[DeMello]

id like to start off by please asking ppl to not go on about other things on this thread and stick to anwsering my question. not tying to sound like a jackass but this is extremly important so please no thread jacking

also if anybody thinks there is something really wrong with this then plz pm me...i want to also thank everybody who takes time out of there day to read this and help me since its pretty long

so on saturday ill be enlisting for 3 months and 24 weeks as a wheel light mechanic. im getting a 5 grand bonus after 9 weeks of basic training and 13 weeks of AIT at South Carlonia. They said by me going to their office from 5-6 every saturday and learning stuff they will promot me to E-2 which will be a stargin pay of around 1600. ill be shipping off on june 16th

once i get they i have basics where everyday ill be in a room wiht 30-60 people and be waking up around 5 or 6 and not be able to use anyform of comuncations with ppl back home besides mail and a pay phone every now and then. they say its more mentally difficult then physical and i dont really have to do anythign on saturdays and sundays

and that i will immeditaly go to AIT with 4-8 people in a room where i am allowed to leave on the weekends and only being learning my job from about 9-5 with an 1 1/2 for lunch. they wont be feeding me like at basic and ill be getting an extra 300 dollars a month for food.

once i complete that i go to a base and if im not deployed to iraq or soemplace like that im able to leave every weekend, on 12 holidays for 4 days, and another 30 days of my chossing. at my base ill be fixing vechiles from 9-5 monday-friday. ill be living with 4 people and be able to have my own computer tv and even a cell.

when my 3 1/2 years are over i have no commintent left unless i join up again

and if i get deployed my income isnt taxed and its only for a year at max

sound about rite guys?

oh and the army said that they are the only ones that can guarentte what job i do b4 i enlist and that they are the only ones who ofter smaller terms then 4 years

[Rico-mofos]

i was a 63 whiskey all wheeled mechanic...you are "commited" for a total of 8 years regardless of what time is active duty... so if you get out in 4 years and shit hits the fan ...yes they can call you back...everything else sounds right but REMEMBER recruiters can be a like a used car salesman....they will make Basic and AIT sound like your going to a resort and the rest of your tour sound like a piece of cake...just to get you to sign a contract...Take advantage of as much as you can while your in ( get your degree while your in)

[DeMello]

i specifically asked them about still be commited and they said no...once im done i can either go army reserve, re-enlist, or be completly done with ties to the millitary in any way

[whiteboycustom]

8 YEARS is your agreement, u have ur active duty time, and inactive duty time and u can also do the ng or reserves

[Rico-mofos]

when you sign your contract...it will be for 8 years...4 years active....im dont remember how the word the other 4 years...some who is active now will be able to give a better answer than i can on that part ...

[the real shocker]

they lied to you about not doing anything on saturdays & sundays during Basic!!!!!!

[WAR-PARTY]

It sounds about right, serve proudly!
W>P>
USN ret.

[whiteboycustom]

for the most part u will have a open bay living area, 1st 2 weeks is red cycle aka total control, its the worst 2 weeks after that yall can use the phone and get a chance to go to the px and what not but u have to earn it, by the end of basic u will have weekend passes to do shit on base, and i think u might get one overnight pass out on the town, and u get up earlier then 5, go do pt come back shower change get ready for chow then do class and training all day

ait is alittle more relaxed and laid back

[whiteboycustom]

oh and the weekends is barracks maintance for the most part and gettin ur own shit squared away, u wont just sit around and hang out and lounge all day

[XTCNAGT]

I was 6 years Air Force, so some things may be different, but for the most part it sounds fairly accurate.

In basic, we did a lot of shit on saturdays and sundays. Sundays, if you didn't go to some kind of church service, you stayed in the dorm and cleaned....

Cleaned Everything.


Every. Single. Thing. Even down to polishing the chrome plates that divided rooms. Scuff marks off the ground, latrines, everything.

The communication is true, but for us, no letter writing. It wasn't allowed. We did it anyways, but if they found out about it, you'd be doing pushups.

AIT, which I'm guessing is like our tech school is about right as well. All you do for your job, is learn it. It's like taking a college class, with less than 10 people. The going out on weekends may be different. We had phases. Phase I, you couldn't leave the base. No drinking, even if you were 21, and everywhere you went on base, you had to be in uniform. The phases gave you a little more leniency as you went through, until phase V where you could go off base in your own vehicle, not in uniform, etc etc... If you have phases, they will tell you what you can and cannot do for each one. If there's a question, just ask. They're still pretty strict, but not nearly as bad as boot camp instructors.

First base sounds about right too. The military will be your job, you show up for a roll call with everyone you work with, they give notes, and stuff and then you work until your scheduled time to go home, then you are free to do what you want. If you live off base, you go home, watch TV, do whatever. If you live in the dorms, same thing. It's basically just like every other job, but they aren't AS forgiving with always being late.

