Thinking About Joining the Navy

[stsinner]

I spent some time in the Navy. My advice is "don't" but if you insist, go Air Force. Had I gone Air Force there is a good chance I would have done 20.

I don't know.. I'm kinda all for manhood.. Our barracks on Fort Devens was right next-door to the Air Force barracks.. I dated an Air Force chick, and their barracks were kind of disgusting to a guy..

We had pretty nice barracks, with nice shiny floors and running water, etc.. We got up every morning and did our chores, which rotated through the 4 platoons living in the building. We buffed floors, cleaned bathrooms, etc.. The Air Force? They had carpet in their hallways, so they vacuumed their floors in the morning and also got paid $150 per month, "Substandard Housing Allowance.." to live in identical barracks that we were living in, but with carpet.. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.. We were glad to not be sleeping on the ground in tents.

If you're a super nerd and just want to reap the benefits the government is offering, go Air Force, but if you have any testosterone in this anti-testosterone day and age in which we live and want to be a real man and get a good education, Army, Marines or, if you must, Navy.. I've been good friends with all three, and my opinion is as follows:

Army: Good all-around person. Disciplined, fit and self-reliant. Well educated and able to think on his feet.

Marines: Killing machine, plain and simple.. My dad is a Marine, and at 66 I wouldn't test him.. They are fit, ready to fight, fearless and fierce patriots. Men and women deserving of great respect. First ones into battle and last ones out.. And they never leave a man behind-watch Blackhawk Down.. Good chance you'll see combat.

Navy: Men that spend months on a boat or submarine together.. But really, not one of the tougher military branches, but basic training is tough.. They do silly stuff like provide bars for you to slide your mess-hall tray along but insist that you don't let your tray touch it for fear of messing up its polish job.. Good education opportunities and very little chance you'll die..

Air Force: Nerds.. Not real tough at all, not really a military lifestyle, but a comfy branch of service where your needs and desires are catered to. You get better treatment than the other three branches of military, but if you can look in the mirror at night, you realize that you should have done the manly thing and joined the Army or Marines..
Don't get me wrong-we need nerds.. We need the supremo Super Bowl shows and the weapons designers and such, but we're leaning more heavily toward nerd in this country than we are real man, and it's starting to get scary..

 

[Rotten Egg]

YOU....not "U"

blow me...i didnt join a spelling bee...its a internet forum...

 

[clarinetJWD]

blow me...i didnt join a spelling bee...its a internet forum...

Around here, internet speak won't get you very far. I don't mean to be rude, but you've already breached that level. Please use proper spelling, punctuation, etc. around here. It makes posts easier to read, and in a more mature community than most on the internet, it will make people pay more attention to you.

 

[usayit]

I've seen two groups of people entering military service.

One group went through an ROTC program while in college earning a degree. The other group enlists directly through a recruitment office. The experiences of both groups are DRASTICALLY different. I'll leave it up to you to decide which group had a positive and favorable experience.

Any of the branches will open doors. I am biased toward the Navy for the sheer breadth of opportunities... but again.. depends how you play your cards.

 

[matt-l]

blow me...i didnt join a spelling bee...its a internet forum...

Didn't ask you if you did. It's not msn on here. As Joe said- full type, an extra 2 letters is not going to break you.

 

[FDSA]

I thought about marines but I think my mom would have too much trouble sleeping. ROTC seems good if I do go to college. I did a little search on here and found some posts of people that were in the Navy but strangely no photographers

 

[Fraggo]

I am a Combat Photographer in the Marine Corps and have had a blast with it. You can prob do the same thing in the Navy if they have spots for you. Try it though and see what happens. There is also the oppourunity to go Public Affairs, if you like to write. The school is in Maryland and close to the Harbor(sp) and D.C. There are some great photo ops up there. The photo course and i think the PA course is about 3 months long. It is in a joint environment, so you get to meet others in your field from every branch of the service. I have been in about 5 1/2 years now, and plan on reenlisting when i get promoted. (hopefully soon) But don't go to one service, look at all of your options before you make the decision to sign the dotted line. and i promise, it won't be easy. It will be hard and a challenge, but you will grow in ways you can never imagine. If you have any other questions, please pm me and i will answer any questions you might have to the best of my ability.

