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If your boyfriend is joining the air force, and you are serious about either marriage or continuing Your relationship the best bet would be to also joint the air force, get married and hope you can both get the same duty locations.
Military life is not easy. There are personal sacrifices, but if you are doing it for the right reasons it can be immensely rewarding and satisfying.
You have to understand yourself. Know who you are, what makes you happy and what you want. Find a way to get what you want.
The idea of being a cop might not be as cool, exciting, romantic, adventurous as actually being an on base cop. It might not be what you think it is. Military police, security forces may be different from what you expect.
Try to talk to people who have been there done that who can give you an idea on what daily and yearly life will be like. There also may be many awesome jobs or career fields you don't know exist that would be perfect for you that you would love. Learn as much as you can know your options.
Going the guard or active. This is strictly my opinion, but the air national guard is the best hidden secret out there. You would enlist knowing exactly your job, very low unit turnover, pretty relaxed enviornment, you deploy with friends and your leaders treat you extremely well. YMMV and you can still maintain some form of "regular civilan" life most of the month but get to do really cool worthwhile things and get as involved as you want to become. There are always opportunities to do more, deploy extra etc..
Just know that when you join any branch of the military, its no longer about you anymore. You are a small part of something larger than yourself and you are willfully giving up control over aspects of your life and what you can control. You have to have the right attitude and be willing to accept that and thrive in it.
Talk to multiple recruiters. Find the best fit for you.
When I was in basic guys who came in as E-3s did get razed by the drill sergeants for having rank. It wasn't unbearable, it was just an extra jab here and there.
Serving in the military isn't going to help you make detective any faster. If you apply to a civil service agency, an Honorable Discharge will get you veterans points added to your exam score, which will bump you up the list. You will still need to do well enough on the oral interviews(s) and whatever battery of tests that are given in order to move on in the process.
Yes, you can be in the reserves and be a police officer. For a small department, you may find yourself being a less attractive candidate because your deployment will cause significant scheduling issues and significantly impact the overtime budget.
Unless you have at least two back-up dog watchers, the military is not for you. Pet ownership and the enlisted life are not compatible.
Hello, I have a few questions about the military. To start out, I'm thinking about joining the army. I'm not 100% set on that branch and may change after some research, but as of right now, it's what I'm going with. Okay, so here's what I've got.
1. How likely am I to be deployed? And is it more likely in reserves or active? How long do deployments last? Are there certain jobs that don't deploy/deploy less? And lastly, are there certain branches that deploy less? The only reason I ask is because I have two dogs. My boyfriend plans on joining the Air Force, so if we both got deployed, I'm not exactly sure what we'd do. And getting rid of them is absolutely out of the question.
2. Okay, next. I will have my Associates degree in Criminal Justice next year around summer. I was told to sign up before getting my degree, because they'll give you a hard time because you aren't deserving of a higher rank. Any truth to this?
3. I want to join the police as well. The main goal is to be a detective. I was told if I'm in the reserves, I can still join the police, is that true? And for anyone who knows a bit more about police, if I join the military, will that help me become a detective faster at all?
4. Are there certain jobs you can't do while in the reserves?
I may have more questions later, but that's it for now.
Honey, we have friends who are dual military. Their life is always up in the air. They have gone as far as having her cousin move in as a nanny to their children. She's suppose to be going to school soon, he's suppose to deploy. Life is going to get real for them real quick.
I may be just the wife to my husband but I will give you my aspects of being married to it.
1) Deployment is going to happen. Reserves or active. Deployments are going to depend on what is going on. My husband's first deployment was 15 months...his shortest was 5 1/2 months. A friend of ours her husband is returning from a 9 month deployment. Each branch...you will have some kind of deployment. You are a military member first, MOS second.
2) You can have a degree and it may help you with rank, but honestly those under you will have more respect for you if you work your way up. My husband had did some ROTC in college and he was able to go in as an E3.
3) MP- they are your military police (the air force calls them SF which is Security Forces...not to be confused with Special Forces in the Army). I have a friend who has been an MP her entire time in the military. Never really a detective. She is active duty reserves and currently is a supply sgt.
Please, please don't follow a man for your career choices. It would be different if it was your husband.
Hello, I have a few questions about the military. To start out, I'm thinking about joining the army. I'm not 100% set on that branch and may change after some research, but as of right now, it's what I'm going with. Okay, so here's what I've got.
1. How likely am I to be deployed? And is it more likely in reserves or active? How long do deployments last? Are there certain jobs that don't deploy/deploy less? And lastly, are there certain branches that deploy less? The only reason I ask is because I have two dogs. My boyfriend plans on joining the Air Force, so if we both got deployed, I'm not exactly sure what we'd do. And getting rid of them is absolutely out of the question.
2. Okay, next. I will have my Associates degree in Criminal Justice next year around summer. I was told to sign up before getting my degree, because they'll give you a hard time because you aren't deserving of a higher rank. Any truth to this?
3. I want to join the police as well. The main goal is to be a detective. I was told if I'm in the reserves, I can still join the police, is that true? And for anyone who knows a bit more about police, if I join the military, will that help me become a detective faster at all?
4. Are there certain jobs you can't do while in the reserves?
I may have more questions later, but that's it for now.
1. No one can give you an answer to this. It varies for every person. I've been in 18 years and never deployed. Others would have deployed 10 times by now.
1. No one can give you an answer to this. It varies for every person. I've been in 18 years and never deployed. Others would have deployed 10 times by now.
