Any military here?

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Return of the Krugen
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LEGION138
I've been considering going into the army national guard program for a bit now. I would just go ahead and hit the full time army but i have 3 kids and i really don't want to miss out on everything i would miss with them, also would hate to put them through me being gone so long at times. Is anyone here in the guard? If so are you happy with your decision and what are the pro's and con's in your opinion?
 
Stig22121
Why do you want to go into the Army?
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Well, I have always been interested in the military for some reason. It would also provide me with a way to goto school to better my family. We aren't poor but we are for sure check to check. I can't even go buy a can of dip without worrying about running short on bill money:indiff:. The weekend warrior route would provide a good sign on bonus plus it would give me a way to college, also would be serving my country. Even if its in a small way. My wife's aunt has been in the air force (guard) for about 16 years now and she likes getting her pay for it and she says i should go, was just wondering if anyone here had any experiences on it. Plus, who wouldn't like to be able to shoot a M16A4 assault rifle:). The sign on bonus and the extra income from it would help us get a house also:tup:
 
If your going to join any armed forces- join the Marines. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's rougher over there, but (I don't know about you) I'd rather say I was a Marine than a U.S. Soldier. Don't get me wrong, if you want to go to the Army, do so. There's nothing wrong with it, and you should be proud of it. I wish you good luck if you choose to do it :)
 
Their is a good chance I am going to join up either the marines or army. Most likely while I am in college I am going to join ROTC and than do my time after. I have always wanted to join up and I consider myself very patriotic.
 
I definitely would not enlist in the Amry, guard or not, if you're looking for money.

Also, sign on bonuses really aren't worth it. Plain and simple. Usually only certain jobs qualify you for them. Also, you don't get all of it up front. Say they offer you a $15,000 sign on bonus for signing up for 6 years rather than 4. After you've been in service for 1 year, you'll get half of that bonus. $7,500 minus taxes, of course. Comes out to right around $5,200 or so probably. Then you get the rest over the remaining term of your enlistment every year. $1,500 each year BEFORE taxes.

As far as school money goes the Reserve/Guard GI Bill & Kicker(depending on your job) is nice, but you have to have the money to pay for school up front. Only once you take the class, and pass it, will they reimburse you for that class.

In the ANG I can almost gurantee you're going to deploy. Heck, I'm in the Air Force Reserves, and I've been to Iraq and Afghanistan more times than I can count.


Also, good luck trying to be a "weekend warrior." Like I said, I'm in the Reserves, and I worked a solid straight 9 months last year. Every month I was overseas at least 10 days. Hardly the '2 days a month, two weeks a year' people think it is.

I'd suggest looking into going to becoming a police officer. Most likely better pay, you'll never deploy overseas, and you'll be around your family all the time. Also in 20 years you'll receive 100% of your pay for retirement.
 
Josh
I definitely would not enlist in the Amry, guard or not, if you're looking for money.

Also, sign on bonuses really aren't worth it. Plain and simple. Usually only certain jobs qualify you for them. Also, you don't get all of it up front. Say they offer you a $15,000 sign on bonus for signing up for 6 years rather than 4. After you've been in service for 1 year, you'll get half of that bonus. $7,500 minus taxes, of course. Comes out to right around $5,200 or so probably. Then you get the rest over the remaining term of your enlistment every year. $1,500 each year BEFORE taxes.

As far as school money goes the Reserve/Guard GI Bill & Kicker(depending on your job) is nice, but you have to have the money to pay for school up front. Only once you take the class, and pass it, will they reimburse you for that class.

In the ANG I can almost gurantee you're going to deploy. Heck, I'm in the Air Force Reserves, and I've been to Iraq and Afghanistan more times than I can count.


Also, good luck trying to be a "weekend warrior." Like I said, I'm in the Reserves, and I worked a solid straight 9 months last year. Every month I was overseas at least 10 days. Hardly the '2 days a month, two weeks a year' people think it is.

I'd suggest looking into going to becoming a police officer. Most likely better pay, you'll never deploy overseas, and you'll be around your family all the time. Also in 20 years you'll receive 100% of your pay for retirement.
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Good info mate. My wifes aunt is in the air force reserves(16yrs now), she has never been deployed anywhere. I guess you could call that luck though. She was saying that right now they are offering a 40K sign on bonus, thats just insane! I haven't checked into that though, it might not be true or it might HAVE been true. They are really needing people is what that tells me. Im not to fond of leaving my family though, which was the reason for choosing the reserves, but if you have been out so much it makes me re-think it. I wouldn't mind the food if i got sent over to iraq though, my step dad is arabic and the food is great for the most part:sly: Its funny that you mentioned the cop thing. I actually went and took my physical and passed all of that a few years ago and was just about to go into the written tests and all and i had to drop out because my daughter was having to have open heart surgery and it was just too much to handle at that time. An officer here only makes around 36k a year start off. Not that great, especially for what you are doing. But thats not saying im not going back.


I don't really have much of a choice as far as a career goes. I grew up pretty fast and hard, have always been in section 8 housing and had to drop out of school asap to get a job because my mom had a little bit of a crack problem so i had to pay for everything (me and my sister really). Im telling you this just so you understand the reason i was looking at the schooling and such for the military. I have never had the money to be able to goto school, or the time. I have my GED, im not an ignorant person by far and i also have a ton of street smarts. I would make a damn good cop for sure with everything i have learned over the years. Ive done it all really, boosted cars,dope, thing i was best at was breaking into houses though. These are some of the reasons i would make a good cop, plus im just sick of all the cops we have in my city. They are mostly lazy and just don't care about doing theyre job. Hardly any of them are cops for the right reasons. I know 3 cops here and 1 said he became a cop to meet girls, the other said he became one to get drugs off of people and the 3rd said he became one for the right reasons.Firefighters and police officers should be making much more. Its just sad that we live in a society that pays athletes and actors much, much more for doing nothing pretty much, and the people that should be making the money make nothing. Whatever way i go im going to have to be like Simon Pegg and run fat boy run! Im up to 264lbs and im 5'11. I was at 220, but at that time i taking a good bit of 3 different types of steroids and working out like crazy, looked like a bulldog. Im hitting the gym again but without steroids this time, just me, whey protein and thats it.

Sorry for a long post but had to keep going until i thought my point was conveyed and done.....:lol:
 
Ram-Rod
If your going to join any armed forces- join the Marines. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's rougher over there, but (I don't know about you) I'd rather say I was a Marine than a U.S. Soldier. Don't get me wrong, if you want to go to the Army, do so. There's nothing wrong with it, and you should be proud of it. I wish you good luck if you choose to do it :)
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If I recall, the type pf people that usually enlist in the Navy are not the kind you'd like to know, unless I am thinking of the 1960s...

Isn't Michael88 a member of the Army?
 

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