Career Advice on the military?!?!

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EsclavoDeCristo

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I have no idea what God is calling me to do with my life. One option I was thinking of is the military, either the Air Force or Navy. I already have an undergrad degree so I would be an officer.

Is there anyone out there with military experience that could offer me advice. Is working in the military a good career? Is it hard to be a good Catholic and be in the military? Can I join and not be sent off to war?

Any advice is greatly apreciated!

🤓
 
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EsclavoDeCristo:
I have no idea what God is calling me to do with my life. One option I was thinking of is the military, either the Air Force or Navy. I already have an undergrad degree so I would be an officer.
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Is there anyone out there with military experience that could offer me advice. US Army (retired) 22 years. How can I help you?
Is working in the military a good career?
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YES! I barely graduated high school, military sent me to computer school and even paid for 75% of my college and I finished my BS in CIS (with honors) and am currently working as a Government Civilian for the Army in my career field.
Is it hard to be a good Catholic and be in the military?
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actually it is easier to keep you faith and in the civilian sector. There is a strong bonding amongst the men and women. But spiritual strength is an individual responsibility. I did not walk with the Lord for the majority of my career - my choice. Many soldiers did try to get me back to church.
Can I join and not be sent off to war?
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WAR is an occupational hazard. Most go but very few actually see combat. For ever 1 war fighter, there are 9 in support (cooks, finance, motor pool, etc.)

I’m here if you have any more questions.
 
dhgray and spaceghost, thanks for the advice. Special thanks to dhgray for the breakdown.

Anyone else with military experience have advice for me?!?!

God bless you all and thanks for your help!
 
All branches have there strengths and weaknesses. The Air Force probably has all the other branches beat in the quality of life department.
 
I served 4 years in the Air Force from 81-85. While I did not overly enjoy it, I do not regret doing it. I have landed more than one job since because of my military record. Best thing I learned in 4 years was the word “Sir”. I still use it today.

Something that bothered me was taking orders. Anyone with more time in than you could give you orders. Anyone. That always irked me. In the military you are generally promoted strictly by time in service. Very often people who would not do well in the corporate world would be in charge. That was the worst part for me. Taking orders from (not to be mean) people who were not the sharpest tools in the toolshed. Not that I am 😉

Good luck!
 
My brother is a marine. He is about to leave for 15 months to Iraq. He is very smart, and as such was trained as a nuclear-biological-chemical specialist. His duty over there? Retrieving dead soldiers and embalming (preparing) them to be sent back to the States and to their families. Obviously these soldiers will be seriously harmed–missing appendages, shot, victims of explosions, suicide bombings, etc. It will not be pretty. He will be dealing with an upclose look at death for over a year.

If you don’t want to go to war, don’t join the military. This is not a time of peace.

Are you a tough kid? The stories I could tell you about my brother’s bootcamp experience…rough stuff. And he graduated at the top of his platoon. There were recruits who had been there (at Camp Pendleton) for over a year, because they kept failing certain qualifications and being passed back to the beginning to re-start their training due to injury or failure. During my brother’s summer there, three kids in his platoon (there are many platoons simulatenously training) committed suicide.

The military is extremely serious business. The men and women who serve are amazing individuals and made of very gritty material. If you feel at all queasy over some of these considerations, I would strongly suggest you exercise caution in joining. Recruiters will promise you the world–and you won’t get much for it. Take all their promises with a grain of salt.
 
P.S.

I think Fitz has a daughter who is a fighter pilot. You could PM her.
 
Hubby was in the Navy, Dad was in the Air Force (before I was born).
In the Navy you get to see alot. Hubby went to England, Spain, France, Greece, Egypt…
Ya also meet alot of interesting people in the Navy. :ehh:

Favorite recreational activity-drinking. The ship even served “beer on the pier” for the times the guys (and gals) couldn’t go into town in foriegn countries.

No offense to any current or former Navy people but in my experience (as a Navy wife) i saw alot of not so moral stuff go on. Don’t flame me ok, it’s just my experience.

I don’t have personal experience with the Air Force to know if it’s different with the different branches.

That being said, I’m still glad my husband joined the Navy. He did have a lot of good experiences from it.
 
I wouldn’t trade my tour as a WAVE for a billion bucks.

Hubs was a 24-yr career Navy Mustang (an O4 who came up through the ranks from E1)

It was great! Our son is in the middle of his first tour in the Navy as an enlisted man and already thinking of re-enlisting.

You might want to start at military.com just to find out what some of the possibilities might be for your scholastic background and interests:
military.com/Recruiting/Home/0,13387,00.html

Then speak to recruiters for the services in which you are interested.

There are very few billets for Navy officers that would send you into ground combat, though you could very well end up deployed with a ship or squadron in support of war activities.

Go and talk to recruiters - they’re very helpful in trying to find you a spot in which you will best serve the Armed Forces and give you what you want out of a military career.

Good luck in your explorations! I can tell you that I don’t regret enlisting or serving - and once you have been part of the military, you have an instant brotherhood/sisterhood with other veterans for the rest of your life.

