What was your best experience being in the military?

PFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:13:14 -0400

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 11 at 2016 9:25 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:25:39 -0400

PFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member, My best experience while I was in the Army was finding out the seven men we rescued one night in Vietnam, all lived, and I was able to be reunited with one of them, in person.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Oct 11 at 2016 9:28 PM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:28:09 -0400

PFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member great question, for me it was a life time experience to serve the United States of America and defend freedom.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Oct 11 at 2016 9:36 PM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:36:59 -0400

Deploying with some great people and going through all the ups and downs together

Response by SFC George Smith made Oct 11 at 2016 9:40 PM

SFC George Smith — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:40:14 -0400

working with great people and all branches of service all over the world...

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Oct 11 at 2016 9:47 PM

Sgt Wayne Wood — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:47:03 -0400

1st jump, 1st time i fired a cruiser, 1st first round fireball, watching an A-4 popup after cleared hot. 1st Chopper blast, 1st MC1-1, a gallon of ice cold milk & a box of baby ruths

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Oct 11 at 2016 9:46 PM

Sgt Wayne Wood — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:46:41 -0400

1st jump, 1st time i fired a cruiser, 1st first round fireball, watching an A-4 popup after cleared hot. 1st Chopper blast, 1st MC1-1, a gallon of ice cold milk & a box of baby ruths

Response by Sgt Raynaldo Roybal made Oct 11 at 2016 9:58 PM

Sgt Raynaldo Roybal — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 21:58:29 -0400

The COMMINT mission and living in the South of Italy.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Oct 11 at 2016 10:35 PM

SN Greg Wright — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 22:35:10 -0400

The near-collision of 10 nuclear reactors, some tens of thousands of barrels of JP-5, and probably 10 thousand tons of ammo and and materiel. I've never felt so alive!

Response by SFC Daniel McIntire made Oct 11 at 2016 10:39 PM

SFC Daniel McIntire — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 22:39:42 -0400

Kuwait, NOV 2008-AUG 2009, working with our British counterparts.

Response by CPL Eric Escasio made Oct 11 at 2016 11:47 PM

CPL Eric Escasio — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 23:47:36 -0400

since I was 5 I always wanted to be in the US Army and when I got off the bluebird bus going to boot camp I said this is it, time to prove that I can do this......

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 12 at 2016 12:10 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:10:54 -0400

Best overall was deploying to Antarctica 3 times. Got to do a lot of long range traverses, blow things up, build runways and wharfs, and do surface SAR. Bummer was going back the 4th time to work the recovery of ANZ 901, a tourist DC-10 that did a controlled descent into the side of Mt Erebus, taking away 257 souls.

There were others but I can relate this one... mostly.

Response by CPL Jeff Sutton made Oct 12 at 2016 12:14 AM

CPL Jeff Sutton — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:14:10 -0400

Pushing back an enemy element 100 strong and surging the day. It's an amazing sight when I saw every guy in my platoon fighting with all of their might, disregarding their own safety to keep each other alive and win the fight. So, in a nutshell, the cameraderie of the soldiers i served with and their unwavering loyalty to each other was the best thing I had ever been a part of.

Response by COL Lee Flemming made Oct 12 at 2016 2:24 AM

COL Lee Flemming — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 02:24:35 -0400

Hands down working with and leading the SMs of my Battalion and seeing the light go on when they finally got it!

Response by PFC Jim Wheeler made Oct 12 at 2016 2:37 AM

PFC Jim Wheeler — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 02:37:45 -0400

Mine was definitely jumping.

Fun fact: The landings were some of the worst experiences.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 12 at 2016 3:52 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 03:52:41 -0400

The feeling when I jumped out for the first time when I went to jump school! The rush of the wind, the beautiful view from up high, and the not so soft landing when I hit the ground. lol

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 12 at 2016 8:53 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:53:50 -0400

So many things I consider best experience because they all have their different aspects. Coming home from war in one piece. Getting promoted to SGT. Getting married in my uniform. Serving in Germany. Being a part of the 58th CEC of the 11th ACR. Reading my latest NCOER and needing shades to read it because it was glowing so bright.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 12 at 2016 9:18 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 09:18:09 -0400

Fighting the fight and earning my CIB when I was in the Infantry (CTNG)

Response by Sgt John Steinmeier made Oct 12 at 2016 12:06 PM

Sgt John Steinmeier — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 12:06:16 -0400

Air Base Ground Defense school at Ft Dix. It was everything I joined the military for.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 12 at 2016 1:30 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:30:06 -0400

PFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member It was more of a situation and TDY. I was working a shop at Rhein Main AFB. There was very little stress and quite quiet, in spite of the fact that counter-terrorism was necessary. Germans in Jeeps were constantly on guard going around the perimeter of Frankfurt International Airport and the adjoining Rhen Main AB. I was just promoted to SrA (my favorite rank by the way). I was in a very old barracks, that was run down and I was on the basement. We had a canteen that made burgers and had soda and beer. I just loved that experience and often think of it. I pine for those times and remember them very well. Too bad that RM is now closed. LTC Stephen F.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Oct 12 at 2016 2:16 PM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 14:16:41 -0400

For me, it was becoming an NCO. I built a reputation in my MOS as a hard charging go-getter. As a Junior Marine, I had squadrons from all over calling me for advice or assistance because of my knowledge base. So when I picked up Cpl, I was incredibly proud to have a full conference room of Marines/Civilians/Officers/Enlisted all from different squadrons coming to see me pick up rank.

Response by LTC Tim Ellis made Oct 13 at 2016 3:01 PM

LTC Tim Ellis — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 15:01:39 -0400

Scout Platoon leader of an outstanding group of high speed 19Ds.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 13 at 2016 3:18 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 15:18:50 -0400

PFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member - Mass Casualty Medicine - Caring for our troops, their troops, and civilian men, women, and children who were caught in the middle. My hands made more difference every day during the war in saving and improving quality of life of our patients than at any other time in my life. Warmest Regards, Sandy :)

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 13 at 2016 8:20 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 20:20:26 -0400

Thanks for asking the question PFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member and thanks for mentioning me my friend SSgt Private RallyPoint Member. I have over 34 years of military service and it would be impossible for me to narrow it down to one or two best experiences.

Response by SGT James Colwell made Dec 15 at 2016 1:57 PM

SGT James Colwell — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:57:54 -0500

Three things for me personally:
1. Passing the E5 board and getting the stripes.
2. Earning the Expert Infantry Badge and having my Bn Cdr who sported the CIB tell us that all he had to do was get shot at to get the CIB, and that we had to demonstrate skills to earn the EIB. That meant a LOT coming from a combat vet.
3. Passing E6 board, but never earning near enough promotion points before ETS. (I got tired of waiting for points that don't come during "peacetime".) I now regret not waiting.

Response by PO3 Michael Rames made Mar 16 at 2017 10:45 PM

PO3 Michael Rames — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 22:45:42 -0400

I remember thinking many times during my enlistment that I was wasting the best years of my youth. Hind sight being 20/20 those were the best years. One lifestyle that I adopted and carried thru in civilian life was to work hard and play harder. OMG did we play hard. Visiting parts of the world, experiencing different cultures that would not be possible for me as a civilian.

Response by SGT Jim Ramge, MBA made May 5 at 2017 10:15 PM

SGT Jim Ramge, MBA — Fri, 05 May 2017 22:15:30 -0400

The lifelong friends I had obtained since I was a dependent through my own retirement! Had I not joined the military I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have the amount of Armed Forces family I have today!

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2017 6:04 AM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 May 2017 06:04:14 -0400

I don't know. I haven't retired yet.

Response by SPC Greg Campbell made May 6 at 2017 9:02 PM

SPC Greg Campbell — Sat, 06 May 2017 21:02:32 -0400

The guys I served with

Response by Cpl D L Parker made May 7 at 2017 7:55 PM

Cpl D L Parker — Sun, 07 May 2017 19:55:44 -0400

Not counting marching across the parade deck at PISC. In Okinawa, I was on a contact team (inspected a unit's comm gear at their location). We'd fix what we could on site, send the remainder to the repair shop. For our work we received a Meritorious Mast.

Response by MSgt John McGowan made May 7 at 2017 8:44 PM

MSgt John McGowan — Sun, 07 May 2017 20:44:01 -0400

I will not say I had the most excited career but once I was a SNCO passing all my my IG inspections. As a maintenance branch chief and as a 1st SGT. They were not happy with nothing less.

Response by SrA Tony Schamberger made Jun 11 at 2017 3:14 AM

SrA Tony Schamberger — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 03:14:30 -0400

Getting certified at Ramstein AB as an FAA certified Tower Air Traffic Controller. That was memorable.

Response by CPL Robert Bradway made Aug 21 at 2017 11:59 AM

CPL Robert Bradway — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 11:59:54 -0400

I would say the best experience was being stationed in west Germany. I got to travel Europe. At times it sucked but the good times out weight the bad times. I really enjoyed the field maneuvers made me feel like I was doing what was needed to protect American interests

Response by CW5 John M. made Feb 10 at 2018 12:49 AM

CW5 John M. — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 00:49:42 -0500

Rescuing people in dire straits, fighting fire/flood, being “the last resort” in remote mountainous terrain, beating back the enemy at beleaguered outpost, getting soldiers into flight school, OCS, military schools, overlooked flight pay, bonus backpay. Personal satisfaction for doing many things that were never “recognized” - they just needed to be done.

