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So i'm joining the U.S. Army my life hit an all time low. I quit smoking and drinking awhile back.

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I wouldn't call it a low.

I wouldn't call it a low. There's a lot of opportunities for education and training, and the risk really isn't much higher than living in a major city.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

That's not a very healthy

That's not a very healthy attitude to have before joining, this should be something you should be excited about, not treating like a terminal disease.

Yes, it can be a real pain, but I still miss it at times. take full advantage of all the benefits, (Getting a degree while in or working on advanced degrees is very doable now depending on your duty assignments) and keep a positive attitude even when you are doing something that sucks. BCT can be a real challenge for some people, make certain you are in good shape before you leave for BCT and if you are overweight do your best to meet the height and weight standards before leaving.

Good luck!

Ment

What i ment was my life hit an all time low before i decided to join

belle

Make the best of it. Beware,

Daphne Xu's picture

Make the best of it. Beware, there's a good reason why the old term for Basic Training was "Indoctrination".

-- Daphne Xu

Mostly, what I was told is

Mostly, what I was told is don't argue, don't talk back to the sergeant, and whatever you do, don't volunteer. The voluntolds are bad enough.

The purpose of basic isn't so much to train you to shoot etc, it's to try to form a common mindset in the troops so that in a stress situation, you react the same way.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Its only

It is only the common mindset that ill have problems with im going in as a tech we have to be able to think on our own

belle

Ah, glad to see you were not

Ah, glad to see you were not joining just because you were at rock bottom! ;)

And the. “Common mindset” isn’t some sort of brain washing to turn people into robots, it’s more to instill a sense of culture and discipline into young people that in general have little of either at this point in their lives.

Yes, the military is full of silly shit that seems and often is, pointless, but at least everyone is miserable together.

If you are lucky enough to be stationed in an interesting area don’t be a barracks rat and spend all of your free time playing video games or being a party animal, get out and see things, I wish I had taken more advantage of travel when I was stationed overseas. I did get to see a bit of Europe, but looking back I wish I had tried a bit harder. Not as many overseas assignments these days, except when getting deployed to places like Kuwait or Iraq, and those are not the best places to sight see. Lots of interesting places around most bases in the US also, you just need to look for them.

If you can ignore the stupid

If you can ignore the stupid scheisse, and just follow along with the herd for the short weeks of Basic, you'll be good. They do that crap for a reason - it's to make everyone respond the same way. They're not interested in making you _not_ think. (Unthinking soldiers end up dead, and they spend a lot of money and time to try to make you NOT end up that way)


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

This could be a real opportunity

Bobbie Sue's picture

I was in the Army in a section that no longer exists, but it was very technical and our mission was of support. I was able to spend my free time wandering around the area (Okinawa prefecture, Japan) and met many wonderful people. I even taught English at the University of the Ryukus as a volunteer. I wholeheartedly agree with a couple of posts up, take full advantage to see and learn and experience all that you can, wherever you are sent.

If I had the time, I could tell stories about it but alas, life gets in the way.

Could not agree more

I was a civilian attached to the British Army in Germany for a while. I even lived in the NCO's Mess. I soon found out that like me, the British Soldiers were paid in Deutschmarks. I was surprised to find that the Yanks were paid in greenbacks and therefore had no local money. They, I'm sorry to say got ripped off by the squadies when it came to changing money when we were on Nato excercise.
We had many people who could speak german and interact with the locals. A lot of NCO's and above (in rank) lived off base.
The American soldiers were apparently very reluctant to do this much preferring to be on base all the time.

Get out and explore. The USA is a huge country so take advantage of Uncle Sam paying for you to go to places that you have never been to before.
Samantha

No longer exists?

Would that be A Nike-Hercules Air Defense unit by chance?

Used to know a lot of those guys, I was In one of the first Patriot units when the last of the Nike-Hercules guys were around.

Close but no cigar.

Bobbie Sue's picture

It was one of those units that didn't exist. We were never there and yet we never left. (ASA)

or..........

Miyata's picture

I know Bobbie Sue. Just like speeding across a Lake in a ACV with gunfire going out and coming in, while your official records say you were in a basement in Arlington at the time. Wondering why I got that malaria shot for just spending time in that basement.

Miyata312

'Do or Do Not, There is no Try' - Yoda