So i'm 20, I'm kinda bored with life and the whole college thing is beginning to wear. And I see some of my friends on facebook who joined the military after high school doing all these amazing things. It has made me really start thinking about what the hell im doing with my life. I have been entertaining the idea of possibly joining up. The only problem is I dont feel like I really mesh with the typical military persona. I played football in high school so I know I can do the physical stuff. Anybody been in it before or have any ideas?

it very personable, but dont... we need our children at home and dont need to fight a war that isnt ours... they dont want us over there and we dont want u over there... but if you go, i have your back when you come home....

talk about emotions.... i love you! those that serve or have served...

do it if you feel that way, but do it proud!, make your mom, and dad proud, live it up and come home in one piece... i will pray for you...
semper fi

As a fellow 20 year old in college and annoyed with it, let me say that I'd never join the military nor would I be able too, I have a Heart Murmur. But still, there is so many opportunities to become an amazing person, deemed a hero without violence. Hold onto hope. I think everyone who knows you would miss you in one way or another. Help the world in another way. Theres always the Peace Core, you really do not have to fight to help.

I did in 4 years in the Coast Guard. It wasn't that bad, but you have to keep in mind that Phish was on a hiatus at the time...

Do you not feel sorry for this poor girls family? you can read the story about her here

This is not the only time it has happened but one of the most recent.

maybe you didn't click that link. I figured everyone had heard about it. here is another that you should really read. I would rather not see this type of thing happen again.

Man That Killed Rainier Park Ranger Is US Military Veteran

i guess everyone has an opinion.. for the .net members that served, i will donate to your charity in honory of you... and i will make sure it is tracked....is there a place or charity that i can contribute to?
or should i start a new foundation?

it would be cool to be able to fund a cash donation to vets to see phish...
(anyone that does foundations, hit me up), i would love to start a program for this

@joonze said:

@Blackeydsloth said:

maybe you didn't click that link. I figured everyone had heard about it. here is another that you should really read. I would rather not see this type of thing happen again.

Man That Killed Rainier Park Ranger Is US Military Veteran

i hear ya, but it comes back home....we need to take care of our vets

It does come back home and I completely agree that they need to be taken care of. I just hate to see something like that happen again. and its not the only time that type of thing has happened.

@joonze said:

@Blackeydsloth said:

@joonze said:

@Blackeydsloth said:

maybe you didn't click that link. I figured everyone had heard about it. here is another that you should really read. I would rather not see this type of thing happen again.

Man That Killed Rainier Park Ranger Is US Military Veteran

i hear ya, but it comes back home....we need to take care of our vets

It does come back home and I completely agree that they need to be taken care of. I just hate to see something like that happen again. and its not the only time that type of thing has happened.

so lets make the best of it.... lets see our brothers that served see shows before us... let us be men that have a place in our community and are willing to give up tickets for them to enjoy

I'm going to leave it at that now. they definitely deserve to be helped but to get tickets before anyone else not. They need doctors help way before that happens. And I do not mean every single one. but a lot of them

@joonze said:

i hear ya, but you wouldnt step aside for a vet if he/she wanted a ticket and there were only 2 left?
i would....

It all depends on the situation
if there are 2 left that makes one for she/he one for me so they could possibly wait unless they walk up and happen to have had an arm missing or leg or something of the sort. We might be able to make arrangements. but, if they are being an ass, hell's nah get in the back bitch I don't care who ya is.

@joonze said:

@Blackeydsloth said:

@joonze said:

i hear ya, but you wouldnt step aside for a vet if he/she wanted a ticket and there were only 2 left?
i would....

It all depends on the situation
if there are 2 left that makes one for she/he one for me so they could possibly wait unless they walk up and happen to have had an arm missing or leg or something of the sort. We might be able to make arrangements. but, if they are being an ass, hell's nah get in the back bitch I don't care who ya is.

i guess where that divides us...
but its all cool...

i just picture the world spinning free...a big ball dividing you and me...

Children are our future. and they love skittles

Skittles are damn good

You can also save from some lame ass job and go world tour just to meet new cultures.

Learn to surf and no more wondering whats out there, just go, travel, learn, live

(you don't have to surf)

This is a small planet, Why can't you live while you're young

I graduated from the Citadel in 2006; its a state-funded (para)military college in South Carolina. I didn't end up in the military (I had problems with authority, so take what I say here with a grain of salt) but almost all of the friends I graduated with contracted with either the Army or Marine Corps.

