Why did you enlist/commission?

Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 19:03:09 -0500

I am exploring options into various ground combat related careers in all branches. I have a degree, but am questioning whether to enlist or go for a commission. Why did you enlist? Why did you commission? What considerations led to your decision? Would you go back and change your decision if you could?

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 17 at 2019 7:24 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 19:24:55 -0500

I first enlisted because I wanted to serve my country like family members before me and I chose the Marines because people said I wouldn't be able to make it through!! Now I want the responsibility of being the decider and the planner. I just need to continue to push till the end for this commission!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 17 at 2019 8:00 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:00:34 -0500

I enlisted because I wanted to start soldiering as soon as possible and I did not have any interest in any field of study at college. If I could go back in time, I would still have enlisted initially, but I would have gone to OCS and gotten a commission.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 17 at 2019 8:15 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:15:27 -0500

Private RallyPoint Member I enlisted because I wanted to serve my county, and I felt that aiding South Vietnam was a just cause. My father died serving our country, so could I do less than serve? When I was discharged, I obtained my degree, and began a dream career. No regrets over my decision.

The choice is yours to make, but with a degree, give serious consideration to becoming an officer. Keep us posted on your decision.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 17 at 2019 8:53 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:53:13 -0500

I deemed the military to be a noble profession, we can help write history, and I can experience different jobs.

Response by MSG Frank Kapaun made Jan 17 at 2019 9:04 PM

MSG Frank Kapaun — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 21:04:25 -0500

To be truthful, I enlisted because my life was a mess. In short order, I was about to flunk out of college, was booted out of my fraternity, the “love” of my life had just dumped me, was fired from my job, and was living in my car. The cherry on top of the sundae was I had to put my mother in drug/alcohol rehab. The army was a way for me to get the hell out of Mississippi for a while.

Response by LTC John Mohor made Jan 17 at 2019 9:20 PM

LTC John Mohor — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 21:20:09 -0500

I always felt called to serve in the military by high school it was as an officer I wanted to go! Good luck with your choice. I've said if I had it to do over again I'd go Air Force or Warrant . Either way with a degree you should serve as an Officer in my humble opinion.

Response by SGT Michael Thorin made Jan 17 at 2019 9:28 PM

SGT Michael Thorin — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 21:28:08 -0500

I hope I’m answering this right.

I chose to join the Army because the Army was what I knew.

I chose enlistment over Officer because I always wanted to be a good NCO.

Not the picture perfect NCO that “drives” his/her soldiers, but the NCO that “leads” soldiers. IMHO, if a person can’t differentiate between the two, they are not ready for a commission as an officer or as a promotion to an NCO.

I wasn’t an officer, but I know a few others on here that served both. Can any of you ladies and gents tell you how becoming good at the one made you better at the other?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs,SPC Douglas Bolton,Brig Gen Jim Jaeger,CPT Jack Durish,Maj Marty Hogan,SPC Christopher Smith,Lt Col Charlie Brown,Cpl Scott McCarroll,SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth,SP5 Mark Kuzinski,PVT Mark Brown,SGT Elizabeth Scheck,PFC Jacob Wrubel,MSgt Ken "Airsoldier" Collins-Hardy,SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL,SSG William Jones,TSgt Joe C.,SSgt Robert Marx,SGT Robert George, LTC Stephen F.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 17 at 2019 10:14 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 22:14:34 -0500

I had a degree prior to joining the Army, but I still chose to enlist. I attended Officer Candidate School after 4 1/2 years and now I’m a Major. I wouldn’t personally change my path, but opinions will vary. I believe that the time I served enlisted was an invaluable experience that can’t be manufactured at a service academy or an ROTC program. It is easier for me to understand the impact of my decisions on subordinate personnel since I’ve been in their position. I think my choices have enabled me to be more effective as an Officer.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jan 17 at 2019 10:29 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 22:29:08 -0500

I enlisted after graduating college and law school. Probably should have taken ROTC, but glad for the year at infantry school working my way to a commission. Enlisted or commissioned? Depends on how you feel about responsibility. Commissioned officers take responsibility for everything. If you are adverse to it, you better stay enlisted. I have always been a glutton for punishment

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Jan 17 at 2019 11:14 PM

SGT Philip Roncari — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 23:14:27 -0500

I don’t know if this will help you in your decision,but here goes I enlisted in the Army in 1965, barely graduating High School with a drinking problem ,minor scrapes with the Law ,that all led me to join and find direction and discipline ,that explains the why and consideration parts of your post ,as far as going back and changing my decision...Never ,I did note you mentioned a possible ground combat related career ,think very carefully young man on that one ,once you open that can of worms it’s not easy to close again believe me..

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 17 at 2019 11:20 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 23:20:10 -0500

When I was 3, I decided that I wanted to be a fighter pilot. And that was pretty much it.

