Were you well-versed on what you were getting into the miltiary?

SPC Margaret Higgins — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 06:05:36 -0400

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Aug 24 at 2015 6:11 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 06:11:42 -0400

I had no clue. I pretty much winged at first and quickly figured things out as I went along.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Aug 24 at 2015 6:12 AM

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 06:12:02 -0400

Definitely! I spent a lot of time talking to my Uncle (a retired Marine) and read everything I could find about the Marine Corps. I was very well-versed by the time I reported to Boot Camp ...

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 6:35 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 06:35:35 -0400

I knew what to expect from the Army in general, my father and brother are active duty soldiers.

But I had no idea what to expect from my MOS, I had never met an EOD tech before I showed up at Fort Lee for Phase 1 of EOD school.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Aug 24 at 2015 6:55 AM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 06:55:44 -0400

I was not. I went from being homeless; straight into the Army.
At my first formation, I showed up with my shoelaces and polished brass in my hand.
I thought the Army was like my university class: I showed up late, and still got all A's in that class.

Response by 1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 7:27 AM

1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:27:46 -0400

I did not. I was the first one on the military since my Great Grandfather was a Captain in the Union Army during the Civil War. And I was a fraternity, beer drinking, lazy college boy whose world was turned upside down when I stepped off of the bus at Ft Leonard Wood. Wouldn't change a thing!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 7:51 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:51:50 -0400

Hadnt a clue, other then I hired a physical trainer before basic, my dad bought an m4 so we could goto the range (he was worried I was going to Afghanistan immediately following basic in 2006.

Response by SSG Steven Borders made Aug 24 at 2015 7:52 AM

SSG Steven Borders — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:52:27 -0400

I knew what I was getting myself into, was I prepared mentally...no. It took a toll on me not being with my wife and children. That was a huge eye opener. Now, I am gone all the time so it is not as bad. Plus, I wasn't in the best PT shape at 31. I was 210 pounds and ran a 20 min two mile for my first PT test. LOL Yeah, was not prepared for that either.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 7:58 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:58:16 -0400

Nope, my stepdad kept bringing the paperwork home from the recruiter. This went on for weeks until I finally said I would talk with the recruiter. Well I was sold at the education benefits, but I only used them for maybe a year and then ended up paying the rest with student loans. Now here it is 20 years layer and I am getting ready to retire with a lot of student loans but the point is there is so,much more to the military then just the benefits. There are the life long friends you make, the experiences you get, and you have a different approach and out look on life then most.

Response by SSG Michael Hathaway made Aug 24 at 2015 7:58 AM

SSG Michael Hathaway — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:58:50 -0400

Surprisingly coming from a military family, I was not as prepared as I could have been. I knew about some stuff, the rank structure and some customs and courtesis. I was not in great shape though, so I did follow my dad's advice and did PT, mainly running, prior to basic. What got me was more the D&C, formations, commands and such.

Response by SGT Christopher Hamman made Aug 24 at 2015 8:02 AM

SGT Christopher Hamman — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 08:02:32 -0400

Yes, My recruiter, John LaGaie was very thorough, and told me what combat engineers do. As far as BT and AIT, I had a general idea from my dad, but can anyone ever really be prepared for that? Isn't part of the purpose to be a rude sort of surprise? When I enlisted, I wanted to be combat arms all the way. I mean, what good is being in the army if you don't get to pump lead into the bad guys? I say that lightly because I never actually saw combat, but I know it's a very serious thing and even a good, righteous kill can leave a lifetime of (mental) scars.

Response by SPC David S. made Aug 24 at 2015 8:08 AM

SPC David S. — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 08:08:23 -0400

Yes and no. I was fully aware that I could have been assigned to a unit that that was deployed shortly thereafter. Did that happen? No, I was sent to South Korea and was assigned to 2-1 ADA. My squad leader talked me into AIPing to stay for 2 years instead of just 1. So, in a way, I was prepared for what I was getting myself into but, no, I wasn't.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 8:28 AM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 08:28:20 -0400

Mentally, I was extremely well-versed. I kept my mind open and knew anything could happen. Physically, I wasn't prepared at all. I failed the very first physical test I ran in boot camp, but it was merely a practice so no harm, no foul. I passed the two other PRTs we did and passed every one after boot camp. So it was about half and half for me.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 9:19 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 09:19:36 -0400

SPC Margaret Higgins Not at all! Well, a little, maybe. I had talked a lot with someone who had just come off active duty, so got a pretty good idea about what BCT had been like three years earlier, and about life in the Army after that. But I was joining to be an MP and go to Germany for three years, get the GI Bill, get out and go back to finish college. After I took all the tests and did all the physicals and stuff, some MSG came and grabbed me out of a line we were standing in. He took me into a private office, closed the door, we sat down, and he had a huge computer printout. He said “Your test scores are off the chart, and we want you to enlist for four years in the Army Security Agency.” I was just trying to keep from going to Vietnam because my birthday was #2 for the draft, so I said “What is that, and will I have to go to Vietnam?” “Well, it’s a super-secret agency in the Army, so I can’t tell you what you’ll be doing, but I can tell you there is no ASA in Vietnam.”

