Join the Army

[jrly]

A friend of mine just joined the army and he said that he is going to go through training the entire time that he is in the army and will never be deployed to Iraq or wherever and by the time he finishes his training his time will be over so he will get free army training and a free ride in college. I was wondering if anyone thought that this was possible? Or if he got screwed by thinking this?

[ReDemption]

it doent work like that. He well have to go wherever the Army wants to send him, Not until he does the amount of years in his contract well he get out, unless he is dumb and tries to get discharged early with more than likely a less than Honorable discharge well he get out. Unless of course he meant the National Guard, Then he'll just go to basic training, but still he'll have to show up like twice a month for drill. And getting college assistance from the NG is not easy

[Draven]

Originally Posted by jrly

A friend of mine just joined the army and he said that he is going to go through training the entire time that he is in the army and will never be deployed to Iraq or wherever and by the time he finishes his training his time will be over so he will get free army training and a free ride in college. I was wondering if anyone thought that this was possible? Or if he got screwed by thinking this?

Only way I can think of this happening is he gets to Basic and is a hold over, but here is the catch 22. Say he signs up for 2 years and stays there for two years as a hold over and it supposed to get out. They can stop loss him for another 6 years because when you join you join for 8 years. So much is active and the rest is inactive ready reserve which means they can call you in whenever you want for the rest of those 8 years...

[ReDemption]

The Army well not let someone be a hold over for 2 years, it is just a waste of money it cost about 180-250K depending on MOS just for one soldier to go through basic, And Ive never heard of anybody getting Stop Lost unless they had orders to Iraq or Afghanistan. Your friend is PROLLY lying.

[Draven]

Originally Posted by ReDemption

The Army well not let someone be a hold over for 2 years, it is just a waste of money it cost about 180-250K depending on MOS just for one soldier to go through basic, And Ive never heard of anybody getting Stop Lost unless they had orders to Iraq or Afghanistan. Your friend is PROLLY lying.

I've seen guys in the Marines and in the ARmy stay in bootcamp/basic training for two years and I got stop lossed to stay in Korea for 18 months. You can be stop lossed simply because the military needs you and it doesn't matter where they need you, in times of war they can stop loss you to sit in Alaska scrub ise cubes if it serves the military vision for war time operations. I think he is either lying or being stupid...

[ReDemption]

Originally Posted by Draven

I've seen guys in the Marines and in the ARmy stay in bootcamp/basic training for two years and I got stop lossed to stay in Korea for 18 months. You can be stop lossed simply because the military needs you and it doesn't matter where they need you, in times of war they can stop loss you to sit in Alaska scrub ise cubes if it serves the military vision for war time operations. I think he is either lying or being stupid...

Unless you were in Korea for the WAR, its hard to beleive man. I was stationed in Camp Casey Korea Aco 2-9 INF, prolly the best time of my life, but nobody ever got stop lossed. And i believe you on people staying in basic for 2+ years, But man those must have been the biggest shitbags in the military, I would not want them in my platoon, I would smoke the shit out of them till they went AWOL.

[Draven]

Originally Posted by ReDemption

Unless you were in Korea for the WAR, its hard to beleive man. I was stationed in Camp Casey Korea Aco 2-9 INF, prolly the best time of my life, but nobody ever got stop lossed. And i believe you on people staying in basic for 2+ years, But man those must have been the biggest shitbags in the military, I would not want them in my platoon, I would smoke the shit out of them till they went AWOL.

I was at 503 before they shipped of the Iraq and station them all at Fort Bragg. I was stop lossed when our unit shipped out to Iraq, I was ETSing and they kept because they need heads for Rear D. They couldn't send me Iraq becuase I'd have been over the IRR 8 year mark.

[headcase]

Originally Posted by headcase

Quick remark; it's easy to claim you've been to Iraq. After all, I've ridden in Santa's sleigh, therefore aren't I the only one qualified to comment of the colour of that sleigh? If we're basing our argument on who we are or where we claim to have been (all of which is pretty unverifiable) then the next person into this thread could be the lord Jesus Christ himself.

JC Edit; you tell 'em headcase!

However, if we all provide independent references for our claims then we'll be a lot more focussed, won't we?

Back on topic;

I need to make this post ten characters long or it won't post, so two priests walked into a bar...

[SuckThis]

Originally Posted by Draven

I was at 503 before they shipped of the Iraq and station them all at Fort Bragg. I was stop lossed when our unit shipped out to Iraq, I was ETSing and they kept because they need heads for Rear D. They couldn't send me Iraq becuase I'd have been over the IRR 8 year mark.

hmmm well that was unfortunate you must of been there some time ago, By the time i got their they stopped deploying people from Korea to Iraq, What camp were you stationed in?

