Military Families
wearenutts
member
? from a soon to be military wife.
wearenutts
member
My H is trying to make the very important decision on what branch of the military he would like to enlist in. This is something he has wanted to do for a while now. We have been doing tons of research, have scheduled meeting with recruiters after the holidays, and he has really been studying for the ASVAB. I really think I will just come down to what career he wants to specialize in as to what branch he will go with.
But I would like to hear some of your opinions on the different branches. What are the pros and cons of each branch?
Any other information you want to elect to help with this big decision would be greatly appreciated.
TIA
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Re: ? from a soon to be military wife.
The pros and cons of each branch are really dependent on what you two are hoping to get out of the experience, mostly for your H's career. The recruiters are honestly the best people to ask because they will know what you H is looking for and what they can offer him.
Wander over to the Military Nesties board on the Nest. There are two very recent posts about this (I think still in the first two pages, and the newer one includes a link to the older one). Also, many of the ladies who post regularly there have a link in their signatures for a "Military Nesties FAQ" page that has a TON of useful information.
I also recommend lurking as many posts as you can here and on MN and coming up with some questions of your own for the recruiter. It sounds like your H is planning on talking to recruiters from each branch, which is exactly what he should do, but you should go to all of the meetings with him - this affects your life just as much as it does his.
GL!
Really!? My H is AD AF too but I have a headache from side eying this post so hard.
OP, I have the MN FAQ linked in my sig, please check it out!
My DH is AD Army and didn't deploy till after he'd been in two years. They've yet to screw him over and I've never heard him complain about a meal that he doesn't have to cook or clean up. So.. yea. I don't see how your reply is much help.
FFS, this is the worst advice ever. You should talk to the AF service member on Military Nesties about how both she and her husband have been deployed. Telling someone to join because of the short training schedule and the quality of housing screams that you and your H are just along for a ride for a while.
OP, it sounds like he has a good plan in place. My H has been with the Army Reserves for 15 years. It's had it's challenging moments, frustrating leadership being the most recent one that comes to mind; but it's also had it's great moments, my H has made life long friends and it really helped developed him into the man I know and love today. Deployments are going to happen, regardless of your branch and while certain branches have average deployment times don't join a branch based on "average" time frames for anything. The AF usually does a shorter tour but I've had friends do 12 month tours with the AF and friends in the Army do 4 month tours. It all depends on your position and the military's needs at that time.
All of this.
The housing is awesome? Um.. sure at some bases. Just like any other branch. The housing here for junior enlisted is crap and definitely not worth the BAH.
Oh and the deployment issue? My husband wasn't at his first duty station for a year before he got deployed. We have a friend who was at his duty station less than a year and is deployed with the Army, which happens more than you think. He WILL deploy. It's not 'if' it's 'when'.
OP, go talk to all branches. Even if he doesn't think he's interested in it, go in. Go and see what every branch can offer him and what he can offer them and let him decide from there.
Well my H is AD Army, and he was in for 3 full years before he deployed! So maybe her H should go Army based on that logic?
To the OP, def check out the Military Nesties, they are incredibly helpful when you ask specific questions, and not make generalizations. We can tell you until we are blue in the face why our particular affiliation is better/worse, but ultimately it comes down to what you and your H want, and what is best for your family.
Psssh. The food in basic for the Army was AWESOME. I got to eat Moon Pies and everything! 6 years and I've only deployed ONCE and I VOLUNTEERED! Way better than AF.
Nah we had the best french toast in Basic, i craved to have it every morning at PT. To the ladies about deployment i forgot to mention it depends on your job DH and I were/are admin so it's not likely for us to deploy. However i have friends who left as special forces right our of tech school. Now for the army screwing you over...that doesn't happen till you want to get out or deploy usually. My cousin was stop lossed 6times in the army n tried ever so hard to keep him in when his enlistment was up. They give you a huge bonus for a reason!
OP, your H should talk to recruiters of all different branches to see what they can offer. Be careful to believe anything they won't put in writing though.
Also, many branches and jobs are full right now so don't go in expecting the process to be easy/quick or expecting a signing bonus. Signing bonuses differ from branch to branch, job to job.
All branches and jobs deploy. It's not if, it's when.
Go with your H to meet the recruiters so they can answer any questions you may have too.
Do you have any specific questions?