As far as I knew, it was an 8 year commitment no matter what. Any time after your enlistment, you would be inactive reserve, as whiteboycustom stated. You don't really do ANYTHING for that, but it just means, if they need you, they'll call you back up, so don't throw away your uniforms. You don't have to report to anyone, can get another job, no REAL ties to the military, like I said, unless they need you.

I would seriously ask them about that again, and find out from a couple other people there, because I really don't see that part changing.

The shorter than 4 years is probably right, but the Air Force can guarantee you jobs before enlistment, as long as the job you applied for requires the manning. Like if there's X amount of people as Air Traffic Control, and they need say, 20 more, if 40 people apply, they probably couldn't guarantee that, but my job was guaranteed before I ever left MEPS.

Hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, you can get me on AIM, or ask one of the other 300 military folks on here.

Congratulations on your decision. I am willing to put money on it, that it is something you won't regret.

Good luck and Hoorah!

[obdnanr]

the army lies about everything to get you in, and then they continue to shove pineapples into your rectum.

e2 pay is 1502.70 a MONTH BEFORE taxes/social security that you will never see again.

2008 Military Pay Scale

and that i will immeditaly go to AIT with 4-8 people in a room where i am allowed to leave on the weekends and only being learning my job from about 9-5 with an 1 1/2 for lunch. they wont be feeding me like at basic and ill be getting an extra 300 dollars a month for food.

you wont get 300 dollars for food. you will work atleast 630 pt to 1700 if you are having a good day. and in AIT you wont have a 1 1/2 hour lunch. and for the first like 3 weeks in AIT you cant do fucking shit except details, ie mowing grass. and after you finish your "day" of school you will have to do "warrior" training untill like 1900-2000. most likely. wait AIT pt starts at like 530, so you gota wake up at like 4 or some shit.


at my base ill be fixing vechiles from 9-5 monday-friday. ill be living with 4 people and be able to have my own computer tv and even a cell.

bull shit, you will do everything from moving heavy shit all day, to standing around.

when my 3 1/2 years are over i have no commintent left unless i join up again

more bullshit, anyone who joins the army has an automatic 8 year's. after you finish ur 3 1/2 years you will be in the INACTIVE READY RESERVE, which means that can send you a post card saying report here bitch, and you do it or dont.

oh and the army said that they are the only ones that can guarentte what job i do b4 i enlist and that they are the only ones who ofter smaller terms then 4 years

you will do other jobs in the army, doesn't matter what mos. i had light wheel mechanic what evers on a convoy team in iraq.

[White99stang]

i am so pissed, i just wrote a long reply and it somehow got deleted in the quick reply box so here it goes again lol. First off recruiters are going to lie and sugar coat everything they can to get you to join. First off them saying that they are the only branch were you know the job your gonna have before you sign up is bullshit. I knew i was in the advanced electronics field almost a year before i left for boot camp cause i was i the delayed entry program. Second, and no offense to anyone at all. Is a wheel mechanic what you really want to do, what is that going to do for you in the outside world since your supposebly getting out in less than 3 years. I would take your time and study for the asvab and try to get something in the electronic or IT field. That is were the money is at in todays market. I just got out of the navy in november and started out making 30 an hour, not too bad if i might say. If you are doing this just to get money so you can buy things then you might be going in for the wrong reasons, or make sure you get a job in the military that people will want to hire you for in the outside world. See me personally, if i want to fight on the front lines i will join the army, marines, cause thats what most of them do, the hard work protecting our ways of life, which i thank them for. But i would not join either if i wasn't wanting to be on the front lines. If i wanted to support i would joing the navy or air force or coast guard. Yes being on a boat sucks but probrably not as bad as being stuck on a base in the sand, oh and the you will not go to iraq deal is bullshit also. If your not there within the first 8 months that you've joined then that only means god is watching out for you.

['02SilverBullet]

You was also correctly informed that basic is more mental than physical. They purposely time things out when you ship out so when you arrive at base it is late as hell. I Think it was 1:30 am when I arrived at Ft. Leonardwood...oh wait sorry... I should say it was 0130 when I got there. They make sure your mind is tired and wanting sleep so when you get off the bus with Sgts. yelling at you its got a bit more of an effect LOL. After you get off the bus they will keep you cool in your heels for a couple hours then the start telling you the VERY basic do's and dont's. No aresol cans... nothing... no after shaves or colognes.... no.. no no! No on alot of shit LOL. When I went through as 12 Bravo (Combat Engineer) They kept us for like a week before we acutally started basic. But in that week we were getting our uniforms.. bed sheets and blankets... head shaved. Then after that week we got put on another bus (more like a cattle trailer) to go to the other side of the base to the actual training barracks. Thats where the fun started! LOL When we go there there were Sgts there yelling at us telling us to RUN and to keep our bags (the big army green GI bag for cloths and gear.. I forgot the term used). But we had to bear hug our bags and run around the baracks basicly and every few feet there was another DI yelling at us to KEEP MOVING! We dont stop till they tell us too! LOL

Its true about the phones too.... you get to EARN the right to use it. I was put in the hospital during basic and after I was released I was waiting on a ride back to the barracks by one of the DIs. While I was waiting I seen a pay phone and thought.. "Ya know I should call my mom and let her know I was in the hospital" LOL The DI got there and seen me on the phone... I got an Artical 15... thats a big no no!

