Posted on Nov 13, 2019
At 28 years old and with a lot of wear and tear on my body, will my body hold up for infantry or should I pursue another MOS?
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I pick my job in the next week. I am almost sure to pick infantry. I'm 28, got a waiver for no spleen, have been an athlete for years, a lot of wear and tear on my body. I'm going to be in it for the long haul, should I think about another job? Will my body hold up? Just looking for another perspective
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Infantryman
Infantryman
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 10
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I enlisted as a Grunt at age 36. It aint easy for anyone. If you're a little broken and/or a bit older, it's an even harder life, but if you work hard and are smart(!!!) about what you can and cannot do physically, you can succeed.
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Tim Harvard
Thanks, could you elaborate a little on being smart about what I can and cannot do physically?
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SGT Dave Tracy
Tim Harvard sure. A job like Infantry is inherently physically difficult and along with that comes aches, pains and injuries. Push yourself. But know when it's too far to keep pushing.
You have to know what's serious and shouldn't be ignored or made worse, and what's a short-term discomfort. You cant Super Hooah away real health problems no matter how big your ego is, and I've seen my share who try. It never works out in the long run.
You have to know what's serious and shouldn't be ignored or made worse, and what's a short-term discomfort. You cant Super Hooah away real health problems no matter how big your ego is, and I've seen my share who try. It never works out in the long run.
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Were you injury prone as an athlete? Being a Grunt isn't easy, but a lot of injuries come from lack of conditioning. I joined at 27, made it through 11B OSUT, OCS at 29, and Infantry Officer Basic Course at 30. I was a farm boy, a construction worker through college, a whitewater kayaker and did serious martial arts for the 6 years prior to joining. Other than pulling a ligament in Basic Training, I didn't have any problems. I'm currently 64 with a bit of arthritis in both knees. With the other stuff I've done, not sure I can totally blame that on the service. Now if you want to be a Ranger or SF, that's an entirely different level of abuse.
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Tim Harvard
Not really injury prone other than the ruptured spleen, no broken bones in my life. I did have ranger school in mjnd
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CPT Lawrence Cable
Tim Harvard - I should point out that I branch transferred to the Engineers when I was 33. It was mainly because of the increased opportunity in the National Guard in the state that I now live in, but in that back of my mind was the fact that humping that ruck wasn't getting easier as I got older even though I routinely scored better on the APFT than 90 percent of the company I left.
You do know that being an Army Ranger and Ranger School are two different things?
You do know that being an Army Ranger and Ranger School are two different things?
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CPT Lawrence Cable
Tim Harvard Then you have a couple options. First is Option 40 that gets you sent to Infantry OSUT then to RASP, then to Airborne if you happen to make through RASP, then to the Regiment. Or enlist Infantry OSUT with an Airborne Option, then volunteer for RASP at Airborne. That has the advantage that you will still be Airborne if you don't make it through RASP. RASP has an attrition rate around 70%, so having a fall back available isn't a terrible idea.
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I'm not saying it can't be done. But there is a too-big-to-count crowd of folks who went in the Infantry as perfectly healthy - even athletic - 18, 19, or 20 year olds whose bodies did not hold up for "the long haul."
If you are serious about wanting to go until retirement, think about your body now, and then your body at 68. (Each year of infantry adds an extra year of wear and tear to your body.) If you think you will still be able to do it, go for it! But if you do go for it, I would STRONGLY recommend you have a military "plan B," and a civilian "plan C." Chances are good you will need one, if not both.
If you are serious about wanting to go until retirement, think about your body now, and then your body at 68. (Each year of infantry adds an extra year of wear and tear to your body.) If you think you will still be able to do it, go for it! But if you do go for it, I would STRONGLY recommend you have a military "plan B," and a civilian "plan C." Chances are good you will need one, if not both.
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Tim Harvard
About the military plan b,if I were do get injured say a bad knee or something would I be discharged or could I get a different mos?
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SFC Casey O'Mally
Tim Harvard It totally depends on the type of injury and the prognosis. If it is something you will recover from in a short amount of time, you will stay in your MOS. If it is something you will never recover from, then you will be looked at for whether you can continue service in your current MOS, in a different MOS, or not at all. If (for instance) your knee is injured to such an extent that you can't ever wear body armor and/or a rucksack, chances are you are going home.
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