thinking of joining army at 25

[roach]

I was in the same boat as you at that age (or maybe a little older) so I joined the Navy. My first ship was an aircraft carrier out of San Diego. I went and seen things I wouldn't have been able to without being in the Navy. I was in a few movies briefly and an episode of Crocodile Hunter. I was also part of Iraqi Freedom and never was a bullet, missile or bomb aimed at me.
I lived in Japan for 3 years and I loved it.
I enjoyed it until my last command and that was because my boss was a big @#$%. I got out of the Navy after 11 years.
I used the my benefits to go to Film school. I have Bachelor's in Film Production and a Masters in Creative Writing with a slant towards screenwriting.

So it's not the nightmare people are making it out to be but it's not all fun and games. I look back on my time with fond memories. Research the hell out of what you want and what you want to get out of joining the military. The military is gonna get what it wants from you so you may as well get what you want out of it.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I'd say your experience in the military was different from the 22 veterans killing themselves every day.

 

[roach]

I'd say your experience in the military was different from the 22 veterans killing themselves every day.

I was once told the life expectancy of a Vet once they get out is a year. Some people miss the tight regiment or the quality of people you have to deal with. Of the people that I know and still keep in contact with the Navy has been a rewarding experience. I would probably be in if it wasn't for my last boss.

 

[NickSox]

I'd say your experience in the military was different from the 22 veterans killing themselves every day.

As were lots of others.

 

[Visualiza]

I'd say your experience in the military was different from the 22 veterans killing themselves every day.

Don't get caught up in the media circus and sensationalism. Vets aren't nearly as hopeless or disturbed as you may think. Many reintegrate into society seamlessly, several of which you would never know were in the service in the first place.

Any of several similarly shortsighted presumptions could be applied to whatever demographic; the military is simply easier to zero in on. They're just like any community, the winners, the losers, the disturbed, the calm, and everything in between.

 

[roach]

Don't get caught up in the media circus and sensationalism. Vets aren't nearly as hopeless or disturbed as you may think. Many reintegrate into society seamlessly, several of which you would never know were in the service in the first place.

Any of several similarly shortsighted presumptions could be applied to whatever demographic; the military is simply easier to zero in on. They're just like any community, the winners, the losers, the disturbed, the calm, and everything in between.

this plus 100

im curious where the 22 deaths a day comes from

 

[Teelie]

The 22 suicides a day is an average and it's sadly true but it is also from troops who were deployed mutliple times into hostile territory for extended periods of time. They are the ones most likely to have suffered from traumas physical, mental, and emotional.

It is an alarming number compared to the average civilian suicide rate but the media has twisted something already tragic into another sensationalized media propganda tool to feed the masses.

 

[roach]

found it

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...terans-commit-suicide-each-day-va-report?lite

 

[PemLam]

That suicide rate is accurate, however it should be mentioned that 69% of those are from people 50 years old or older. Of the 39% under 50, it slants very heavily towards the Army. They're by far the largest of the services and the deployments they have are typically longer than most (12-18 months average versus 6 month average for the other services).

I will agree that the care provided by the VA to aging veterans and those with severe mental/emotional/physical disabilities is sub-standard at best. Unfortunately it's not going to get better anytime soon, considering no gov't agency is being spared cuts.

 

[the last son]

My choice might be easier. Got into it with dispatch and refused a mandatory load. Chance I get fired. If fired the choice will be that much more obvious

 

[ProjectPat2280]

My choice might be easier. Got into it with dispatch and refused a mandatory load. Chance I get fired. If fired the choice will be that much more obvious

You probably arent going to do well in the military. Id seriously consider putting a LOT of thought into that before you jump into anything. Or who knows, maybe its just the thing you need to whip ya into shape?

 

[PemLam]

My choice might be easier. Got into it with dispatch and refused a mandatory load. Chance I get fired. If fired the choice will be that much more obvious

I have no idea what you just said?