The other guy was right about the phases.... We didnt use "phases" really but still its set up so as you go through they get more lax on you.

The PT isnt that tough at all... the hardest part was running the 2 miles... but even that was doable for a smoker like myself.

Basic will be a blast... just get there and find you a friend. We had a lil click of about 8 of us. Everyone was good at something... One guy we even called KIWI hehe cuz he was so damn good at shining boots. I was good at breaking the M16 down.... we all helped each other and made it all fun.

The things I learned at basic
1 Walk like you got a purpose! No "loly gagging" around and just walking at a leizure pase.
2 Dont use the phone LOL
3 Hurry up and wait.
4 Keep your riffle point DOWN RANGE AT ALL TIMES! I seen a Pvt. get knocked out by a 1st Sgt. cuz his riffle hung up and he swung around and pointed it ACROSS the range. 1st Sgt. grabed a M16 from another Pvt. and hit him with the stock of it LOL.
5 Shave EVERY DAY.... our DIs made us keep those cheap plastic razors in the shirt pocket of our BDUs in case they think we needed to shave. I messed up and didnt shave one night.. My shit didnt grow that fast then LOL.. turns out... shaving dry while in standing in ranks sucks ballz!
6 NEVER look at a DI.... its a fine art of looking THROUGH them.. when they get in your grill... and they will.... do the empty stare THROUGH them never focus your eye sight on them directly.
7 Keep your fellow recruits "squared away" if your in Drills and Ceramony and the guy infront of you has a "ate up uniform" (like collar turned up).. YOU will be held responsible too!

Just have fun with it bro... its not that bad at all. And just think.. when ya get that 5g for the bonus thats a good super charger for ya there.

[White99stang]

i highly recommend going and getting a asvab study book, i know you have dialup and live out in the boonies cause there is not a book store for hundreds of miles but at least order one and do some studying. And if you go into there and take the practice asvab and score at least a 65 your are golden, no grunt work pretty much. My recruiter loved me cause i scored a 94 on the practice and a 89 on the final one at the meps station.

['02SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by White99stang i highly recommend going and getting a asvab study book, i know you have dialup and live out in the boonies cause there is not a book store for hundreds of miles but at least order one and do some studying. And if you go into there and take the practice asvab and score at least a 65 your are golden, no grunt work pretty much. My recruiter loved me cause i scored a 94 on the practice and a 89 on the final one at the meps station.

Whitestang is really telling ya right. You will end up hating your MOS. 95% of all armed forces are trying to get "paper pushing" jobs mainly cuz there is little to no feild time. It sucks getting a girl and dating for a month or 4 then leaving to go to the "FEILD" for 6 weeks for training or whatever. Plus another thing that gets alot of guys thinking is like an INFANTRY soldier. What good is a trained killer and excellent marks man outside the millitary? Just stuff ya might want to consider before ya sign on that line.

[obdnanr]

shoot, when i left MEPS to goto basic, ft benning, i got off the bus like YEAH LETS DO THIS!!!! and they made me wait a fucking week before i actually was IN basic.

[XTCNAGT]

Yeah, same here...and I also got there between like 0100 and 0200

[Rico-mofos]

your going to meet people from all walks of life...alot of them will not make it through basic! And you will still have Drill Sgts in AIT.

[Rico-mofos]

i got a 94 on my absvab ...the higher your score the more options you have...and from being young ...i chose 63 whiskey when I had more options than most...make sure you really think about what MOS you want because 4 years later you will be thinking differently than when you signed up...sure i love to turn a wrench but its not what im doing now... just something to think about...

[DeMello]

maybe i should have mentioned that ill be working for the sherrifs office once im 21...just cant till that age so when im done with my 3 years ill be 21

and i also plan on doing a crap load of mods on my car like you guys and want to be able to do my own work...just becuase i dont know half the shit u guys do doesnt me that cars arent a passion of mine...its just only been a passion for a couple of months

i had other options, i could have gone intel or ifantry and got an extra 20k signing bonus but thats not wat i wanna do

i want to learn to work on cars...worst comes to worst i re-elist again as something else

thanks for all the feedback