Were you ever in the Armed Forces -- 2

[P38 Pilot]

Hey guys, mind if i join in?

As most of you probably know, i think im going to go to college and become an officer in the armed forces. Im going to stay with AROTC. I dont think they would except me in the Air Force because of my eye sight. Im near-sighted which in other words mean i cant see very far without getting blurry...

I really want to serve and have the privilege to tell my children in the future that i fought for the country because i was in the armed forces. I wish though we could do some military training to get us preped up for combat. But believe me, i am NOT going to do paper-work! Im going to get a hold of some trigger time and fight.

[lesofprimus]

There are about 10,000 soldiers that would trade places with u in a heartbeat.... Combat aint all glory and medals....

[trackend]

There many ways to serve your country P38 if this is what you really want then that's OK Les has been about the most active squaddie that Is on here as far I'm aware, so he's a good guy to listen to regarding the good and bad side of military service.
My wife has been a nurse for 20 odd years and I'm very proud of her she has served her country as much as any squaddie, saving many lives in her time. Les has told us of his friends in the Fire service who lost there lives in 9-11 doing their duty so soldiering is one of many professions that serve a nation. but as I say 38 if your sure its what you want fair enough.
All Ill say is yes it would be nice to tell your grand kids about your military service but there are plenty of fellas who don't last long enough to do that or are maimed both physically and mentally in very inglorious and vile ways.

[the lancaster kicks ass]

is there anyway i could get all the pride and glory without having to do any work ebay perhaps

[P38 Pilot]

Originally Posted by lesofprimus

There are about 10,000 soldiers that would trade places with u in a heartbeat.... Combat aint all glory and medals....

or i could do what most of the ROTC officers do. There is this new teacher at my school who said her father went into armored divisions and trained guys with the tanks. I really want to get on the front but not do stuff like Commando work. I just want to get a hold of a little action like fire artillery, ride helicopters, or get into the vechicle stuff.

LesofPrimus, what do MOST ROTC officers do? Do they actully get into different divisions or something?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

P-38 ROTC officers do not fight at all. When you are in ROTC you are in college, you are a student. You will not get into the real military until you are done with college and you recieve a comission as a Active Duty Officer. ROTC stands for RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS. It is really just a way to get people commissions in the Military. Not to deter you from doing so I think it is a fine way to get into the Military but a whole lot of ROTC officers end up making lousy officers in the real military. They just dont lack the ability to lead troops, you will not learn that in college. The only way to learn it is from your Senior Enlisted and Officers who have been in combat.

And listen to Les on this. Combat is not great like Hollywood portrays it in the movies. People die and you lose friends. It is not GI-Joe. It is real and when you die you dont come back. As for wanting to see combat and telling you kids that you fought, I do not wish this upon anyone as I am sure most people here that have seen combat would do the same, it is not pretty.

[evangilder]

Wearing someone else's blood on your shirt after they got shot isn't something to tell your kids about. The things you see, hear, smell and experience or do in firefights is something that is very personal and not a badge of honor. Plinking at paper targets is a blast. Shooting at a biological target is way different, especially since they are shooting back at you.

Hollywood has over-romanticized combat and very few movies even come close to the horror. Saving Private Ryan was pretty close, but still not the same as the real thing.

[P38 Pilot]

I wouldnt mind becoming a Active Duty officer. I just want to do something that i have always wanted to do. I want to carry on my family traditon of serving. My great uncles did it in world war II. I had a great uncle too join armored division in Korea. I had my 2nd cousins to fight in Vietnam. I just want to do something useful and get into uniform.

[lesofprimus]

Worry about getting laid for the first time... Worry about joining the high school soccer team.... Worry about the cost of a limo for ur high school prom......

U have a long way to go pal, so just relax...... Ull get ur chance to die for ur country soon enough......

Dont rush it.....

[P38 Pilot]

I dont play soccer anymore. Who said i wanted to die for my country? General Patton quoted:
"No bastard has ever one a war by dieing for his country. He won it by making that other poor, dumb bastard die for his!"

Im going to get some pay back for those lost at 9/11.

[plan_D]

First off, if you've stopped playing soccer, go play football or basketball. (Don't mind me speaking American, it avoids confusion on their part)

Patton said: "It's not about dying for your country, but about making the other bastard die for his"

And you're a little over the top there, you don't join the military to "get payback" - you join the military because it's a career, it's an experience, it's a freakin' education...you don't join the military to go killing people, that's just part of the deal.

I have never been in the military but I know from stories that people like you are going to be the first to crap their pants when shots are fired. You're too keyed up about this crap. You're 13!! Stop thinking like you're 20. Take all these people's advice, they've served, they know what it's like out there!

You're 13!! Think about that for a moment, you're a freakin' kid! Hell, I'm a freakin' kid still...you need to learn life before you think about throwing the thing away! I don't care how much you think training might save your ass, there's always the possibility of that stray shrapnel or round. Don't be a fool! Think about girls and your education. The time to think about what you're goin' to do with yourself is 4-5 years down the line. Stop trying to grow up so f*ckin' fast, you'll only regret it later.

