The Smiley Smile Message Board

I might do it in June when I turn 18.

Anyone had any experience in this?

My wife's exhusband is in the Army.  He loves it.

Your every move in the army is monitored, so this board is good preparation.
Ha...ha...ha...ha?

My mother-in-law is a National Guard recruiter, my dad was in the Army and fought in Korea, my uncle was in World War II, my brother was in the Navy. Me, on the other hand, am anti-military due to my political and (more to the point)religious beliefs (not that I don't support the troops already over there, just the whole reason) so...I guess I'm different from the rest.

Ian...  :lol

It is a worthy endeavor if you believe it's for you.  My dad and my uncle were military, but no one from my generation followed.  I have a great deal of respect for men and women who choose to enter military service; it is selfless and admirable.  It's also not for everybody, so you'll definitely want to be sure it's what you want before you enlist.

Good luck with your decision.

You'll have to choose between them and the beard.  Do you think you're ready to let go all over again?

Bwahahaha! Good one Rerun. You beat me to it...

Well I was thinking about offering them a ten dollar bill to let me keep it.

Plan seems fool-proof up to now.

By the way, stubble has occupied my face with its glorious shadowing.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/McDrewit/NoBeards.jpg)

Providing that no one kills or maims you, the Army's a great experience - I loved it.  You'd make life-long friends, you'd acquire an invaluable self-discipline that would serve you well later, and you'd have some incredible experiences.  There is a lot of hard physical work involved but, and I know it's difficult for civilians to understand this, almost everyone I knew in the Army had a really good time - they do take care of you.  If you actually decide to do it, be aware that once you sign you can't request anything from them; as an example, lots of new soldiers want to do the parachute thing and don't realize that if you don't request Airborne school before you sign you will not get to do it.  Once you sign, you're theirs, except for anything you insisted be put in the contract.

One of my students has a 24-year-old brother who is in the Army, home on leave, and she asked if he could come talk to the classes last week.  Of course i agreed; it's always good to have something really interesting for the little cherubs on the last day before vacation!
;-)

This young man freely admits he wasn't the best kid in high school, and says he entered the Army to serve his country, but also to straighten himself out.  He is an articulate, soft-spoken, polite, upstanding young man who hated being in Iraq, but wishes more than anything that he could go back there now, because his unit - his brothers - are there.  He can't because of an injury, but if he could, he'd go in a heartbeat.

If you lack direction, if you want to learn what it is to be a man, based on what i saw in Erica's brother you could do a lot worse than the US Army. 

Last two posts ---

That's what I've been sensing from most people whom I've heard talk about their experience in the Army. I'll be giving it some very serious consideration in the next few months, though right now i'd rather ignore everything for some time.

I almost joined the Navy.

My friend is leaving in August for the Navy. Every month he's been going to some sort of training thing for it. He's a lot different than me and is going for different reasons completely. There's only one problem with his plan though, and that would be his girlfriend.

That's what stopped me at the time. g/f wasn't keen on the idea.

Sorry but I am one of those people that believes war sucks. It doesn't help anyone. You have to think of when you get into something like that, like what if you die or what if you lose a limb? Will it seem worth it then? I don't think so. It's not that I don't like America or the military, I don't like the reasons why we are over in Iraq and personally Steve, I don't think you belong in that kind of place. Just my two cents.

I'm not worried about my own loss of life or limb at all. I'd much rather die while serving in the army than as how I would otherwise. I'd be much more concerned about the people around me losing their lives.

I was in the army.  Two fulll years.  It is definitely a place for growing up.  But as someone said, they do take good care of you, except for the being sent into battle and harms way part.

I got to travel, have my own apartment, earn a regular check, got good benefits, and when I left, they paid my way through college.   But it did mean two years of my life.  And they make you wear your hair THEIR way.  And you will have to pee in a bottle....which means no Mary Jane.  In my day, being in the army wasn't cool.  Its ok now on the cool scale, I think.  They won't associate you with baby killing or Kent State.

I think war suck as well, but, it's necessary often times and noble and beardless.

I'm with the Snout on this one.  Of course war sucks.  But sometimes the end justifies the means, Katie.  No American Revolution, you and i are eating badly cooked steak and talking with an accent.  No World War II, Hitler wins.  I'm on vacation this week and too lazy to give you more examples, but those two pretty much make the point.

Nobody WANTS war.  But it is fought anyway...everywhere...by young men and women who have decided [at least in this country they get the choice] that they are called to that service, for whatever reason.  Hey - big fires suck, too, but there are fire fighters who have made it their business to fight them.

I would not choose the Army, or any military branch, for myself or for my niece or nephews, but if one of them chooses it truly then i will be very, very proud, and very, very grateful that he or she has decided to be one of the defenders of our country.  It is a pretty high calling, and i have nothing but thanks and respect for those who heed that call.  And if you think that's sappy, i won't tell you that i'm tearing up as i write it.

I could defend my country as a security guy at the great and mighty entrance of the local Walmart, no?

As my Granny told me on the phone, "......Everybody 'as to go to work sometime, duck. Ya can't just sit around all day.......You're wasting your life doing that.....get something done".

Two months will tell if i'll join. I'll tell you guys if I do, then report back when i've returned (if) and tell of my decision.

Whatever you decide, be sure you do what you think is right for YOU.  Be true to yourself, and you'll have made the right choice.

Good luck.

Another alternative to the Military is the Peace Corps.

http://www.peacecorps.gov

Otherwise,I'm with Katie and Heywood.

My brother's in the 101st Airborne out of Ft. Campbell, KY; served to tours in you-know-where so far. He loves his "company", the people in it and all that stuff, but as far as the "current sensitive situation" is completely against it.  Point being, choose wisely.  Depends on where they stick you, what it's for, where the region may be and that is a shot in the dark.