 

[xjrrrdx]

Im currently in the Army I'll give my take.

17/18 joining right out of high school to me is not a good idea. I joined when I was 23 and I feel that I was by far one of the more mature people in my basic/AIT/even unit. I think that at least a year of college first gives you a lot of experience. I know not all may agree but that is my opinion, and I seem to notice it wherever I go. Downside is a lot of people my age outrank me haha.

With biases aside. I will say the military has given me the opportunities that I never would never have done. Right now I am living in Germany...for free and getting a 4 day every month so I get to travel Europe for a fraction of the cost it normally would be. My wife and I went to Spain for 80 euro round trip.

I will say the disciplined lifestyle still conflicts with my 6 years after high school every now and then. But then I cant complain I get to workout for free, get my college loans paid off, I got an enlistment bonus, and I am finishing my degree for free, PLUS any debt you come into the military with that collects interest you can drop it to 6% And my job in the army is Military Intel so I get a Top Secret clearance.

I say I got a lot in return for me joining for 5 years. The only downside is with my clearance is a lot of civilian jobs like, "operational" experience which is a deployment. My current unit is non-deployable so its a plus for my wife and I but who knows how it will be for future jobs.

All in all it was a good choice, but always remember its needs of the service, needs of your family, then your own.

 

[KC10Chief]

I have been in the Air Force for over 11 years now. I'm not going to go into a rant about which service is better than the other. My little brother is in the Navy and says he wishes he had gone Air Force instead. He's an officer and I'm enlisted. I get treated way better than he does.

Anyways, the Air Force was the best thing I ever did with my life. I went to college while on active duty and got my bachelors degree. I didn't pay a dime for it. It has provided a nice, comfortable living for me and for my family. I started out as a heavy aircraft mechanic, but I cross trained to flight engineer. I fly on the E-3 AWACS. I absolutely LOVE my job. I think that if I won the lottery, I'd stay in my current job. I truly enjoy it. I fly all over the world. Since September alone, I've been to numerous places in the states, I've been to Greece, Turkey, Dubai, Italy, France, the UK, and Canada. I've been to a lot more places than that. Too many to list. I get paid well to do it. I am also getting ready to move to Alaska to fly on the AWACS up there. We're moving in less than two weeks and I can't wait!

I think most people would agree, even those in other branches, that the Air Force gets treated the best. Our facilities are nicer too. I hate having to go stay on a Navy base somewhere. It's dirty. We won't even stay on an Army or Marine base. HA!

Whatever you decide to do, talk to people and use the internet to learn all that you can about the different branches. If you're interested in a photography job, they're out there, but very hard to get. You might have to wait a year or more for a slot to open up. Get all the info you can and then go talk to recruiters. If you're even remotely interested in the Air Force, I'd be glad to talk to you about it. Send me a private message. Also, there is a great forum for enlisted Air Force members. It is Air Force Enlisted Forums - Air Force Enlisted Forums. I'm a moderator on there under the same screen name. It's not an official site or anything. LOTS of people on there from all sorts of different jobs. Check it out. Good luck with your decision.

 

[AdamBomb]

I have two buddies that have both served in the Navy. Both of them say it was BY FAR the worst decision they have ever made. I see a HUGE mental impact that it had on BOTH of them, negative, thats for sure. My best friend said he wouldn't wish the military on his worst enemy.

He's a "Manly Man" and he called me many times, crying. Sobbing about how much he just wants to come home, and how he is treated horribly. I'm not saying this is how everyones experience is, This is just what I saw my best friend and my friends brother go through.