Any advice for someone going active duty?

Have a positive attitude and seek out oppertunities to excel after you finish basic.

 

get used to the heat and humidity at Ft Benning, Ga - drink lots of water and watch out for the fire ants that are all over the place.

get in shape

get used to getting by on 3-4 hours of sleep

keep a positive attitude

in basic/ait, keep your mouth shut and keep your ears open

if you spent time in JROTC, don't let the instructors find out LOL

good luck!

 

All very good points, I'll add use common sense. I went through in 2005 and some people must have been so intimidated that they forgot about common sense. The other very important thing is attention to detail. If you go to Benning in the later months Oct-Feb, don't be surprised if it becomes freezing cold. I didn't think it got so cold there but it got down to 25 more than once.

 

Except all oppurtunies for additional duties. These will lead to quicker promotions.

Stay positive and when you do evetually get a compete jerk for a boss, remember, this to will pass.



Thank you for your service.

 

While I'm USAF i agree on the sleep thing. I don't think i've gotten more than 4 hours, maybe five of sleep on a working night in 3 years.


Good socks and good boots, especially if you're going infantry. I'm Security Forces (military police, though we do have some infantry-like roles and do patrolling, etc) we learn that quick....either marching miles in training with a ruck etc or standing for hours on end (9-12 some days) on a static post........them $9/pair socks start being "worth it" on bad days.

 

You will actually be surprised how easy Basic is if you have the right mindset. Hell, the Drill Sergeants didn't even know I was in their platoon until about week five. Lay low, learn as much as you can and do whatever they tell you to do. The Infantry is a tough job but it will be an experience you will never forget, especially if you see combat.

Also, if you are ever on patrol in a foreign country (Iraq) and things seem too quiet or not quite right, be ready for anything.

Good Luck!

 

Stay off the radar during initial training. Keep your mouth shut and your ears open. Do as you're told and do it quickly. Basic has turned into a shadow of its former self.

I hope you went Airborne. You don't want to be a dirty leg.

 

Save your pay! Use what they provide instead of buying (unless there is a major improvement).

Learn when to listen.

Keep your opinions to yourself.

Keep a positive additude.

 

Sounds like sound advice to me!

Airborne — All the Way!

 

I dont remember being that fortunate. As for being in Iraq for 2 out of 4 years that all depends on which unit s you get put in hasn't anything to do with what your recruiter will tell you mine told me all sorts of stuff but only about 20% of it turned out to be true or happen the way I expected it.

 

Prepare to deploy to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

Learn how to handle being yelled and cursed-out. Leadership in the Infantry is measured by who can yell the loudest and curse the most.

Go for a different MOS, that big fat bonus you will be receiving is available in other MOS's.

Think twice about being a grunt.

 

I have to disagree there. Being a grunt is the best decision I ever made! I have seen the rest of the army and all I have to say is no thanks!

 

Same applies in the other services as well I guess, besides grunts are getting some pretty insane bonuses over here in the MC atm, I can't imagine the Army is much different.

 

I can agree and disagree with this. If someone is planning to stay in the military then Infantry/Combat Arms is a great choice. If you're planning on doing 2-4 years then moving on Infantry doesn't translate the best to civilian life. Your overall military experience obviously translates but Infantry skills won't for a lot of jobs. This wouldn't be the case if your looking into LEO type work though.

 

some people love infantry, other think they love it. make sure you check out more than one mos. good point about the civilian opportunities, infantry makes you kinda limited to LEO and security type jobs. if there something else you might want to do after you hang up the uniform then it might make more sense to branch a different mos.