Response by Cpl Bernard Bates made Jan 17 at 2019 11:28 PM

Cpl Bernard Bates — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 23:28:06 -0500

I enlisted for a couple different reasons. I was 17 and I a farm boy had never been anywhere. I wanted to see the world. I was born in 1941 and I grew up with the veterans who came home from WWll. I wanted to be like them. I enlisted in the Marine
Corp. because I wanted to be the best. Service men were respected before Vietnam. Semper fi.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Jan 18 at 2019 1:30 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 01:30:20 -0500

Boy is that a complicated one...I've really gotta give that one some serious thought as to how to answer you as to that...some career/educ questions on here, I find, tend to evoke such efforts at serious thought on my part, yours was one of those, certainly...it'd take me virtually hours to even remotely try to encapsulate all I've seen, gone through, and absorbed, over the course of a very, very long protracted period around the services and their world to be able to even remotely try to answer you coherently, I'm noncombat total perm disabled, though I've seen a good deal, and made just about every mistake known to the human race, as well as invented others in the process, I can try to explain my thoughts if you really wanna hear them, however, I've been told on here many times I can often tend to get rather loquacious and long-winded in the process, so how much you wanna hear I of course leave entirely to you, certainly...I was never enlisted on active, though I'd been sorely tempted out of high school and undergrad, I was 3 yrs Army ROTC, then went USAF OTS instead, my next younger brother was USMMA Kings Point, I commissioned him when he finished...our Dad had been Navy enlisted noncombat during Korea on an aircraft carrier in the Caribbean, one of our uncles had been a radio operator in Army during WW2 who'd actually known and met Gen Eisenhower, who very briefly remembered him when our uncle graduated from Columba Univ while the Gen was president there before being elected, our uncle actually saw the German surrender, and helped send the Telex to Gen !Marshall announcing it, he swiped a copy of it our cousins still have, our Mom's Dad had been briefly USMC around the time of the buildup for Iwo Jima, he couldn't adapt, so USMC sent him home, I'd learned much later, he never spoke of it later on, for obvious reasons, I guess, and one of my Mom's cousins had been Ar!y armor in Germany at the Fulda Gap during the 1950s in the Cold War, I was doctoral level allied health, we shut my license sevl yrs ago due to the whole total perm disability thing for me, my wife and I, though I trained at sevl VA hospitals, and also saw a good deal of that side of it also...I had to explain all tat so you'd understand something of my perspective in trying to answer your question...I worked with just about everybody and saw just about everybody, all ranks, enlisted, warrant, commissioned, in all svcs, incl foreign allied commissioned as well when I was assigned...in many ways, having been enlisted first would've helped me adjust considerably, I realized that in retrospect, I'd have been more acclimated before going commissioned, that much I can say is true, as I'd known many from all svcs at USAF OTS who'd been prior enlisted, one guy even had Navy enlisted dolphins, and they all for the most part had an easier time adjusting, I'd found...then, too, I'd found the single largest impediment to getting svc life right, was knowing exactly what questions to ask, who to ask them of, and most of all, taking adequate time to ask those things needed to be asked, before diving head first into the deep end of the pool, though, of course, that:s my perspective, certainly...I'd also very seriously suggest looking at what are called the state defense forces (SDFs), the state militaries that supplement the Natl Guard, both ARNG and ANG, as they can seriously let you test the waters, with generally no deployments, to at least see if such a life is for you, teyte reap militaries, their main professional organization is called SGAUS, look at http://www.sgaus.org, not all states have them, had I known they existed, I'd have very definitely gone that way, they're actual state militaries, out dentist had a friend who'd wanted him to go ARNG, he wasn't sure if it'd be for him, so he tried the NY Guard, the SDF for NY, which also has the NY Naval Militia (NYNM) which is Federally recognized, the NYG isn't, however, he found it was for him, and was released by NYG when he opted to go ARNG ultimately, we chat about my having suggested that to him quite often whenever we see him...most generally don't even know SDFs exist, and, as I said, not all states have them, most release those opting to go Federal, if they Ind in testing svc waters that the life is for them...it'd also help know more biographical stuff to answer you properly, what MOS, AFSC, or naval rate or field you'd want, which svcs and/or programs you've looked at, how much college you've done, actual coursework taken, esp STEM stuff, grades, GPAs, so far as you'd care to go into, also, whether you want a full 20-30 yr career, and, whether you'd want senior enlisted, warrant, or commissioned...next, have you looked at OCS programs, also, going warrant from day one, whether e.g. in cyber for Navy or Army WOCS for flight training, do you have any flight interests at all, would you want to try for one of the military colleges, VMI, the Citadel, the military junior colleges, the state maritime colleges, which I've known sevl grads for from SUNY !wartime College, worked with them, known them as trends and acquaintances, and very nearly applied to as well...and, finally, would you want to try for one of the three academy prep schools, I knew of an instance an airman where I was got into USAFA where I was, so know it's possible, obviously all that would depend on your age, of course...I explain those things to educate, certainly, so far as I can, I've known many fine enlisted, warrants, and commissioned, all have their relative benefits, depending on interests, ambitions, and motivations, which is why the more you explain here, in as !much detail as possible, I've found, the more all of us can try to help you sort out various possibilities, and sift through them all, to find what NIH nest suit your ambitions...I've had conflicting ambitions, I also had to rush to pick where I'd be assigned in USAF, I was expressly told by the USAF OTS recruiter who processed !e to see another recruiter for the clinical side, I didn't listen, which caused myself, my family, and my friends, no end of personal heartache and needless aggravation, ultimately, as a result, I found myself working ultimately for the wrong people, in the wrong place, doing something totally unexpected, diverted from my main goal and ambition, which had been to have been a flight surgeon, which, needless to say, didn't happen, I also had wanted to go USPHS Commissioned Corps, as I'd trained under an O-6 while doing my clinical doctorate, obviously that didn't happen either...I think I fathom your question, and why you ask it, and it was well phrased, however answering it properly would as I'd said, take beaucoup hours of explanation, for you to entirely understand...so, as I said, give us more background, so we can all try to help you as coherently as possible, OK? I hope that at least helps, as I said to begin with, some questions on here do tend to !make one think, you're quite obviously did, certainly, should you care to chat further, I'm here, just ask, OK? You clearly seem to have time to research this properly, let us help you try to do this the right way, by doing a detailed biosketch for us, and giving us as much further info as you can, hobbies, interests, any prior exposure in Civil Air Patrol, JROTC, Naval Sea Cadets, whether your family was also in whom you could draw on for advice, whether you've chatted with family, because believe me, they're involved, trust me on that, I enlisted twice, once for Army ROTC, once for USAF OTS, my brother die for USMMA and USNR, trust me, your family is very definitely part of deciding to do this, and you very definitely need to speak with them, I did, and even then, I still got a good deal wrong, that's as candid as I can possibly be, OK? As I said, I hope that all helps, I'd be !most eager to hear more, whenever you've got time to answer, no rush, whenever you want, OK?

