General Question

seVen's avatar

What's the best U.S.military to serve in and why?

Asked by seVen (3489points) August 16th, 2008 from iPhone

I’m thinking of serving our country but can’t decide if to go for the Marines, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard.

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27 Answers

SquirrelEStuff's avatar

How about the Peace Corp?
We need more of that.

lefteh's avatar

The Peace Corps is not part of the military.

That being said, I’ve always had an attraction to the Air Force.

xxporkxsodaxx's avatar

Well if you like flying, join the Navy, I know it’s kinda redundant but they actually fly better and are used more often than the Air Force, you could say the perfect the Air Forces planes and control the oceans.

If you want to help the aviation world with new technologies then join the Air Force, they are the leading branch of research for aviation and unmanned flight, they can be called the brains of flight.

The Marines are just all around badasses and any women who hasn’t been in the Army will love you, compare them to the invincibles from 300.

The Army is the most widely advertised and in my opinion are just the front lines that get killed first compared to everyone else, don’t join unless you are going to West Point so you can skip the pointless years of enlistment ranks.

In fact try not to enlist, go to OCS or an Academy so you can just become an officer, you’ll probably thank me if you do.

Oh yea Coast Guard is good, but you’ll be on the coasts of America, like it wasn’t obvious, and you’ll be like the border patrol in boats.

lefteh's avatar

The Coast Guard doesn’t stick around and just guard the coast.

They’re playing a rather active role in Iraq.

seVen's avatar

forgot to mention I’m almost 30 yrs old, tri-lingual, nauralized US citizen , love technology, like to travel,!ike flying,and love to guard as in being like a military police guard/help people.
Oh yeah , used to work for an military/commercial jet engine parts overhaul shop.

lefteh's avatar

If you’re into technology, I’d definitely recommend the Air Force. There is an entire cyber command dedicated to protecting the country from cyber attacks.

seVen's avatar

neat thanks, I’ll consider all you guys wrote here and need to do further homework on researching from official sites. thanks so far.

aisyna's avatar

i think air force has the least deaths

StellarAirman's avatar

Actually the Air Force just suspended the entire Cyberspace Command. It apparently had no clear direction and the generals were still arguing about what it would actually do.

And yes, the Air Force does have a comparably low number of deaths as compared to the other branches. We are usually in the air or on a base rather than out on convoys getting hit by IEDs. But of course that also depends on your job. If you are an EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) expert then of course you are going to be in harm’s way more often than someone who works in finance.

The reason I personally chose the Air Force was for a better quality of life than a lot of the other branches, more technical jobs, etc. We get college credit for attending Tech School, which is where we learn our job. Basic training even counts as a PE class. We have some of the nicest bases with some of the nicest dorms and housing available. Right now I live in a brand new 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath 1,600 sq ft apartment on base. You won’t find that anywhere else.

In my experience the Air Force is also the least “military” of the military branches, though I only have limited interaction with members of the other services. Air Force life is very much like a regular job except you all wear the same clothes to work. I imagine some people would enjoy this aspect, while others wouldn’t.

If you are almost 30 you’re probably going to have to join the reservers or national guard, no matter what branch you go to. The age cut-off to enlist in the Air Force is 27. You can enlist in the reserve up until I believe 35 though. The Army will probably take older people, but I don’t know specifically what their cutoff is.

crunchaweezy's avatar

My dream is to be a pilot of an F-35…

nayeight's avatar

Air Force, definitely. My dad was in the Air Force. I’ve noticed that smarter guys tend to join the Air Force… my dad is kinda nerdy.

jholler's avatar

I spent 4 years active duty Marine infantry, and the last 11 as an Army National Guard combat engineer. The Marines definitely had more of a sense of pride, tradition, history, and honor, so if those are qualities you crave, I definitely recommend Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children (USMC). I have discovered that the Guard has more of a sense of personal responsibility and life in the real world than active duty Army, simply because we all have real jobs where our continued employment depends on our performance. After spending a year on an Air Force base in Iraq, my impression is that they have the most marketable job skills, but are basically on vacation. They did 4 month deployments, and looked at me like something dirty because I was required to carry a weapon in a war zone. Very pleasant people, but fewer actual warriors.

xxporkxsodaxx's avatar

Oh crunch, you have read my mind! The lightning II just looks B-E-A-utiful, plus no matter what branch you join you have a chance to fly it since they’re building one that’s a little different for each one.

allengreen's avatar

Be a Private Contractor, work for KBR, Bechtel——at least you will be well paid.

gooch's avatar

I was Army. Don’t do Army. Go Navy. You always have food and a bed.