I agree
I went int before the waiting list got too long but i signed up in May and left in November, but that was also for an open position it could have been twice as long for a job i wanted! But whatever branch it's worth it in this kind of economy
Seriously, shut up. These stories are always someone's cousin's friend's brother's girlfriend's cousin. Stop loss happens in all branches not just the Army. The Army or any branch for that matter is not specifically looking for ways to fvck over any of its soldiers. Our military is involved in two wars right now and service members signed up to support whatever mission the military set out on. Unfortunately if you have a skill set the military needs they'll put you to good use and unfortunately sometimes that involves stop loss.
The bonuses aren't HUGE by any stretch of the imagination. Ask my H what he got for his re-enlistment bonus last year...it's enough to pay our mortgage for two months and he's still waiting the second half of it. Yeah, we're just rolling in the Benjamins.
I find it disrespectful that you repeatedly say the military, specifically the Army, is purposely intending to screw over it's service members. You should realize how ignorant that sounds, especially if you yourself are a service member and especially if you're not in the Army.
Really? Really? We had admin people in Iraq. In all branches, well except Marines b/c there weren't any Marines at our post.
And 6 times? How is someone stop lossed 6 times? You know they stopped doing stop loss two years ago right? And they can't stop loss you if your ETS date has already passed and they only would start it if you didn't have enough time on your contract for the deployment. So unless a stop loss was initiated and he somehow got out of deployment and they kept trying to stop loss him and that's how he got "stop lossed" 6 times, I call bullshhit. And not everyone gets a huge bonus, but of course they try hard to keep Soldiers, we were in the middle of two wars.
All right i give you that and i'm sorry. I do know some friends who are in he Army and haven't been screwed over and love it. Picking a Branch is hard, my father kinda forced me towards the AF but i originally wanted Army
lol but i do apologize i didn't mean any harm, i take back most of what i said but the perks of some of the AF's things. The Army does give out Awesome bonuses! i knew someone that got 20,000 i think it was like 10,000 after basic and the other 10,000 i dont remember when. It all depends on what you want to do in your Military career and what fits you best. I wish OP luck in the classes and i hope you find something that fits GL
OP -
My best advice is to have YH nail down a couple jobs/careers that he is interested in. Go to each branch and say I want to know what you can offer me in X job. Make a pro/con list(I'm a nerd, I know) of each branch. Check out the MN FAQ and feel free to pop over to MN. Like PP said, we've had two posts like this in the last few days.
No BS he went in working on computer then ended up working on Black hawks in Iraq and they wouldn't let him come home. But this was also years ago so i can't say i know what they do now or how they run things now so i guess i don't have much say in that field sorry
Ok if they wouldn't let him come home then he was probably stop lossed before the deployment and his stop loss was affective until they returned from deployment. Like I menionted above they stop loss if your contract is shorter than the time of deployment and is lifted 90 days after your return home. It's not like he was stop lossed over and over again.
Thanks for all your help. I am in the process of reading the MN information page. We are going to talk with all recruiters from each branch to see what best fits us. We are both prepared for deployments and know they will happen. I am not expecting a fast paced entry into any branch and not expecting any big sign on bonus either. Besides this is a big decision we need the time to think about what is best for our family.
My biggest question right now is: What is our out of pocket expense going to be up front? What do we need to set aside to make this transition?
I'd have a couple months budget and some emergency funds available. In theory he should get paid the first payday after he gets to BCT. So if he get's there on the 20th, he'd get paid on the 1st. However it may be a) a small check b) a bit late b/c pay can be a pain c) not correct in things like dependent status/BAH, etc.
Come out, come out wherever you are, OP! Hope we didn't scare you off!
It sounds like your H is on the right track with nailing down a career before talking to recruiters.
Please come over to the Military Nesties board if you have other questions! We *try* not to bite.Well, I always make immense, life-changing decisions based on the quality of the french toast I'll be eating, so AF all the way!!
In seriousness OP, it really depends on so many factors, and none of us can really give you the specifics. You've gotten some great advice here.
I will say that it's smart not to get too attached to the idea of one particular branch. I was initially dead set on the Marines, almost enlisted in the Army, and finally ended up in the Air Force. If I hadn't been willing to go with my gut about who was giving me the best deal, I doubt I'd have been as happy with my choice as I am. Obviously that deal will be different for your family.
GL!
The 20,000 bonus was only for "critical" MOS's. (Medics, etc) And I know of ARNG soldiers who got this (myself) and people in my unit. We get the first half after we complete AIT (MOS Q'd) and we get the second half after 3 years of our 6 year contract it up. Although, they tax about 3,000 out, so I saw 7,000. While I was at training they stopped giving out all the perks that I received (College first, loan payback, bonuses, GI Kicker). I guess it all depends 1. On the branch 2. What is in need and 3. What your ASVAB score is.
