I am looking to guage interest in anyone who has ever questioned whether military service is right for them.

I am an MP with the 49th MP Brigade, 870th MP Co. DET 2, located in Sunnyvale, CA, looking forward to answering any questions regarding military service. I am not a recruiter, however, i do on occasion assist in any concerns or formalities relating to military service. I would never recommend speaking to a recruiter first. This is the reason i have started this thread.

I have extensive knowledge of most military branches, benefits, and service affiliations.

I would like to add that any questions are welcome.

 

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If your superiors instructed you to perform military operations on american soil, would you do it?

 

=] my step-dad is in the national guard right now. i was thinking of going into the navy as soon as i graduated college.

 

The Army National Guard, as well as other branches, conduct military operations on American soil almost daily. Anything from reconstructing areas in Arkansas from natural disasters, assisting the FBI in capturing suspected mass drug trafficers in NYC, to aiding communities from Hurricane Katrina (which my unit helped assisted personally, along with 10 to 15 other National Guard units) and the southern California fires.

If you're refering to something else, please be specific. But i appreciate your question of interest.

 

Thank you for your step-father's service. Any particular reason you're considering the US Navy?

 

well much of my family has been in the service. an aunt is in italy with the navy for 5 years and is nurse. my cousin is a recruiter for the Army in vegas. and my dad served in somalia back in 91 with the marines. now hes a sergeant in the national guard.

first of all, ive been wanting to find out exactly what i have to do. im set on becoming a doctor, most likely an anesthesiologist. from what little bit i know, i heard the navy has a great history of having military medical doctors that end up becoming successful after their service is done. (my current doctor served in the navy). i am just wondering if the program is free with whatever amount of years needed of service.

any help?

 

There are 2 programs the Navy offers...

HSCP....
Navy Health Services Collegiate Program: Does not pay Medical School tuition but pays a monthly military salary and includes comprehensive health care benefits. The total amount ranges from $143,000 to $240,000 depending on the housing allowance you receive, which varies (depending on your zipcode, they calculate the average housing cost) with location.

HPSP....
Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program: Pays Full Medical School tuition and a monthly stipend of $1907.00/month for up to 48 months. There is a signing bonus of $20,000. The total Commitment in time remains at 8 years same as NROTC, but the active duty time serving as a doctor(after completing an internship) is increased for every year you receive the HPSP Scholarship. So if a College Program Mid: 7 Years active duty. If a Scholarship Mid: 8 years active duty.
Medical Corps: Health Care Opportunities: Navy

The Army has a similar program with similar pay. However, unlike the US Navy, there are also part-time options (such as the National Guard), or full time options where you don't have to move out of state onto a post (Active National Guard)....
GoArmy.com > Army Health Care > Education Opportunities

Both are very smart options, however if you're close to graduating, continue school until you receive your degree, then follow the military path. Otherwise, if graduation is years away, i would suggest joining a program where you sign up, but remain a civilian for your first half of your term. This allows you to have school fully payed for until you finish your education. Once finished, you will will be sworn in again and transfered to OCS (Officers School), where you will be trained. Once finished with OCS, you will (depending on your degree you received) be given the rank of O1-O3, which is 2LT-CAPT, and then you will be sent to school for your MOS (Military Profession). After that, you'll be sent to your station for duty.

There are many options out there. I'm not very familiar with the US Navy's schooling or programs, but if its the US Navy you truly have your sights on, i would suggest visiting the website for more information and finding someone to talk to who has served as an officer in the US Navy. If you would like more information on the Army's options, i would be happy to send you some. I got tons of stuff.

I hope i helped! Feel free to ask me any more questions, Navy or otherwise.

 

wow thankss! imma give a read up in a bit. just got home from work

 

What medical conditions or criminal records would keep someone from entering the military?

