Posted on Mar 31, 2017
PFC Cinnamon Hack
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I have this weird fascination of being the "jack of all trades" as a civilian i did things from cosmetology, to truck driving and allot in between. I recently just swore into into DEP (army) and already making plans to see if I can cross train into other MOS fields and eventually after my contract to other branches (USMC? Navy? Air Force)

Anyone here serve in 2 or more branches? Any tips?
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SPC Geoffrey Jenkins
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Edited >1 y ago
It is very much possible,
I was regular Army,Navy,Army National Guard,I deployed in three times to Iraq with the ARNG,

Army 4yrs,Navy 6yrs,ARNG 14yrs
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COL Charles Williams
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I suspect you could, if you timed it just right.
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Lt Col Jim Coe
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My daughter served 12 years in the Air National Guard as a Supply Technician. She got out as a SSgt (E-5) after she finished her BSN. A decade later, she joined the Navy Reserve Nurse Corps and was recently promoted to Lieutenant Commander (O-4) and is serving as a Medical Detachment OIC. BTW she's also a nurse practitioner with the VA.

Many specialties are common across the Services especially in the combat support and combat service support. Supply, maintenance, finance, contracting, transportation, IT, and to some extent personnel specialties have many common skills and knowledge in all the services. Daughter found her way into the Navy by comparing the offers of all the Services for her skills, knowledge, and capabilities as a Nurse Practitioner. The Navy Reserve gave her the best deal in terms of rank and date of accession. Recommend you do the same if you want to change Services. Visit with a recruiter from the Service you are interested in going into after you current obligation is completed. Don't overlook the Coast Guard.

Best of luck!
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Maj Mark Lilly
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I spent 5 1/2 years in the Army flying helicopters and as a Warrant Officer I felt my options were limited. I resigned from the Army and joined the Air Force. I then flew for another 21 years and then retired. I found serving in the Air Force to offer a lot more opportunities. Going from one enlisted rank to another in another service doesn't really offer much more than a new mission in a new uniform. You can do unlimited jobs in the Army at all levels. Tired of being leg in the infantry, go Rangers. Tired of Rangers, go Special Forces, tire of that go to Delta. If you don't want to work in supply, finish your college degree and go to law school and join the JAG corps. Changing branches of service is difficult to say the least.
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MAJ Integration Officer
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8 y
The pay jump from CWO to "O-Grade" ain't bad either
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
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I've served with and worked with those that have changed branches.
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MCPO Couch Potato
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Cinnamon, if you are really looking to be a JoaT, then join the Coast Guard. We have 22 career fields (the army has well over 100 MOSs), so right off the bat, we're more generalized than the other services. My rating (MOS) required more than 22 Air Force AFSCs to get the job done - and there were still things I did on a nearly daily basis that weren't covered. In the other four branches, you will do a job and VERY rarely do other stuff that isn't job related. You may end up with an instructor slot or recruiting billet, but that's about it. With the Coast Guard, we do it all the time!

I served 6-years in the Army (Infantry), then came to the Coast Guard, where I finished out another 20 years and retired.
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Sgt Field Radio Operator
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>1 y
MCPO (Join to see) I have the utmost respect for the Coast Guard. They have a difficult and dangerous mission that they execute on a daily basis.
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PFC Cinnamon Hack
PFC Cinnamon Hack
>1 y
Well today I officially swore into the army . After my 3 year contract in going to look into other branches :)
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
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I felt I made the best choice the first time and spent all My time in the Air Force and if i had it to do over again I'd make the same choice. I do respect what the members of other branches of the armed Force do but each of us has to find our place in that service to our country. My introduction to the Army was infantry training as a Cadet at a Military Academy which did help when i entered the Air Force. We had active duty Army Officers and NCOs there to train us and woke to reveille at 0600 and taps was at 2200, in between We were very busy.
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SSgt Robert Marx
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Good luck pursuing your dream! I served 8 years active in the USMC. I had 2 months of leave which I took as terminal, missed the military so I enlisted with the Army National Guard. I believe that the National Guard is phenomenal for you get intense training, especially as you give it your all, and you get to go back home on Sunday night. The call ups to active duty definitely give a change of pace but you can make the most of it and hone your MOS skillset. I joined the Air National Guard after 2 1/2 years of being a grunt and I was blessed to be able to retire from it. My back went out, as in disk degeneration disease, and my 19+ years of service was counted as the necessary 20 years. My last 4 years were the most brutal because I suffered with my condition, needed 2 surgeries, and could barely walk by the end of it. I was afraid pretty much the entire time after my diagnosis which came from civilian doctors on my dime but I had to document on my required annual health assessment that the powers that "B" would give me the boot. I hated to lack the ability to carry my own weight but I kept on going until ordered to stop. My opinion, for whatever it is worth, would be to find the MOS or AFSC or rating that you love doing in one of the services and stick with it. Become the best possible by getting all the training, schools, and degree programs that you are allowed to get. Remember that every military base has an education center with probably many college programs that you can enter. The job then that you performed will have a civilian counter part and so you can keep going in your chosen vocation. God speed to you & yours.
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SFC Steven Borders
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PFC Cinnamon Hack I father has served multiple branches MSgt (Join to see) and I have known a couple of guys who were Marines first then went Army. I have inquired myself about Active Army to Active Air Force and it was a no go. I have been told you can go Active Army to Air National Guard but I would have to go down to an E-3 to do it.
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SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth
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A medic I served with in the Guards, joined the Naval reserves in the mid 2000's, just recently retired from the service.
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PO3 Con Gubser
PO3 Con Gubser
6 y
As with SGT Groth’s comment, My father was in the Army (WWII), and then joined the Air Force where he was a head cook in both branches.
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SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth
SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth
6 y
PO3 Con Gubser - Thank you for your dads service, one of the great generation heroes.
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