I don't know why but I just keep having this feeling that I should join because I kinda wanna serve. Maybe it's because of my family but I don't know. I just keep thinking about it.
There are certainly worse ways to develop skills towards your career. If college money is the goal I would say it delivers on that, second to scholarships. I talked to a few people that transitioned from the National Guard into the Army and vice versa. I don't necessarily want to talk you into it but I can share my experiences in the Army.
MEPS is a bit of a wake up, especially if you come from a small town. 50 guys duck walking in their underwear, doctors asking you questions, and an ASVAB test. Ask about all the MOSs available to you. They used to only mention truck drivers, cooks, and infantry. Even if you score a 79 on the ASVAB.
Basic was a blur. Walk, run, walk with a ruck, run with a ruck, eat and sleep. The idea is to keep you near exhaustion so you are less likely to disobey. It is a form of social engineering but the ends justify the means. You will build trust with the other soldiers because of that. The drill sergeants will seem like the enemy at first but by week 8 we had weight lifting competitions. Try to find a battle buddy you share interests with or life could be miserable.
I think basic would kinda be nice. The only thing that is really stopping me (and I don't know if this makes me seem like a pussy or not) is the thought of what if I get sent to Syria or Afghanistan. I don't know if I could function if I ever got into real combat and I would hate to let anyone down in that situation.
Most MOSs have advanced training, the time of which can vary greatly. 25U was ~16 weeks and had different phases which opened up additional perks, like going off post or driving a car. Ft Gordon, GA. Basically it is basic but more focus on learning your MOS. I almost screwed it all up because of the lax rules. Alcohol and PT may feel awesome but people can smell it.
Camp Casey, Korea is awful. IMO don't pick that as a preference duty station. Everyone I knew picked Hawaii and only one guy got it. He was from Guam. Your orders will be cut and your duty station is where you display your skills. PT in the morning, chow, work till 5, drink and party. I was attached to 92nd ENG, Ft Stewart, GA after Korea.
06-07 was the surge in Iraq, but they flew me around quite a bit. Apparently their were units all over country that had shitty radio and computer support. Probably 10 different camps, fobs, bases, posts, and burms over the whole year. Definitely not boring during that time. Combat landings are an interesting thing. Counter measures on a Blackhawk popping off at 2am flying low over a village can wake you up and then you are surprised you fell asleep in a chopper with the doors open to begin with.
I joined AD at 27 same reason really. Always wanted to do it, didn’t want to regret not doing it when I was older. Now my only regret is not doing it out of High School when I wanted. Follow your gut.
28 years old and leaving for basic in May, no such thing as too old. It’s a matter of how you treat your body and mind. If you don’t exercise your body and brain then your gonna have some problems.
I’m 23 and a junior in college (engineering, taking a bit longer to graduate). Just joined and signed 3year contract. You’ll be just older enough to be more of a leader, but not too old to be the outcast or seem weird. You’re good. Just make the hell sure whatever you want is in your contract. It’s never as good as it seems. Regardless, companies will value your NG service sometimes more than gpa (what I have been told by numerous people)
3 or 6 year option, the total is 8. Once you finish your 3 or 6, the remaining amount until you get to 8 is just you’d be drafted if there was a war. You’d be a complete civilian and would only be active if something like a war happened. And I’m my small knowledge base, regular Joe’s would be getting drafted as well at that point. Someone correct me if I’m wrong
This isn’t entirely accurate. After your 3 or 6, you are placed on IRR (individual ready reserve) and you essentially belong to the reserves on paper. You can be recalled at anytime for a mobilization while you are on that IRR time. When I when for a full brigade deployment to iraq in 2009, they pulled a bunch of dudes from IRR. So, something to consider, OP.
Edit, for clarity: once you are on IRR, you are *basically* a civilian, like you don’t have to drill or report anywhere or anything like that. But are still subject to activation for contingency operations (deployments).
You need to go AD if you're worried about stable work. AGR slots and deployments don't grow on trees. Unless you live in California I guess.
Drilling while you're unemployed or underemployed is really shitty.
You're wondering if 23 is too old?!
For some context:
- I enlisted at 26 and shipped out when I was 27
- I went to BCT with somebody in their 40's
- I went to AIT with multiple people in their 30's
No, you are NOT too old
I’m 22 on the 15th and just put all of my info and application in with my recruiter in NJ. I keep thinking I feel old but I’m only 21, so no to answer your question. I think 35 is the age. I feel like I’m better off joining now rather than when I was 17/18. I have a significantly better understanding of the world due to me working a full time job as a carpenter since I graduated. I’m also emotionally matured a lot. I’ll be able to see past getting yelled at to find the purpose of it. I’m also married with a kid and one on the way. So to answer your question in short, no, you aren’t too old and I think you’ll be better off at this age.
