I am currently serving in the U.S Army in G CO 27 BSB 1CD 4BCT. I am a Self-Propelled Field Artillery Mechanic and I have worked on and driven everything from M1A1 Abrams to 1114 Humvees. It has been experience to say the least. I have been in the military for 4 years,but now they are making me get out due to the fact that I am BI-Polar. Ever since I got back from Iraq I have been fucked up in the head,so I started going to the doctor and they said I have PTSD and BI-Polar disorder. Can't carry a weapon,so that makes me useless I guess.
If anyone is thinking of joining the military in the U.S I advise Air Force. They get treated the best and have it the easiest. If I could do it all over again I would have enlisted in the Air Force because they have more options as far as location wise. My MOS basically gives me 5 different posts in the world. Even though I have the knowledge and skills required to do what the other jobs (like a wheeled mechanic) does; I can't go to the posts they go too.
Officers do a lot of paper work so if your friend likes admin that might be up his alley. Officers are also expected to lead soldiers that have been in the Army for a lot longer than them. Lower enlisted always make fun of the fresh LT's. They always act real sheepish when they first get to the unit. Unless of course they are prior service and they used to be enlisted themselves.
Boot camp breaks the soldier down, then attempts to brainwash the soldier into a individual that will not question authority and is physically fit enough to accomplish whatever task is placed before them.
Simply put: They want to own you and want you to know it.
Honestly though you can't complain about it. It's all there in black and white when you sign the 400 pages of shit that is required to go to Boot. Some people whine and complain from the very moment they get to Boot. I thought to myself
" What the fuck did you expect?"
Don't get me wrong, I hated Boot Camp and AIT ( the school where you learn your job), but I didn't once say "I wish I didn't do this".
I did it for my family and I wasn't going to back down. For officers it is a bit different,but its all the same beast. They still get treated like shit except they have added bullshit on top of it like classes and whatnot.
The best advice I can give and I truly mean this from the bottom of my heart; Tell your friend this:
Tell your friend to talk to all of the branches of the military before signing shit. Tell him to pick a job that he KNOWS he will enjoy. Tell him to expect to deploy to Iraq a lot! Expect no family time. Expect lots of long nights without overtime. Expect crappy food. Expect to do things that don't make sense . DO NOT LISTEN TO YOUR RECRUITER!!!! I know recruiters. I have worked with them. They have told me they lied to soldiers. They do lie to soldiers. They don't care what you go through or what happens to you. You are a number. Talk to as many people in the military as you can and get there viewpoints. Are you Patriotic? What are your reasons for joining the military? Are you mentally and physically capable of going balls to the wall every day for a year in 130 degree weather in 50+ pounds of gear?
Why does your friend want to be a officer instead of enlisted? Does he like to get his hands dirty or does he like to supervise,organize,order,and be ordered. Does your friend have a family? If so he should expect to be away from them for a very long time all the time until he gets out of the military. The divorce rate in the military is very high.
Just a simple example of my situation:
I married on May 2004.
Went to Basic Training on June 2004. Was in Basic for 9 weeks. Saw my wife for two days.
August 2004 I went to AIT ( Advanced Individual Training). Stayed in AIT for 4 months give or take.
Went home for Thanksgiving for a week to see my family.
Went to Fort Hood ,Texas in December 2004 to report to my first duty station. Wife moved in with me a few days after.
Went to train in the field over 7 times throughout 2005 which can take anywhere from two weeks to a month at a time. Worked 15 to 18 hour days on a regular basis. Went on Leave in November 2005.
Deployed to Iraq December 2005. Went on R&R in May 2006 for two weeks. Went back to Iraq until December 2006 when we finally arrived stateside. Iraq sucks. Especially for mechanics. 24 Ops. ALL THE TIME. Almost got blown up (suck), but I didn't (yay).
Went on leave for the rest of December before the training schedule picked back up. Went back out to the field (training) about 5 or 6 times in 2006. Took leave for Christmas and had a merry ol time. Found out the unit was deploying in June of 08. Thats where my story ends.
This is just a short summarized version of a few of my experiences. In short: I hate my job. Not the Army. I hate mechanics,but I can't change my job now. anyway they won't let me stay in to change it now. If I sound jaded or angry at the military it is unintentional. Carry on.
