Army Talk

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

Okay, random question to ask then.

Is getting into the army, and being in the army as hardcore as I imagine it to be? I'm assuming that it is, since it is well, the army, but is it really that strict when doing your service?

Think of it like a corporate job interview. You present your potential employer (the recruiter) with the skills they need to improve their organization (the Army, Navy, etc). Once they agree to hire you can negotiate a salary and any perks that come with being in the organization (rank, training, and bonus).

Many people have the attitude that the recruiters are doing you a favor. It's the other way around; they have a quota to meet. They get bonuses and promotions based upon how many sign up.

[Q_Q Cheesecake 24]

EPIC SHIT IS GOING DOWN! MORE EPIC THAN THE IRAQ WAR! CHOSEN AND DRIZ VS DEFIANCE! WHO IS THE INSURGENT? I DON'T CARE IT'S EPIC! No offense. Just had to, tensions were rising. Thought it would give some laughs and help everyone calm down.

On topic - Howard are you serious, that's the exact recruitment officer? Lol.

I didn't lol ):

[Guest Waffle]

I didn't lol ):

Because you have no soul.

[BlackStone 66]

dude... just shh. i dont care what you said to anyone.. you aren't military, you dont know anything about it... they didn't lock you up because, as i said, they dont care about losing the retards.

I know about the entrance part, up until I left, which suffices to answer his question. You don't like the answer I gave because it is against what the military tries to tell you. As I said believe me or not is your problem. Truth of the matter is, my version is a correct version, perpendicular to the full entrance to the military.

They can not imprison you for defecting on the military until you step foot onto the bus to go to boot camp. That is the truth of my argument, you can try it yourself. As proof of this, I can scan the letter they mailed me stating (paraphrasing) "that if I choose to return, I may under no penalties"

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

I know about the entrance part, up until I left, which suffices to answer his question. You don't like the answer I gave because it is against what the military tries to tell you. As I said believe me or not is your problem. Truth of the matter is, my version is a correct version, perpendicular to the full entrance to the military.

They can not imprison you for defecting on the military until you step foot onto the bus to go to boot camp. That is the truth of my argument, you can try it yourself. As proof of this, I can scan the letter they mailed me stating (paraphrasing) "that if I choose to return, I may under no penalties"

"defecting" and "perpendicular"?

You decided to intersect with the Mexican Army?

Bottom line, you made a gamble with Uncle Sam and won. Hopefully you will research careers more carefully in the future.

[BlackStone 66]

I'm currently studying Criminal Justice, from which I intend to move towards Law Enforcement ending in Crime Scene Investigating.

That is my current plan of action.

As per my statement, it goes along with his statement of military entrance, the point it strays is where his goes to completion, mine makes a cut off and ends.

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

I'm currently studying Criminal Justice, from which I intend to move towards Law Enforcement ending in Crime Scene Investigating.

That is my current plan of action.

As per my statement, it goes along with his statement of military entrance, the point it strays is where his goes to completion, mine makes a cut off and ends.

Actually, driz is the person you want to speak to on that subject. I don't want to put his business out on the street, BUT he took the FBI exam and passed. They begged him to join, but at our current ranks in the Army it would mean taking a pay cut. I wish you the best of luck with your Criminal Justice degree.

[driz 2626]

I know about the entrance part, up until I left, which suffices to answer his question. You don't like the answer I gave because it is against what the military tries to tell you. As I said believe me or not is your problem. Truth of the matter is, my version is a correct version, perpendicular to the full entrance to the military.

They can not imprison you for defecting on the military until you step foot onto the bus to go to boot camp. That is the truth of my argument, you can try it yourself. As proof of this, I can scan the letter they mailed me stating (paraphrasing) "that if I choose to return, I may under no penalties"

dude, please look up the word defecting.. you sound like a moron. Also, familiarize yourself with the law, specifically, breach of contract. And as to your letter, what about it? you're obviously not an ideal military candidate, they offered you a free 2nd chance if you decide that being a complete idiot wasn't working for you... seems gracious of them.