I had a 43 year old in my basic platoon, OCS candidate. I went to basic in early 2020, the dude was an absolute unit, ran like an 11 minute two mile, and was an overall pt stud. It can be a sorta mish mash of ages, you will make buddies there your age, older, and even probably some who just graduated high school. I’m not entirely sure of your college stuff, but some MOSs offer college loan repayment, that was a big reason I enlisted. 23 is most definitely not too old!
If you're looking for steady, prolonged employment, the guard is the wrong answer. Go active.
If you're looking for a job for a few months that could *potentially* help you find something on the civilian side, the guard might be the answer... depending on what MOS you choose. Combat arms helps you with fuckall in the civilian world.
Combat arms will do fuck-all to help you in the civilian world. If you graduated college, you probably aren't stupid. Look at intel or comms related stuff, something that will net you a TS in the long run. Yes, this has a longer training period involved, but that's a steady paycheck for multiple months and skills you can work as a contractor when you get out.
I laugh every time I see this question. At 23, you’re barely different than an 18 year old- you just don’t need a fake ID anymore.
I think I should do this.
Enlisted at 29 you’re good bro
I wonder what the average age is.
You'll fit right in at 23
I knew a guy in the regular Army that was 35. I enlisted at 20.
I don't know why but I just keep having this feeling that I should join because I kinda wanna serve. Maybe it's because of my family but I don't know. I just keep thinking about it.
There are certainly worse ways to develop skills towards your career. If college money is the goal I would say it delivers on that, second to scholarships. I talked to a few people that transitioned from the National Guard into the Army and vice versa. I don't necessarily want to talk you into it but I can share my experiences in the Army.
Please do share if you wouldn't mind.
MEPS is a bit of a wake up, especially if you come from a small town. 50 guys duck walking in their underwear, doctors asking you questions, and an ASVAB test. Ask about all the MOSs available to you. They used to only mention truck drivers, cooks, and infantry. Even if you score a 79 on the ASVAB.
Basic was a blur. Walk, run, walk with a ruck, run with a ruck, eat and sleep. The idea is to keep you near exhaustion so you are less likely to disobey. It is a form of social engineering but the ends justify the means. You will build trust with the other soldiers because of that. The drill sergeants will seem like the enemy at first but by week 8 we had weight lifting competitions. Try to find a battle buddy you share interests with or life could be miserable.
I think basic would kinda be nice. The only thing that is really stopping me (and I don't know if this makes me seem like a pussy or not) is the thought of what if I get sent to Syria or Afghanistan. I don't know if I could function if I ever got into real combat and I would hate to let anyone down in that situation.
Don't pick a combat MOS and you are less likely to be involved in a combat situation.
Most MOSs have advanced training, the time of which can vary greatly. 25U was ~16 weeks and had different phases which opened up additional perks, like going off post or driving a car. Ft Gordon, GA. Basically it is basic but more focus on learning your MOS. I almost screwed it all up because of the lax rules. Alcohol and PT may feel awesome but people can smell it.
Camp Casey, Korea is awful. IMO don't pick that as a preference duty station. Everyone I knew picked Hawaii and only one guy got it. He was from Guam. Your orders will be cut and your duty station is where you display your skills. PT in the morning, chow, work till 5, drink and party. I was attached to 92nd ENG, Ft Stewart, GA after Korea.
Wait? You can pick where you want to be deployed? I don't remember the recruiter telling me that. So I could get stationed in Germany if I wanted to?
It is a wish list mostly.
I picked Korea and they shoved it deep inside me. Haha
What's base life like? Every person I see talk about deployment is trying to deal with boredom.
06-07 was the surge in Iraq, but they flew me around quite a bit. Apparently their were units all over country that had shitty radio and computer support. Probably 10 different camps, fobs, bases, posts, and burms over the whole year. Definitely not boring during that time. Combat landings are an interesting thing. Counter measures on a Blackhawk popping off at 2am flying low over a village can wake you up and then you are surprised you fell asleep in a chopper with the doors open to begin with.
I think I'm going to have another chat with a recruiter and then finally make up my mind.
