Daughter Wants To Join The Military - Need INFO

[Hohn]

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.

It varies from career field to career field. Back in the early 2000s, they made a huge mistake in a few fields and made the promotion to SSgt super easy, so tons of SRa were now made SSgts and had nobody to supervise. It was done (we suspected) as a retention measure.

But ultimately they got screwed because with SO MANY SSgts, the cutoff for TSgt was astronomical. Some of those folks were 10+ years in TIS before they could get a TSgt line number. One guy was 14 years in before he made Tech. Pretty sure he was just hoping to get MSgt by retirement.

SMSgt and CMSgt are always tough stripes because by law, only 2% of the enlisted force can be SMSgt, and 1% can be CMSgt. Also, SMSgt and CMSgt are board reviews, you can't just test your way to rank. So if you have firewall five EPRs, you can basically test your way to MSGt.

But even firewall 5s and good test scores won't get you SMSgt or CMSgt.

 

[Hohn]

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.

Weird but true on the Protocol officers. Also, why did the Comm Squadron have all the cute young LTs?

 

[Tactically Fat]

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.

One of my nephews is a missile cop. At Minot. He's only been in for a year or so. He wants to be civilian LEO eventually.

 

[Wild Deuce]

*

 

[Alamo]

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.

As I said earlier, my experience is dated, but all of the above synchs with what I saw. Especially the Security Forces, which was where a lot of the disciplinary problems occurred. It's unfortunate because being a cop and base defender is a very necessary and important duty, but it seems to be boring as **** and if you do everything right, nothing happens and it becomes a huge struggle to write performance appraisals and end-of-tour medals.


Speaking of guarding missiles in the cold: I was overseas TDY at a un-allah-ly hot dusty undisclosed location living in tents (ok, they were Air Force tents, they had air conditioning and cots and lockers), and an SF I met there who was on a 179-day TDY immediately volunteered for a consecutive 179-day TDY (without credit for a PCS) because he really really did not want to go back to North Dakota.


Anyway, Hohn has good info.

 

[Trigger Time]

AIR FORCE

 

[Route 45]

...living in tents (ok, they were Air Force tents, they had air conditioning and cots and lockers)...

I think that about sums it up!

 

[rhino]

So . . . if the kid is interested in the military, why is everyone talking about the Air Force?

 

[gregkl]

So . . . if the kid is interested in the military, why is everyone talking about the Air Force?

Thread drift Rhino. I was bragging about my son. My bad.

 

[rhino]

Thread drift Rhino. I was bragging about my son. My bad.

Well, he does work for a good company. They're not going out of business any time soon and there is always opportunity for advancement. Perhaps the military could learn a few things about how to conduct business from the Air Force.

 

[KellyinAvon]

One of my nephews is a missile cop. At Minot. He's only been in for a year or so. He wants to be civilian LEO eventually.

Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason!

 

[KellyinAvon]

Weird but true on the Protocol officers. Also, why did the Comm Squadron have all the cute young LTs?

When they make Captain they move to Protocol, or become Executive Officers.

 

[1775usmarine]

USMC

End Thread/

 

[KellyinAvon]

So . . . if the kid is interested in the military, why is everyone talking about the Air Force?

Do you hear that? It sounds like a metallic clicking. It's getting louder. OH MY GOD IT'S A JDAM!!! I like JDAMs, they give us bang for the buck. That and air conditioning. I retrained in 1999 to be a Manpower and Organization Analyst because of air conditioning. I've been on open fork-lifts in the rain, loaded trucks in snowstorms and wore chemical defense gear in the south Georgia summertime all as a Blue Suiter. Air Conditioning and Excel is better.

 

[Steel and wood]

USMC

End Thread/

 

[Route 45]

USMC

End Thread/

That's the last place I'd send my daughter if she was interested in military service.

 

[1775usmarine]

That's the last place I'd send my daughter if she was interested in military service.

Lol

 

[Talonap]

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

I went the Corpsman route. A lot of the time, we found out that Corpsman could do a bit more than Nurses, (Depending on where you were stationed). Corpsmen were able to do things such as minor surgery, prescribing medications and treatment protocol, etc., when most Nurses did not. Each field has different, yet overlapping and complimentary duties. Just thought I'd throw that in ... Oh, and Corpsmen got along wonderfully with the Marines! Those are the guys to have next to you when you need them the most!

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Here's my Leatherneck. Where you earn your ribbons, metals and promotions.
View attachment 68690

View attachment 68685

 

[rhino]

I went the Corpsman route. A lot of the time, we found out that Corpsman could do a bit more than Nurses, (Depending on where you were stationed). Corpsmen were able to do things such as minor surgery, prescribing medications and treatment protocol, etc., when most Nurses did not. Each field has different, yet overlapping and complimentary duties. Just thought I'd throw that in ... Oh, and Corpsmen got along wonderfully with the Marines! Those are the guys to have next to you when you need them the most!

After you leave the service, are you able to sit for board exams as a nurse or PA?