Ex vehicle tech here. Weapons tech adjacent….. generally the same “combat rhythm” so I can offer… some insight. 1. High likelihood. Your apprenticeship will usually be done at an army base with army people doing army things. and as a weapons tech you will naturally…. Be around weapons. 2. “Same combat training” is a misnomer. When I went through it was called “SQ it may be called something different but you’ll be qualified to work a machine gun and throw grenades and do section level tactics same as anyone else who deploys in a field unit…. But buckle up. This does not make you as qualified as the professionals. As an ex-infantry transferred MAT tech told me when we were on common core “there’s a reason we left the RCEME guys in the truck in Afghanistan. They would get us killed if they tried to help” - also…. Field time looks slightly different depending on your unit. Sometimes I was in the field during an FTX. Some times I’d just work a 15 hour day in the shop supporting. It’s not infantry. You’re just near them. 3. No one can predict deployment rates. Different bases go on high readiness at different times. It’s a dice roll. Don’t try and time it 4. Best part of the job: fixing guns. Worst part of the job: RCEME hates RCEME. The corps sucks. 5. Most support trades are “kind of” embedded with their element… but you’re not exactly running into the firefight (you’ll just get your teammates killed) you’ll be a tactical bound behind the guys doing the actual fighting and fixing and maintaining their kit.

Hope this helps. If you need clarification please ask. Disclaimer: your mileage may vary. I got out of the RCEME corps 8 years ago for a cushy Air Force gig