in when i wanted to enlist but they wouldn't let me because my husband was in and we have a child (got a 98). Red Cross--Know all about that too when my Grandfather died and when my husband's grandfather passed away when my husband was in Afghanistan. I agree with you about asking your recruiter. We all knw they hae quotas and although you may get some of the truth, you rarely get all of it.

You be suprised how much a military spouse knows! We may not be enlisted but our husbands do speak with us and some of us do have first-hand knowledge! Heck, sometimes my husband comes and asks ME questions because I tend to know more about somethngs than he does because my father is OSI!

I'd have my husband answer your question but he's not in country.

Answer 6

What makes it any different than any other YA bullsheet?

Half of them are probably 14 years old and just guessing/posing to get points.

It's no worse than an anti-military nutjob trying to inject their anti-military opinion on every single military question, saying everyone is going to Iraq and everyone is going to die.

Answer 7

I agree! I wouldn't pretend to know something i had no real knowledge on! It's irritating to me when people answer the question without having any real knowledge about the subject.

Answer 8

You will always have military spouses wearing their husbands rank and use it to bully people around!