Daughter Wants To Join The Military - Need INFO

[HoughMade]

That's what I always suspected, but...

 

[historian]

. She would love to talk with a female that's serving or has served.

I'm sure ACT is around here somewhere

/ducks

 

[Thor]

Why?

Another reason is that in the Army the Officers send the Enlisted out to fight; in the AF the Enlisted send the Officers out to fight.

Of course I was Enlisted in the Army and an Officer in the AF so I guess I just like to fight.

 

[gregkl]

Gotta put a plug in also for the Air Force. My son is active making a career out of it. He stills says it's the best decision he has ever made. The one thing he tells people is that you have to accept the "military" way of doing things. If you get frustrated with typical gov red tape, you will just be frustrated. At times, his first response is "what? For real?" Then he adjusts his thinking and is like; "ah, life in the military."

I know you said she wants to talk to a female, but if she would consider a male that is not a recruiter, I can get your daughter in contact with him.

But you still have time if she is 15. You could wait a couple more years and see what plays out.

Add: If someone is a warrior type, you can find that type of work in any of the branches. If not, there are plenty of opportunities to learn some transferable skills that are in demand in the civilian world.

And just tell an Air Force PJ or a Combat Controller that he's part of the "Chair Force".

 

[gregkl]

When the recruiter asked my son; "why Air Force", he said he figured in the Army he's be laying in the sand under a humvee with scorpions, in the Navy on some 7 month med cruise and in the AF he's be driving around in rental cars and weorking in air conditioned offices. The recruiter laughed and said; "that's about right".

 

[breakingcontact]

I wouldn't recommend it for most women and hardly any girls.

That being said, if she does go through with it, you can't make her safe but you can make her strong.

She needs to be part of the right crowd and avoid most of the knuckleheads in her unit/on base/just outside the gate.

Build up her character between now and then.

 

[KellyinAvon]

I am retired Air Force, but I retired some years ago (2005 to be exact) so my info as to what the USAF is like is a bit dated. To find out what the services are currently like, find some airmen/marines/soldiers/sailors and talk to them about what it is like now. If she is still gung ho, and especially if she has a specific objective (like being a nurse, which all the services have), then go to the recruiters because they will have the information on how to make it happen. I don't know where you live in Indiana, but if you start poking around and asking among relatives and co-workers you'll probably find some sons/daughters home on leave. Maybe the recruiters can arrange for you and her to meet with some non-recruiting service personnel to talk about what it's like.

In the meant time tell her to keep her nose clean. It's much easier to get a recruiter to do stuff for you if you make it easier for him by not dragging along a criminal record behind you, even if it is small time juvenile stuff. Good grades and solid attendance record are good too, for any job, not just the military.

Best wishes to her!

Yeah I retired in 07 and it seems like we were flying balloons it was so long ago. In 2007 about 3 weeks after retirement I talked to the nephew of a couple I'd known forever about going in the USAF. I remember he was interested in AC-130 aerial gunner. He ended up being an F-15 Crew Chief. The flightline ain't that hard when you come from the farm.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Please note for one thing, it's Air Force, not Airforce. Two, that's a Captain. A hot, blonde Captain so she probably works in Protocol. Three, being an old enlisted troop all I can say is, if your test scores had been higher...

 

[Clay Pigeon]

I have a son at Camp Geiger halfway through School of Infantry. The plan was to do JROTC for four years in HS and then do ROTC either at the Naval Academy or Purdue and get a Engineering degree and then do twenty and get out.
After graduation from HS school he changed his mind about going to college and enlisted in the delayed entry to the Corps. His asvab score was in the middle 90's and it helped him get the MOS he was looking at. They tend to look after the young men and women that score 90 or better.
Plus the years in JROTC have him a grade bump to PFC so about another hundred bucks or so a month in his check to start.
I would suggest that your daughter does JROTC in HS.

 

[Route 45]

Please note for one thing, it's Air Force, not Airforce. Two, that's a Captain. A hot, blonde Captain so she probably works in Protocol. Three, being an old enlisted troop all I can say is, if your test scores had been higher...

Well, I didn't make the meme. And my test scores were plenty high for either branch. I just didn't know any better at that young age. Plus, dad was an MP in the Army, so I thought, "what the heck!"

I've heard that the Air Force has a lot of cool specialties that the Army doesn't have. For instance, we didn't have an MOS listing for Errant Grammar Detection and Remediation.

 

[actaeon277]

I'm sure ACT is around here somewhere

/ducks

 

[actaeon277]

Keep in mind, the Navy has Nurses, and it has Hospital Corpsman.

These are two different fields.

https://www.navy.com/careers/nursing
Officers


https://www.navy.com/careers/medical-support
Enlisted
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospital_corpsman

 

[KellyinAvon]

Well, I didn't make the meme. And my test scores were plenty high for either branch. I just didn't know any better at that young age. Plus, dad was an MP in the Army, so I thought, "what the heck!"

I've heard that the Air Force has a lot of cool specialties that the Army doesn't have. For instance, we didn't have an MOS listing for Errant Grammar Detection and Remediation.

