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I was planning to enlist with the USAF but realized that my credit score/debt would most likely disqualify me. Pretty bummed out about that but I'd still like to enlist so I was looking at the Army. Before I rush into anything, I just had a few questions.
I fully intend to meet with a recruiter but I'd like to get a little more knowledge before I went to that step.
- I know with the AF, once you get through MEPS, the wait is a few mths or more until you get sent to Basic. Is it the same for the Army or are you immediately sent out from MEPS?
- After Basic, you go through schooling/training for your MOS, right? Then what happens?
- I was told deployment is almost inevitable. Where does that generally fall into things? Before training for your MOS or after?
- I familiarized myself with what to expect at AF basic training and I know it's harder for the Army. What should I expect?
- After Basic, you go through schooling/training for your MOS, right? Then what happens?
After your AIT (MOS School) you normally go to your first permanent duty assignment.
Quote:
- I was told deployment is almost inevitable. Where does that generally fall into things? Before training for your MOS or after?
After you are trained in your MOS, but you could be assigned almost anywhere. There are a lot of variables.
Quote:
- I familiarized myself with what to expect at AF basic training and I know it's harder for the Army. What should I expect?
You should expect a lot of physical training, so the better shape you are in the batter off you are. Do what you are told. Do not quit. Stick with your buddies...
After your AIT (MOS School) you normally go to your first permanent duty assignment.
After you are trained in your MOS, but you could be assigned almost anywhere. There are a lot of variables.
You should expect a lot of physical training, so the better shape you are in the batter off you are. Do what you are told. Do not quit. Stick with your buddies...
Go luck to you, I am retired Army.
Rich
Thanks so much. I have a couple months before I could get to signing up (some things to take care of first) so I planned to start doing a lot of physical training in that time.
I was planning to enlist with the USAF but realized that my credit score/debt would most likely disqualify me. Pretty bummed out about that but I'd still like to enlist so I was looking at the Army. Before I rush into anything, I just had a few questions.
I fully intend to meet with a recruiter but I'd like to get a little more knowledge before I went to that step.
- I know with the AF, once you get through MEPS, the wait is a few mths or more until you get sent to Basic. Is it the same for the Army or are you immediately sent out from MEPS?
- After Basic, you go through schooling/training for your MOS, right? Then what happens?
- I was told deployment is almost inevitable. Where does that generally fall into things? Before training for your MOS or after?
- I familiarized myself with what to expect at AF basic training and I know it's harder for the Army. What should I expect?
Thanks in advance everyone.
MEPS: Completely depends on the MOS you end up with, and how many folks are enlisting lately both in the Army in general and the MOS you are going to. You could literally ship out the next day, or it could be a few months. There has to be a 'training seat' that lines up in two schools minimum (a slot in the basic training class and an advanced individual training class), or one longer school for some combat arms (one-station unit training). You do have some influence here. My advice: if you're going Army, bite the bullet, and just get it started if your desired MOS is open-and for rare/hard to get MOSes (like satellite comms specialist), just take it-get the schools.
After Basic AND AIT, successful, you will normally be given the opportunity to take leave. Your choice whether to or not, and leave is at YOUR expense. While on leave-do not, do not, do NOT fail to do PT and show up at your new station unable to pass a PT test, a hugely common error of new soldiers. You will be given the opportunity to have movers come to your permanent home to pick up your stuff, which gets shipped to your permanent station (if you don't take leave, I'm not sure how that works to get your stuff to your new station). Don't take more than a few hundred pounds of stuff if you're single-you'll be sharing a barracks room with a wall locker to yourself, basically.
Then you will be told to report to an airport-the closest one to where you trained or are on leave (with the caveat that the flight from leave location not cost the Army more than from your training station to your permanent station)-and be given a flight to an airport close to your permanent duty station. Someone will meet you there and pick you up (it might be pretty cold and impersonal for a brand new soldier), take you to an inprocessing detachment, and then you're off and running.
You won't deploy without successful training and award of an MOS, period, in the Army. For those who are gaming the system to avoid deploying (not saying you are, just in case someone is reading who IS): failing multiple schools to avoid getting an MOS and thus deploying will equal being put out of the Army.
Basic isn't honestly all that bad. It's tough, but it's designed for you to succeed. Don't buy into the hype 'it's harder when I was going through' you will hear from veteran soldiers. Untrue. It's just as hard now as it ever was back in the 80s.
