Questions for military recruiters or service men.

I was just curious what my options are for enlisting. I am 28 Y/O. I will be 29 in August. I am in pretty good shape and am very active. Could I enlist?

I can't just go to a recruiter since I am not living in the US at the time. I just want to know in case I find myself in the US because TSHTF here in Europe. I would like to plan ahead and know my options. Military life has always been appealing to me and I can see myself being a good soldier.

I can get physically fit in 1 month. I am mentally prepared to go, I just want to know if I still can and to what branch?

suggestions...?....

These are the age requirements for each service I am interested in. What would you guys suggest.

• Army - 35 (must ship to basic training prior to 35th birthday. The Army experimented with raising the age limit to age 42 for a brief period of time, but effective April 1st, 2011, the Army has reverted to the lower age limit.
• Air Force - 27
•Navy - 34
• Marines - 28

usmilitary.about.com...

EDIT:
I have no idea where I could put this thread. Please move to correct place. Thanks.

reply to post by BIHOTZ


Are you an American Citizen?

If so, then yes you probably could enlist given you pass the " are you indoctrinated enough" tests they have for you.

IMO if the SHTF, the army is the LAST place you wanna go.

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower


You put my tough down right to a T.

(To the OP: )
Military is where they want you to go. You'll just end up dying serving a cause that was not yours. That's what happened with Afganistan.

reply to post by BIHOTZ


Go now.

At your age, pretty much every school and job type is still available, but they are quickly evaporating for you. Between 29 and 37 they all disappear and your options are gone.

Go talk to a couple of recruiters this week, don't take your first offer, just do all your research, but get moving on it right away.

I wish I had taken the opportunity to join the Seabees when I had it. I also missed an opportunity to join the FBI. I was actually recruited by them, but I couldn't get my degree finished up and their Quantico training finished up before the deadline. (Plus my wife didn't want to get moved around a lot.)

Anyhow, if you are young, healthy, and flexible, then get moving, don't wait!

I proudly served in the 80s. I would not serve today. Our government is no longer "ours". They are actively working to undermine the Constitution and against the interests of the citizenry of this nation. They are traitors. I would never serve a traitor.

OP, do you have a college degree? If you do, you can become an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves well past the age of 34. Example: My brother-in-law joined the USAR at the age of about 60. Upon completion of the various basic and leadership courses he was immediately given the rank of major. Since then he has served in Bosnia and Iraq. Why the hell he wanted to do this, though, is beyond my understanding, especially after his having heard my tales of my military career and what I believe has become of this United States government. I suspect he was enthralled by the pretty buttons and accouterments of the dress uniform. That being said, he was expecting the army to uphold a promise that he would be advanced to Lt. Col. upon completion of his first tour of a 3 month duty in Bosnia. He did not get advanced. I suppose this was because he whined and complained too much while being deployed. Imagine, he was wakened in the middle of the night to help tend to casualties that weren't of a dental nature and this irritated him, since he is a dentist, not a triage or emergency room doctor. And he was restricted to base because he kept taking HUMVEEs and touring the countryside because, well, he thought it was right and proper for him to enjoy his "vacation" in a country he had yet to visit. And he tried to file a law suit against the army for holding him over in Bosnia an extra 10 days and he expected to be there only 90 days.

This being said, OP, are you willing to forego your ego and become one of the lowest of the low on that ladder when you first join?

Is there a military base nearby?
When I was stationed in Italy, we had recruiters on base, not only for the dependents, but also for the foreign nationals who wanted to join so they can get their citizenship.

Call the base if you can, and they can transfer you to the recruiting office.

If you're worried about your age limit, remember there's a waiver for everything.
When I was in basic in 2001 (before the attacks and the massive recruiting), there was a woman in my flight who was 35 years old. We called her mom. They let her in with a waiver.

reply to post by BIHOTZ


Let me begin by saying that the US military is not for everyone.

That said, I am in the Army. Been in 5.5 months and I am about to graduate AIT as a UH-60 Blackhawk mechanic, I am 27 will be 28 this year, you have plenty of time.. If you are not a US citizen you must have a green card(Permanent resident alien card) and be free of a criminal record.

Being in shape is important, but more importantly is the forethought to choose the right career path within the armed forces. There is more to it than being a grunt on the ground getting shot at.

When I joined I was a resident alien card holder. There will be some jobs you won't be able to to take because it requires citizenship and the ability to hold a secret clearance. I became a US citizen a couple of weeks ago. And could now be eligible for one.

I actually suggest you go to Goarmy.com and get a hold of someone that would be able to answer your questions. Don't talk to a recruiter until you have done your research on exactly what you want to do and how you're going to do it.

reply to post by kyred


No, I have no formal education beyond HS. I attended some community college but never pursued it since I was either going to work my ass off or join the military then. I chose hard work. I stand by my decision, but as the years pass, I feel like I am missing something in my life.

This being said, OP, are you willing to forego your ego and become one of the lowest of the low on that ladder when you first join?