 

thanks! amazing info. well im a first year student at Cal State Long Beach. im not sure if they offer a NROTC program here. i was thinking of going to my local naval recruiter and asking my questions

 

Sounds like a great idea. I wish you luck

 

Normally, misdemeanors, and juvenile delinquencies can be forgiven, and in most circumstances, wiped clean from one's permanent record if they decide to serve the US military. I have even met soldiers who have entered the military with what is called as a "forgiven felony". Meaning, they have a history of one felony, but with a written pardon from the correct federal branch(which may take up to 6 months and the written recommendation from the recuiter), one may be allowed to join under certain contract requirements- however, the felony will never be completely wiped clean from the individual's record.

As far as injuries... Some recruiters will tell you to be completely honest about everything, and some will tell you otherwise. The reason behind this is, lets say for instance... You broke an arm as a kid, but it healed fine, you have full motion and function of the arm, and there was no history of surgery or metal pins implanted. If you were to tell the branch of military about your prior injury, it may take up to 6 months longer for your processing to begin because they will want to take x-rays and run personal tests to conclude you are fully capable. However, if you hadn't of said anything, they would have never known because even though they do have the option to review your records, if they don't have to, they don't want to spend the money to do so. You understand?

Another example is... The military is aware that there is a huge percentage of individuals who have tried marijuana. But if you do not have a record of having ever been caught with it, then as far as they are concerned- it never happened. So basically, don't admit to it. The reason why is the military wants to have the reputation of hiring the most qualified and straight-edge individuals, however, they almost convince you to lie to them on purpose so they aren't liable for your inconsistencies in the future. Clever, eh?

As far as medical conditions, if we're talking non-psychological nor mental (lol), medical conditions like asthma, heart conditions, or any other minor to serious health conditions requiring a prescription or permanent antibiotic are something you would have to ask a recruiter about. He or she may or may not have the answer depending on the situation or medical history, but will do everything in his or her power to find out. Normally if it's a condition such as a type of asthma which requires you to have an inhaler, the recruiter will work with his higher command to find an alternate solution. Alternate solutions i am referring to may be requiring you (or in some cases, the US Army will provide) to switch to another medication, or alternate form of prescription to ensure you can be training, and combat capable, while maintaining your health.

Let's be honest, any form of military doesn't want to be responsible, or liable, for any medical conditions you may have. However, if the condition can be controlled safely, while performing the duties of his or her respective military job description, then everyone's happy. The military, in all branches, frowns upon turning away any citizen looking to serve their country, and in most cases, will do what is necessary to ensure the individual is given the opportunity to serve.

If you're concerned about what you should tell your recruiter, and what you shouldn't, feel free to ask me about specific issues you may have, and i will give you my best advice. Thanks for your question!

 

I've thinking off and on about joining some form of the military. What kind of physical shape does one have to be in and are there any sort of testing requirements?

 

Physical shape is not a big issue. However, the Army uses the "Average Wieght to Height Scale", so during "in processing", if an individual exceeds their personal weight range by atleast 20%, they will be tape measured around their midsection to receive an accurate reading of their body fat percentage. If that individual has a "quick ship option"(meaning a fast leave to basic training), then their leave date will be taken under advisement as to whether or not the individual is at risk of serious injury. The Army will either decide to postpone their date of leave, to ensure the individual has time to lose some weight, deny their enlistment altogether, or in most cases- allow the individual to ship on time, regardless.

OVERALL, I have seen some very overweight individuals get "taped", enlisted, and go through basic training just fine- and losing atleast 50 pounds in the process as well...

I have never met anyone who has been denied military service because of their physical condition, nor have i ever met anyone who was out of shape and had their leave date postponed because of it.

The US Army's APFT (or Army Physical Fitness Test) requirements are based around certain age groups and gender. You are not required to pass the APFT before enlisting. However, if an individual takes the APFT for his/her recruiter and passes, in most cases the individual will be given rank before entering basic training, and extra bonuses can be incentives as well.

You are required to pass the APFT before graduating from Basic Training. But the Drill Sergeants will make sure everyone does.