[P38 Pilot]

First of Plan_D i know my Generals especially George S. Patton! He was the only damn General that had common sense in WW2! I dont know what Montgomery said so i wouldnt make any remarks but that is what Patton said!! I know my history i know alot about him, hell, i have even visited the military accdemy that he graduated in Virginia!

I DO think about girls and my education but damn it! Im [i]going[i] to do something that is envolved with military! Im going to join JROTC and love it just as much as hot, blonde, German chicks!

[Nonskimmer]

There's nothing wrong with joining the military, making a career out of it, and serving your country. It's a noble and necessary profession.

But...

Just be sure that you're not doing it for the wrong reasons. If you are in fact out to serve and protect your country and your loved ones and to do your part, that's an admirable thing. But if all you want to do is to get into combat and see death first -hand so that you'll have stories to tell your buddies or your grand kids, then that's just nuts. I joined the Navy (Hold the jokes about the Canadian military for now please.) because A) I needed a job. B) The Armed Forces was something that I'd always been interested in. C) I would be serving my country to the best of my abilities, and doing my part.
Do I want to go to war? Pffffft, no freakin' way! But if I do, that's part of the deal. I have friends in the Canadian Army who've been in battle. They did what they had to, but they were none too happy about the situation. I don't wanna die or see my buddies get it!

Most of these guys here have been in some kind of combat at one time or another, and they're just trying to give you the benefit of their hard experience. Listen to them. They've been there, and they just want to help.

[evangilder]

Good points guys. My family has been in the military since the times of the minutemen. I have diaries from my 6th great grandfather that tells of chasing Tories and Redcoats through what is present day Pennsylvania. There hasn't been a war, conflict or skirmish that my family has not been involved in. We are steeped in military tradition.

That being said, I joined the military for a few reasons, none of them had to do with combat or killing. I needed an education that I couldn't afford, I wanted to see a bit of the world and I wanted to serve my country. What did I get? Great training in electronics, radios and communications equipment and the opportunity to travel to many places, unfortunately, alot of those places were third world ****-holes.

At 13, your life should be care free and fun. A few more years it should be about cars and girls. You have a lot ahead of you. You need to understand your desire to serve and why. If you are only in it to kill, or for "payback", you aren't going to do well. Besides, revenge is a bad business, once you get your revenge, then what?

Trust me, Les and Adler, and whoever else has been there. It isn't pretty, romantic or poetic. This isn't a game, when someone dies, they are GONE, forever. The movies show a guy who takes a bullet being cool about it. It's not like that. Different people react differently to it, but in the heat of battle, you don't have time to cry about it. You keep shooting as long as you can. When it's over, and the adrenaline ebbs, the pain sets in.

Patton quotes are fine, but how many died under his command? He was nicknamed Old Blood and Guts for a reason. There were many allied generals that were very capable and got things done. Patton was not the only one.

People die in combat, good people, your buddies that you have spent possibly years around. These are people who you have lived with, ate with, showered with, **** with, etc. You KNOW these guys and they know you. They were the closest friends I ever had. And I lost a few of them over the years. It doesn't get easier with each loss either. It sucks BAD and you never fully get over it.

I will relay some personal experience here to let you know what it does. Guys, bear with me for a moment. When I got out of the Air Force in 1988, I was all kinds of ****-ed up. I thought I was okay, but I wasn;t. Nightmares came and went, alcohol was a constant pain reliever. Anti depressants and other psychotic drugs numbed things that I was struggling to confront or make go away. I spent the better part of my 20s in a drugged or drunken stupor trying to make my demons disappear. One of the side effects of extreme duress is there are pockets in your mind that hide some really ****** up ****. That **** sits and festers to mess you up but good. It took hypnotherapy and a long time to open up all those little pockets and remember some very unpleasant things.

Today, I am clean and sober for just over 7 years and my life is back on track. But it has been a long road to get here because of some of the **** I saw, and did. Picture your current deepest darkest fear. Now multiply that by a factor of about 100. That is what you could be facing.

[P38 Pilot]

Whoa. I never really thought about it that way. But the military will probably the only thing i might be good at. I wouldnt want a regular boring job, stuck in a office and putting up witha vicious boss. I cant become a pilot and fly aircraft for a living. Why? Because im near-sighted. I couldnt see medium sized writing 5 feet away from me. If i join the military i could find out what would be the best job for me, have the honor too say that i served in the Army, and then later find a job im best at.

My next door neighbor was in the USAF for 20 years. He now has the rank of Lt.Colonel. He said joining the Air Force was some of his best years of his life. He didnt see combat or at least i dont think, ill have to ask him what he did again. Today, he has a nice home and he is a ROTC teacher at our University in Auburn.