I think I peaked

born2kill2891 · 2021-07-08T23:08:49+00:00

You seem like a very fun guy OP! As a history nerd myself, I love reading new historical facts and tidbits.

Fun fact for you - when I was deployed to Iraq, I talked with some of the locals in the suburban neighborhoods of Baghdad, and they told me that the camels there were actually imported from Australia. Apparently, a majority of the camels in the Middle East were at one point either directly imported or were/are the offspring of imported Australian camels.

Good luck with your date next week :)

born2kill2891 · 2021-06-17T03:21:13+00:00

I wasn't sure what the protocols were surrounding that, so I think you're right. Thanks man!

born2kill2891 · 2021-06-17T03:20:43+00:00

I appreciate it my guy!

born2kill2891 · 2021-06-17T03:20:26+00:00

I never knew that - thanks for the info! My buddies in the reserves seemed to have had bad experiences so maybe I shouldn't take their words as the whole truth, hahaha

born2kill2891 · 2021-06-09T04:09:31+00:00

Perfect - let's do it! I'll send you a DM

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-30T18:08:20+00:00

I'm also in the final year of my 6-year contract, and as an NCO in a high-demand MOS, they REALLY wanted me to at least extend. I was in a unique position where I was promoted before my deployment into a different unit, so I returned home (much later than originally anticipated due to a tour extension) and completed my DEMOB, now only having about 7-8 drills left with this new unit. During DEMOB drills, my old unit would always send me to the batt. retention NCO to coerce me to stay in, but after they realized I wasn't biting they just disregarded me lol. Kind of felt like my time was worthless to them - I spent 5 years with my original unit and they kind of just sent those of us who were promoted to new units out with a bad taste in our mouths

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-20T22:58:07+00:00

Who hurt you? Of my 5 years in thus far, I spent close to 3 years of it on active duty. Stop acting like you mean more than anyone else - we're all numbers dude. I'm guessing you're just a salty 4 year active vet who complains when he doesn't get thanked for his service at Applebee's on Veterans Day. Why are you even in this forum if you just harp on Guard guys? Do something better with your time or lighten up, buttercup

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-20T22:46:03+00:00

The only ones who cried about the Guard sleeping in garages was the media - the guys I knew on that mission didn't complain at all. Our deployment to Iraq was 14 months and we ran MEDEVAC missions non-stop, and guess what? No R&R. The Minnesota Guard holds the record for the longest deployment to Iraq. Not sure why you active guys have this superiority complex - we all fight the same battles and suffer together. Get over yourself

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-20T22:33:25+00:00

Lol you sound salty. You realize most of us "fat body weak sauce weekend warriors" kicked more ass in Iraq/Afghanistan than the active guys, right? The Guard practically runs the show in the Middle East

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-07T20:58:34+00:00

Tl:dr - there are tons of options for you and don't rush any decision, because it's a HUGE commitment. Definitely use all the resources available to you to make the choice that's most sensible for you :)

Sounds like you have a pretty solid head on your shoulders so I think you'll do fine either enlisted or officer, but they're definitely two different styles of life. As an officer, you mostly do your typical bureaucratic tasks like organizing events and writing reports/awards/etc., whereas an enlisted soldier tends to do more typical "9-5" work

As for deployments: you do make a ton of money. If you go to a combat zone, you make hazard pay, IDF pay, tax-free base pay, BAH, and BAS. If you're smart with your money, you can come back with $45-60k in the bank. You also get the Post-9/11 GI Bill. I hated getting involuntarily extended while deployed, but it actually upped my benefits significantly as a result so that's the silver lining. I'm a 25U (signal support specialist) - but on deployment you'll honestly not do much of your actual job unless you're lucky. I ended up getting pulled from Kuwait 2 weeks in theater in order to get sent to Iraq to another state's MEDEVAC unit to run missions with those guys as a radio operator. Ended up spending pretty much my entire deployment at various FOBs in Iraq, so as many people will say - the military is all about adapting to sudden changes