SGAUS – State Guard Association of the United States

State Guard Association of the United States

Response by SGT Donald Croswhite made Jan 18 at 2019 1:46 AM

SGT Donald Croswhite — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 01:46:51 -0500

I've always seem it like this; officers want to be designing the plan, enlisted want to be on the ground doing the plan. The enlisted are the blue collar, officers are white collar. So you need to look at your strengths and weekness'.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2019 2:43 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 02:43:27 -0500

I enlisted in the Marines from 2003-2008. I was eager to get out of my hometown so I picked a random MOS that allowed me to leave earlier than originally planned. I ended up not really liking what the job entailed. I stuck it out and made the best of it but, I didn’t do as well as I could have because my heart wasn’t in it. I did my time and ended up pursuing my interest in the medical filled after I got out and everything just clicked. I went from EMT to ICU RN to flight nurse and management and now I am in the ER. I recently was direct commissioned as a critical care nurse in the Army reserves. Granted I’ve been out of the military for a long time but, the biggest reason why I joined again is because I feel that I have more to offer. As a nurse, and now an officer I have learned a lot and feel that I have it in me to lead, teach and do everything in my power to make sure our people come home safe.

Word of advice follow your heart and your interest. Don’t hop into a spot without looking at what is important to you. Also, don’t be afraid to pursue your goals, you never know what you are capable of unless you try and if you don’t try you will end up with years of regret. Good luck to you!

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Jan 18 at 2019 5:19 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 05:19:37 -0500

I enlisted while a senior in high school, wanted the military experience and to serve my country.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2019 6:35 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 06:35:27 -0500

There are a lot folks that will say they joined to serve. Many of them are being truthful. I can honestly say that was not my motivation for joining. I sought out an escape from home. The free college sounded great too although it took me 13 years to earn my degree. However, I stayed in after the first enlistment once learning what the military was really about and wanted to continue serving. My first deployment hooked me for the long haul. If I had not had the leadership I have had, I may have separated after one term. I have been fortunate to have folks show me the way. It helps that they were not caught up in trying to claw their way to the top as well. 15 years later and I'll soon be crossing over to the Army. Despite the extra cash I could make on the outside, I don't feel as if I will get the same experience or be able to contribute as much as I can now.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2019 8:14 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 08:14:22 -0500

I commissioned when I was 32 years old. I had always been interested in serving our country, but I ended up getting married young and life took me a different direction. I went back to school to become a Physician Assistant and graduated when I was 30 years old, and the National Guard came recruiting at school. It was the perfect way for me to justify the military to my then-spouse: the Army was going to help repay the loans from my Masters’ degree, and I would get to serve. I love being able to use my medical training to help soldiers, and I enjoy getting to mentor younger enlisted Soldiers who have questions about going back to school. My commission ended up being a major source of friction in my marriage (he just didn’t understand what I love about it), and we got divorced. As a Medical Officer, I won’t ever end up doing any command time (though I could seek it out if I wanted it), so it’s a little bit of an unusual position as an officer. I don’t regret any of my choices - I love what I do, I love the people I get to meet.