 

[the last son]

Even if I don't go, I hope you all don't judge too hard. I'm true in my intentions and am just overwhelmed with impulses sometimes and make brash decisions without thinking. It's the reason,I dropped out of college with good grades and pretty much why I am where I am today. I have been checked by plenty of doctors who tell me there is nothing wrong with me and don't diagnose me. That's when I started to self medicate with drinking. 6 years of hard drinking I quit this year and have been sober since February. While my parents are telling me this is not what I want and to stay the course even though I hate my job to continue pursuit of a house. If I work 3 to 4 more, months I should have it. So, I'm probably not going to join, I don't know, but I was true in my intentions. Depression has been something I have always battled and thought cleaning up with sobriety would help. I love working out but after 14 hr shift I just don't have strength to. I have to sleep in my truck and save energy for next day. I apologize if anyone was offended by me bringing up this topic for discussion.

 

[Anita18]

Even if I don't go, I hope you all don't judge too hard. I'm true in my intentions and am just overwhelmed with impulses sometimes and make brash decisions without thinking. It's the reason,I dropped out of college with good grades and pretty much why I am where I am today. I have been checked by plenty of doctors who tell me there is nothing wrong with me and don't diagnose me. That's when I started to self medicate with drinking. 6 years of hard drinking I quit this year and have been sober since February. While my parents are telling me this is not what I want and to stay the course even though I hate my job to continue pursuit of a house. If I work 3 to 4 more, months I should have it. So, I'm probably not going to join, I don't know, but I was true in my intentions. Depression has been something I have always battled and thought cleaning up with sobriety would help. I love working out but after 14 hr shift I just don't have strength to. I have to sleep in my truck and save energy for next day. I apologize if anyone was offended by me bringing up this topic for discussion.

I don't anyone was offended, but I bet most of us were like, "Yeah, another of his grand plans that never work out."

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - at least you're considering options. But in order to get anything accomplished, they actually have to be realistic options for you.

 

[Zanham]

Tired of my dead end job and having not accomplished anything. My family is against it, but I don't care. can someone tell me pros and cons of joining?

Hope you like exercise.

 

[kytrigger]

Even if I don't go, I hope you all don't judge too hard. I'm true in my intentions and am just overwhelmed with impulses sometimes and make brash decisions without thinking. It's the reason,I dropped out of college with good grades and pretty much why I am where I am today. I have been checked by plenty of doctors who tell me there is nothing wrong with me and don't diagnose me. That's when I started to self medicate with drinking. 6 years of hard drinking I quit this year and have been sober since February. While my parents are telling me this is not what I want and to stay the course even though I hate my job to continue pursuit of a house. If I work 3 to 4 more, months I should have it. So, I'm probably not going to join, I don't know, but I was true in my intentions. Depression has been something I have always battled and thought cleaning up with sobriety would help. I love working out but after 14 hr shift I just don't have strength to. I have to sleep in my truck and save energy for next day. I apologize if anyone was offended by me bringing up this topic for discussion.

I don't anyone was offended, but I bet most of us were like, "Yeah, another of his grand plans that never work out."

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - at least you're considering options. But in order to get anything accomplished, they actually have to be realistic options for you.

I agree with Anita. I doubt anyone here was offended by your posts. If anything, you doubting it a little bit gives me more respect for you. It shows me that you're actually stopping to think about it instead of just rushing in to the decision. Some times the toughest thing to do is admit that you were incorrect or wrong. Now, you may not be wrong here in joining the military, but if you think you might be wrong and join anyway because "you said you were and don't back down" then you are definitely wrong.

 

[the last son]

Year later think I'm going to finally do it. I quit my job where I made decent money and I've got nowhere else to turn. Been sitting around drinking for days. Need some purpose and respect in my life

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Drinking excessively won't lead you to the answers you want. And joining the army isn't a cure-all for your problems either. Perhaps you should seek out someone to talk to (aka a therapist).

 

[Anita18]

The army is going to give you a purpose, but what happens once you get out? There's a reason why so many veterans commit suicide. More soldiers are killing themselves than are being killed in action.

You're only delaying having to make serious decisions for yourself. I think you're afraid of the future, for whatever reason. It seems that all your life, people have told you what to do and you've listened to them. Your parents are on you to find a job and get a girlfriend, but you weren't keen on either and it's lead to the spot you are in now.

I don't know what the answer is for you, but I don't think joining the army is it. You need a reason to do it, and you don't have one besides delaying finding a purpose for yourself. That's not good enough.

