I am considering joining the Army, but I have several questions....?

Question

I will be turning 18 and graduating high school this year, but I am at a bit of a cross road. Firstly, I don't really have the money for college, and due to a bit of a slump I went through my sophomore year my GPA is in the toilet. I don't have a lot of work experience, so the only job I'd likely be able to get would be minimun wage. I know joining the army would give me a lot of training, help with college, and be an overall good learning experience, but I am a bit concerned.

If you enlist in a non-combat position (like a Animal Care Specialist) can they force you into combat? Once your enlisted, can they put you in whatever position they want?

Any other information/advice you could impart would be incredible, I am really conflicted.

Answer 1

The volunteer Army is very good about keeping promises. So if they promise you a chance to train as an Animal Care Specialist then you will get to that school.

HOWEVER - then it is up to you. If you fail the course then all bets are off but you are still under contract. So then it becomes the 'Needs Of The Army' to determine your new career. Honestly, that is unlikely to be a Combat Arm because they have lots of volunteers for all of the combat branches and the training for them is harder than you think. And if you are female then there is no way you will ever be assigned to a combat arms job - so no worries there at all.

The secret is to not fail your AIT (Advanced Individual Training -- the part after Basic Combat Training that teaches you the special skill). If you pass the course (as 99% do in all branches) then you will go on to serve in that field.

Now that you are a fully qualified Animal Care Specialist, serving in the vet team of a medical unit there are two ways that combat reality can come to visit you.

First is that the enemy might decide your base is exactly the right target for their next suicide car-bomb. And you might be the one on guard duty in the tower when the bastard starts driving for the gate. Hey, its why we give you a rifle and teach you how to shoot. Add it possible mortar fire or any other assorted ways that Habib has of getting his 72 virgins will bring combat to you.

Second, sometimes the Army just needs bodies doing something more important than whatever it is you are supposed to be doing. For example -- during Hurricane Katrina there were no 'disaster assistance' units out there... just units with good Soldiers and smart leadership that figured out a way to do things they were not trained for.

Same can go for combat. Maybe they need more convoy escort units than are available and all your dogs died. So they retrain your company to drive uparmored trucks and shoot .50 cal machine guns and escort convoys. We dont LIKE doing that -- it is better to use people who are trained full-time for any combat task... but you have to be flexible and adjust to the reality on the ground.

Note: See the part about 'Retrain your unit....' if we are going to deliberately send you to combat we will train your behind off first. The modern US Army seriously believes in training and does the best in the world.

Final note: I commend you for thinking seriously about the service, and acknowledging your concerns. And yes, the Army is more non-combat than combat. Even in combat units it is much more boring routine than bullets flying.

But the basic purpose of any Soldier is to defend his/her nation by destroying her enemies. You **WILL** train with weapons. You **WILL** train to kill people. You **WILL** be expected to pull the trigger if the situation comes along. If you really have strong moral objections to that concept then the Army is not the place for you.

Good Luck and God Bless you whatever choice you make.

Answer 2

It sounds like the Army is just the ticket to help you grow and mature a bit, earn some money for college, save some money, and get some good job training.

The beauty of the Army is that you can enlist for guaranteed training and a guaranteed MOS (military occupational specialty) and perhaps even your choice of duty station too. It is in your contract and the Army will keep their word. Of course you have to be physically andmentally qualified for the job you choose. Most likely if you enlist for a combat service support like Animal Care specialist, you will not be on the front lines of a combat zone BUT every soldier is subject to deployment and service in hostile areas. I would not let this possibility deter you from this great way to start.

The best advice I can give is to go talk to each of the service recruiters, Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force and find out what they have to offer a person like you. You should discuss your career goals and they will hopefully be able to point you in the right direction. Then after you have talked to all of them, make the decision that you think will make you most happy and that will help you attain success once you get out.

If you take the ASVAB (which you will have to if you go in), go to the book store and get a study guide and study it ALOT. The better your score, the more choices you will have.

Once you decide and before you go to basic training/boot camp, get in the best physical shape of your life. A really high level of physical fitness will not only allow you to excel at the physical requirements but give you the stamine to better endure the mental and physical stress of being away from home for the first time and learning so many new and exciting (but demanding) things. You will make a good impression right off the bat if you are in good physical shape. Maintain a positive and "can do" attitude, help your mates when they struggle, be patient in the face of B.S. and go the extra mile to be the best you can be. You will succeed.

Once you get in, make an allotment out to a money market account or savings account and have a certain amount (as much as you can spare) put directly into that account. You will never miss it cause you do not see it AND you will be amazed at how fast it accumulates. You will have a good nestegg for when you get out.

Please do not settle for a minimum wage job. Somewhere in your mail, I can see that you are a person who can do anything she wants to. Go and grab the world by the tail and pull it behind you!!!!

Good luck!

Answer 3

So, what is your name? Where are you from?

Let me introduce myself, I am James. Your beginning story sounds a lot like my situation when I left school.....no money for college. I am glad to say that I made it through an almost 5-year enlistment and DID use my college money to finish two degrees....first one in graphic design and the second in mechanical engineering. I am now an engineering manager.