I didn't sign up for these perks, I wanted to finish school and do the Guard until I get a BA- and then go active. Although, CT has an amazing deal with State Colleges and Community Colleges that we get 100% tuition paid for past BA's. I suppose my point is, it really does depend on what you want out of the military. The downside of being a medic in the NG is that my unit doesn't do a lot of hands on training for medical upkeep. And all the information that we learned in AIT goes quickly if you don't use it often.
Well...my advice is to not ask people on this message board because, for the most part, they seem like they are super sensitive and crazy when anyone says anything they don't particularly agree with. As you can see from the posts it seems like every single person has a different experience (even if they are in the same branch).
My husband (who is active duty Air Force) says that he thinks the Air Force treats their people better than the Army. (FYI he was deployed with the Army for 8 months last year). Of course, I'm sure some people that are affiliated with Army will be super mad about me saying that and if so, maybe they could give you some information about why the Army is so great.
This. Take everything recruiters say with a grain of salt and back it up wit research. My husband's recruiter told us all sorts of wonderful things that never happened. As soon as the contract was signed, a lot of information changed.
PP is right in that a lot of branches are capacity right now and are actually letting a lot of people go in a lot of fields. I have an acquaintance who recently took over a year to get through the recruitment process and get a date for BT (his experience isn't exactly typical, but it's not all that unusual either). My husband is in the AF and we both like it and seem like we're having a good experience compared to friends in other branches. But that all depends on career field, rank, etc.
It took almost 6 months to get pay completely straightened out with BAH, dependents, etc. Then when we got backpay, they overpaid us and we ended up owing them money. Fortunately we had saved it because we thought it was too much. If I were you, I would try to have a couple of months' income saved up, plus a good emergency fund.
Throwing my 2 cents in- DH and I are both AD Army, I have 9 years in and DH has 12.
1. What jobs are available? Each branch will give you different choices. This will be the daily activity, so he should pick which one he wants to do for 40-60 hours a week.
2. Where do you want to live? Army posts tend to be more "middle of nowhere" with a few exceptions. Air Force bases tend to be in or close to cities. What lifestyle do you prefer?
3. Where in the world do you want to go? I can't be stationed in Japan or Florida as AD Army, but I can go to Italy, Korea, or Alaska. The Navy/Marines have bases/ports on the coasts. This is similar to #2- where do you want to go explore?
4. Training opportunities/schooling. What options are you given for each branch regarding education benefits? I know what they are for Army, but the other branches may offer something different.
5. What is the overall goal? Go in for 3 years, then get out? Go career? What opportunities are there to obtain a degree and switch over to the officer side of the house? How long does it take to earn rank in each branch? Pay is directly related to rank- you want to move up quickly if possible.
6. Deployments suck no matter who you go with. I do have to say though, as Army I was always jealous of the AF dining halls in Iraq- they were much better. Ha!
Fo sho! Ha! Nothing is worse however, than the British chow halls. Ick. No wonder they always came to ours.
Unless you get sent to Twentynine Palms...helloooooo desert. Still 3 hours from the coasst but I'm sure most are suprised at the lack of water here.
Something DH and I learned 3 years after being AD in the Army...don't choose your base of preference based on the location...choose the job he wants. It doesn't matter if you're in Florida, Hawaii or the coolest place you'd love to be if he hates his job.
And I agree with PP, don't listen to everything the recruiters tell you, they're trying to sell their branch and specific jobs. Find out the basic information from them and do your own research.
DH is AD Army and we love it. We've lived on and off post. It varies widely based on location. And something we didn't know until recently, you can live on base at any branch of service's base if its within 50 miles of where your H is stationed. Many times you won't get priority there but if you like the housing there better, it can be worth it.
I'd tell your H to choose his branch of service by choosing the job he would most like to do. Choose apart from signing bonuses, promises of locations, etc...all that is subject to change and as a PP mentioned the signing bonuses get heavily taxed and not paid all at once. While its probably nice to hear that large number, I wouldn't make a decision based on that.
Good luck!
Too true! I did generalize everything a bit
Army is so landlocked with their locations. Ft Polk, Ft Leavenworth... ick.
Is Twentynine Palms the only non-costal Navy/Marines location? I honestly don't know.
Don't forget about Ft Stewart and Hunter AAF in Coastal GA.