Every single one of them is either already out of the service or is one their way out- and I'm talking about some guys that were super-fuckin'-hooah and gung ho type motherfuckers before they went in.

One of the things they don't emphasize before you contract is that once you sign on the dotted line, you're under orders. That means that you follow every command as its given regardless of how stupid it is, how much you hate it, or how contradictory it is to what they promised you prior to your contract date if it wasn't explicitly contained in your written contract.

I had so many friends that signed up thinking they were going to be Rangers or Infantry or something badass that ended up being pencil pushers some where. I have so many friends that thought it would be fun, that they would have some kind of positive feeling from serving their country in combat, that feel like they've accomplished nothing over the course of years in Iraq and Afghanistan; that they've watched their friends and other bright young people die at the hands of savage, backwards people that remain completely unchanged after a decade of our involvment.

One Example: My one friend is a Marine; he was an XO for an infantry unit in a hot area of Afghanistan. His commanding officer told him to establish an HQ on a hill overlooking a valley that had served as an HQ for another unit two years prior. He reported to the officer that there were multiple hills in the area that could achieve the same purpose, and that the hill the officer wanted to set up on was guaranteed to be lined with IEDs in case our forces tried to use it again. The guy didn't like being corrected by a lower-ranking soldier, insisted they set up their HQ and my friend had to lead his men up onto a hill he knew was loaded down with explosives. A truck got stuck in a sinkhole, they grabbed twelve privates to go unload it so they could pull it our easier, its weight shifted, set off an IED that was lying in wait down in the sinkhole and all twelve dudes were unnecessarily sent home in body bags. This was the exact scenario he a had warned his CO about. My friend was rewarded with an attempted frivilous court-marshall that happened to fail, as the CO tried to cover his tracks.

This guy is 100% Marine. He finished in the top 5 in every school he was sent to, and he's on his way out because he's had to endure years of this kind of shit.

So many of my Army/ National Guard friends signed up for school money that they never got to see because they were deployed so quickly, and for so long.

Out of all my military friends that weren't marines looking for Infantry slots, only one, my senior year roomate, recieved his MOS of choice when it was all said and done. He flies C-130s for the Air Force.

If there's one thing I could impart about the whole thing, its that its a shitty thing to be under orders 24-7, and that a lot of those people who think there's a lot of glory in killing and dying for their country come back from overseas wishing they'd never seen killing and that a good amount of our people die in such pointless ways that there can't be any glory in it (think about walking out of the showers when some local with a third grade education lobs a grenade into your camp, or some twelve-year old that thinks he's a jihadist steals his daddy's rifle and decides to take a pock-shot at your humvee).

I don't mean to talk you out of it, because its a good thing that we need good people to do, but its a huge decision that has a lot of negatives that many people are afraid to talk about. Nothing is going to give you back your youth when its all over. Nothing is going to bring you back to life if you get killed over there.

If you're interested, PM me, and I can put you into contact with an officer in any branch of the military who I can promise you will speak to you plainly and honestly about the experience, what to expect and if it seems like it will accomplish what you're looking for it to accomplish for you and also how to approach getting what you want from the whole thing (This goes for anyone on Phish.net seriously thinking about this really).

I've been in the Army Reserves for going on 6 years this May. I'm an imagery analyst, which is a sub-field within intel. I was in Iraq all of 2010. I'm over the whole military to be honest, and I'm just looking to get out. I should be getting out in May but do to a clerical error I have to stay in for two extra years. The army reserves is total bullsh*t. You work for two days a month (and that's what you get paid for) yet I'm always having to do different things during the month, I'm drug tested for time I'm not there, and it's all very hoooah and silly. I'm sick of having to work in an intel environment with senior people telling me Obama isn't American and all that jazz. I'm very successful within my field and I have the awards to prove it. I'm currently fighting the revocation of my security clearance because I popped hot on a drug test back in September because I chose to smoke weed in my personal life. I'm really looking forward to getting out and becoming the master of my own existence because being chained down to the military has seriously paralyzed my ability to advance in life. The GI Bill is going to be awesome, but even that's up in the air if I can't get my clearance back. If I could do it all over I would've gone straight to college and paid it off afterwards. My conscience is clean though because while deployed I made great peace with the situation I was in and always tried to make decisions with the best intentions for the Iraqi people, and spread that kind of thinking. Best of luck to you.

I've got a long story about my experience in the military but not much time to tell it right now. But, a quick rundown:

I was in the Air Force National Guard for 6 years doing Avionics work on the A-10 warthog:



I have mixed feelings about the time I actually served-- some weekends I spent more time buffering floors and playing spades than actually working on the equipment and there were plenty of bullshit orders from higher ranks that you had to follow.