So I’m like, “Okay, whatever. It sounds good to me.” He’d told me we’d wear civilian clothes most of the time, we’d have our own apartments instead of living in barracks, do this really super-secret spy stuff, and it all sounded too good to be true. It was. There was no ASA in Vietnam, because wearing the patch or saying you were ASA was prohibited, because it would make you a target for capture. So we wore the patch of our supported unit and belonged to “Radio Research” units. I got to wear civvies when I was off-duty, and got to live in an apartment after I got married and became command sponsored with a housing allowance. I did do super-secret stuff, but not exactly the spy stuff of the espionage thriller novels you read - at least not at first.

My first permanent duty station was in Alaska, with a tactical ASA Detachment (only 12 people) supporting the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Light)(Arctic) and U.S. Army Alaska. We were in the field all the time, with vehicles, on skis, on snowshoes, pulling ahkios, freezing our buns off. It was the greatest duty ever! I stayed there five years and would have stayed longer if I could. The rest of my career varied wildly from that, but I sure didn’t have a clue what I was getting into when I first enlisted at that MEPS!

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 10:00 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 10:00:55 -0400

Absolutely not, but I've never regretted it!

I'll also add that it wasn't really the recruiter's fault either. Looking back I didn't really want to hear some of what he was telling me haha.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 1:09 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 13:09:35 -0400

I had a decent amount of knowledge about what I was getting into because of my father being in the Army. When I joined, I joined through the National Guards Active First program. Before I went to basic I had to attend drill every month and while doing so we learned the basics about everything from PT to marching.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 24 at 2015 5:41 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 17:41:38 -0400

Unless you already went through basic/boot how could you?

Response by PO1 Cameron Rhyne made Aug 24 at 2015 6:53 PM

PO1 Cameron Rhyne — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 18:53:48 -0400

My parents were both Navy, so I grew up hearing about what it was like. When I decided to join, I did a lot of research of all the branches, talked to recruiters and eventually decided Navy was the best fit for me. There were still things that I wasn't prepared for, but those were things you normally don't get until you've lived it.

Response by MCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2015 9:36 PM

MCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 21:36:32 -0400

I understood most of it when I first joined the Army. A lot of what the Recruiter told me was slightly out of date ("Hey, you can volunteer for jump school in Basic!!"). Other than that, it was all good.

For the Coast Guard, I was VERY well informed, thanks to an old Army buddy that had gotten out and joined the Coast Guard. I just wish I had listened more to him when he told me about the stress in Boot Camp... which was MUCH worse than in the Army.

Response by SFC Joseph Weber made Aug 25 at 2015 1:40 AM

SFC Joseph Weber — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 01:40:20 -0400

Nope. As a kid I played Army and Vietnam but that was about all.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2015 9:47 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 09:47:15 -0400

Not a clue! it wasn't what I thought it will be. But still the best decision I have made! I learned so much stuff being in.

Response by PO1 Aaron Baltosser made Aug 26 at 2015 4:08 PM

PO1 Aaron Baltosser — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 16:08:29 -0400

Nope. Stunningly ignorant about the details, looking for an adventure. I sure found one. Hell of a travel agency running with the Navy as an FMF Corpsman.

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Aug 27 at 2015 3:42 PM

SGT Bryon Sergent — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 15:42:16 -0400

NO! I went into MEPS and I didn't have an MOS. They asked me if I wanted to jump out of airplanes. Said Sure. I didn't know anything about the MOS's. They said that I was going to be unassigned airborne till I made a decision. Date came up swore in went to the bus got to FT Benning. Went to basic after reception. I had told my recruiter that I did not want to be Infantry. I get there and they asked who didn't belong here. I raised my hand. They said what is your MOS I said 11 Xray. He said unassigned Infantry airborne your stuck. Here we are !

Response by SPC David S. made Aug 27 at 2015 3:49 PM

SPC David S. — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 15:49:45 -0400

Sure did - father was a lifer, so was my grandfather. Lived on military installations all over the place.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Aug 27 at 2015 3:50 PM

SFC Stephen King — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 15:50:44 -0400

Military wise yes Dad was a Mustang in the Navy for 28 years. I went to college then joined the National Guard and went Active in leui of Graduation. 22 yrs and counting

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 27 at 2015 4:50 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 16:50:32 -0400

I did not truly know what to expect. I definitely expected way worse than what I experienced. The one regret I do have was trusting my recruiter when he said there would be limited time in BMT to do things like put our hair up as females. I had more time than I knew what to do with. The one negative about BMT is that I actually dropped in fitness during basic. However throughout Basic, Tech School and the real AF... It is best decision I ever made.

Response by MSgt Keith Callaway made Aug 27 at 2015 5:35 PM

MSgt Keith Callaway — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:35:42 -0400

Yes, I had 2 brother that went in before me

Response by LTC Robert Flynn made Sep 6 at 2015 9:34 PM

LTC Robert Flynn — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 21:34:27 -0400

I have to say that I was, as my father was a career Army Officer and we lived on posts that had BCT, AIT and other MOS Schools. However, the best experience was being on posts with major divisions and seeing the various alert status reactions. Also, overseas experiences helped too.

Response by SPC Anna Larson made Sep 30 at 2015 1:11 AM

SPC Anna Larson — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 01:11:56 -0400

Yes, I had 4 years in JROTC in High School and two years of military Junior College (ROTC Included) before enlisting. I also refused to sign the contract until I had a guarantee of a school posting in the field I wanted to go into.