Posted on May 22, 2015
PVT Infantry Recruit
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A lot of people have told me "Don't volunteer for anything"
Others have said "Always volunteer"
What should I do?
Posted in these groups: Volunteering logo VolunteeringDuty honor country tadhc 4t Duty
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Responses: 22
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MSG Brad Sand
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You will know when you should volunteer...and when you should not. IF you never volunteered, you would not even be in the Army. Thank you for stepping up.
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SrA Edward Vong
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I would say volunteer for a cause you care about.
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SPC(P) Mark Newman
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Some of my best memories from the US Army came from volunteering. I found myself, after a class I'd volunteered for, eating lunch in the 10th Special Forces mess hall (great meatloaf! ) while just an e-2 in AIT. Other trainees in my platoon sat around in the barracks. The Green Berets were honing their teaching skills, so they needed volunteers. What did they teach us? How to operate several Soviet weapons in case we came across them in combat! I got to meet Green Berets AND play w AK-47s under their tutelage and got a verkficate for a half-day Foreign Weapons Familiariaztion (Soviet) class. It weent over so well a month later they taught me how to repel off their SF repel toer (Ft. Devens). Again, they only took volunteers. Less glamorous: The drill sgt ehobasked for a volunteer on graduation day to load a truck. As we drove around FtDix, I got to know this scary, thunderously loud beast as an actual human being. I remember that detail 25 years later as a positive memory. So those are three of my experiences out of 20 or so volunteering for extra duty. I never regretted it once!
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SFC Special Forces Engineer Sergeant
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I always volunteered, I loved to work and stay busy but sometimes the job was easy. I volunteered for the Army, Airborne unit, Ranger School, Special Forces, Military Dive school, and combat duty. Be all you can be.
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1SG First Sergeant
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This has nothing to do with this particular question but I wanted to compliment you PVT (Join to see) . You are asking good questions and you really seem like you want to be a great soldier. Great job!
Now, as far as the question... It's a mixed bag. Some leaders will notice if you tend to volunteer for things and actually save the crappy details for those that never volunteer. Others will just want a warm body to accomplish the task.
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CW3 Mobility Officer
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Volunteer. The results are continually surprising, and you'll always have a cool story to tell with the joes. Have fun, be professional, and learn.
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SGT Dave Tracy
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I can't tell ya when 1SG walks into your bay and asks for volunteers if you should do it. Really no one can. You might start to get a feel for when its in your best interests to step up, but really, what's the real hard in doing so?

In the end, whether you step forward or not, you won't get to the end of your contract any faster regardless of what you choose.
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SGT Human Resources Specialist
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For me I like "volunteering" ,being on detail makes things go by faster,and I tend to learn things from the "volunteer" work I was doing...If you don't volunteer you'll eventually get picked and you'll probably hate it.
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SFC Christopher Perry
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Unfortunately, I found myself listening to this rather pathetic advice the first time I was in. When I came back in as a 40 year old PV-2 I was more aware of how the world really worked. Volunteer your butt off! It will keep you from getting bored. And in the process you will truely shine. You will advance at a pace that will have the folks that are telling you not to volunteer working for you before you know it. When you are not working, volunteer as well. This one will do nothing more than warm your heart. Although all the MOVSMs that reside on my rack say you get more out of it than this, it is all that really matters.
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SGT Jeremiah B.
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There are two things at play -

1. Not volunteering is self-interest. Sometimes you gotta jump on the grenade. If you know the detail is going to suck, think carefully about the fact that NOT volunteering means you sticking a buddy with it. Cover the guy to your right.

2. Group mediocrity - There's an impulse to not stick out. Team play is important but following the herd isn't going to do you any good either. Balance the group vs your own progression. This is when a little self-interest pays off, but instead of sticking it to someone else, you're getting ahead by making sure the shit doesn't fall on anyone else.

Overall, balance it. If you've volunteered recently, don't be afraid to NOT volunteer. If no one else will step up, don't be afraid to step up. The results may surprise you (also, some details have awesome perks you don't get while in basic/AIT/OSUT otherwise).
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