But, on the whole it was a good experience. The money I got helped put me through college, it focused me and actually helped when I was looking for jobs out of college.

That said, I couldn't wait to get out because going in one weekend a month definitely restricts your freedoms.

So my (biased) advice:
* Don't join the Army or Marines. They sell this huge macho image and all that stuff but also accept the dumbest motherfuckers--some of those guys get to be officers. Nothing worse than having to follow stupid orders and working with a bunch of idiots. Plus there is the increased chance of putting your health at risk for a cause that you may not agree with (both the present "war" and anything unknown in the future).

* The Air Force generally has the highest standard of living(better food, better bases), a lot of jobs have real world applications (i.e. an Air Traffic Controller out of the AF can transition into a $100K/yr job but it's a mentally demanding job) and--from what I've observed-- a more laid back vibe.

* I don't know too much about the Navy, but it seems the best option if you actually want to travel. Although, some jobs spend months on the sea and other jobs never go near the water.

* The Coast Guard seems awesome (all bases are near the water so you won't end up stranded in some crap place) but I have no idea how it works.

* Do all your research before talking to a recruiter. All they care about is making their numbers and will tell whatever lie they need to in order to have you join.

* In the National Guard, I signed a contract with my job title so there was never any doubt about what I'd do after basic. Verbal contracts are 100% worthless (see last point). Special Forces jobs have very high washout rates so unless you know exactly what you are getting into (football practice does not compare), there is a good chance you won't make it through training and'll end up as a grunt.

* Facebook is mostly bullshit. It's not an honest reflection on anyone's actual experience, just the specific things they want to share. Facebook reality != reality.

@MJZ1974 said:

Didn't read the whole thread but please gather more stories from your peers before you make this drastic of a life change. You think College is beginning to wear!?! I understand Afghanistan is no picnic day in and day out either.

My little cousin joined the Army about 5 years ago. I'd ask his opinion about it, but he was killed on Christmas Eve 2008 in Baghdad. Nothing like having a big black shiny car pull up into the driveway as you're preparing Christmas dinner!

RIP SPC Steven M. Okray

Just think this one out LOOOONG and hard. Jesus Christ if you think College is mundane...

P.S. - Oh when he was recruited, they promised him they'd turn him into a Jet pilot! He had what it takes! He was gonna be special forces because he scored so high! Heck, he might not even go overseas.

He was in Korea within 12 weeks.

Wow, I just shed a f***ing tear, I am so sorry to hear this.

I don't have much to say other than one of my best friends from high school did 2 tours and even after that they cut him loose for failing two urine tests. In his defense, he had been self medicating and using drugs to cope with the ptsd he came home with. He lives every day in constant fear, jumps every time he hears a loud sound, and live with large amount of guilt because he got to come home and others didnt.

Wow, I just shed a f***ing tear, I am so sorry to hear this.

Yeah...it sucked. When he joined the army he was sold on the fact he was going to some base in Colorado to work on machines or test drive tanks in Hawaii or whatever the f*** they told him.

Christmas eve 2008 they're on patrol and an IED takes out the road in front of them. Apparently it was kind of elevated with a drainage ditch on either side. Now here's the shitty part. The Hum Vee rolled down into the ditch and landed upside down. They were trapped in and drowned. To make it even more heart wrenching according to reports, Steve actually got free but stayed in there trying to free his Captain from the back seat who was strapped in. They all drowned.

I really wish the military wouldn't have told us all the details on that one, ya know?

I feel I should explain that my feelings towards the whole military experience are obviously skewed in a certain direction for life. I'm not against it IN ANY WAY (not getting political here, that's all I'll say). But I grew up with this seed planted in my brain from day 1.

My dad was in Vietnam. He joined the Air Force in '68 and went to Vietnam form '69-'70. My whole life, since I was born, all my dad ever told me was that there was NO WAY IN HELL my brother and I were ever going into the military. He said if we ever join we'd better stay and never come home! LOL

So...I grew up hearing absolutely nothing but horror stories. Mainly about how full of shit the recruiters were. Or the torture chamber stories about going to see the dentist on the base (pulling teeth with no pain killer), the mundane tasks, just everything. (I'm sure facilities have improved since) It was just always pounded in my head that we were going to college and to NEVER joining the army or he would kill us.

He always said that about 45 minutes into his first day is when it hit him:

"Wow...I really f***ed up this time..."

So that's my experience with that.