Military?

[Andrew]

The best part of the job was when we went on patrols and I got to man the M60 machine gun mounted on the jeep.

Thank God that weapon is out of our inventory.  I never really enjoyed the M60 in operation and hated, hated, hated cleaning it.  The M240G that replaced it is ten times better in every respect.

[The Burgomaster]

The best part of the job was when we went on patrols and I got to man the M60 machine gun mounted on the jeep.

Thank God that weapon is out of our inventory.  I never really enjoyed the M60 in operation and hated, hated, hated cleaning it.  The M240G that replaced it is ten times better in every respect.

Cleaning it was certainly no fun.  I'm not familiar with the M240G . . . the M60 was all the rage in my day . . . 

[ghouck]

7 1/2 years in the Army, but if I had it to do over again, I would have gone into the Marines instead.

why?

The more I talk to people that were in either, the more I believe all around the Marines would have been more satisfying. I had a TON of great times in the Army, but there was so much stupid crap that the Army should be embarrassed about it's not even remotely funny. I probably would have stayed in longer also, because the stupid crap is largely why I got out. I know that stupid crap happens everywhere, but the Army seems to take it to a whole new level.

[ghouck]

The best part of the job was when we went on patrols and I got to man the M60 machine gun mounted on the jeep.

Thank God that weapon is out of our inventory.  I never really enjoyed the M60 in operation and hated, hated, hated cleaning it.  The M240G that replaced it is ten times better in every respect.

I liked the M60, but the 249 was much more enjoyable IMO, mainly due to the reliability and cleaning. The 240 sounds like a hell of a weapon though.

A little off-subject, but what do you think of Marine Force Recon vs Army Special Forces. There's a guy I work with the is former Recon, and he says that their school is much tougher than Army Special Forces school. I have no idea from my own experience (lack thereof), but I had never heard of that, I know Recon were tough guys, but I didn't think they were on THAT level. It's not exactly what is talked about when Specops is concerned, it's usually Rangers, SF, Seals, Delta.

[Chainsawmidget]

I spent four years active army.  Most of that was stateside except for a handful of months over in Kuwait.

After that I went into the National Guard for another four years.  The first year of that I worked security at an Airforce base.  I also ended up doing several months work (not all at once) or disaster relief in areas that had been hit by tornadoes. 

[Andrew]

A little off-subject, but what do you think of Marine Force Recon vs Army Special Forces. There's a guy I work with the is former Recon, and he says that their school is much tougher than Army Special Forces school. I have no idea from my own experience (lack thereof), but I had never heard of that, I know Recon were tough guys, but I didn't think they were on THAT level. It's not exactly what is talked about when Specops is concerned, it's usually Rangers, SF, Seals, Delta.

Marine Recon gets a lot of training, and are among the best of what people call special forces.  Along with the Marine Corps Infantry course they go through Basic Recon, SERE, and jump school.  From there they can go on to various other schools to develop them.  Those schools include Marine Combat Diver and Ranger school (yes, Marines in Ranger school).

Something to remember is that Marine Recon is a different animal than something like the Rangers.  Recon usually works in smaller units and will operate behind enemy lines.  Their job is usually intelligence vice straight combat operations.

I just screened and put a Marine into a Recon unit.  He starts the Basic Recon Course on Monday, I believe. 

[Killer Bees]

I'm a civilian and never really had any desire to join the armed forces.  It just never occurred to me to do it.  Although in my younger days I flatted with a few army guys and made some wonderful friends out of it.

Although, I do looooove me a man in uniform

[Jack]

Just a civilian.  I remember back in the '80s I had to register for the draft.  That was as close to military service as I want to come.  Just ain't my thing, but I have tremendous respect for those who serve. 

[RCMerchant]

Civie.
Tara Sue's son Jim (Raatz) was in Iraq.
Her son Tooie (Micheal Chick) is still in the Army. He drove supply trucks in Iraq.
Her daughter Angel is in the Army.
My dad was in the Navy. He got kicked out for being a drunk.
I almost joined the Army when I got out of High School. I regret that I didnt. I hitchhiked to New York City instead. A differnt kind of war zone-the Bronx.

[Trevor]

My Dad was in the army in the then Rhodesia and in the later stages of that war was seconded to the Police Reserve of the British South African Police or the BSAP. 

[claws]

Just a civilian.  I remember back in the '80s I had to register for the draft.  That was as close to military service as I want to come. 

Same, though I grew up and spend most my life on U.S. military bases here in Europe. My father was in the Army and fought in Vietnam, and he still works for the U.S. armed forces.

[HappyGilmore]

Civilian.

Came mighty close to joining the Marines back in '01/'02, right as I was graduating.  I was a senior in high school, a pretty bright guy who did well in school, but just couldn't afford college.  I had great respect for the people in the armed forces, and remember vividly 9/11 at the age of 17 affecting me someway.  Talked to a recruiter several times, even took some aptitude test.  Scored very highly.  But when we entered serious discussions, a family situation came up and I never did enlist.  I sometimes regret it, sometimes don't.  I have had some discussions recently about maybe joining the Navy or some branch, but I'm still uncertain.  I'm older now, so it doesn't seem like I should. 

Main things holding me back from joining are: 1.) I'm very much 'anti-authority' and know I'll not be up to having commanding officers yelling at me to tow the line.  2.) I'm supporting my mom right now.  I don't know how much I'd make, but with the job I have now, I am just barely squeaking by.  I don't know how much I'd make, but can't see doing 4 years and walking with nothing in the bank.

[Couchtr26]

Civilian but have had a family member in every branch.  Was going to join before I got Diabetes at a young age, kind of a right of passage in the family. 

[Mofo Rising]

Never served. Now I'm an old man, so I'm not going to enlist ever.

If I went back to my fresh out of high school years, I would enlist. Not because I'm patriotic or anything, but because that there is experience you can get in the armed services that you can not get anywhere else. Plus, I would have liked to get other people to pay for my education. I was fairly aggressively "counter-cultural" at the time, so my teenage mind wouldn't countenance it.

A friend of mine signed up for the army a few years ago. He was about 30 at the time and signed up because the job market was so bad. He's now a chef for the army, don't know where he is at the present time. More power to him, got to make a living somehow.

[The Burgomaster]

I actually tried to get back into the military when I was in my 30s.  I went to a recruiter and he said I had something like a month to get to boot camp, otherwise I would be too old.  It just wasn't enough time to quit my job, figure out my finances (it would have been a significant pay cut), and drop everything in my life to rush off to boot camp.  Now I'm definitely too old and my understanding is the military doesn't make exceptions.  I would love to get back in somehow and specialize in something technical like radar.  I'm surprised they don't open up more opportunities, even if it's just in the reserves, for us older guys who have something to contribute.  I also looked into becoming a warrant officer but that seems to be a no-go as well.