Just signed up at 24 due to similar reasons had my first drill last weekend I ship out April 5th. So far I’ve had nothing but good experiences.
Where are you shipping out to?
Fort Jackson
Have a good time, don't get lost.
Almost 32 and just enlisted go for it
I joined AD at 27 same reason really. Always wanted to do it, didn’t want to regret not doing it when I was older. Now my only regret is not doing it out of High School when I wanted. Follow your gut.
28 years old and leaving for basic in May, no such thing as too old. It’s a matter of how you treat your body and mind. If you don’t exercise your body and brain then your gonna have some problems.
I’m 23 and a junior in college (engineering, taking a bit longer to graduate). Just joined and signed 3year contract. You’ll be just older enough to be more of a leader, but not too old to be the outcast or seem weird. You’re good. Just make the hell sure whatever you want is in your contract. It’s never as good as it seems. Regardless, companies will value your NG service sometimes more than gpa (what I have been told by numerous people)
I thought all contracts were 8 years?
3 or 6 year option, the total is 8. Once you finish your 3 or 6, the remaining amount until you get to 8 is just you’d be drafted if there was a war. You’d be a complete civilian and would only be active if something like a war happened. And I’m my small knowledge base, regular Joe’s would be getting drafted as well at that point. Someone correct me if I’m wrong
Oh, see I thought it was you're in for six years and then you get two years where you are basically a civilian.
Make sure to specify which contract you want, they will assume you want more than you want so just be hard set on what you want
No civilian draft anymore that ended sometime in the 70s United States is now on an all volunteer basis
Ah gotcha
This isn’t entirely accurate. After your 3 or 6, you are placed on IRR (individual ready reserve) and you essentially belong to the reserves on paper. You can be recalled at anytime for a mobilization while you are on that IRR time. When I when for a full brigade deployment to iraq in 2009, they pulled a bunch of dudes from IRR. So, something to consider, OP. Edit, for clarity: once you are on IRR, you are *basically* a civilian, like you don’t have to drill or report anywhere or anything like that. But are still subject to activation for contingency operations (deployments).
Can I live in another country during those last 5 years? Or do I have to stay In the US?
I don’t know the answer to that one. Recruiting/Retention would probably have better insight for you.
I’m 24 and going to MEPS tomorrow lol you’re fine
Join the guard > go to college. In today's world, you'll be very hard pressed to get a good job without a college or trade degree. Good luck.
You need to go AD if you're worried about stable work. AGR slots and deployments don't grow on trees. Unless you live in California I guess. Drilling while you're unemployed or underemployed is really shitty.
You're wondering if 23 is too old?! For some context: - I enlisted at 26 and shipped out when I was 27 - I went to BCT with somebody in their 40's - I went to AIT with multiple people in their 30's No, you are NOT too old
I’m 22 on the 15th and just put all of my info and application in with my recruiter in NJ. I keep thinking I feel old but I’m only 21, so no to answer your question. I think 35 is the age. I feel like I’m better off joining now rather than when I was 17/18. I have a significantly better understanding of the world due to me working a full time job as a carpenter since I graduated. I’m also emotionally matured a lot. I’ll be able to see past getting yelled at to find the purpose of it. I’m also married with a kid and one on the way. So to answer your question in short, no, you aren’t too old and I think you’ll be better off at this age.
I had a 43 year old in my basic platoon, OCS candidate. I went to basic in early 2020, the dude was an absolute unit, ran like an 11 minute two mile, and was an overall pt stud. It can be a sorta mish mash of ages, you will make buddies there your age, older, and even probably some who just graduated high school. I’m not entirely sure of your college stuff, but some MOSs offer college loan repayment, that was a big reason I enlisted. 23 is most definitely not too old!
If you're looking for steady, prolonged employment, the guard is the wrong answer. Go active. If you're looking for a job for a few months that could *potentially* help you find something on the civilian side, the guard might be the answer... depending on what MOS you choose. Combat arms helps you with fuckall in the civilian world. Combat arms will do fuck-all to help you in the civilian world. If you graduated college, you probably aren't stupid. Look at intel or comms related stuff, something that will net you a TS in the long run. Yes, this has a longer training period involved, but that's a steady paycheck for multiple months and skills you can work as a contractor when you get out.
I went through boot camp at 23 and after a knee surgery, and there were some dudes that were like 30 going through at the same time.
I'm 32 going back to basic on Tuesday you'll be fine
Where are you going for basic????
Fort Leonard wood
Im 23 too, Im taking my asvab next week!!