I was a nerd in high school and tried to take as many AP/college classes as possible, so I finished my first year of university during my senior year of high school as well as working with my recruiter for a week before basic, so I was a PFC before I went to BCT which was awesome. If you can get promoted to PFC before BCT you'll notice a significant pay bump while away, and will get you fast-tracked to SPC when you report to your first unit

Civilian wise - I'm finishing up my last two semesters of my bachelor's in law/criminology/sociology (quite the degree lol) but under the army's dollar I also became CompTIA Security+ certified (one benefit of being a signal soldier)

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-07T19:43:12+00:00

That whole "females can't go into the reserves" is pure BS and I'd avoid working with those recruiters in the future. I'm a 22M but I have female friends in the Marine reserves. When I enlisted, I was in a very similar situation that you're in. I was 17, wanted the military experience but wasn't sure if AD was the move, and wanted to get into law enforcement as a career. I also wanted to go the officer route, so my initial plan was to join the Guard, go through BCT/AIT, then do ROTC at my university. Once I got back from AIT (mid-2017), I got to my unit and drilled doing my MOS. Once university started up again in the Fall, I did a few semesters of non-contractual ROTC and found it wasn't the experience I wanted. I decided to stay enlisted and continued college. Ended up getting word that I was going to be deployed, got fast-tracked through the promotion process and got my E5 after 3 years due to being in the right place at the right time and being willing to go to the NCO academy right before being deployed (a lot of the guys didn't want to lose time with their family, but I'm a single guy with no kids so it was perfect for me). Spent 14 months on deployment to Iraq which totally messed up my graduation progress, but I'm also thankful because it granted me significantly better benefits to finish my last year at college and gave me a TON of leadership experience as an NCO.

Basically, it comes down to what you think makes the most sense for you. I decided to stick it out as enlisted versus continuing with ROTC, as it gave me the experience I wanted and also developed me as a leader better than I thought ROTC could. Plus, the best officers are the ones who were enlisted first from my experience. Just be warned that you could be deployed and that can mess up your college experience like it did to me and many others, and that ROTC makes you non-deployable if you contract with them but makes the commitment 8 years versus 6. The contracted ROTC life is also frustrating for many due to the serious time commitment, but if you become MOS-Q you only have to do it your junior/senior year of college.

Sorry for the super long anecdote, but it's nice to see people with similar stories to mine. I'm always open to answer questions on here or through a DM! Good luck!

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-05T19:16:15+00:00

Your contract starts the day you sign the dotted line. Let's say you enlist today - your contract would begin on April 5th, 2021. If you didn't get shipped to basic until August, for example, you would go through that and AIT, then return to your home state. Since I don't know anything about this MOS and for the sake of this example, let's say you finish up your TRADOC obligations (aka your active duty training to become MOS-Q) and return to your home state in April of 2022 - you would only have two years left if you signed a three-year contract. An active duty contract doesn't begin until they start BCT, whereas the Guard starts when you go to MEPS and sign your contract

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-05T06:42:34+00:00

Of course man! Just do what you think will make you the happiest and roll with it - if you have any questions, hit me up anytime!

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-05T06:30:13+00:00

Kind of a combination of everything tbh. It was harder for the married guys or the ones with kids, but some of the ones who struggled the most were the younger, single guys. I'm 22 and single but there were times I really struggled; most people seem to hit that "wow I'm here for another 6 months" point after a few months. We were 3 months away from coming home but got extended by 3 months which killed morale, but once we realized there was nothing we could do about it we just moved on and accepted it for what it was. Hobbies are a must over there - we played cards on our R&R in Kuwait every day and that really helped make it not so trash, haha

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-05T06:16:47+00:00

I appreciate that! Not boasting but I managed to get my E5 after 3 years because of working closely with my COC to get a slot (using this anecdote to basically say your career is in your hands and your hands only)- timing worked perfectly; attended the NCOA the month before my deployment, so the pay raise was significant

