Does the U S. Army offer good travel opportunities?

I was told that if you sign up for the U.S Army and complete your basic training,you will assigned duty at a location that they determine.I was also told that,assuming you completed your intial tour satisfactorly and you werent an active solider fighting in a direct action,you could pick the country you wished to serve in if you re-enlisted.Is this true?

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KentuckyWildcats · M

Best advice I can a young man that is considering joining the military is to make the Air Force their 1st option. Find you a job/school that interests you that will transfer over to a career when your enlistment is up.

Air Force has the best living conditions of all the military branches. Rank isn't as easy to obtain but the schooling is worth a lot more in the long run. You can just about bank on 3 hot meals and clean sheets daily!

Whatever you decide, get it in writing from the recruiter.

Most importantly, if you do decide to go the military route, whatever branch, from DAY ONE, save every document that passes through your hands. Make copies for safekeeping if necessary. You may find later in life when dealing with Veterans Affairs that some of your records are missing from your files and you can produce them to prove for example that you were seen on sick call for such and such or treated at the base hospital for an illness. Whatever, later in life you may have a disability claim for a service-connected disability through the VA and you have proof you were treated.

Good Luck!

goneNow6565

@KentuckyWildcats Yea but Air Force doesn't come with the same level of benefits that being in the Army does. The Army was pouring money on its recruits when I joined. The Air Force was pretty much trying to tell me I needed to prove to them that I was worthy.

DavidT8899 · 22-25, M

@goneNow6565 Well,the Army does come with a signing bonus.......

goneNow6565

@DavidT8899 Yea it was 60k when I enlisted way back around 9/11. Either way, I recommend the military to any young man. The benefits I have from being a part of that team still follow me around to this day, over a decade after I just did a tiny 4 year enlistment.

Best decision I made next to going to university.

DavidT8899 · 22-25, M

@goneNow6565 Is that money given all at once or is it spread out?

goneNow6565

@DavidT8899 its spread out throughout your enlistment, but it wont be 60k now because it isn't 9/11 and they aren't starving for recruits like they were when I signed up

KentuckyWildcats · M

@goneNow6565 AF is pickier on who they let in.

Army, everyone is a infantryman first and foremost and then you may work in the MOS you trained for.

I was a draftee. At the end of my two years, actually 20 months, i was offered 10k to take a burst of 6. No thanks.

11BRAVO 1970- 1971

KentuckyWildcats · M

@DavidT8899 You want money or a trade you can use the rest of your life.

DavidT8899 · 22-25, M

@KentuckyWildcats Both.

goneNow6565

@DavidT8899 Regardless of whatever you do in the Army I can tell you that besides all the financial benefits I have received from my service. People still to this day sort of quietly show respect that I was a paratrooper in the Army. I dont bring it up but if it ever comes up naturally I notice that people change in their perspective of me. Even though quite honestly I don't personally feel it was all that hard to accomplish. You WANT to be in the Army, trust me.

DavidT8899 · 22-25, M

@goneNow6565 Let me ask you about something Ive always wondered about.First off,I realize that the military is NOT a

civilian entity and in most cases,doesnt award excellent achievement in a monetary fashion the way the private sector frequently will.But if a member of the Army does something EXTRAORDINARY-for instance,if a Army computer specialist invented a brand new,revolutionary system that became the standard everywhere-is the any type of incentive system that they have?

goneNow6565

@DavidT8899 also you can definitely get your army job in your contract, I got my MOS in my contract but I had to be in the delay enlistment program till the job was available

the only thing is that you just have to make the ASVAB score

I dont even think I am all that bright and I got 99/100 on it so I wouldnt sweat it

lots of dumbasses in the Army dont know this

goneNow6565

@DavidT8899 As an engineer who has worked in thr defense industry as a civilian I can tell you that, that is not the way Defense Acquisition works.

If someone civilian or not invents anything useful for the military you will not receive an incentive for doing so. You will bid on a defense contract along with major defense contractors like BAE Systems, and then if you are selected you will go through another long process. It doesn't work that easy. In fact, this is the reason many small companies refuse to work as vendors for the Department of Defense.

goneNow6565

@DavidT8899 I actually just got laid off from a company this year that had an extraordinary method of manufacturing ammunition with an extraordinary machine gun but regardless they didn't get the contract because it wasn't a company as established as another.

So no matter good idea or not there are many other factors involved in winning a military contract.

DavidT8899 · 22-25, M

@goneNow6565 I mean if you invent something extraordinary WHILE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE SERVICE.

goneNow6565

@DavidT8899 yea you wont get anything