9 weeks (I think) now. Basic drill and ceremonies, uniform issue and wear, basic weapons work, barracks life, basic soldier tasks like land navigation, Army values, some basic field problems. It's called 'training' rather than 'education' for a reason-look up the words-you will repeat and repeat and repeat things until they are in your muscle memory. Not a huge amount of sleep, but you'll get enough. Most people lose weight and gain muscle.
I have been in the Air Force for nearly 20 years and I have worked with US Army personnel on many occasions. It is a very "joint" world nowadays, and I can actually remember back to a time when even seeing a person from a different service was sort of a novelty.
At any rate, my main point here is do not be disappointed at all in joining the US Army. I have the utmost respect for them and they are very good at what they do. Sure, they are different than the USAF, but it's because their doctrine demands that they excel in those unique missions, which are not found in the other services.
I highly, highly recommend the US Army to anyone. What are you waiting for? Your country needs you, go join ASAP!!
I have been in the Air Force for nearly 20 years and I have worked with US Army personnel on many occasions. It is a very "joint" world nowadays, and I can actually remember back to a time when even seeing a person from a different service was sort of a novelty.
At any rate, my main point here is do not be disappointed at all in joining the US Army. I have the utmost respect for them and they are very good at what they do. Sure, they are different than the USAF, but it's because their doctrine demands that they excel in those unique missions, which are not found in the other services.
I highly, highly recommend the US Army to anyone. What are you waiting for? Your country needs you, go join ASAP!!
Oh trust me, no disappointment in joining the Army here. I can do the same work I had wanted to do in the AF. One of the reasons I didn't go for the Army from the get-go is my fear of their Basic Training. But I'm just "researching" what to expect and just trying to familiarize myself with it to try and take that fear out and so far it's been working haha. I'm starting to become very excited for it, actually.
Don't take more than a few hundred pounds of stuff if you're single-you'll be sharing a barracks room with a wall locker to yourself, basically.
Thanks for all that information. Just one last question because I was told that if you're single, you can choose to room with someone else on base to avoid living in the barracks. Is that true or how does that work?
Thanks for all that information. Just one last question because I was told that if you're single, you can choose to room with someone else on base to avoid living in the barracks. Is that true or how does that work?
If you are married you have the option of living in base housing when available or off base commercial housing. When single you live in the barracks and normally share a room/living area with one other soldier (not of your choosing). Normally single soldiers that are E-6 or above can elect to live off post.
So no, you can not avoid the barracks unless married or an E-6 or above.
Thanks for all that information. Just one last question because I was told that if you're single, you can choose to room with someone else on base to avoid living in the barracks. Is that true or how does that work?
Lower enlisted, no. You will be in a barracks about 99.9% of the time. I HAVE seen enlisted gang together and rent an apartment. It was really cool when I was a Corporal; 2-man room and my roommate did that, so he was hardly ever in the room.
That is not a recommended way to do it and is essentially you spending your personal money to get the enjoyment of renting an apartment; you MUST maintain your barracks space for accountability and inspections, there is no slack cut if you oversleep (*cough* hung over *cough*) and are late, and the Army won't give you any housing allowance for having a place off post.
Better just to knuckle down, live clean (and free in the barracks!), take advantage of the on-post amenities-gym, library, education center, and work hard to be a good Soldier and make some rank-it doesn't take really long at all. You'll be at a rank where you have the option of living off post on Uncle Sam's dime in no time.
Lower enlisted, no. You will be in a barracks about 99.9% of the time. I HAVE seen enlisted gang together and rent an apartment. It was really cool when I was a Corporal; 2-man room and my roommate did that, so he was hardly ever in the room.
That is not a recommended way to do it and is essentially you spending your personal money to get the enjoyment of renting an apartment; you MUST maintain your barracks space for accountability and inspections, there is no slack cut if you oversleep (*cough* hung over *cough*) and are late, and the Army won't give you any housing allowance for having a place off post.
Better just to knuckle down, live clean (and free in the barracks!), take advantage of the on-post amenities-gym, library, education center, and work hard to be a good Soldier and make some rank-it doesn't take really long at all. You'll be at a rank where you have the option of living off post on Uncle Sam's dime in no time.
I was actually on goarmy.com today and saw they had a 360* view of the barracks so I checked that out and they don't look at all what I expected them to look like. Honestly, I wouldn't mind living in them... I was just curious as to what my options were.
Thanks again!
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