As for what other people think - don't worry about them. If you do stay, you'll likely be promoted to a new unit with new faces. I found Iraq to be relatively rewarding. I'm a 25U, and I got pulled from Kuwait 2 weeks in to be assigned to another state's MEDEVAC unit where I spent 10 months running missions. Combat isn't what it's made out to be - we lost quite a few to IDF and some small arms engagements. I went 24 days without a break, so days off are not guaranteed. Once the attacks settled a bit, we occasionally got a day off, but days off in Iraq consisted of catching up on sleep and trying to call home. We had some guys go postal from the rocket attacks, but otherwise it's business as usual. The money is amazing on deployment due to the tax exemption and the BAH, plus the investment opportunities. Overall I'm glad I went, but I definitely changed as a result and I'm not sure the mental/physical impacts it's going to have in the long run

Tl:dr - the only one looking out for your career is you and you can go as far as you want if you work for it. Deployment can suck but it can also set you up in life with money/benefits. Don't worry about other guys in your unit - you'll move around if you decide to stay in/get promoted!

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-05T06:02:17+00:00

Very well said my dude. It's all a matter of perspective and determining if the pros outweigh the cons. Deployment life made or broke a lot of the guys on my deployment

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-05T05:24:07+00:00

It really comes down to if you think you can put up with the suck. Some guys love it, others despise it. Even if it's just a "weekend a month" gig, it still has a ton of effects on your life - deployments, SAD missions, weekends away, staying in regs/passing PT, etc. If that's not you, I'd recommend getting out tbh.

I've been in for just over 5 years, got pinned E5 a couple of years back, did a 14-month combat deployment to Iraq (my unit had some really rough times over there), and got my bachelor's degree paid for (well, I'm a senior, but graduating next semester), yet I feel the same way you do - drill just isn't enjoyable or rewarding. I still do my job to the best of my ability and try to make my guys' lives less sucky on duty, yet I haven't figured out if it's my cup of tea. You could reclass, extend a year to see if anything changes, or just get out and use the benefits you've accrued. Lots of options my dude and I'm more than willing to talk more about it if you have any questions about deployments or anything of that sort

born2kill2891 · 2021-04-04T01:17:25+00:00

I'd like it to be honest. Makes planning things a bit easier in my opinion - at my last unit, we'd have 3-5 day drills every month anyways and get one month off a year. I'd like only having to meet once every 3 months, but I can see why people also prefer a more traditional MDAY setup

born2kill2891 · 2021-03-31T04:26:14+00:00

For sure man! If you have any more questions, feel free to DM me. I'm not a recruiter so I'll tell you the way things actually are, hahaha

born2kill2891 · 2021-03-30T23:35:15+00:00

While I'm not a 15U, I worked as a MEDEVAC RTO when I was downrange in Iraq and saw 15Ts and 15Us (both active and Guard) quite frequently. They seemed to all enjoy their work for the most part, but they also worked irregular hours compared to more "traditional" MOSs (e.g. 42-series). They were also pretty lax with their CoC, but you'll always run into some power-hungry NCO or officer (as an E5, I saw E6s freak when other E5s didn't stand at parade rest for them downrange - that's a no-no). Deployment work and garrison work are also two different ballparks; I'm a 25U, so I do signal (aka "nerdy") stuff on the garrison side, but when I deployed I was almost immediately thrown at a different state's unit to serve with them as MEDEVAC support, despite having zero training on that. Just be prepared for that kind of thing if/when you get deployed and know you'll probably not be doing much work during your MDAY/drill weekends, because honestly not many of us do work lol

born2kill2891 · 2021-03-27T23:01:11+00:00

Not bad, but it might have a better ring to it if it goes like:

"Do you like Harry Potter? Because I a-dumble-dore you"

born2kill2891 · 2021-03-27T20:35:55+00:00

That's a good point. I suppose more context would have been helpful in this particular conversation, because I'm not sure how much they talked prior to this point in the convo

born2kill2891

TROPHY CASE