 

[Persistence]

the last son, we can all give you some reasonable advice, but at end of day if you ever end up in trouble or tough spot, none of us on this comic book website can help you out. I know there's feeling of comfort asking advice anonymously on website, but I think you'd do better asking people who actually know you, love you, care about you. Yes, that might mean getting tough love, but you'll be in better place and can create better foundation, stability, purpose in life with good relationship and network.

You should talk about this decision with parents, counselor, a mature friend about this. They know you better than any of us and keep in touch with you regularly. None of us on this site can.

I think military can be a good career choice for some, but its not a get out of jail card and I really don't recommend people choosing career if they don't value the mission or objective of career (joining career just for money or status isn't good idea, IMO). You should choose a career that utilizes your strengths. Maybe going to school or getting certified can be an option.

If you're still thinking of military....compare benefits of various branches (army, navy, marines, national guard, coast guard)...some may get you away from combat better than others...good luck.

 

[KevanG]

Ask Charl what she thinks.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Well I can only speak from experience but if you already have issues with alcohol the military may not be the best for you. I did 4 years in the Navy and alcohol abuse is a real problem in every branch of the military, and it certainly made my drinking habits worse. Everyone drinks a lot and drinking doesn't solve anything and it usually tends to make things worse.

The war in Afghanistan is winding down but just like Iraq we still will have a small presence there so no matter what branch you go into if you decide to go you will be deployed to a warzone. If your feeling like life is getting you down and the military is your only option to escape that really isn't the best reason to join up but a lot of people do for those reasons. The military will give you structure and a steady paycheck but it also comes with a whole hell of a lot of stupid rules. Trust me when I tell you that you are a peice of government meat once you sign the dotted line and all they care about is you follow orders and do what your told. If you decide part way through that you like to be your own person and you know better ways to do things it will put a target on you and they will do whatever they feel necessary to make you fall in line.

I have personally been screwed by the military and believe me when I say if you think things suck now just what until they are screwing with your life. Unless you decide you really do love it and want to make a career out of it then you will more than likely just want to do your 4 years and get out with your GI bill and move one, but the thing a lot of recruiters don't tell you is the Gov actually owns your ass for 8 years. It's called the inactive reserve and the military determines that your position is mission critical then you aren't leaving regardless of what you want. This happened to my cousin during the 2nd Iraq war, he was a cook but most of the time he spent guarding prisoners and doing runs in humvees to patrol sketchy areas. The army made him serve an additional 2 1/2 years before letting him go home.

Once you get out things will be vastly different and jarring for you joining the ranks of the civilian lifestyle. Most soldiers suffer from PTSD from the tours and some find it hard to relate with the people they once knew and loved. If you have any issues then you are going to have to deal with the VA and that, I can tell you is nightmare. They try their best but due to taking so long to join the digital world everything takes a long time to process. I have been working on a case with the VA to get benefits for my knee injury I got while in the military and it's been an ongoing thing for over a year now and no end in sight.

Having an honorable discharge from the military does look good on resumes though and depending on what job you took in the military there are some places that can use that experience (don't go in as a grunt btw). You actually get preferential placement if you apply for a government job and some civilian places do the same but they are few and far between.

These are just some insights from my experience in the military and hopefully they give you pause to think about your decision. I personally enjoyed my time in the Navy and do at times miss it even though they screwed me over. Just remember once you sign the dotted line your life is literally at stake and you will be put into situations that will test you more than you could ever imagine. It could be something that helps shape the future of your life in a positive way or it could be negative but that is going to be decided by you and what you do with the opportunities they present you so think about it long and hard.

My final advice is if you do join then make sure to take advantage of all the programs they offer you, my big regret is that I did not do that. One thing available to you if you do join is a college education since you can take classes that they will pay for 100% and then they transfer over as regular college credits in a course, not online college either mind you, real credits

Hope this helps

 

[the last son]

Thanks for the advice. I plan on trying to get out of this funk, but got a little more drinking t do these next few days.

 

[the last son]

Thanks Kidd for the advice.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

No problem man, if there is anything specific you would like to know I'm happy to help. You can post it here or shoot me a pm. I still have friends in the military and it really doesn't change all that much.