As to what you're telling us being "perpendicular" to what the military says... seriously? did you pass highschool? Your version, is A version of what happened, which i explained multiple times. The military does not chase down the losers if they decide to not show up. What you said is fairly common knowledge, you dont know anything special or secret. I clarified your misled points, but I never said you couldn't just not show up. I said you are still legally bound by a contract, which you are.

Furthermore, you DO NOT know about the entrance part because you didn't do it.

Can someone just block him from spamming this thread with useless and incorrect info while others are asking for real advice?

[driz 2626]

Actually, driz is the person you want to speak to on that subject. I don't want to put his business out on the street, BUT he took the FBI exam and passed. They begged him to join, but at our current ranks in the Army it would mean taking a pay cut. I wish you the best of luck with your Criminal Justice degree.

stupid GS10 pay rate... FBI woulda been fun too. But seriously, who can live on that income? I have needs.

[GodzillA 0]

What is the general pay structure like? If for instance (using myself as an example) I come out and join after completing a BS in Mech Engineering to join the Army. From my understanding I would be eligible to enter as an officer 1? What would pay be like from then on? What is pay like after x years out of the army?

I know nothing of the subject and was considering

[Guest Fohacidal]

Whats your MOS?

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

What is the general pay structure like? If for instance (using myself as an example) I come out and join after completing a BS in Mech Engineering to join the Army. From my understanding I would be eligible to enter as an officer 1? What would pay be like from then on? What is pay like after x years out of the army?

I know nothing of the subject and was considering

Lots of great questions:

What is the general pay structure like?

For the Army there are 3 "scales" of pay: (E)nlisted, (W)arrant Officer, and (O)fficer. Each pay scale gets paid more money based upon years of service. Example: I am an O-3, with 5 years of Active Duty. In the civilian world it’s considered rude to ask how much someone gets paid. However in the military (in most cases), if you know my rank and how long I've been in the Army you know how much I make.

Everyone gets something called BAH (house money that varies from city to city) and BAS (food money). That also varies according to rank. See link below for the 2009 military pay chart.

http://www.dfas.mil/militarypay/militarypaytables/2009MilitaryPayTables.pdf

From my understanding I would be eligible to enter as an officer 1?

Having a 4 yr degree is a requirement for being an O-1/2LT, BUT there are a few hoops you have to jump through. What would I do if I were in your shoes?

Option 1. Join ROTC and become a 2LT

Option 2. Graduate, see a recruiter and have him state in your contract "OCS after Basic Training"

Option 3. Graduate, have ROTC pay for your Masters and maybe join as a 1LT

Option 4. Graduate, enlist and apply for OCS after your initial commitment (least recommended)

What is pay like after x years out of the army?

Good question. In the military, you are eligible to retire after 15 years of active service. Most people retire after 20 years to receive 50% of their base pay. If you want to leave earlier the government offers something called veterans preference. If you completed your commitment and left the military on good terms, you have hiring preference over those who haven’t served. This only guaranteed for federal government jobs.

I'll defer to driz on the civilian hiring practices of veterans. He's experienced that first hand.

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

Whats your MOS?

Sounds like a simple question, but its not. There are 3 special "regular" branches in the Army that really don’t follow the norm (JAG, Chaplains, and Medical). Medical Officers have a MOS, AOC (Area of Concentration), and an ASI (Additional Skill Identifier).

What's your MOS = Where do you live? Earth

Short Answer: Currently I'm a 67D73A2N = Behavioral Medicine Social Work Clinical Informatics Officer.

However, driz is a specialty outside the "regular" branches. He is a FA24. I'll let him explain that one.

[Guest Waffle]

Do you HAVE to memorize EVERYTHING? If so I would be so fucked.. I have memory problems lol.

