I want to join the airforce, but I'm confused.?

Question

So instead of talking to a recruiter yet, I'd rather ask for peoples opinions.

I'm currently 18 finishing up Highschool. I planned to go into the Airforce for 1) the experience & 2) help for college

Now heres my problem. I thought I only had to enlist for 2 years for the GI Bill ( why I don't know ) so after reading a lot of questions on here, I figured out the normal is 4 years of active duty, which ruined everything since I won't be going into the AirForce till I am 19 and that means I'd be getting out at 23 and than begining college and not graduating till 27 ( see the delema ? )

Now I know there is rare occasions of getting the GI Bill for 2 - 3 years of enlisting active, but I'm not going to rely on that.... Soo is the reserve program any good ( I know the info about it ) but will it help that much for college? & will my experience in the military still be worth it off a reserves program?

but I really didn't want to be associated with the military when in college( as far as the reserve program goes ), just wanted to be a party animal with my college helped paid for ( while still young ) even if it is just a weekend once a month I'd rather not have too, but if I must I must.

Though what I don't want even more is to be stuck in the Airforce till I am 23 and than the begin college & I don't want to take college classes while in the military, I kind of want the whole young college experience. What is everyones ideas? ( If I have to sacrafice something maybe I will & yes I'll talk to a recruiter someday soon as well.

Answer 1

I'm glad that you decided to ask our opinions before going to a recruiter.

It seems like you have your plans laid out, but in today's military, your timetable for exiting the military and achieving your civilian goals, may not be the same as the military's.

You really need to know what you are getting into when you sign up, because there are many military paragraphs, emergencies clauses, etc., that may make your experience in the military not as pleasant as you think. Translation: You may have to stay in longer than you want.

But all-in-all, my stint in the military helped me be a more well-rounded person.

Answer 2

It sounds like you really don't want to serve, you just want to get what you can and get out. I recomend not joining for that reason.

If you are serious about joinng, you will need to enlist for at least 4 years. I don't believe that there is a 2 year enlistment anymore.

The Air Force has some great educational benifits and if I had to do it again I would take advantage of it while I was in the Air Force. In a 4 year enlistment you can at min. get your freshman and maybe even sophmore year out of the way. That way when you come out after your 4 year enlistment you will be halfway there.

BTW For your information once you enlist, no matter what for how long, you have an 8 year service commintment. That is not to say that you will have to stay in the military for 8 years, but rather you can serve 4 years active and the remaineder 4 years inactive.

"Enlistment Periods. Thought you were enlisting for four years? Think again. It may surprise you to learn that ALL non-prior service enlistments in the United States Military incurs a total eight year service obligation. Yep. When you sign that enlistment contract, you are obligating yourself to the military for a total of eight years. Whatever time is not spent on active duty, or in the active Guard/Reserves (if you enlisted in the Guard/Reserves) must be spent in the inactive reserves.

Paragraph 10a of the enlistment contract states:

a. FOR ALL ENLISTEES: If this is my initial enlistment, I must serve a total of eight (8) years. Any part of that service not served on active duty must be served in a Reserve Component unless I am sooner discharged.

This means two things: Let's say you enlist in the Navy for four years. You serve your four years and get out. You're really not "out." You're transfered to the INACTIVE Reserves (called the "IRR" or "Individual Ready Reserve") for the next four years, and the Navy can call you back to active duty at anytime, or even involuntarily assign you to an active (drilling) Reserve unit during that period, if they need you due to personnel shortages, war, or conflicts (such as Iraq). This total 8 year service commitment applies whether you enlist on active duty, or join the Reserves or National Guard"

Chad

Answer 3

frankly, your priorities are WHACKED. first off going to college as a 20 something does not mean you are ready to join AARP and take up shuffleboard. Secondly, you will be less wont to WASTE your time in college as a more mature individual. Beer Pong ain't all that.

ALL military contracts, Active Reserve and Guard are for EIGHT YEARS. you must serve at least 2 years before you can start using the GI Bill, and why oh why on EARTH wouldn't you want to take full advantage of the FREE educational opportunities while on Active service, from CLEP, Dantes to 100% tuition reimbursement? the GI bill will NOT cover every expense incurred while attending college.

Answer 4

What if you join the Air force and it turns out well for you and you want to stay in for 20 years? If you say that will never happen then don't join, nobody wants to work with somebody with a attitude like that..

Join the Air Force and you can take college classes at night.
Most of your schools in the air force will have some transferable college credits....study and take CLEP tests while in the service, IF you were motivated you probably could knock off a year of college while serving active duty...

and BTW whats the dilemma of getting your degree at 27?
when you are in college, you can take summer courses too...

you would have a better chance at getting hired at 27 with a degree and military service
than
being a snotty nose kid at 23 with a degree

Answer 5

well honestly if 4 years is a problem for you i wouldnt recommend enlisting at all....as there is a possibility that you could be forced to stay on longer....remember no matter how long you enlist you are under contract for 8 years. after your initial enlistment of 2-6 years the rest is spent on inactive reserves...so they could call you up at any time to deploy, plus there is stop loss which could kick in on a moments notice. you can go to www.gibill.com and get all the info on what you need to do to qualify for the bill if you want to do it though, and go talk to a recruiter and let them know your plans and see what they say.

Answer 6

If you have really good grades you could try getting into the airforce academy. You get a top notch college education and to be in the air force.

It is very difficult to get into the US Air Force Academy. I think most candidates need a letter of recommendation from a US Senator, US Legislator (house of representatives), from a State Governor, the President, Vice President, Cabinet member or retired General in the Air Force. There are other ways to get in.


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here is an update from wikipedia about getting in...

To be eligible to enter the Academy, a candidate must:[32][33]

Be a citizen of the United States (unless nominated by an official of a country invited by the Department of Defense)[34]
Be unmarried with no dependents
Be of good moral character
Be at least 17, but less than 23 years of age by July 1 of the year of entry
Meet high leadership, academic, physical and medical standards
In addition to the normal application process, all candidates must secure a nomination to the Academy, normally from a U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative. Each member of Congress and the Vice President can have five appointees attending the Air Force Academy at any time. The process for obtaining a congressional nomination is not political, and candidates do not have to know their senator or representative to secure a nomination. Additional nomination slots are available for children of career military personnel, children of disabled veterans or veterans who were killed in action, or children of Medal of Honor recipients. The admissions process is a lengthy one, and applicants usually begin the paperwork during the second semester of their junior year of high school.



I had one friend get in. He got a letter of Recommendation from the congressperson in our district. Typically you have to solicit their help and prove to them you are worthy of the letter. Because they are signing something saying you are qualified to go to probably the best military college in the world.

Answer 7

The AF doesn't have 2 year enlistments anyways. 4 years is the minimum. If you want a 2 year stint, join the Army.

Answer 8

My daughter is in the Air Force. I think unless you want to go to war, wait to enlist. My son is in the Navy, loves to travel and he does.
Talk to someone in the Air Force for more advice.

Answer 9

the usmc allows a two year enlistment, but i don't know about GI Bill rights after that.

Answer 10

The Navy is better go to the Navy