[Draven]

Originally Posted by SuckThis

hmmm well that was unfortunate you must of been there some time ago, By the time i got their they stopped deploying people from Korea to Iraq, What camp were you stationed in?

I was stationed at Camp Casey until 2005 when I ETSed, if you take the hovey bus and it turns left at the intersection up from the Casey Gym thats were 503rd used to be?

[sacrednines]

No doubt I'm going to be figuratively stoned (in the biblical sense) for what I'm about to say, but it’s an opinion I'd like to share and discuss nonetheless. Sorry for offending anyone in advance...

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable an ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action!"- Albert Einstein

Now I'm not as adamant as Einstein is, but I would personally suggest not joining the army to anyone who asked for my advice. It seems to me that when you sign the papers and fall in rank, you sacrifice something that should never be sacrificed. You're giving an authority the right the make moral judgments for you, who to kill and who to save. In effect, you become a tool of the government, and by extension, a tool of the population that controls that government (in theory). I do not trust my own countrymen with such important matters... My countrymen vote more for a television show than for the presidency, they worship money and vanity, they are a happily ignorant lot, and I don't approve of most of their actions. I would not kill for them. There are intelligent, diligent, wonderful people too, but the majority pulls the trigger. I do not know if those who join think about this, or if they are willing participants in structured heroism... which is somehow less heroic than individual heroism. Soldiers are brave because they were tuned to be, because that's how the people who pull the strings achieve effectiveness... there’s a sense of a loss of humanity in that... (to me).

The idea of protecting one's family, tribe, community, or village is more natural than the mass armies that act more like swords than shields for the large bodied nations we have today. "Strength in numbers and in organization"... but a strength that begets its own necessity through its own endeavors, a vast waste of potential and of resources... thats an army to me...

[jrly]

I completely agree with you sacrednines. Hey I just did what you are talking about, following without question, but not really because that is one the reasons that I wouldn't want to join the army, to give my absolute obedience to someone else and hope that they make the right decision, I would rather make the decision myself and make the wrong one.

[Draven]

Well I joined the Army after 9/11 I left the Marines for the exact reason you said, but I think love of country is important; country is more then borders its culture and way of life. Now may be some people are ashamed of that, I find no reason to be. Now that said I love my country but I love the idea of country would be a better way of saying it. What my country once stood for and what it stands for now are very different things, but modern American soldeirs are heald to a higher standard...

[sacrednines]

Originally Posted by Draven

Well I joined the Army after 9/11 I left the Marines for the exact reason you said, but I think love of country is important; country is more then borders its culture and way of life. Now may be some people are ashamed of that, I find no reason to be.

Respectable. I just have to deal with all the ad-nausium on a daily basis, and frankly, I'm not too proud of this country's direction, values, or history. But if I were, I would fight for it too.

[Draven]

Originally Posted by sacrednines

Respectable. I just have to deal with all the ad-nausium on a daily basis, and frankly, I'm not too proud of this country's direction, values, or history. But if I were, I would fight for it too.

Well personally I'm not happy with this nations direction, values are debatable and history is debateable as well. I'm proud of this countries idea and what its supposed to represent. That idea is worth fighting for not the stupid as politics and whore monger agendas of our polticians.

[sacrednines]

Oh I agree, I would fight (to a point) for an idea, depending on my conviction of course. But current political practice withstanding, today's soldiers will be told they represent and ideal, to encouraged to fight for it, but end up the unwitting tools of the politician’s or nescient majority's idea... and the conflict with me is that these are not parallel with my own. I would be noble in cause, but base in action. Soldiers don’t get to choose who deserves to be stopped. They’re told and must trust the higher-ups. That’s what makes an army efficient. It’s idealistic to join and fight for whatever noble cause rallies you, but in the end, it’s not up to you. I differentiate between the noble warrior ideal and the conceptualized soldier occupation.

[Draven]

Originally Posted by sacrednines

Oh I agree, I would fight (to a point) for an idea, depending on my conviction of course. But current political practice withstanding, today's soldiers will be told they represent and ideal, to encouraged to fight for it, but end up the unwitting tools of the politician’s or nescient majority's idea... and the conflict with me is that these are not parallel with my own. I would be noble in cause, but base in action. Soldiers don’t get to choose who deserves to be stopped. They’re told and must trust the higher-ups. That’s what makes an army efficient. It’s idealistic to join and fight for whatever noble cause rallies you, but in the end, it’s not up to you. I differentiate between the noble warrior ideal and the conceptualized soldier occupation.

And thats why I didn't re-up...

[CyberWar]

Well, I am still going to enlist as soon as I graduate university. I have no illusions about my country or modern politics, but a detailed knowledge and professional training in military matters never hurts.

Besides, another wise man once stated that "patriots like to speak of dying for their country, but never about killing for their country." As my old man likes to say, it is best to live for one's country in honour and have the other bastard die for his in shame.