BCarlyle's avatar

If you have any interest in the special operations community, you need to go into the army. Though the other services have specialized forces, the army leads the way in this area. Anyone with joint experience in the community will support this position. The army has better organizations than SEALs, PJs and Marine Recon elements.

noraasnave's avatar

I have been in the USMC for 16 years now and I love it. I chose a good job. Going to the schools for my job and for the ranks I have moved through gave me all my elective credits for the degree I am working on (43 credit hours).

I have been to Okinawa (Japan), Hong Kong, Thailand, California, Virginia, North Carolina, and now to Iraq 2 times.

The Marine Corps was a decision I made during my Junior year of high school. I filled out cards for each of the services I found in a magazine and mailed them all in. I received a letter back from the Marines in a week. I heard back from the Army a month later, and never heard back from the Air Force. So I decided to go see the Marine Recruiter.

I scored high on the ASVAB so I could pick any job. I picked radio repairman. Now I manage a shop of radio repairman, and make sure that all our Battalion’s Communication equipment is repaired quickly and efficiently.

If and when I finish this deployment I will have spent 14 out of 24 months in Iraq. I have enjoyed the work, I have enjoyed the variety and in 4 years I will enjoy the added income from my retirement. I will use the new GI bill to get my Master’s Degree and move on to my second career.

The Marine Corps definitely isn’t for everyone. Someone said air force has the best facilities. I completely agree, I remember when I was in Okinawa, Marines had old beat up Barracks that were decades old and we kept them in good shape with our own hands. The Air force on Okinawa had new barracks, with people hired to clean their rooms and make their beds. Oh and they still were given ‘Hardship pay’ for living there!

I am very proud to be in the Marines. America keeps us because you all love us. Because we represent many of the things that are great about America:

We do more with less, we have the smallest budget.
We have a reputation for getting the job done, and don’t let IEDs or bullets stop us.
We believe in our country so much that we would bleed on the flag to make sure it stays red.

We don’t have all those really cool college funds, or all the commercial time.

We carry those intangibles that everyone wants: Honor, Courage and Commitment to the extent that we would die for them.

sundayBastard's avatar

there are few CG in Iraq. However, I have only been in the Army for 10 years but I have a cuz in the CG (that was in the Army)and my brother was in the Marines but now in the Navy. So I know much about all of them. My brother said the Navy is like just having a job.

The Army and Marines are the real military ie. where you will actually feel like your in the military.

The CG(super laid back0 if your on sea duty, it’s a-lot of 2 weeks at sea 2 on land throughout the year. On shore well , no boat.

Airforce is like a Soldier /Civilian Hybrid. I worked with their Combat controlers(which for some reason the Airforce considers them spec ops.) Trust me the ones I worked with needed a special diet they looked and operated like shitbags.

atlantis12193's avatar

can you switch from one branch of the military to another?

noraasnave's avatar

You can finish off an enlistment in one branch and go to another. If you are moving from any branch to Marine Corps you have to go to USMC boot camp. Moving from Marine Corps to any other branch, I believe you can just go right in. I know that moving from the Marine Corps to the Army or Navy is easy.

atlantis12193's avatar

I know the Army has Westpoint and the Air Force has the Academy to become an officer, but what do the Marines have?

noraasnave's avatar

Officer Candidate School for Marine Corps officers in Quantico, Virginia. Marine Officers can also graduate from the Naval Academy as well. The Naval Academy is the most prestigous path, especially for an officer with hopes of becoming a general one day.

Bluefreedom's avatar

I spent 8 years in the Army and I’ve been in the Air Force for the last 12 years. The Air Force takes better care of their people than the Army does, in my opinion.

EgaoNoGenki's avatar

@Bluefreedom I think the Air Force will be my best career decision ever! I did hear that they’re more “posh” than the other branches.

Bluefreedom's avatar

@EgaoNoGenki. That’s quite true in many cases. My unit is going to be deploying to Kyrgyzstan in February for 6 months and we’ve been told that while we will be in 2 man dormitory rooms, Army and Marine personnel are currently residing in tents at the same location. The Air Force does have a good track record of taking very good care of their personnel from what I’ve seen and experienced.

stephc's avatar

I was a Navy military brat… I have to say that as a young woman, I was much more attracted to marines than any other unit. Something about a marine and the way they Cary themselves. Their complete confidence in getting the job done. I’ve known many smart men in the marines. My x was a cryogenic tech on the flight line and then transitioned to hazmat. They make very good money after they get out because there are very few schools that teach this – cherry point usmc air base does!

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