Yes. I have no problem with people giving me orders. I tend to follow them well. I have no problem not even showing up on people´s radars as far as existing. I don't mind at all..

reply to post by projectvxn

will do, thanks for the suggestion of Goarmy.com. I will check it out when I finish with work. I assume they have like a live chat or something. If anything I´ll play email tag with someone over there.

I have no idea what I could do within the armed forces though. I tend to think of myself as a multi faceted person. I had not even considered what career path I would choose. Thanks for that. I have a long way to go before I can sign up.

I am a US citizen. I hold dual citizenship with Spain. I wonder if down the road, like a couple years in, if I can get stationed here in Spain. That would be great.

Any ways thanks.

Why go to the US to join the military from Europe? LOL.

Come to Alberta, Canada. There are so many jobs in the Oil Industry....
I get 2 calls a week for IT jobs in the city, but if you want to be a labourer up North they'll pay your training tickets, your camp/food + as many overtime hours as you can handle.

reply to post by CALGARIAN


I don't want to join a foreign countries military. I thought about joining here in Spain but screw that. If I do any military service I am going to join my countries military. I am a Spaniard, but still. I am a Yankee first and foremost.

This is also something that is very appealing to me on many levels. I almost joined several times.

reply to post by BIHOTZ


Do what you think is right.

I for one find the Army rewarding and worthwhile.

The training and education I am receiving is second to none, and I get to serve my country in the process. I have no complaints.

Ok, so I have decided to enlist. 100% sure I will now. I am going Army. I tried to take the ASVAB test on goarmy.com but my browser kept messing it up. I ended up with like 5 failed attempts at completing it. I finally tried again today, answered one question and had my score. Needless to say I need to take it again since I never completed it.

When I go to the section about job selection I get no results. Either the army cannot find a task for me or I need to contact my recruiter.

Either way. I am now at step two. I have an idea of what I want to do in the Army. I am planning ahead now for my move back to the states. I am squaring away things here. I need to make sure I can close my small business without getting into debt, moving, etc.

I am faced with another issue now. One I need help from people who may have had issues telling their family about their decision.

How do I break it to my family?

My family would be proud of me no matter what I decide to do in life. The thing is, I am almost 30 now. My father is older and probably won't last more than 10 more years. We have family businesses in the States and in his mind I was always going to take them over when he retired.

I will not be doing this. I am good at managing a small business but I am not motivated by it. I have never had ambition for money. I could care less about making money beyond paying my employees, bills, and stocking the business.

I have always felt a calling to the military. I will be doing this. How do I break it to the old man. I am the only male child in our family. I am the only one that still talks to him. How do I tell him I will not be following in his footsteps and at the ripe age of 28 and that I will start a new phase in my life he has had strong words about before with me.

He is not against military service, is not a flower power dude. His father fought in Spain's civil war and won. He has always been a hard guy to break. His political ideology falls very hard to the right. He is not against military service, just when it comes to me.

I do not need his permission and he would not disrespect me by asking me not to go. I just think I am going to break his heart.

How do I tell him? Straight and to the point. Or do I take it easy and ease into it?

I have not told my wife yet, but we have had that conversation before and she liked the idea. She is awesome.
Maybe I should bring her along and do a family announcement sort of thing, or just a man to man 1 minute conversation?

Has anyone here had a similar issue, being the only male in a family, or having a proposed future laid out that you defied? How did your family react to the news? How long did it take them to get over it?

At this point I will take any insight into the matter. I don't care if your family is hard core hippies and they wanted you take over the weed plantation your papi built in the 70´s. If you can relate and help me I would appreciate it.
I´ll take anything I can get. I want to do this right.

My father has had a hard worked life and deserves as little added stress as possible. I know since he is my dad that ultimately I know how best how to approach him about this issue. The thing is I want some ideas. How do I go about it.

Thanks in advance.

reply to post by BIHOTZ


Since we don't know the relationship and personalities of you and your father, our advice will be incomplete.

If it were my Dad, I would first consider everything that led you to this decision, and then put that into concise words that I could convey to him. I would make sure he knew I had thought it through a lot, and that I had solid reasons for the decision I arrived at. I would also be pretty direct with him and not beat around the bush too much.

If the wife is a fan of the idea, then definitely include her in the conversation with family. They will be concerned that she is not on board, and they will be concerned about the health of your marriage. Definitely include the wife.

If you don't want to take over Dad's businesses, then he will be able to sell them and contribute to his own retirement, and later your inheritance. If you are like me, then that is of no concern to you, but it is probably a concern to him. He probably wants to make sure he leaves something behind for you, and he'll be disappointed if it isn't his business, but his business is better off with someone that truly enjoys running it, and the cash will be useful to both of you.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Thanks that actually helps.

Joining the military was my second worse case scenario, going to jail was my worst case scenario. The only thing that I would wanna do if I were in the military would be the photographer, or mechanic. But I'm not as mechanically inclined as I would've hoped so that is ruled out. Could be the chef but no lol.