As for your question, YES, there is always a chance for combat.....even in the National Guard or Reserve (take Iraqi Freedom for instance). Even as an animal care specialist, the dogs are in the field with the Military Police and also for search missions of unrecovered bodies.....therefore, your job would apply. Basic training is there for a reason......to learn the basics of combat "just in case." For your second question, if you are smart about your contract and read all the fine print, you cannot be reclassified into a new job assignment UNLESS one thing occurs. If the job you enlisted for is "phased-out" (considered obsolete) you have two options: (1) Reclassify and retrain into a new job; or (2) take the opportunity to leave the military....you would have this option since the contract you originally signed would be in question. Think on this info. I have been down the road you are going and learned all the tricks and pitfalls to avoid. If you want further advice, let me know!

Regards,
James

Answer 4

Okay, coming from a female army veteran, join the Air Force. The Army will grant you an initial MOS - Military Occupation Specialty - however, that guarantees you nothing... You may end up working in the motorpool, a unit supply room, or any need that the unit you are assigned to has. If you are simply joining because you want the money, DO NOT JOIN. YOU WILL BE MISERABLE, and if you are not fully commited to defending your fellow soldier, he or she may die because you are afraid to defend yourself and your station if you are placed in a combat situation. Now is not the time to join.

However, if you join the Air Force, you are severely less likely to be assigned to any combat situations. They take much better care of you than the Army does. They do not lock you in to a specific job when you sign your enlistment contract, but you do collect the money for school when you get out, the living conditions are MUCH BETTER, as well as the chow halls - the food, and boot camp (basic training) is about two weeks shorter, and much easier.

Once you sign that contract, please remember that you are actually signing your life away for a minimum of 8 years. You may sign up for only 3 years of active duty, however if they need you back because they don't have enough people to do your job, they can call you back for the rest of the 5 years. The good part about it is that your job has to rehire you when you return from active duty, and you will receive full medical benefits while active - as well as family.

Please do not join if you are looking for a better paying job. Please do not join if you are afraid to face the enemy.

Please join if you are willing to fight for what you believe in, if you are willing to give your life for what you believe in, if you are willing to give all that you have to make the United States safer and better for everyone.

Answer 5

Yes it is possible that they could force you into a combat position, however, that doesn't happen very often. Usually, if your school that is on your enlistment contract is cancelled, they will ask you to choose another. I was in the Army and never heard of this actually happening to anyone. I wouldn't let this keep you from joining. However, if you are morally against killing and wouldn't do it for any reason, then the Army is not the place for you. Any job you do has the possibility of leading you into combat, although for many jobs that possibility is very remote.

Answer 6

Why don't you look at all the services first, see what they have to offer you in education, and what is expected of you to get it.. Before you set out to check the different services, write down all your questions, and the education you would be looking for if you enlisted in that branch of military service. Also ask that all the areas of education they would offer you is to be put in writing if you enlist in that branch. Right now they need young people to send off to the war zone as soon as possible. Young man, I don't know you, but this is what I want you to understand, I would like to see you live a long life with less of an education, than your life come to an end because in your effort to get an education you were sent off to the war zone, and not come home alive. Good Luck in what you chose to do.

Answer 7

If you test well on the ASVAB you have more options as far as what MOS you choose, so take the test seriously. Try to choose a job you'll be able to use the skills from later in life. Yes, you can choose your job, and they can send you into combat no matter what. You'd better complete your training successfully or else you can get reassigned into an undesirable position. Good Luck!
- former Sergeant, Counterintelligence, 4yrs active duty.

Answer 8

Combat: yes, and No. EVERY position has the potential to find yourself in the middle of a firefight. Shoshanna Johnson was a cook.. she was a POW. Lori Piestawa was a truck driver, just like Jessica Lynch. look what happened to them.

However they won't just drop you in the middle of the desert with a rifle and say: go on patrol.

The military guarantees you TRAINING in whatever specialty you qualify for and choose. It's on you to pass. Once that training is done, yes, they can and will send you to do something completely different or retrain you into something else. Does it happen? yes. does it happen frequently? not really. they won't waste time training you just to turn around and not use you after they have done so. In most cases it will be a collateral duty.

BTW, the Army is ONLY branch that has Vets and Vet Techs. You can easily find yourself stationed on any military installation in any branch. Their primary responsibilities are to Military Working Dogs.

Answer 9

I am guessing you are female. You can't get a combat arms job. You will learn to shoot. Even in the most back of the lines job you may have to defend yourself. ( things can go wrong) But vets assistant job you might never even leave the country. If you are going to join try for a job that will allow you to travel some. Europe is a cool station. Learn a skill and get some education.

Answer 10

I don't believe any of those will prevent you from getting in any branch of the services. The best thing to do is talk directly to a recruiter of the branch that you want to enlist in. I know that different branches will have different standards from each other. Also some recruiters have a deadline to meet their "quotes", and they can pull some very important strings. I was there in the 60s, and if they eliminated everyone with a record like yours the CONGRESS would have had to go to VietNam. You've go nothing to lose, talk to your recruiter.