Join Army or drive a truck?

[Darin Younce]

Ok I will throw my 2ct,s worth in. When I first decided to get into trucking I had no idea what OTR trucking would be like . I went to Orientation and the training Manager made it very plain that life will definately be different where Kids are concerned . He made suggestions such as , "buy them an atlas and each night call them and have them find where you are on it , that way they would not think you were so far away". For some reason , that really sunk in . I have always been around for my kids since they were born and decided that being away 90 % of the time was not fair to them . If I had been a driver before they were born I suppose they would have been used to it but I just kept thinking , I brought these kids in this world , really it is not fair to them for me to all of a sudden to not be there . I say all of this concerning your
idea of joining the Army. Surely you will be gone much more than a truck driver so I have to say If I were you I would not put those kids in the position of looking at a globe just to make them think you are not that far away. Good Luck !

[Trucker4Life]

I personally wouldn't fight for this country. I ran into someone at unemployment who felt the same way.

You, comrade, are a great party liner.

Freedom is not free...Someone paid.

[JeffTheTerrible]

With all my special duty pays and extras before benefits my pay was around 60,000. Most of that was non taxable. add the benefits like medical and dental.......sure is alot to walk away from.

So it wouldn't be a problem for you to post a LES to verify this? I certainly don't remember such a total amount during my time in.

Well add up you BAS, BAQ, base pay, hazardous duty pay, when on ship...sea pay, get in an MOS that pays Pro Pay, get flight qualified as a crewman in C-12 and get flight pay and top it off with VHA. And when I worked in Washinton DC i got an allowence each year to buy suits to work in. Maybe you should have checked out all the opperatunities that were there for you to take when you were in. I retired a MSGT. I have a nephew that is in the Navy in their Nuclear program and he was an E-6 in lest than a year so go figure.

By 'flight qualified', do you mean as a pilot, or as a ground crewman?

I think the army has special programs that allow you to enlist for less than 4 years now. I read that a while back in an effort to get recruitment up.

That's old news. I knew people who'd enlisted for two and three year terms when I first signed up.

Not to confuse the issue, but you could join the military as a truck driver, that way you get the benefits of military experience and some truck driving experience as well. Of course after you leave the military the experience won't count much for getting a civilian job.

Driving tactical vehicles... no. BUT, you may have noticed, from time to time, you'll happen across licensed commercial vehicles operated by the Navy and Air Force, and they're required to hold a CDL the same as the rest of us, log their hours, cross scale houses, obtain OSL permits, etc.

I really don't care to read through the rest of this, so forgive me if you felt like you made a post which deserves particular attention, but I simply don't have the time. My $.02 worth, as someone who has done both..

All I can really say is that it's your choice. I'm on my eighth years of military service (active duty from 98-02, with a tour in Afghanistan, Army Reserve from 02 - 04, two year break in service, Army Reserve 02 - present). I've recently returned from a tour in Irak, in which I ended up losing the lower half of my right leg. Does it suck? Yes. Majorly. Sometimes, I think I can still feel the part of my leg which is missing. Sometimes, I get out of bed, and 'forget' that I have to wear a prosthesis now, and end up busting my ass. Sound like a case against the military?
Guess what - it could've just as easily happened to me in trucking or sitework. I saw a guy lose his arm when his dump truck laid over as he hung his arm out the window. It didn't take any longer for that to happen to him than it did for me to lose a bit of weight, as I prefer to say it.
The choice is yours to make, and you to consider all factors of your life which will be affected by the choice you do eventually make. Talk it over with your family, because it'll affect them, as well. Consider your options. Have you taken the ASVAB yet? Find out what MOS will be available to you, and, regardless of which occupation sounds more fun, more adventurous, et al., pick one which will be of some use to you, should you decide not to reenlist at your ETS date.
I went in as 91B (now it's 68W), which was a combat medic. And it really had no bearing on civilian employment once I got out. If I hadn't taken the initiative to become certified as a paramedic, and to find part-time employment as a civil EMT-P, having been a medic in the Army wouldn't have any difference in terms of civilian employment. The infantry has a real bad problem with this, as well.
Also remember that, if you do decide to join the military, you're in for an eight year commitment, with any time not served as a member of the active or reserve forces spent on the Individual Ready Reserve. Meaning that, if you do four years, say, "to hell with this", and get out, there's still a four year period after that which they're free to recall you as they see fit.
As for me, it wasn't too difficult of a decision to make. As a Finnish citizen, I had an obligation to serve at least a year in the Maavoimat. I was 17, no wife, no kids, nothing better to do, so I decided that I'd rather serve in the American military than the Finnish military, is all. Your situation is much different. You need to evaluate everything carefully before you decide. In the end, you may find neither one to be the best option for you.

