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

Good question, I grew up in Denver, so Air force was the choice for someone who wanted to fly fighters. Saw Top Gun, decided carrier aviation was it. Went NROTC, met some MECEPS, and that was it. The courage and commitment of these guys was where I wanted to go. So now I'm a Marine. Bottom line, look at the services, try to experience them, and make a choice that best fits your experience and desires.

I have been blessed for close to 30 years to have been able to serve as an Army officer. As I am getting close to retirement now, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on these past 3 decades. It has been an amazing ride for me and there are so many things that I have been able to do and places that I have been able to go to that would not have been possible to do with being in the Army. Along the way, I have been able to work with the finest Americans I have ever met. Like the current Army commercials, being in the Army is being a member of the greatest team that I will ever belong to.

The Air Force was not at all what I thought it would be, from Boot Camp to training to being in any of the units I was in. I did have a lot of the old crusty NCO's tell me stories about the good ole days. While I was in, the climate in the Air Force was getting worse. I should of done the army, at least there rank meant something and you are held responsible for your actions. At least from what I saw.

It was AF all the way for me, did not shop around just walked in and joined because my buddy said they had free medical and my wife was pregnant and we had no insurance.
22 years later I retired, landed with a great company and celebrate 31 years of marriage in June. Got what I signed up for and now I have choices that most civilains will never have until they are 65.
Go Air Force!

Best choice of my life! Although I had a good foundation growing up, the Marine Corps built that foundation into who I am today. I am so very thankful to have served wearing the EGA. Semper Fidelis isn't just a motto... It is a way of life!!!

I knew I would be a Marine and it was every thing I wanted and expected and then some. Problem is when you get back to civilian life as a combat vet you have a stigma attached to you. And its even worse if you decide to get help and the dreaded letters PTSD get attached to you. Now your dream job is a thing of the past and your stuck barely making ends meet because people have bought the hollywood/media version of a crazy post war Veteran who will go crazy at any moment. Whats the point of serving you country when it turns its back on you when you get home. Am I glad I served? Yes! Do I wish I hadn't served? Every time I have been turned down for what I want to do for work, when I know I cant buy my children something, and every time I get a look from a coworker who is terrified if they say something bad to me I will get pissed then the shcok when I dont

I joined the Army to Service my Country. I wanted to do it in the cockpit of an AH-1S. I was one of the few that had a recruiter that was more interested in my signature then getting me into Warrant Officer flight program. He suggested that I go in as an Infantryman and apply after a year and it would be much easier. After hitting every school I could at Benning and Campbell I soon realized that I was destined to remain a Grunt and to this day I have no regrets. Did I ever get to fly a Cobra? Not yet ;)

Absolutely. When I was in high school (Dad was Army) we were in a small base in Germany. It had all four services in some capacity or another. In the barracks the Army were 4 to a room until E6, then 2 to a room. The Navy and Marines were pretty much all 4 to a room. The Air Force on the other had were 1 to a room and they were getting paid substandard living allowance. That told me everything I needed to know about the service I was joining. If I planned on making it at least 20 years, I would be more comfortable for the ride!

The experience was much greater than I had ever imagined. Looking back as senior in college, had I known I was going to be working with such dynamic, dedicated and sharp teams, I would've been counting the minutes to my commission!

After serving 7 plus years in the USN, I transferred to the USCG for another 15. Both services were awesome....so yes, they were all that I thought they would be and more!!