For people who have been in military please help answer these questions.
I want to join the military because my friend is also joining, well he is just joining because he wants to be a police officer [he does not want to go to collage], I want join so that I serve my country.
So my questions are which is better National Guard, Army or Marines?
Also what is the difference between these three?
Which is safer and which pays more. I plan to be active and I want to sent the money to my parents to help them out.
I am going to apply for training in 2005 for one of these.
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12-14-2004, 01:59 PM #1
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National Guard, Army or Marines. which is better?
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12-14-2004, 02:09 PM #2
I spent 4yrs with 1st Battalion, Seventh Marines, Charlie Co. I was a groundpounder in the infantry, and carried a SMAW. So with that being said, I am probably biased, but I will tell it like I see it. All special forces aside, I feel that the Marine Corps is the toughest by far. I did numerous combined force exercises with the Army and everytime it was a masacre. If you decide to go this route, make sure you know what you want to do and get it in writing, before singing anything. As far as being safe, the Marines are always in harms way yet they are prepared for it as well, with some of the best training in the world.
As far as the other branches, I cannot say much about them. I do feel that if you want to be safe, you should not join the national guard. I feel that they are undertrained and underequiped and underskilled and when put into combat...well you know.
As far as your friend wanting to do it to join the police after, great, but he should not go Military Police while serving. When I got out I talked to alot of law enforcment agencies and they will take MP's normally last. This is due to the knoledge that MP's must learn and maintain, is very diffrent from the civilian world and retraining is tough.
Keep in mind this all is just my .02, maybe some of the other branches could sound off.
C. Gillespie
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12-14-2004, 02:10 PM #3
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12-14-2004, 02:13 PM #4
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12-14-2004, 02:13 PM #5
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12-14-2004, 02:17 PM #6Originally Posted by TuZaN c0vJeK
Marines, only go Marines if you are the type that knows you want to be a Marine 100% and don't care about anything else except being a Marine. I can tell you are not that type already b/c if you were you wouldn't have asked the question in the first place.
Pay for all 3 while activated is based on rank so it will basically be the same for all depending on your rank and MOS (some jobs kick in a little extra for certain skills etc). There are pay scales on military.com for each rank's base pay. There is also information about different incentive pays etc but you probably won't understand them right now.
Another thing good about the guard is when you get activated and sent overseas you will get the BAH of wherever you live as long as you pay rent (if you don't really pay rent or have a rental agreement/mortgage and live with your parents you can just have a notorized letter stating that you pay X amount of dollars/month to them). This is basically free money usually used to cover people who have to maintain a home while they are away i.e. if I own a house I still need money to cover expenses etc. This is a huge advantage for the guard b/c it adds up to tens of thousands of dollars over a deployment. If you're active army or marines, you already live on post so you won't get any of this unless you're married and live off post.
As far as being safer. Depends more on your MOS than anything. I don't think the Marines let you choose your MOS but I may be wrong on that one. Army and Guard do. However, there's going to be a certain amount of danger in whatever you do if you get shipped overseas. Of course infantry is obviously going to be more dangerous than most.
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12-14-2004, 02:19 PM #7
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12-14-2004, 02:22 PM #8
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12-14-2004, 02:23 PM #9
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12-14-2004, 02:25 PM #10
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Originally Posted by sculli
Would National Guard count as military service? like for police you need 2 years of military if you don't want collage, so would that count?
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12-14-2004, 02:27 PM #11Originally Posted by TuZaN c0vJeK
As far as the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), I am assuming they would want someone with more of there type of training, ex..Urban terrain warfare, use of diffrent types of concusions, explosives and improvised munitions.....The MP's dont do much if any of this, Infantry are the ones who learn all the good stuff.
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12-14-2004, 02:30 PM #12
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12-14-2004, 02:48 PM #13
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12-14-2004, 02:52 PM #14Originally Posted by TuZaN c0vJeKI have only two regrets: I didn't shoot Henry Clay and I didn't hang John C. Calhoun.
"A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself." Malcolm X
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12-14-2004, 02:54 PM #15Originally Posted by Tech_ZillaI have only two regrets: I didn't shoot Henry Clay and I didn't hang John C. Calhoun.
"A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself." Malcolm X
1000 plus, reps returned
Millionaires are made from talent and intellect; not the major you selected when you're coming out of high school. Warren Buffett
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12-14-2004, 02:56 PM #16
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12-14-2004, 03:00 PM #17
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12-14-2004, 03:19 PM #18
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Don't go because your friends are doing it because there is a real good chance that you could be in different companies, different assignments (station assignment or deployment assignment) and never see each other anyway.
Don't go to the marines because like someone else said "if you don't know 100% that you want to be a marine.... then you don't want to be one" All marines are die hard marines and they want to be a marine and nothing else is an option
National Guard- Goes through Army training although retains less because its only 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. Does the crap work for the bigger branches. I wouldn't do this only because there are less people to switch in and out of war so you may be there longer with less training.
