Advice and Experiences please

[zarcher]

I'm 26 and have a wife and one child. I have been thinking about the military for some time now. What thoughts, advice or experience can some of you veterans and/or military families give meand my familiy.

What branch?
Officer or enlisted?
MOS's to look at/ not to look at?
Career or four and out?

[LUVMYSIGP225]

I am ex-Army, enlisted, tanker. It ruined my first marriage, and I have little contact with daughter from that marriage. I wish I would have never done it. Military takes a toll on a lot of families. The pay is never really that great, and you may have to move around a lot. Not ideal for a kid, in my book.

Just giving you my experience. If you decide to do it, get into a technical M.O.S., and back it up with college.

When you get out, prospective employers won't find it impressive that you are a great rifleman, or in my case, tanker.

[zarcher]

Thank you.
I'm currently a full-time student gettingmy degree in business managment.
Are there any MOSes that will corrspond with this degree?

[dannyg0811]

If you are looking at becoming an officer, I am sure there are MOSs that deal with your major. But I think all you really need is a degree. I had a Battalion Commander that had a degree in animal husbandry. I doubt he put that to much use in the Marines. Good Luck.

- Joining the Military - Military.com

Navy officer
Officer: Careers & Jobs: Navy

Air Force
Welcome to Officer Training School Homepage

Marine
Marine Corps Officer Home | U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate's Guide

Army
GoArmy.com > About the Army > Service Options > Enlisted Soldiers & Officers > Officer

[akmjolnir]

I agree with the 2nd post. Being in the military tends to destroy new relationships. Its not really good for the kids. I've been witness to some real horror stories.

You'll make muuuuuuch more money in the civilian world and not have to sacrifice time with your family.

[titanwolf]

you will sacrifice your relationship with your wife and child. It's honorable to join the armed services, IMO you should do this early and before you have your own family. I served in the Army and got a first hand look of marriages destroyed from Desert shiled/desert storm. I was stationed at Fort Bragg and wives get lonely. Over 600 wives at FT Bragg alone became pregnant while their Husband was away.

The armed services of today are not like when our grandfathers served.

[chromechicken]

Here I go, the voice of dissent....

I have been in for 9 years now, off and on. If you have a weak marraige or wife, it won't last. If that's not the case with you, you will be OK. I have been married for 9 years and have 2 kids. Sure, my deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan sucked for the family, but it's not the end of the world. How does your wife feel about you being gone for a year? Do you trust her/does she trust you? I have seen marriages crumble under the strain of the lifestyle, but I have seen them grow stronger, too. The military tends to magnify the type of marraige you have. If it's strong, it will show. If not, it'll break. It's not the military's fault; it's the fault of one or both people in that relationship. Yeah, it's hard on the kids- so is being grounded, doing homework, etc... I would rather my kids have to learn from the hard times than coddle them their whole lives. I'm not raising boys, I'm building men.

The pay, when coupled with healthcare, job security, etc... is fine. Our pay charts can be found online. Add up your base pay with BAS (food allowance) and BAH (housing allowance) and you'll know what you will get paid. I can't stand officers, but if you do go into the service, you might want to think about being one. The pay and quality of life is better. I don't think you will have much say in what branch you go into if you do go the officer route, but I'm an enlisted guy, so I don't know for sure. as an officer, you get management experience, because that is all you do.

I am happy to help you out any way I can. If there is anything I can do for you, shoot me an e-mail or PM.

[zarcher]

Thank you.
This is a very tough decision, not only for me but for the future of my family.
The pay is not what I'm worried about. I will have my degree in about 20 months and at that time is when all the research on what branch, MOS and family desire to join. After all this is a family decision, and I have to take into account what my wife feels about this. It is not a matter of will it work but will we make it work. My wife and I are very independant, we do our own thing and just trully want to be together.
We will find out what the future holds.


Thanks everybody for you service to this great country and for your advice and experiences to me and my family.

GOD BLESS.

[Kauzi XD45]

I would say talk it over with your wife. Explain the hardships, the difficulties, and try to let her know how hard it will probably be. If she is on board with it, then go for it. I was in the Army for 6 years, and I was a newlywed, and the Army didn't cause any of our problems. We had plenty but not because of the Army. We both understood what was expected, and we were ok with the demands the Army puts on a soldier.

The ones i would start with are, being away from home for weeks or months at a time. leaving her to raise the kids alone. She needs to be prepared to be completely responsible for making sure the family is taken care of.

Understanding that fidelity shouldn't be a choice, it should be a requirement.

The stress of low pay, long hours, working weekends and holidays. Missing birthdays, and anniversaries.

The idea that you have a very real chance of being killed, either in combat or even stateside during training, this isn't a boy scouts camping trip, you train for war, and accidents happen.

But most importantly she needs to know that her needs HAVE to come second to the needs of the Army. Every man in your unit depends on you being there doing your job, and covering their backs, and that has to be first and foremost with you. She has to be ok with coming second. Not always, but when the mission requires it, there really isn't an option.


just my opinion, I loved the Army, and got out for all the wrong reasons, and I regret it to this day.There is no better time like the present to try it, enlistments are fairly short, and if you don't like it you do your time and get out.

[Tally XD]

I have to agree with most of what has been said. I am former US Army, also a tanker like LuvsMySig.

However, I am and was single when I was in the military. Even though I had great times and bad times, loved it and hated it, I saw many familys who didnt fare so well together in the Army.

It is, still, an experience like no other and I wouldnt give up what I learned for anything in the world, but unless you back up your TECHNICAL based MOS with some schooling, a job will not likely be waiting on you outside the military.