And no 'Depends' jokes!
Does anyone know someone who enlisted in the US military in his or her mid-late 30s? Or even up to 42, which I guess is the cut-off age, now?
Seems you'd face some different challenges--not only physically, but also I'd think it'd be far harder to really invest yourself totally in a new group (accepting the new values and priorities and such) at 38 than 18. And how strange to call someone your kid's age 'sir'?
2007-09-30 01:32:24 · 7 answers · asked by rossjnr 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
My husband joined the AF at 27 which made him "the old guy" since cutoff for the AF is 27. He was a manager before he joined the Af and the hardest thing for him was to take orders from someone YOUNGER than him. Here he was a 27 year old E-3 and he was being told what to do by a 25 year old E-5. It was tough for him for while until he "proved his worth" and they stopped treating him liike the new kid. He's been in for 3 years now and just made E-5, he's done 6 deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan.
He knew what to expect from the AF as far as values and priorities and routines because his father is a retired Colonel and my father is a retired Chief.
2007-09-30 01:49:07 · answer #1 · answered by mustangsally76 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about that. I would think it would be easier for an older person given the fact that they have seen enough to understand how things work.
The only real challenge would be the physical aspect. Running can cause some serious problems for the older crowd.
Killalib - Not true! The big issue will be having a military at all.
2007-09-30 01:37:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have seen those kind of enlistees take a lot of flack and be the butt of a lot of jokes. It seems kind of assumed that they are not very smart and/or have failed in the civilian world.
The friends around you would be making all the mistakes unsupervised 19 year old boys make, and you wouldn't be able to stop them. It is a lot of drama for an older person. I am 27 and just working with these boys is sometimes enough to make your head explode.
You would have to have a very lenient attitude when it comes to "values and priorities", again you are dealing with 19 year old boys.
2007-10-03 14:53:59 · answer #3 · answered by Jeanne- LEAVES Military Ministry 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You get teased for your age, like old man jokes. I joined at a late age but noticed I was more established than the younger kids. I was shocked when in boot camp they were showing us how to brush our teeth or fill out a check. 35 was the cut off age then, I don't know what it is now.
2007-09-30 05:12:19 · answer #4 · answered by freekin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My best buddy re enlisted at age 40. Because he has previous experience the younger fellow soldiers look to him for guidance etc. The physical aspect is not too hard for him. He always stayed in shape. In fact he can still wear his original uniform. From what he has told me, the Army now has changed radically from when he was in the first time. Still he enjoys it and wants to stay in for as long as possible.
2007-09-30 06:24:58 · answer #5 · answered by D squared 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The expectations of your leaders will be higher for you. Hopefully, you will naturally try to guide the young'uns with you - that's what your leaders will expect you to do, whether they realize it or not.
It is odd to deal with officers younger than you, though that goes away fairly quickly. More difficult is dealing with NCOs younger than you, though it can be overcome.
You'll probably feel pressure internally to gain rank more quickly to equalize things a bit. Being a 36-y/o NCO is not so odd as being a 36-y/o Junior enlisted.
2007-09-30 01:49:33 · answer #6 · answered by Beaver1224 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depending on which service you join.
But basically,
your knee's, your knee's your knee's.
Older people take longer to recover after heavy physical exertion.
2007-09-30 09:26:52 · answer #7 · answered by jeeper_peeper321 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