Would you Encourage or Discourage your Child to Enlist?

[Blitz]

I have often wondered why people join the Army or Marines when instead they could have joined the Coast Guard, Air Force, or Navy?

I think the reason is because daddy or grandpa was in the Army or Marines?

Or else they were in the Scouts, and that is more like the Army or Marines?

In terms of living a safe life with a long career, the Coast Guard, Air Force, or Navy are orders of magnitude above the Army or Marines.

In terms of better treatment and better duty stations, the Coast Guard, Air Force, or Navy are much more palatable than the Army or Marines. In any of these services there will be the hardship of separation from family and home. However overall the conditions are so much better in the Coast Guard, Air Force, or Navy than with the Army or Marines.

Maybe the difference is image?

I have no idea.

We joined the Army or Marine Corps. so people who did not have the intestinal fortitude didn't have to get drafted.

 

[nereas]

We joined the Army or Marine Corps. so people who did not have the intestinal fortitude didn't have to get drafted.

Yah right!

 

[Blitz]

Yah right!

Wow, just when I thought you couldn't get more offensive.

 

[nereas]

Wow, just when I thought you couldn't get more offensive.

Blitz you have no idea how offensive I can become and how loud. Remember, I was an officer.

More to the point, please do some self examination and tell us why you really joined what you joined?

I have friends who were Army Green Berets and Navy Seals, and I know why they joined.

So tell us why did you?

 

[Blitz]

Blitz you have no idea how offensive I can become and how loud. Remember, I was an officer.

I somehow doubt both of those things. This thread isn't about offensive.

I enlisted because I wanted to serve and I wanted to be a Ranger. Some people actually do care about things other than themselves at times......

Possibly like an officer would care for his troops?

 

[nereas]

I somehow doubt both of those things. This thread isn't about offensive.

I enlisted because I wanted to serve and I wanted to be a Ranger. Some people actually do care about things other than themselves at times......

Possibly like an officer would care for his troops?

The Army Rangers whom I knew were good men and well trained.

They looked at the Army Greet Berets and Navy Seals and Marines and often said, "you guys are crazy!"

Its all relative.

 

[Cacia]

Maybe the difference is image?

I have no idea.

See? You are asking the same question I am asking. What I notice is that Marines are very happy even when "they should not be". For some reason, the morale and job satisfaction is very good (from what I see). I will even say they are a bit nuts.

The more miserable their situation, the happier they seem to get. Maybe that is "bravado", I have no idea. I just know that when contemplating a job, "job satisfaction " is an important thing to look at, because money and safety just doesn't tell the whole story, and I find that interesting.

 

[Blitz]

Catherine,

I think a lot of it, at least for the guys I was serving with, was a mindset of: this sucks, but lets make the best of it. You have to keep other motivated and smiling as much as possible even in the most dire of circumstances. If you don't a funk can set in and the funk makes you lose focus. Bad juju

 

[nereas]

See? You are asking the same question I am asking. What I notice is that Marines are very happy even when "they should not be". For some reason, the morale and job satisfaction is very good (from what I see). I will even say they are a bit nuts.

The more miserable their situation, the happier they seem to get. Maybe that is "bravado", I have no idea. I just know that when contemplating a job, "job satisfaction " is an important thing to look at, because money and safety just doesn't tell the whole story, and I find that interesting.

Marines are the Navy's not-so-carefully-guarded secret. Marines are what the Navy throws at an enemy whenever all else fails. Whenever they absolutely positively have to have something destroyed immediately, the Navy sends the Marines in.

The Army stands in awe of the Marines, because the Army knows that whenever the Marines are sent in, it is because the Army could not get the job done. Either the Army did not have enough Rangers, or the Army was simply too slow to mobilize, or else it was just too difficult and dangerous of a job.

The main strength of the Marines is in their numbers. There are over 150,000 Marines at any given time, and that is more than any other special force.

 

[Cacia]

oh lord, that should light some fires.

This thread will be too hot to handle momentarily

I see that different branches attract different people just like in medicine, anyone will tell you that there are "types" in the various specialities.

When advising an 18 or 19 year old, I guess you should help them examine their own personalities, if you are the parent you have that insight. Like...a lot of people want "to be" a dentist, but will they enjoy doing "what dentists do?"...pick rotten teeth all day, etc. Sometimes younger people don't have the life experience to really get past the image part.