No worries, we got guys who can call CAS and correct your spelling The Air Force (not Airforce) thing is from the USAF Forum I frequent (damn DEPers, it's Air Force.) I also don't think it's a coincidence that all Protocol Officers are hot blondes.

 

[gregkl]

Just want to throw out here that I found out my son got promoted to Tech Sgt. Proud dad!

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Just want to throw out here that I found out my son got promoted to Tech Sgt. Proud dad!

That's good stuff.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Just want to throw out here that I found out my son got promoted to Tech Sgt. Proud dad!

That's good to hear. TSgt is a tough stripe to make.

 

[gregkl]

That's good stuff.

That's good to hear. TSgt is a tough stripe to make.

Thanks. He studied hard for it. His wife would quiz him when they were going places in the car and in the evenings. The average time in service to reach TS is 9.3 years. He has been in for 7 years. It's funny how you look at someone in their high school years and you wonder how they will make it. Average grades, not a lot of motivation, tried college but wasn't excited about it and then he finds the place where he can flourish.

He does not have a combat type of AFSC but he is collecting plenty of ribbons and other accolades as he matures.

And that is why when I talk to people who are insistent on their children attending a college, getting a degree and going to some office for 30 years, I say "if it's not what they really want to do, why?"

 

[KellyinAvon]

Thanks. He studied hard for it. His wife would quiz him when they were going places in the car and in the evenings. The average time in service to reach TS is 9.3 years. He has been in for 7 years. It's funny how you look at someone in their high school years and you wonder how they will make it. Average grades, not a lot of motivation, tried college but wasn't excited about it and then he finds the place where he can flourish.

He does not have a combat type of AFSC but he is collecting plenty of ribbons and other accolades as he matures.

And that is why when I talk to people who are insistent on their children attending a college, getting a degree and going to some office for 30 years, I say "if it's not what they really want to do, why?"

I'm a retired SMSgt. I made SSgt and MSgt on the first try. TSgt took four tries, SMSgt took six. Tech is a bear. Senior is a really really really big and mean bear.

 

[gregkl]

That's good stuff.

That's good to hear. TSgt is a tough stripe to make.

I'm a retired SMSgt. I made SSgt and MSgt on the first try. TSgt took four tries, SMSgt took six. Tech is a bear. Senior is a really really really big and mean bear.

Nice work on your part. You didn't give up. My son has already told me, he's going to keep on moving up. Apparently you can sit in for the rest of your 20 at TSgt level, but he doesn't want to. He'll have his eyes on MSgt once he gets some more time in and the opportunity present's itself.

Thanks for serving!

 

[Hohn]

I served in the Army and had friends who chose the Air Force. This is the best advice there is to be had, with regards to joining the military.

Mods can close the thread now.

14-year USAF Vet and prior enlisted service AND a graduate of the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs. I'm biased, but yeah, I think the USAF is the best way to serve.

But watch out which enlisted specialty she chooses. The absolute best is medical assistant of some sort-- X-ray tech, lab tech, etc. Dental assistant, etc. THIS is how you want to serve. Trust me.

On the other end of the spectrum is Services (i.e. MWR, i.e. chow hall, rec center). And then Cops. And worst of all-- MISSILE COPS. Want to hate that time in uniform? Stand outside in a cold winter day guarding a missile silo in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming. Or if it's too warm for you, Minot.

Medical specialties are the ones I recommend most highly.

Other potentially useful/good careers: communications. There are a lot of enlisted people that are basically computer network admins. This can be one of the most transferable skills to the civilian job market.

Ammo is a good career-- flightline/ops focused, you load bombs and missiles. Very high morale, they like to say IYAAYAS (If you ain't ammo, you ain't S---) This is more likely to deploy, but stay safely on the airfield when deployed.


*STAY AWAY FROM ANY ALL ALL "TRANSPORTATION" JOBS. A had a bunch of young airmen who thought they'd be shuttling aircrew to their craft on buses and such. To their surprise, they end up playing Army and are assigned "combat convoy" duty. Their job when deployed was to brave every IED someone could lay on the highway between them and where the stuff needed to be. I had several folks come home with Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars-- one was a 17 year old kid. If it's just the same to you, I don't want my kid dodging IEDs (which account for the vast majority of ALL GWOT casualties).

Civil Engineering is a good "lifer" career field, the kind of place where someone can serve 20+, roll into a civil service job doing similar, and then double-dip pensions for the rest of their days. Not a bad way to get set. They are also famous for having the BEST barbecues and fun activities. NOBODY beats CE for having fun.


If she can get an aircrew job, she will love it. Aircrew rules the USAF. It is run by pilots for pilot, but enlisted aircrew benefit from halo effect. Boom operator on a tanker, loadmaster, or (even better) air gunner-- all of these jobs are cool as crap. Stuffing shells into a 105mm on a Spooky while you hear the booms below? HECK YES! Watching the sun set behind an F-22 that's on your boom? HECK YES!


Basically this: be operational (i.e. flying) or Medical/Dental. Avoid Logistics and Supporting functions of it all possible, but there are pockets in those areas that aren't terrible.