The Military and Seperation

[Tek(Selphiie)]

Re: The Military and Seperation

Thanks guys.

I actually have been looking into the Air Force, but i guess no matter what path i take in the military i will be seperated from my loved ones. I just want the security of knowing the military have nothing but good things for my family, I want to give my future wife a good comfortable life, and not struggle from paycheck to paycheck.

Here is a little background on my fiancee just so you guys understand why i am so worried about separation:

Shes not an American yet. I met her in the Philippines, and brought her over via a fiancee visa. Her life was very third world over there, and coming here was a complete culture shock, she does not understand alot of the lifestyle yet, and I am really really afraid of leaving her here on her own. I would feel a little more comfortable if she was born here and was a little more independant, but she doesn't know alot of basic stuff to do here like shopping/driving/etc. Which is why i want to stay with her and support her via the military, teach her alot of basic American lifestyle before trusting her to be able to live a little more independently when im gone.

Also a question for you Air Force guys, what are jobs i can look into that has a low chance of getting shipped out?

[Cotners]

Re: The Military and Seperation

Thanks guys.

I actually have been looking into the Air Force, but i guess no matter what path i take in the military i will be seperated from my loved ones. I just want the security of knowing the military have nothing but good things for my family, I want to give my future wife a good comfortable life, and not struggle from paycheck to paycheck.

Here is a little background on my fiancee just so you guys understand why i am so worried about separation:

Shes not an American yet. I met her in the Philippines, and brought her over via a fiancee visa. Her life was very third world over there, and coming here was a complete culture shock, she does not understand alot of the lifestyle yet, and I am really really afraid of leaving her here on her own. I would feel a little more comfortable if she was born here and was a little more independant, but she doesn't know alot of basic stuff to do here like shopping/driving/etc. Which is why i want to stay with her and support her via the military, teach her alot of basic American lifestyle before trusting her to be able to live a little more independently when im gone.

Also a question for you Air Force guys, what are jobs i can look into that has a low chance of getting shipped out?

One good thing about joining the military is the bases that you will be stationed at. An AF base is like a mini town. It has its own stores, resteraunts and gas stations. The AF also really tries to support spouses and families of deployed airmen. Not being able to drive may not be too much of a problem since several bases are laid out so that these things are pretty close together and most likely within walking distance.

As far as jobs that don't deploy alot... those are getting fewer and further between since most things we do stateside we are doing over in the desert too. If deploying is your major concern I would stay away from Vehicle Ops (LRS), Civil Engineering and Security Forces but most anyone can deploy from mechanics to cooks to medical personel.

[Juiced]

Re: The Military and Seperation

Also a question for you Air Force guys, what are jobs i can look into that has a low chance of getting shipped out?

Definitely NOT Security Forces. Most of CE (Civil Eng.) is a for sure bet to be deployed. Same with Communications. You could try an administration job such as Finance. Those buttplugs probably don't go anywhere Another job that you might wanna stay away from is Services (i.e. Cooks, Fitness monitors, etc). There are a few more out there that might not deploy all that often. Lemme ask you though, what were you really interested in doing in the military in general, aside from not deployin =P Any technical expertise you might be bringing in with you?

[Cotners]

Re: The Military and Seperation

You could try an administration job such as Finance. Those buttplugs probably don't go anywhere

LOL, there are some finance ppl over there, but in general they are buttplugs.

[Tek(Selphiie)]

Re: The Military and Seperation

Lemme ask you though, what were you really interested in doing in the military in general, aside from not deployin =P Any technical expertise you might be bringing in with you?

Photography/Media. Ive always wanted to be a Combat Cameraman for the military, but i have a sneaky suspicion that i will be gone ALOT in the field.

[Juiced]

Re: The Military and Seperation

Combat Cameraman... yeaaa................. That pretty much explains itself.

The AirForce has these Aerial photographers that hitch rides with the F-16, F-22, F-*insert your favorite plane here* pilots and take photos from inside the cockpit. While I'm sure its applicable in the Navy as well, it might be harder to get into that careerfield than others. What you need to do is contact your local recruiter and request the AFSC (AirForce job term) or whatever the Navy calls it and see if they have openings in that area. If so, he will give you all the neccesary information you'll need to get your career in the Military started.

However.... if he tells you that the careerfield is booked then find out when the next possible opening will be. Don't let him try to charm you into another careerfield if you don't want to. I'll tell you from person experience. My recruiter back in 2002 had me signed up to leave out of Miami MEPS in June for Lackland AFB to begin my AirForce career as an F-15 Avionics Technician. About 2 weeks before I shipped out, he came back to me with some lame excuse how he messed up and the contract was voided because they had already filled all available slots in that field. He then tried to sell me on either waiting 7 months for a position in F-15 Avionics or join right then and there and go in "Open-General." Open-ANYTHING is pretty much a contract that gets you in the military asap and waits to establish your careerfield about 1/2 way into basic training. Needless to say open-general is ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. Most people who come in "OG" end up either Cops or Cooks. And I shit you not when I say that. Anywho, I ended up enlisting under Open-Electronics which netted me in anything in the electronic careerfield. To which, I'm now a Voice Network Systems Journeyman (a fancy name for Telephone/LAN man). I'm not complaining tho, good careerfield and I've got a job lined up in South Florida for 60k a year here in a little over a month.