I would post a link here to show the APFT standards, but they're normally PDFs, and i don't want to play favorites with web sites, lol. So just google "APFT standards 2009". There should be a standard for push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile run for several different age groups.

I hope i helped! Feel free to ask me anything else

 

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The push up and sit up part of the test looks like it would be a breeze, but the run would be an interesting challenge.

What kind of traveling opportunities are available to those who are enlisted? Will the recruits only be located in the US and not on base in another country? Also, what kind of offerings are there for people interested in vehicle maintenance?

 

Yes, the run is definitely a challenge. When i shipped to Basic Training and completed the first "diagnostic APFT", i completed the 2 mile run in approx. 17:45 min. By the time i graduated, i was at a 13:10. You will get there, no doubt about it. And Basic Training is only as easy, or hard, as you make it.

Everything truly depends on what branch of service you decide to join...

ACTIVE DUTY:

Active recruits are sometimes given the opportunity to choose which duty station and/or schools they would like to go to. With a high enough ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test score, your recruiter can justify in his/her paperwork that you are competent enough to be awarded the choice of school and duty station. You take a preliminary ASVAB test usually when you meet your recruiter. After the results, he/she can best judge what they can offer you. Let's say you impressed your recruiter and he/she gave you this option... You may be able to choose to serve your term in service abroad in Germany, Alaska, Puerto Rico or Italy, and may even be given the option to choose a specialty school of your choice such as Airborne, Air Assault, or Combat Medic school.

Even if you didn't score high, it does not necessarily mean you'll be stationed in the sticks of Missouri or Arkansas. Before graduation, you will be given your orders as to where you will be stationed for your time in service. There were some fellow soldiers that didn't get the option to choose a duty station, but were selected for Germany. Some got bad luck and were stationed at the same post where we trained lol.

Active soldiers' entire time in service will be met at their duty station, unless new orders are received from higher command. However, there are other military options when signing up that i would suggest anyone to consider... Such as doing a 3 on, 3 off, or vise versa. Meaning, The first 3 years will be Active duty, and the last 3 will be served in the National Guard back home where you live- or vise versa.

NATIONAL GUARD:

National Guard recruits will train part-time (one weekend/month, 2 weeks/year) at their local armory nearest to their home of residence. They will receive GI Bill (college funding) benefits and healthcare, as well as their respective bonus to enjoy once home from Basic Training and AIT (Advanced Individual Training, the school you chose for your military job).

RESERVISTS:

Reservists will train when necessary at their local armory nearest to their home of residence and will receive GI Bill benefits and healthcare.

There are many benefits to being a part of the "1%" (we call ourselves the 1% because if you add up all soldiers of every branch of military possible, even down to the Coast Guard, our total makes up less than 1% of the total US population today) such as military discounts everywhere, free "hop-on" flights, and the opportunity experience something very few are familiar with.

With your question about vehicle maintenance...

A close friend of mine is in my unit (currently deployed right now) and is a Mechanic. Or more officially, a 63B, Light Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic. He worked on his EVO 8 at home before joining, and likes to work on cars and projects in general. Now he works mostly on our HMMWVs. He said Mechanic school was boring because there was a lot of down time, and because of the class size, it was mostly powerpoints and visual aids, not much hands-on. But when he came into our unit shortly after i did, i was really impressed by how much he knew. He couldn't get his hands dirty enough lol. HMMWVs are very rugged vehicles and take some particular attention to maintain, but definitely enjoyable to work on.

There are several other fields of mechanic professions in the military. Like mechanics who work on small vehicles (lol small doesn't do the HMMWV justice), those that work on artillery mechanisms, vehicles made for construction purposes, and larger combat vehicles like the Abrams M1 tank or the Styrker. There's a specific mechanic needed for specific types of vehicles and machinery, so the options are almost limitless as to what kind of work you want to do related to vehicle mechanics.

I appreciate your questions! I hope i helped answering them!

 

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