Response by LTC John Griscom made Jan 18 at 2019 8:51 AM

LTC John Griscom — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 08:51:40 -0500

Grew up at an Air Force base listening Air Force brats talking about everywhere they have been. Got my commission thru ROTC so Uncle Sam could be my travel agent.
Didn't work well; first duty station was 80 miles from home.

Response by MSG David Lambert made Jan 18 at 2019 10:28 AM

MSG David Lambert — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 10:28:37 -0500

I was drafted on my first term. Ended up in the Army because I am under 6 foot tall. Had I been over, I would be a Marine. I stayed because it was and is the right thing to do as an American.

Response by LTC Gary Earls made Jan 18 at 2019 11:47 AM

LTC Gary Earls — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 11:47:37 -0500

I was drafted. :-) One of my instructors at the technical school I was attending advised me to take any school the Army offered. The only school offered was Officer Candidate School. I took it and it changed my life. It depends on what you want out of life.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Jan 18 at 2019 11:58 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 11:58:01 -0500

I was a service Brat, so I had always been around it. The recession hit right after I got out of college and I got laid off the job I was working and employment was hard to come by, so I decided to see if I was as tough as I thought I was, so I enlisted in the Infantry. I found out that I liked it. After a couple of years and I was getting ready to promote to E5 (went in as E3 with a degree back then) the Battalion asked if I was interested in doing OCS (Reagan years rebuilding) and being a smart ass that thought I could do it better, I said yes. So Infantry Officer and finally a Combat Engineer. I like to think I did it better than most.
About the only thing I would change if I did it all over would be enlist with an 18x option or a Guard REP 63. I think I would have still ended up on the Commissioned side of things going that route too.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2019 1:04 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 13:04:17 -0500

I enlisted because I wanted to serve my country and it is a family tradition. Maybe my son will opt to join. If he does, he will go to a service academy. Being enlisted is OK but commissioned life is a lot better.

Response by 1SG Jason Rose made Jan 19 at 2019 2:20 AM

1SG Jason Rose — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 02:20:32 -0500

I enlisted because I didn’t want to work a dead end job and have college debt. Some free advice for you...some enlist and some commission. At the end of the day we are on the same team. Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean you have the experience employers are seeking. Joining the team will give you that edge compared to your civilian peers. The best officers I have served with have been prior enlisted. You could have a shorter service obligation if you enlist as well. I stayed enlisted because I felt I could impact Soldiers more. Best of luck to you

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2019 8:21 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 20:21:39 -0500

I chose to enlist despite having a degree for a few reasons. First, I'm very young for having a degree (barely 21) and I want to work. Like, hands on, get dirty, go the rough, and live life a little wild. I want to work hard now while I can. That's much easier to do enlisted than as an officer. I also chose to enlist because it's much easier to secure your MOS enlisted than commissioned (and I'm pretty sure that applies to all of the branches). Part of the reason I chose to join the military was also that I wanted to not have to think for a while. I was a bit burnt out from school and the concept of trying to get a 9 to 5 desk job sounded like death to me so I liked the sound of singing a contract for 5.5 years (yes, I have a long contract) and not having to actively worry about what I would do for a while. I know that I can just wake up, go to work and as long as I'm not a bag of trash and I work hard I'll be good. I also know that while I have the potential to be a good leader I have a lot to learn, too. And I think its beneficial to get the experience of the enlisted side before commissioning, because then as an officer I'll not only understand my enlisted soldiers but because of my enlisted TIS I'll have been able to work on my leadership skills and learn what it means to be a good leader in our military. At the end of the day, I can always commission down the road, but you cant really enlist if you realize commissioning wasnt the right move quite yet. And lastly, I was able to get a great job with the Army and I'm so excited to do it for the next 5.5 years.

Those are most if not all of my reasons. Hope they help you weight your own options. Dont rush into the decision and dont feel pressured one way or the other. My family wasnt particularly happy that I chose to enlist with a degree but they see me striving now and they support me. But I did it despite their doubts because I knew it was what I wanted and needed in life. You just have to weight your own goals and options and decide what will work for you. Good luck! If you have any follow ups feel free to respond! Only get my phone on Sundays right now though - in schoolhouse.

Response by Sgt John Mizell made Apr 14 at 2019 11:48 PM

Sgt John Mizell — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 23:48:56 -0400

Wanted to see the world