Thats another thing you might wanna consider too. Try and make sure your career will relate to something you can make money in outside the military when you get out. I know alot of Ammo guys that are kicking themselves in the arse because where are you gunna go to assemble bombs when you separate from active duty, lol? Maybe the blackmarket........










...... or Walmart.

[Tek(Selphiie)]

Re: The Military and Seperation

This would be a no brainer if i was single, but i want whats really best for my family, even if it means i have to be gone for an extended period of time every year...

[Juiced]

Re: The Military and Seperation

Try not to look at it like that. Here, I dont want anyone here to think I'm baised toward the AirForce but this will give you somewhat of an idea of what to expect.


Marines: GAR-RUN-TEED to be deployed 70%+ of any given year.

Army: Again, 60%+ just like the marines.

Navy: Not sure on the deployments but I know their mandatory Ship Duty is practically a deployment in itself with a mandatory 6 months or so on a ship every year or every other year.

AirForce: If you are deployed the AirForce had a standard 4 month deploy length. Certain jobs are gone for 6 months but those are usually combat oriented. (Security Forces)


Here's the thing, like I said earlier, I've been in 6 years now and I've only ever had the chance to deploy once back in 2004. And even then it was a fricken cake deployment to Qatar. Easy as all hell. Then there's TSGT butfuck here in my shop in for 14+ years and has never seen the sandbox in his entire enlistment. If your major concern is deployments and leaving your family behind then I will tell you straight up that the AirForce is the way to go, given your in the right careerfield. While you wont be excluded from every tasking, you will spend most of your career stateside or oversea's if your lucky enough to get stationed there.

BUT

If your looking for a true military experience, guns a blazin, sir yes sir, traveling the world, then I would go with the other services. Everyone is different. Some would say "eff the Chairforce, I would literally shoot myself in the face if I had to push paper all day!" And thats fine, but me... I enjoy playing it safe from here in Florida. I fuggen look at this as a 9 to 5 job Monday thru Friday. I get up a 4:30AM to hit the gym before work. Work starts at 7AM-11AM. Lunch 11-12. Then finish up 12PM - 4PM then go home. I'm sure though if I had joined another branch, things may have been different.

Its all in the person really.

[Ameroth]

Re: The Military and Seperation

but i want whats really best for my family

Again, there are many other alternatives to joining the military to support your family. I'm not saying the military isn't a great experience with great benefits, but I'm also not saying there isn't just as many opportunities without signing your life away to the government. If you're really gung-ho about joining the military, just make sure you've considered all of your other options.

[Solymir]

Re: The Military and Seperation

If you are dead set on joining the military I don't know what to say. However there are other options available to you. Ask yourself if there are any other career fields you might be interested in. At the age of 21 I went back to school. I was able to get a degree and buy a house at the same time without help from anyone else. But I had to work 32+ hours a week to do it. I don't want to sound too cliche, but if you put your heart/mind into it you can do anything you want.

[Whi-Lin Thorne]

Re: The Military and Seperation

If you are dead set on joining the military I don't know what to say. However there are other options available to you. Ask yourself if there are any other career fields you might be interested in. At the age of 21 I went back to school. I was able to get a degree and buy a house at the same time without help from anyone else. But I had to work 32+ hours a week to do it. I don't want to sound too cliche, but if you put your heart/mind into it you can do anything you want.

I agree with that. My oldest brother is in the military right now preparing to be deployed this november for the third time. While it's not a big deal to my sister-in-law and the rest of my family, it really impacts me. This is the brother I look up to, the one that makes me feel good about being a girl. He has two little girls of his own and a boy that he sees from time to time. I may be a bit anal about it and all but...he's in the service of the Army and nothing-not a damn thing-can be done to stop it.

If you do decide to join, try to be careful. I'm not going to try to sway you on joining or not joining. Just think of it this way-The military owns you for life. Once you're in the only way out is to die. And also think of any kids you might have down the road. Not seeing Daddy very often is hard on my neices-it will be for your kids too.

[Feba]

Re: The Military and Seperation

If you're really concerned about your family, you should find something you can do that doesn't involve military service. Again, there are tons of programs out there meant to get people through college without requiring them to be rich starting out. I also highly doubt you can't get a job that pays decently (again, I've heard good things about UPS).

If you feel like you have to serve, there are plenty of other ways to serve your country and community without joining the military. Volunteer work might not be as respected, but it's still very important and can have a huge impact on the lives of those you help.
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[eticket109]

Re: The Military and Seperation

You could always look into law enforcement as well. Depending on the neighborhood it could be like the play-at-home version of military deployment.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: The Military and Seperation

The military owns you for life. Once you're in the only way out is to die.

My god, whoever told you this should have their skin slowly peeled off of them and then placed in a vat of salt water. This is absolutely UNTRUE.

[Cotners]

Re: The Military and Seperation

The military owns you for life. Once you're in the only way out is to die.

LOL, When you enlist or commision in the military you are joining for a certain amount of time. Enlistment terms are 4 or 6 yrs, whereas officers do it alittle different, whenever you accept a new assignment/PCS you are agreeing to the 2-3 yrs that you will be stationed there. After these commitments are up you are free to either re-enlist or seperate from service.