[driz 2626]

I didnt read chosen's post before replying

[driz 2626]

During your 4th and 8th year as an officer (an O3 requirement) you can request to be boarded to become a functional area which is like.. super specialized .. specifically im FA24, which is telecommunications officer... we are basically engineers, both electrical and network. We go through cisco training up to the professional level in routing and voice, we know circuitry and advanced EE (grad level) and EXTREME math... (during the course, we covered 19 semesters of upper level math in 22 days, very high failure rate)

i did an FA24 job during my last deployment, it was neat, basically I went to Kabul, Afghanistan, and spec'd a site. Once the specing was done, my team and I came up with a plan to build a fiber optic ring underground, build shelters for our switching closets and a tactical control facility which housed the POP connecting to the satellite. Once we did this, we decided how much power that required, then talked to our civil engineers for "standard power reqs" and based on our diagrams, it was done. It's pretty kick ass to create something on paper and see it implemented. I left and went to bagram afghanistan to optimize their existing infrastructure, then returned to kabul to configure the routers connecting to the "cloud"

overall, the job is pretty kickass.

[driz 2626]

Do you HAVE to memorize EVERYTHING? If so I would be so fucked.. I have memory problems lol.

no, but you'll notice that you start to just remember shit out of repetition... Although a good memory will be a great help...

[Crothers 0]

stupid GS10 pay rate... FBI woulda been fun too. But seriously, who can live on that income? I have needs.

FBI is paid better than most think, sure their paygrades are ass and a half. However they get various pays when on assignment that makes them money.

All done and said, if they have a good week, it shows in their check.

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

FBI is paid better than most think, sure their paygrades are ass and a half. However they get various pays when on assignment that makes them money.

All done and said, if they have a good week, it shows in their check.

All GS employees get what’s called Locality Pay. You get paid according to the city where you work. When they go on assignment they get what’s called TDY Pay (Temporary Duty). They get a set rate for hotel, food, and sometimes gas costs. That goes for all federal employees, not just the FBI. I had a GS-13 work for me as the CIO of a hospital. Leaving the Army to become a GS-10 wouldn't be prudent.

[PresidentChaos 0]

How is bootcamp?

Which has a "better" AF or army?

Which one can I fly a choppa?

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

How is bootcamp?

Which has a "better" AF or army?

Which one can I fly a choppa?

Well, the Army Basic Training is more physically demanding than the Air Force Basic Training. Only Officers and Warrant Officers fly a "choppa".

"Choppa" Requirements:

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard

Officer or Warrant Officer

Secret Security Clearance or Higher

Graduate of the Aviation Officer Basic Course

Pass a Flight Physical

[Guest Fohacidal]

Sounds like a simple question, but its not. There are 3 special "regular" branches in the Army that really don’t follow the norm (JAG, Chaplains, and Medical). Medical Officers have a MOS, AOC (Area of Concentration), and an ASI (Additional Skill Identifier).

What's your MOS = Where do you live? Earth

Short Answer: Currently I'm a 67D73A2N = Behavioral Medicine Social Work Clinical Informatics Officer.

However, driz is a specialty outside the "regular" branches. He is a FA24. I'll let him explain that one.

No I actually meant what your MOS was, I have my reasons for asking to.

[PresidentChaos 0]

Well, the Army Basic Training is more physically demanding than the Air Force Basic Training. Only Officers and Warrant Officers fly a "choppa".

"Choppa" Requirements:

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard

Officer or Warrant Officer

Secret Security Clearance or Higher

Graduate of the Aviation Officer Basic Course

Pass a Flight Physical

ima get myself a choppa

[Guest Fohacidal]

Well, the Army Basic Training is more physically demanding than the Air Force Basic Training. Only Officers and Warrant Officers fly a "choppa".

"Choppa" Requirements:

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard

Officer or Warrant Officer

Secret Security Clearance or Higher

Graduate of the Aviation Officer Basic Course

Pass a Flight Physical

This I can elaborate on for the army. To become a rotor head you need to complete a full package for submission. In this package you need a full physical, qualifying ASVAB (good GT scores) and AFAST scores. You also need a secret clearance and a full flight physical (composed of 2 phases)

Once done and admitted youll also be able to choose additional MOS's before you enter warrant officer training and actual flight school. Good recommendations are airborne and air assault

[ChosenOne2000 4440]

No I actually meant what your MOS was, I have my reasons for asking to.

67D73A2N = Behavioral Medicine Social Work Clinical Informatics Officer

Current MOS = 67D, AOC = 73A, ASI = 2N