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Retirees and former service members, can you share what your military experience was like when you Served? What was the lowest of the low and the highest of the high of your experiences?
Retirement
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Service
Transition
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 25
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Best: Being a part of a team, and then later leading the team. I had the pleasure of getting to know so many good people and having some great times. Especially I&I duty in New York.
Worst: Recruiting duty, 2003-2005. Cannibalistic, toxic culture. Worst leadership I have ever encountered. Direct quote from senior advisor to station NCOICs... "Canvassing recruiters are consumable. You must drive them with reckless abandon. If they break, we will replace them." He was referring to Marines with anywhere from 6-12 years time in, multiple deployments, etc.,
Worst: Recruiting duty, 2003-2005. Cannibalistic, toxic culture. Worst leadership I have ever encountered. Direct quote from senior advisor to station NCOICs... "Canvassing recruiters are consumable. You must drive them with reckless abandon. If they break, we will replace them." He was referring to Marines with anywhere from 6-12 years time in, multiple deployments, etc.,
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GySgt Jack Wallace
Sorry to see a good Marine Marine misused, Ken.Sad to see command staff act like this.Semper Fi.
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GySgt Kenneth Pepper
GySgt Jack Wallace - It was tough, but others have suffered much worse. I still get paid every month, so it ain't too bad.
I will say that the shit show made me more aware of how to treat my Marines when I got back to the Fleet. You learn from the good leaders and the crappy ones as well.
I will say that the shit show made me more aware of how to treat my Marines when I got back to the Fleet. You learn from the good leaders and the crappy ones as well.
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I'd do it all over again for sure. My highest point was earning the title of United States Marine having successfully completed boot camp and later getting a maximum score on the PFT. That only happened once, damn sit-ups! Lowest point, finding out I was being transferred to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. That was the one place I didn't want to go to!
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GySgt Jack Wallace
Cpl Vic Burk - Amen, brother. that we will!!!! Like always, your troops pay the price....
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SPC Lyle Montgomery
GySgt Jack Wallace - The govt. really screwed the Marines and their families who were at LeJune. I'm sure that they knew about this for some time but poisoned the troops anyway.
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I wish I did it sooner.
It took much much longer in life to learn what to worry about and what mattered.
Having entered at 39 I had those life lessons, but didn't get there until my late 20's.
Had I entered at 18 I'd would have been exposed to those situations where there is just no making the system work as designed and being forced into a situation of kick the can and hope for the best long before I figured that out in the civilian world.
*****
I guess an example of a highlight would be showing those life lessons to the kids in Basic Training. One kid lost one of his blank rounds issued to us in Basic. It was the END OF THE WORLD if the Drills found out.
However, there was an entire platoon worth of miscellaneous expendable supplies down the hall in the barracks because we only had 3 platoons in the company and not the expected 4. Sooooo........ come Fire Guard Watch the panicked young soldier moseyed down the hall, and found a lose blank round in one of the extra platoon cabinets.
Problem solved.
I got to see the beginning of young minds cluing in how to just get past nonsense.
It took much much longer in life to learn what to worry about and what mattered.
Having entered at 39 I had those life lessons, but didn't get there until my late 20's.
Had I entered at 18 I'd would have been exposed to those situations where there is just no making the system work as designed and being forced into a situation of kick the can and hope for the best long before I figured that out in the civilian world.
*****
I guess an example of a highlight would be showing those life lessons to the kids in Basic Training. One kid lost one of his blank rounds issued to us in Basic. It was the END OF THE WORLD if the Drills found out.
However, there was an entire platoon worth of miscellaneous expendable supplies down the hall in the barracks because we only had 3 platoons in the company and not the expected 4. Sooooo........ come Fire Guard Watch the panicked young soldier moseyed down the hall, and found a lose blank round in one of the extra platoon cabinets.
Problem solved.
I got to see the beginning of young minds cluing in how to just get past nonsense.
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Cpl Vic Burk
CPT (Join to see) They let you in on a first term at 39? Damn! I thought the maximum age was around 26.
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CPT (Join to see)
Cpl Vic Burk - I signed at 38, entered basic training at 39. The age limit at the time was 42. As a RESERVIST one's TIME IN SERVICE starts the moment the contract is signed, verses Active Duty starting the day you show up to training.
It's a great story of administrative nuances. Because you see, I was forced into a corner to sign the contract because the army lowered the age rage for enlistment back down to 35 and the date was to take effect in two weeks (at the end of the month).
So I told my recruiter to find jobs with the furthest out shipment date. Since I had already been trying to go the officer path I had already jumped through the MEPS hoops. So I only needed to sign the contract and swear in.
It was either Intel Analyst or Psychologist Assistant. What would you choose?
It was a HAIL MARY pass in any scenario. I actually didn't think it would happen, and I was resigned with the mentality of being able to say that at least I served even if it was as a 40yo SPC with an MBA.
Anyway.......... I hit basic training at the age of 39, and only ONE NCO was older than me in my entire training process (and he was only an E6, which now I understand is not all that impressive at 39+).
Then beating the system AGAIN.......... the direct commission program works until age 42 in the Army Reserves, but one HAS TO BE IN THE SYSTEM AND CURRENTLY SERVING. So......... I started the officer path ASAP after initial training and snuck in at 42 (needing an age waiver because the commission date actually was past my 42 birthday).
**************
So yea, if one wants to be an officer in the USAR the opportunity is there if one just gets off their ass and jumps through the hoops.
*************
That only Drill that was older than me in Basic said to me, why the hell do you want to be a 40yo butter bar.............. Biting my cheek........... I thought............. I'm not going to be a 40 year old butter. I'm going to be a 60 year old COL. Which now I know is probably impossible. It will probably only be LTC :-)
It's a great story of administrative nuances. Because you see, I was forced into a corner to sign the contract because the army lowered the age rage for enlistment back down to 35 and the date was to take effect in two weeks (at the end of the month).
So I told my recruiter to find jobs with the furthest out shipment date. Since I had already been trying to go the officer path I had already jumped through the MEPS hoops. So I only needed to sign the contract and swear in.
It was either Intel Analyst or Psychologist Assistant. What would you choose?
It was a HAIL MARY pass in any scenario. I actually didn't think it would happen, and I was resigned with the mentality of being able to say that at least I served even if it was as a 40yo SPC with an MBA.
Anyway.......... I hit basic training at the age of 39, and only ONE NCO was older than me in my entire training process (and he was only an E6, which now I understand is not all that impressive at 39+).
Then beating the system AGAIN.......... the direct commission program works until age 42 in the Army Reserves, but one HAS TO BE IN THE SYSTEM AND CURRENTLY SERVING. So......... I started the officer path ASAP after initial training and snuck in at 42 (needing an age waiver because the commission date actually was past my 42 birthday).
**************
So yea, if one wants to be an officer in the USAR the opportunity is there if one just gets off their ass and jumps through the hoops.
*************
That only Drill that was older than me in Basic said to me, why the hell do you want to be a 40yo butter bar.............. Biting my cheek........... I thought............. I'm not going to be a 40 year old butter. I'm going to be a 60 year old COL. Which now I know is probably impossible. It will probably only be LTC :-)
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