[sbatson]

I sit and watch and hear what is going on in this war and at times I feel that I need to put my time in, but at the same time I feel bad about leaving my family alone for 12 to 15 months if I go to Iraq :sad: , but on the flip side I know it would be a good deal for me and my family with all the Army could offer us!

[JeffTheTerrible]

I feel that I need to put my time in

If personal feelings of guilt are your incentive for enlisting, then you're probably considering it for the wrong reasons. Get this notion out of your head. If this is difficult, talk to someone from a country with compulsory military service (what country comes to mind, I wonder? Perhaps Finland? There's also Germany, Switzerland... oh, hell, just look here, and it'll tell you which countries have mandatory military service).
You need to make the decision that you feel is best for you and your family, and that needs to be the ultimate deciding factor in the decision you make - nothing else. If it isn't right for you, then don't go. If you truly feel that it is, then go for it.

[honestashol]

What do you guys think?

I think out of all the vices, the worst is advice.

The Army will teach you something useful to fall back on, plus the benefits will help with the family.

I'm not a driver yet, but my one regret outside of that redhead in Pinehurst is not joining the military.

[JeffTheTerrible]

The Army will teach you something useful to fall back on

That's really not a certain thing. Ask anyone who's been in the infantry, armour, cavalry, or field artillery what it left them to fall back on once they got out. As I said before, if anyone is considering the military, then they should choose their MOS wisely, because there is a lot of stuff in the military which has no relevance in the civilian world, should they choose not to make a career of it.

[century451]

I was a crewchief part time on a C-12, I was also qualified for F-14, A-6, AV8A. Thats just to take videos out of the backseat. As long as you flew the minimum hours on Aircraft you got to draw the pay. Same thing for pilots....they dont get those hours they lose the pay.

LES?????? I havent had one of those in alot of years but feel free to look up the pay online. Seeing as your the one to doubt what I say then you need to research it yourself or you will just say I contrived it on the computer. While your at it see if you can find anything on reenlistment bonuses. Make sure you got some baby wipes handy cause your gonna crap yourself when you see what some of them are

[BigWheels]

...I'm not a driver yet, but my one regret outside of that redhead in Pinehurst is not joining the military.

Yeah but I bet that redhead in Pinehurst is way worth it! 8)

[sbatson]

I know the Army would be great for me and the family and the pay isnt that bad and hell you can get up to like $ 40,000 not including the G.I. Bill just to inlist and I would go in as 88m ( vehicle operater) or unit supply or light wheel mechanic but I just cant over leaving my family for a 12 to 18 month deployment!

[JeffTheTerrible]

Not everyone gets those bonuses. First, you have to qualify for it, and then, there may be additional restrictions tacked on (for example, you may have to enlist for particular duty stations, certain occupations, etc).
You really need to expand your horizons. If you go in as 88M, it won't get you a CDL, although it might get you some experience driving semi-articulated vehicles, but even that isn't guaranteed in any way. You may be assigned to a unit which operates nothing larger than a 5-ton straight truck, which really won't be of much use to you, should you decide to get out and pursue a career in driving commercial vehicles. I took driving school here at Johnston Community College, and we had a number of people who had been 88M in the Army, or an equivalent in another branch of service, and they really didn't have any advantage over anyone else in the class, because had only operated 5 tons or MTVRs during their time in.
I did get a check from the government for $900, through the GI Bill, but I had also put $1200 into the GI Bill, so take that for what it's worth.
Take some time and seriously consider what occupations really leave you with something worthwhile if you should decide not to reenlist. Working in communications or being a welder (just some examples) may seem boring, but you'll have something which can be applied to the civilian sector. Sure, it may seem more adventurous to go into the infantry, but, once you get out, you're back to square one, as you don't gain any job skills applicable in the civil sector with such an occupation.

[Ronin]

My kid brother just got back from his deployment in Iraq. I haven't been able to get ahold of him yet but I'm still trying.

My brother made the choice to serve and anyone who does has my respect. But, it is not a decision to be made lightly. My brother was 22 and recently divorced with no kids when he went reserve. He knew the risks because he did his due diligence like his father and I taught him. He knew even if he had kids that there would be people to take care of them, and if needed to tend to him if he was wounded.

He got his signing bonus but he is a Combat Engineer who was sent to take care of IED's so he got some hazard pay in addition to his combat zone and active pay.

While some may argue why our bothers, sisters, sons, daughters, or grandkids are over there I know only that they are there, and to me that is sufficient to lend them my support.

[larryh31]

I would'nt join the Army or the Marines during a time of war. I would however join the Air Force or the Navy. You have a family to think about, Air Forrce life will be much safer for you. Also make sure that you get training in something like computers or medicine. That way you can find a decent job when you get out. There are not a whole lot of jobs out here grunts except law enforcement.