Army- I like this branch but are kinda in the marines shadows. Easy to get hidden in a crowd with these guys. My friend likes there training.
NAVY and AIR FORCE- If you want a cake walk with good money. Go here. Plus if your in the Navy you are 100 miles away from any fighting.
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12-14-2004, 03:38 PM #19Originally Posted by sculli
"We promise you sleep deprivation, Mental torment, and muscles so sore you'll puke... But we dont want to sugar coat it"
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12-14-2004, 03:40 PM #20
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12-14-2004, 03:56 PM #21
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Originally Posted by cardioking
I checkout National Guard websites so far and it looks awsome.
For Marines thing if I am not 100% sure then not to join. I am 16 and I am looking for something right now,I wanna make the right decision thats going to be easy and right for me. I still am not really sure what i wanna do after military.
The only reason why I even asked which is safer or pay more is so that my parents don't have to worry about me alot and so that i can give them money and help them.
I need more info because recuiters and the websites lie to get you to join, so i need people who have expiriance with military to tell me about those 3 services and to help me decide
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12-14-2004, 04:18 PM #22
"Recism is ignorance, recists are uneducated"
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12-14-2004, 04:33 PM #23
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12-14-2004, 04:38 PM #24
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12-14-2004, 04:39 PM #25
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12-14-2004, 04:42 PM #26Originally Posted by SgtMcNary
BRING IT ONNNNNNNN!!!!!!
p.s. leaving for the corps in May
if you want to go to boot camp and be station w/ your friend afterwards, there is a program that allows you to do so.
the National Guard type thing, once a month/two wks a year is just like being in the reserves and Army and Marines have them
You said you want to serve your country...how do you go about doing that? You have to have some idea of what you want to commit yourself to doing for the next X number of years. If you just want the "pride of serving" just go in a sign and open contract...*note* doing this confirms that you are an idiot
You, my friend, need to sit down and think long and hard about this. This is war time, and when/if you do go through processing there WILL be a statement on the form that says "I do understand that I can and will be deployed into dangerous territory" REGARDLESS of your mos. There is no "good time" to join the services, like with 9/11, war can break out anytime..anywhere.
I do know that in the Marines, you will eat, sleep, drink, and s*** dicipline...right after they beat it into you for 13 weeks. Its just a matter of how prepared you are for the challanges...just gotta have that "I can overcome" attitude
Army offers the most money for education
National Guard are for those who just want something part-time and a chance to stay near their home
Differences to the best of my knowledge:
Marines are usually the first to fight. History and the military says their purpose is to take/strike enemy territory along the coastline. But now, they are use for small battles..offensive assults, raids, they defend U.S. Embassy's all over the world..along w/ the U.N. Embassy. They go in fast and hard and let the army takeover. they are the smallest branch, and you'll notice that brotherhood type thing when you are in processing w/ other future Marines. They have positions for land, air, and sea combat. Remember every Marine a rifleman
Army wins wars...nuff said. They are deployed the longest...fight the longest..move slowly..ect. They only deal w/ land combat. Biggest and oldest branch.
National Guard, they are the milita. They assist w/ things such as disasters (like floods, major storms), they can be called to assist police when there is more help needed. Presidents have called them to assist when the civil rights thing was happening. They are more trained for domestic problems but are also sent to war and conflicts when needed.R.I.P. Steve, thanks for the memories
4-16-07
"It is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not"
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12-14-2004, 04:45 PM #27Originally Posted by Epik9
and no, they don't do jack ****...I talked to a guy that was in the air-force and he said "we are hardly condsidered military....how many people from airforce are in Iraq that you have heard on the news...ok then *smiles*"Last edited by tank03; 12-14-2004 at 04:48 PM.
R.I.P. Steve, thanks for the memories
4-16-07
"It is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not"
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12-14-2004, 04:51 PM #28
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12-14-2004, 05:09 PM #29Originally Posted by Epik9
Also you have the opportunity to earn a promotion by gather phone numbers of people who want to join your branch. If you get X number of people to enlist you get your promotion. You will also get a promotion if you attended college
oh yeah, you can get disqualified by doing stupid stuff like going to jail, getting too many tickets, ect. So you got to act like your already in the service.Last edited by tank03; 12-14-2004 at 05:11 PM.
R.I.P. Steve, thanks for the memories
4-16-07
"It is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not"
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12-14-2004, 05:13 PM #30Originally Posted by tank03
I was thinking of joining the Air Force and I was possibly wanting to make a career out of it. Don't want to be put on hold for a year after basic training just so I can be in the Air Force.
Edit: Nevermind. Just read your above post.Last edited by Bakira; 12-14-2004 at 05:17 PM.
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