Was choosing your branch of service everything you thought it would be? Did you expect more or less?

I chose Navy, it turned out to be so much more than I could have hoped for.

It some of the best memories of my life

My MOS was the worst there was! I was a 54E. I would have rather been anything other than 54E! I initially enlisted to be a 45B, Small Army Repairman. Recruiter put me in as a 76Y telling me it was about the same as 45B but had "a little" supply in it too! I hated that MOS! I volunteered for EOD and really liked that job, however my wife at the time ruined it for me and I was volunteered for 54E. The rest is misery, I mean history! I spent my entire Army career wishing I had joined the Navy like my Dad!

Family history of service going back to a Capt in the Pennsylvania militia (circa 1770); I was the first Marine. It wasn't so much a choice of service as a calling to achieve greatness! Why would anyone chose to do less?

It's not that I didn't have a choice but at the time I decided to join the Navy, my Grandfather and step Grandfather had been in the Navy, and three cusines were already in the Navy. Not to mention I always wanted to be on an Aircraft Carrier! I got my wish, got to work on F14 Tomcats and served on three flat tops!

I talked to an Army recruiter and a Marine recruiter. I went with the sexier Dress Blues uniform and joined the Marines

I would have to say that I didn't go in to the Air Force expecting anything. I knew from a young age that I wanted to join the Air Force, really no idea why the Air Force in particular.

I joined the Corps in '82, hoping to pay Iran back for '79. While in, I got to watch them pile on more debt for Beirut. In that regard, no, things did not turn out as I had hoped. Otherwise, with all due respect to veterans of the other branches, I still feel that I was a part of the elite; the elite branch of service, and (Recon) the elite of the Corps. No-one can take that from me, Socrates said so! I do deeply respect the vets from all other branches. Remember that you are those one in a thousand who were willing and able to serve, at the least. For those who accomplished much, that's like being Olympic medalists. But we all made the team, no matter what our sport (or branch, in this case) and that's much more than most can say!

It was a job, an experience. I was trained to do a job, how to fire a weapon, and at the end, I had to be retrained so I could find a job when I got out. It's all in how you handle things I guess you could say. Good luck!

Former Army SGT,


Valerie Pinder

Before joining I considered all branches of the military, except for the Air Force, not sure exactly why. My main goal was travel and I figured that I'd have the best opportunity for that in the Navy. It worked out well for me, 8 countries in 4 years lol.

The day I graduated I put those magazine cutout in the mail. 1 for each branch. The first one that showed up I said I was joining. A few days later a Ssg. Fortson showed up in green class A uniform. A few months later I was in Fort Leonard Wood. I year after I graduated I was heading to my first of two tours to OIF.