2. NO truth to this.
3. Check out "NCIS" and "OSI"
NCIS is an all-civilian organization, requiring a bachelor's degree before you can even apply. While some agents are in the Reserves, it's a hard row to hoe, because an NCIS special agent is just as prone to sudden deployments as a military member. If the Director decides your special agent job takes precedence over your Reserve/National Guard job, the Director wins. The Reserve Component heads aren't going to tangle with a person who reports directly to the Secretary of the Navy.
AFOSI has more than 2,000 military and civilian federally credentialed special agents. The command has more than 1,000 professional and military staff personnel providing operational support command-wide. The military and civilian professionals are supported by nearly 400 Air Force Reservists, both officer and enlisted. AFOSI Reservists are Individual Mobilization Augmentees, who serve as both credentialed special agents and professional staff members. Can't enlist for AFOSI, though. You'd have to start with the Security Forces: https://www.airforce.com/careers/fea...ecurity-forces
The Coast Guard Investigative Service is comprised of a mix of active duty military special agents (enlisted, warrant officer and officer), civilian special agents (1811 series), and special agents who are members of the Coast Guard Reserve. These agents along with support personnel are spread out across the United States in eight regional offices and 35 Resident Agent offices along with CGIS-HQ located in Washington, DC. https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg2/CGIS/
Both Marine Corps and Army Criminal Investigation organizations are open only to E-5 and above applicants. Basic MP units are very similar to the Army MP Corps in function and deployment likelihood, only they're Marines first and foremost (and that's a thang). https://www.thebalance.com/mos-5811-...iption-3345569
As an old Army type of the MI and MP persuasion, you don't sound like you're at all ready to tangle with the Army and especially not with the USMC. Our MP units in all components are busier than one-armed paperhangers. Deployment is not an "if" but a "when".
Suggest you sit down with recruiters from all four services and figure out if any branch fits, but suggest you lean more toward USCG and USAF.
DH and I became Army MPs in 1985. We were told even then that the Army police force was going civilian. While there are still MPs DA police have taken over many of our old duties.
Many of our duty stations were 12 hour shifts. MPs do not get day hours, they do not get holidays off. DH missed the birth of one of our children. I have lost count of all the birthdays, anniversaries, school plays and parent teacher conferences that DH has missed (I was medically discharged in the 80s) during his 23 years AD.
In his time he was an road MP, a corrections MP, a Drill Sergeant and MPI. He was deployed in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. He went to Korea twice (12 month unaccompanied tours) and 6 schools at least 2 months (2 were 4 months).
All of our friends that we've known during all of those years have divorced (some 2 or 3 times). We are literally the only couple still together.
DH is deaf in one ear (Range NCO), both hips, knees and ankles have arthritis (started in his mid 30s). He broke his neck in 1994. He was SO lucky that he recovered and was able to finish his time but, he had to have 3 surgeries on his neck and has severe arthritis from his neck down his spine. He has headaches a couple of times a week.
We are very proud of our Service, but if you are thinking of going in and having a "regular" life with no separations or deployments you are dreaming.
The army gave us a good life, but there have been costs.
DH and I became Army MPs in 1985. We were told even then that the Army police force was going civilian. While there are still MPs DA police have taken over many of our old duties.
Many of our duty stations were 12 hour shifts. MPs do not get day hours, they do not get holidays off. DH missed the birth of one of our children. I have lost count of all the birthdays, anniversaries, school plays and parent teacher conferences that DH has missed (I was medically discharged in the 80s) during his 23 years AD.
In his time he was an road MP, a corrections MP, a Drill Sergeant and MPI. He was deployed in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. He went to Korea twice (12 month unaccompanied tours) and 6 schools at least 2 months (2 were 4 months).
All of our friends that we've known during all of those years have divorced (some 2 or 3 times). We are literally the only couple still together.
DH is deaf in one ear (Range NCO), both hips, knees and ankles have arthritis (started in his mid 30s). He broke his neck in 1994. He was SO lucky that he recovered and was able to finish his time but, he had to have 3 surgeries on his neck and has severe arthritis from his neck down his spine. He has headaches a couple of times a week.
We are very proud of our Service, but if you are thinking of going in and having a "regular" life with no separations or deployments you are dreaming.
The army gave us a good life, but there have been costs.
Great post!
Everyone thinking about joining should read this post multiple times and digest the information in it.
Your last sentence wraps it up.
The Army was great to me. In 8 years of active duty, I must have brought in over $1 million in benefits from salary, medical (especially the birth of our daughter who spend 5 weeks in the NICU after emergency c section), student loans and GI Bill.
But it has also come with great sacrifice like those you mentioned above. Fortunately I did not suffer any long term injuries. Do have considerably more wear and tear on my body, though.
Made some great friends along the way. Men and women I consider brothers and sisters who we would put our own lives on the line for.
But it's not for everyone. Not everyone can do it.
I would recommend that you first go talk to a detective at your local law enforcement agency. Let them tell you what it takes. Everyone I have ever met worked their way up from patrol, they all have advanced degrees in subjects such as forensics, and everyone had a least a decade in law enforcement before they got a sniff at detective.
college education and on-the-job training is still a requirement.
training from a police academy to acquire skills and knowledge needed to meet career requirements.
Homeland security, business administration, or criminal justice are among the recommended areas of study one should pursue to join the law enforcement field.
Foreign language is another area of study that is highly recommended
In most cases, individuals seeking a career as an investigator need to start off as police officers.
The work environment of a detective may vary greatly. This usually depends upon a number of factors. Usually, individuals at the beginner level need to first complete a probationary period and also acquire on-the-job training.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median detective salary in 2010 was *around $68,000. The demand for such professionals is expected to grow as the need for more security in our society is on the rise.
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