Response by SFC Greg Bruorton made Feb 17 at 2018 9:50 PM

SFC Greg Bruorton — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 21:50:51 -0500

Having nothing to compare with several of the comments on this question where life and death were held in the balance I must say my best experience in the Army was serving as the first (enlisted) Special Security Officer for the 82nd Airborne Division from August 1976 to October 1979. While it rests at the peak of my career I'm especially grateful for the many opportunities (especially in my early years) of playing guitar for crowds and extra performances, such as in the theater and teaching students during my assignments. That was a chick magnet.

In essence, I got to play paratrooper and super spook and still pick the strings.

Response by Maj John Bell made Feb 17 at 2018 10:04 PM

Maj John Bell — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 22:04:08 -0500

Command of a Security Company at Marine Barracks Bangor under two different Barracks Commanders who had the same philosophy.

"None of these Marines joined the Marine Corps to stand in a glass box, watching a chain link fence and a tree line, out of which, probably nothing exciting is going to come. So during training week, your job is make sure these young men go the e-club Friday night, tired, sore, bruised, scratched up and full of mostly true stories about the crazy $#!+ Charlie Company did this week. The more closely related to actual locate, close with and destroy... the better; but not necessarily required."

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Feb 17 at 2018 10:18 PM

MCPO Roger Collins — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 22:18:37 -0500

Wish I could tell you.

Response by Capt Ray S. O. made Feb 17 at 2018 11:01 PM

Capt Ray S. O. — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 23:01:54 -0500

Gunner on an M-60A1 Patton Dozer Tank. The Rock Germany 1971-73 Best job I ever had!

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 17 at 2018 11:16 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 23:16:08 -0500

Going through Basic

Response by MSG Charles Turner made Feb 18 at 2018 11:32 PM

MSG Charles Turner — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 23:32:56 -0500

I had a lot of Great Experiences. But as I look back, when I retired, all the "Thank You"s and Good Lucks. I felt then, at least for a little bit, that I had made a difference.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 24 at 2019 4:05 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 16:05:13 -0500

Helping soldiers and NCOs to enrich their personal and professional goals. The next is when I became a proficient Armor Tank Platoon Leader.

Response by SP5 Christopher Brock made Jan 29 at 2020 2:30 PM

SP5 Christopher Brock — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 14:30:37 -0500

The best experience I had was when I was in Germany I was chosen to do Convoy Escort, which I done for most of my Army Career well I get to the Platoon and it’s only me and another NCO, well we were waiting for other NCO’s and Soldiers well the Companies decided to give us their problem Soldiers, well when we got our NCO’s and Problem Soldiers we gave them actual Purpose Motivation and Direction and we became an extremely tight Platoon and when the Companies seen that their Problem Soldiers were succeeding they immediately tried to get them back, we did the wrong thing and we all hung out outside of work was on First name basis but when it was time to work we kicked ass and took names it was the best time I have ever had we all still remain in contact to this day and all dream of going back to Baumholder Germany

Response by PO2 Doc Blake made Jan 30 at 2020 11:04 PM

PO2 Doc Blake — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 23:04:02 -0500

One, A three on one fight, just inside of the Olongapo, PI, base gate, 1965! I fought them to a standstill, and walked away! If you were there, say hi, you SOB!
Two, Traveling to many foreign countries!
Three, and getting discharged!

Response by CPO Heidi Cermak made Feb 2 at 2020 7:42 PM

CPO Heidi Cermak — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 19:42:37 -0500

watching the USS Ronald Reagan return to port with teh sailors lined up on the deck.

Response by CW4 Tim McCartney made Feb 29 at 2020 11:54 AM

CW4 Tim McCartney — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 11:54:45 -0500

Passing my last flight check ride in Army flight school as a WOC and knowing I was going to graduate.

Response by LCpl Bradley Otto made Mar 23 at 2020 8:00 PM

LCpl Bradley Otto — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 20:00:50 -0400

I truly can't say, after being out 34 years. I have memories of both good and bad. I got to do a lot of cool things and work with tools and people that many would not get. But Having the bond of brotherhood that grew is by far priceless. I mis fast roping, crashing through the surf, and blowing shit up like most .

Response by CPL Raul Perez Jr made Jun 2 at 2020 12:00 AM

CPL Raul Perez Jr — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 00:00:28 -0400

Being selected to be a sniper and going to Recondo school. Toughest training,but awesome Screaming Eagles.