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jims69camaro · 07-21-2008, 10:27 AM

i think it's a romanticism about being a soldier that makes many choose the army or marines. the best recruiters in the world are the movies that glorify the soldier and that could influence one's decision which door to go through at the local recruiting office.

for me, the first door i came to was the navy. now, not so glorious, not romanticized and not many movies about navy personnel (officer and a gentleman is the only one that comes to mind, other than navy seals), but i talked for hours with the recruiter. i wanted to make sure that i got what i was looking for, since he diverted me from going down the hall to one of the other doors. they had what they called guaranteed training back in the '80s, and it was a contract between the individual and the USN. as it turned out, they reneged on that contract and i was left with few choices. first of all, i was far from home and the prospect of coming back empty handed wasn't very good. however, the choices they provided me with, namely: wait for the school to open up again (and be a swabbie until then), or choose another MOS (and at that point i was sure what i wanted and they weren't providing that as an option, or take my walking papers (Honorable discharge, but R4 re-enlistment code). i decided to walk, knowing i could never use the military as an option later in life. it was a rough decision to make, and i was all of 18 years old. i really didn't know how it would affect the rest of my life, but it did have a negative impact much later.

anyway, just a short story from someone that has been there. it's a very uncertain time of your life and you must know that the decisions you make now will affect the rest of your life. that's why i said be sure of what you want and get it in writing. you cannot trust the recruiter, because all he cares about are hitting his numbers every month and you are just a number to him. be very sure of what you are getting before you sign anything.

a promise from a recruiter and $1.05 will get you a 16 oz coffee at Wawa. get it in writing.

07-21-2008, 10:27 AM	#39
jims69camaro Avatar Abuser Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 08721-1716 Posts: 5,056 iTrader: (0)	i think it's a romanticism about being a soldier that makes many choose the army or marines. the best recruiters in the world are the movies that glorify the soldier and that could influence one's decision which door to go through at the local recruiting office. for me, the first door i came to was the navy. now, not so glorious, not romanticized and not many movies about navy personnel (officer and a gentleman is the only one that comes to mind, other than navy seals), but i talked for hours with the recruiter. i wanted to make sure that i got what i was looking for, since he diverted me from going down the hall to one of the other doors. they had what they called guaranteed training back in the '80s, and it was a contract between the individual and the USN. as it turned out, they reneged on that contract and i was left with few choices. first of all, i was far from home and the prospect of coming back empty handed wasn't very good. however, the choices they provided me with, namely: wait for the school to open up again (and be a swabbie until then), or choose another MOS (and at that point i was sure what i wanted and they weren't providing that as an option, or take my walking papers (Honorable discharge, but R4 re-enlistment code). i decided to walk, knowing i could never use the military as an option later in life. it was a rough decision to make, and i was all of 18 years old. i really didn't know how it would affect the rest of my life, but it did have a negative impact much later. anyway, just a short story from someone that has been there. it's a very uncertain time of your life and you must know that the decisions you make now will affect the rest of your life. that's why i said be sure of what you want and get it in writing. you cannot trust the recruiter, because all he cares about are hitting his numbers every month and you are just a number to him. be very sure of what you are getting before you sign anything. a promise from a recruiter and $1.05 will get you a 16 oz coffee at Wawa. get it in writing. __________________ JSFBOA Save a life. N = R* fp ne fl fi fc L Last edited by jims69camaro; 07-21-2008 at 10:28 AM.