How many military members actually see combat?

When I was recruited, I first spoke with a National Guard recruiter, he had me ready to become a Combat Engineer with 6000 hire on bonus. Then I spoke with the Army recruiter, he talked me into becoming active duty. I was over 30. I took my Asvab and he told me that I could choose between most of the M.O.S. , he suggested I become a Health Care Specialist because they stay here in the U.S. and just work at hospitals working a 9 to 5. I looked at the paperwork he had and there was a little bit of print about Combat Medics , I said its not a combat medic job is it, he said no you have to be special ops to be a medic. I told him I didn't want to be an EMT of any kind, asked him if there was a towel folding job kind of kidding around. He assured me I wouldn't be an EMT. I got sent to Fort Benning,GA 1/38th for Basic Training a historic world war I unit that has now been assigned to Fory t Lewis to fight forest fires instead of doing combat duty. I got drilled pretty hard for being older, it was a platoon with some machine gunners re-enlisting and an MP , also a bunch of high school and college jocks, all together it was a pretty athletic company for the Army, we had a Kenya track guy, several school wrestlers , one of the wrestlers was a three time state champion, a gymnast correction officer, some genious 190 IQ corrections officer who nutted up eventually, a bunch of Puerto Rican soccer guys, some basketball guys, some baseball guys, one body builder guy who used steroids since he was 16 who couldnt make it through training because he drank to much alcohol and it destroyed his liver so eventually before end of basic test results revealed his liver was to messed up to continue training. Then I got my orders , Combat Medic / Health Care Specialist had been combined because of the needs of the Army, back in 2003 it was 91W now its 61W or something like that. I wasn't ready for it. I did not want to be an EMT. However when I got to the Fort Sam Houston base, it was like a normal city, with every kind of store a small town would have, the chow hall was like a buffet restaurant, it was really good food. There was a hacienda with a movie theater free to recruits, you could check out music instruments free , video games, pool tables, and this is during AIT not just when you graduate. There was a PX like a super department store as big as Walmart. A grocery store, and a mall with fast food. Some of the guys snuck out to fast food awall for chow,Some snuck taxi's and went to town for real fine cuisine during AIT, we did claymore training in the sand pits of the golf course. Someone was telling me you could actually check out boats, jet ski's , fishing gear , and more if you were finished with AIT. I didn't find out if that was true because I had to go to Fort Sill,Ok after Fort Sam Houston. I still didn't want to be EMT and even though the training base is good , you are still attached to infantry and artillary and Green Beret's or where ever they need you. Its a blood and Gore job for those who have to be on the front lines. So if you go medic enjoy AIT because unless you get stationed at a hospital like I was supposed to be but didn't get stationed at one, they will attach you to combat unit. I can't complain though really it was a neat experience and many soldiers had it harder than I. I was offered a sergeant rank before I left, I left the Army when the whole unit of sergeants except those close to retirement retired. I didn't want to be a career soldier before I went in, and definitely was glad to get out when I got out. I got an honored and learned a lot of discipline and how to shoot an M-16 , the medical skills I kind of forgot some of the technical after a few years except the hands on how to stop bleeding and put someone on a stretcher , give an IV , ect. I never had to save a life so didn't become a hero but I wanted to be someone working in the hospital and never got to that. It was pretty much against military policy for me to fraternize with sergeants so I didn't meet many privates my age , that sucked a lot. I think that contributed to me getting out so soon , instead of staying in, I was offered sergeant training if I switched to Artillary cannon crew member by a Senior Drill Sergeant, he said he liked me and if I was straight with him , he would get me orders to go to sergeant school. I didn't want to be a career soldier and just got out when I could , they gave me an honored so I guess I wasn't to bad of a soldier but it definitely wasn't my choice of a career. I had been through ministry at age 19 and trained in private investigations at age 27 , so I had a different mindset than a typical civilian. I wish I would have gone National Guard, it would have been a better experience and none of the issues with worrying about orders changing around for needs of the Army. For all I knew I could have been sent to Greenland or Iceland or somewhere I never intended to be doing, something totally off my original choice of M.O.S. .

I was an Army Recruiter until shortly after my son left the Army for the Navy (Oh the shame of it.) Soldiers, Marines in many MOSs go with their unit when it is redeployed, much as your medics, cooks, etc. If I am in an Airborne Unit goes out of the plane with me. There are some, but not many, garrison assignments. It's pretty much last man out turn off the lights

Ha well Id have to very much disagree with you that infantry never leaves the base... they almost all do BUT only a fraction of them see combat (if you define combat by taking and returning fire) if you are simply talking about being outside the wire damn near every combat MOS will experience that.

Someone once told me that the Army Infantry was the Queen of Battle, and in the next breath with a totally straight face said that Army Sappers (Combat Engineers) kept that bitch from getting raped...
Any truth to that??? ;-)

ahem, no. Medics will be there with the lines, as the corpsmen join the marines, with them

I was a Navy Recruiter, ET1(SCW), I saw 14 months in Iraq "outside the wire" stick to the facts, don't lie to your recruits that they won't see combat. Anyone in any branch can be in the dirt outside the wire. I also served in the Marines and National Guard. The Navy has so much to offer... Don't resort to war as a reason to encourage or discourage any one from a branch.

If you're a navy recruiter maybe you shouldn't speak for army or marine Corp matters, refer them to their respective branch. As a retired Marine and have also served in Army I would offer no guarantees to anybody about whether or not they would see combat. You enter knowing there is always a possibility. As infantry good chance medic also. Truck driver less chance. You enter knowing there is possibility, if you can't handle that we don't need you.

i was a wrecker driver on the recovery team, guess what? we drive to places were they want to kill us to recover blown, broken vehicles or in convoy every day.

I was sent as a construction engineer to Iraq. We were stationed at LSA Anaconda or Balad depending on who you talk to. We received mortar and rocket attacks and direct fire inside the wire. We supported our own convoys and they received fire or IEDs outside the wire. My friend was hit by 2 IEDs, he was a truck driver in Iraq. Is it possible that some infantrymen, medics, truck drivers never leave their base? Yes it is. Where do you get your information? If you need to sell the Navy, sell the good points. You're in the Navy what do you enjoy?

In today's world it's hit and miss regardless of branch. I guess I experienced "combat" on my second deployment I was I the bursting radius of an 107mm rocket that hit near my CHU But there were so many buildings between me and the impact that I was in no danger at all But we had 7 rockets in that attack one of which hit near the mess hall In total there were 2 KIA and 48 WIA most of whom were in line at the mess waiting to eat dinner