Would You Enlist Again

[D.M.]

If pstmstr’s time travel thing gets worked out, everyone should go enlist in the Crippled Eagles/RLI instead, we’ll make Rhodesia a bastion of principled traditional values. The uniforms are cooler too. View attachment 362445

So was the FALs and G3s.

 

[GIJROB]

I would go Air Force if I could go back in time. I wouldn't enlist in today's military.
I was Navy 3x6. Three years active duty, 2 years active reserve, 1 year inactive reserve.
That didn't work out too well for me. 1st I went overseas to Diego Garcia (biot) British Indian ocean territory.
Navy contracted my rating out to third country nationals. I never worked in my rating for that 3 years.
Made E-4 but was just shy of scoring high enough for E-5. Kinda easy to figure out why since I was never around the equipment I went to 11 months of school for.
Came home and closest naval base was ft.smith ark. Guess what, no air wing.
I was able to transfer to the Air national guard , 188th TFG. Finished my required active duty and made E-5 with them. Should have stayed with them. Great bunch of guys.

Man when i finished active duty and went into the reserves i was stationed at Fort Chaffee from 2010 to 2014. I left fort smith 2018 place turned into a major sh*thole.

 

[Schlafftablett]

I would so long as it was within the same timeframe. Knowing folks that are still in or enlisting now, I can't imagine dealing with the idiocy streaming down from DC that goes on now.

 

[Ians 17/22]

Joined in 64 as an ER , basic at Ft Knox , MOS at Ft Polk ..... got lucky at last minute when Johnson said no need for reserves , put in my 6 in Comunications , Co. Armour , Pt. Man Infantry , & Co. Pistol Shooter.....Yep i really had a good time , should have put in my 20......would certainly do it all over again.......by the way Chow was FANTASTIC at Ft Polk.....cook won awards.....

 

[Pstmstr]

My vote was no, not for the reasons resulting from my own experiences or personal belief system. I believe that each should find a way to give of themselves to the betterment of this country: military, civil (e.g. VISTA, Pease Corps). The challenge that exists today is that the military is the subject of societal experimentation and, even in war, is populated as a caste.

Societal experimentation as the current senior officer and civilian authority see the branches as their own personal sandbox to establish policies and practices that address their own liberal leaning agenda, versus positioning those who have to wear a flak jacket to succeed and survive the modern battlefield.

Caste because, even after 20 years of war, the total veteran population is somewhere around 3 million persons or 1 percent of the general population. A small few heeding the call to defend, over and over, again.

No generational view of the military is complete. Each can find the then current or in hindsight, challenges that existed. I would serve again and look to this and future generations to do the same.

Marine, former SSGT, 03, Mountain Leader, SULC, NCO

So no or you would serve again?

 

[Sneeker]

If you are a veteran of the armed forces would you do it all again? If you vote please comment.

Yes, really enjoyed my time in the Navy. Got to see a lot of the world I would not have seen.

 

[BillM]

I would. I was a kid that grew up in a poor family and had no clue what I wanted to do in life. It was good for me and I learned a lot of self discipline. Fortunately, I was never in war and was not injured. I almost re-enlisted but got out after 4 years.

minus the first, next two sentences apply to me, too. Enlisted during the Vietnam War, was YDS enough to volunteer for the war, but didn't get sent. Also dumb enough to be unhappy about it for the first ten years or so. Then realized I'd been lucky. Did go to Desert Shield/Desert Storm, as an REMF. Stayed in for 24 years. Three different career fields.

With the woke nonsense going on, I could not recommend it to anyone these days. YDS is Young, Dumb, & Stupid, btw.

 

[Decoligny]

I served 20.5 Active Duty, then worked as a Civil Servant for another 19.5.
Saw the decline in discipline, the warm and fuzziness training and a SSgt I first met named Sarah, who had regular Government paid trips to Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, until she came back and legally changed everything to Sean.
I volunteered to be sent to a two week training course where a major part of the training was suicide prevention. A Sgt had been directed to attend, and confided during class that she was thinking about killing herself. She had all the signs clearly visible, yet her leadership thought she would be great for teaching suicide prevention back at her base.
The disconnect between leadership and the troops has grown into a giant chasm in the years since I got out.
Couldn’t go in doing half the job, like the new people are.

 

[Rod Snell]

My family refused to continue paying their contribution to my merit scholarship to a prestigious college after 2 years, so I had to drop out with 3.6 (out of 4) average, making me immediately eligible for the Vient Nam War draft. I joined the USAF, starting at Airmen Basic (E1), went through Accounting School at Sheppard AFB, DG, made E5 in 3 years. Applied for Education Commissioning Program, went to Univ of Washington (Seattle) Major in Atmos Sci (Instruments). Went to OTS, DG, assigned to Andrews AFB, supporting Special Missions Wing.
OIC of Wx Det in Greenland as 1Lt. Selected for U of I , MS in Atmos Sci (Wea Radar). Was Senior USAF rep to NEXRAD tri-agency joint program, which developed and deployed the present WSR88D doppler weather radar.
I served a full career, retired as LTC, and spent over 1/4 of my time on active duty going to school, and 3 yr teaching at the USAF weather school.
Whatever else it may be, the military is a meritocracy, and you get out of it no more than you put into it.

 

[Decoligny]

I voted YES because the question is would I do it again. We are who we are now based on who and what we were then. Knowing what I know now I would change a few things but would want to be in the same types of units that I served in back then when we were led by killers training hard to do it better.

Today's military? Probably not since they've lost the belief that the purpose of the US Military is to make loud noises and break things until the other guy can't stand the noise and has no toys left.

We always referred to that as “We get paid to break things and kill people, until they don’t need breaking or killing.”