God bless you with good choices!
Elizabeth
 
Why not try the Coast Guard?

It is a smaller organization, more personal with a shorter path to the top
Much smaller vessels so junior officers and even senior NCOs get commands

Admission to the CG academy is strictly on merit…. no political appointees

More cross over civilian applications of skills; Maritime law, environmental issues, fisheries, pollution prevention, law enforcement, aids to navigation, customs, homeland security, rescue work

Less likelihood of overseas billets or being sent to war

Sure you could wind up on an icebreaker n Duluth or a loran station in the middle of Kansas but they need patrols on St Thomas too :cool:
 
I am the wife of a Canadian Forces soldier. I can offer you my perspective, pros and cons, but cannot comment on the American military branches because I don’t know much about them…

Pros:

stable career: I don’t have to worry about him losing his job due to downsizing etc and we can count on a predictable pay check.

great benefits: medical, dental etc, as well as lots of holiday time. He gets 3 weeks in the summer, 3 weeks at Christmas, a week for spring break… and a few extra days throughout the year.

Good working hours: he is at work for 7am and is frequently home before 4pm.

I’m sure there are more that I’m missing… now for the cons.

Cons:

lots of time away from home. He can be gone for training exercises anywhere from a week to a few months at a time. Then there are the overseas peacekeeping tours. They average 6 months and he has already done two. He is due to go to Afghanistan in Feb 2006.

I’m sure he would agree with one of the previous posters who said that you often have to take orders from people who, in the regular world, wouldn’t qualify to manage a McDonald’s.

Lack of choice: what I mean by this is that when the military tells you to go somewhere or do something, you do it.

Honestly I can’t think of any more cons off the top of my head.

My advice to you would be to make sure that your wife/future wife is absolutely ok with being a military spouse. When the husband is away it is exactly like being a single woman/parent and it is very tough. There are alot of military divorces for this very reason.

I hope I could help you out a bit:)

Malia
 
Myhusband is currently deployed to Afghanistan for a year. You will be in good shape if you join the Navy or AirForce. The Navy is 6 months in 6 out, but you’re on a boat so no danger.

The Air Force has six month deployments, but I can tell you, you won’t be in much danger if deployed as there are no Air Force bases in Iraq or Afghanistan. The closest is Turkey. My husband was there as well and they don’t even carry weapons.

The Air Force is the best bet.
 
Princess_Abby:
Thanks for the advice as well. I have no plans on even checking out the Marines. I will continue to pray for your brother and the rest of our young men and women serving in Iraq and Afganistan.

ElizabethJoy:
Thanks for the link. I will definately be checking it out once I get home to the USA.

Everyone Else:
Thanks for all your advice and for sharing your experiences; the good and the bad. God bless you all and your families for your service to our country!

Keep me in your prayers please as I continue to discern God’s will for my life!
 
God loves His Marine Corps! Go MARINE!

I retired from the Army Guard but each branch has its specialties. Look for a good job in civilian life like Air Traffic Controller or underwater weilder and then pick an MOS in the military that will train you for that job. Then pick the branch you feel best with. Let the Military pay for your training for a high paying job and then give you some experience to back it up.

Good luck.
 
Eagles Wings:
Army or Marine Corps
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Ha! Those are the two that I am not even considering.

I have another question for everyone:

DId any of you enter the military after earning a college degree?

if so what is involved in becomming an officer? was it easy, hard, annoying, fun, etc?
 
I was an enlisted man in the USAF from 1970-4. I was in long enough to give my sister her first salute. She just retired from the Air Force as a colonel. She was a navigator and a pilot, and the AF sent her to grad school at MIT. She ended her career at the Pentagon. She went through AFROTC.

I have a friend who went through AF OTS. That’s 13 weeks long. Anyhow, it’s a great life, see your Air Force recuiter today.

(This message brought to you by Today’s Air Force…)

John
 
My husband is an Officer in the Air Force, he had his degree then went to OTS…its not a bad life…

we’ve met many many faithful Catholics at this duty station in particular, and this is where we were confirmed (I’m a convert, he’s a revert so to speak)

because we are currently at war, there is a chance that you could be sent to Iraq or afganinstan…and in the Air Force, it is more likely for an officer to be sent than an enlisted (pilots are our main combat force, and are always officers) also, you’ll need to speak to a recruiter, and be prepared, because if I am not mistaken the qualifications to make it to OTS have become stricter…also there are fewer job categories that need to be filled, some of them already have too many officers to fill the available spots…

But I’d definetly tell you to cross into the blue…but I’m a little biased…

GO AIR FORCE!

Peace be with you,
Jamie
 
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auroraj42:
My husband is an Officer in the Air Force, he had his degree then went to OTS…its not a bad life…

we’ve met many many faithful Catholics at this duty station in particular, and this is where we were confirmed (I’m a convert, he’s a revert so to speak)

because we are currently at war, there is a chance that you could be sent to Iraq or afganinstan…and in the Air Force, it is more likely for an officer to be sent than an enlisted (pilots are our main combat force, and are always officers) also, you’ll need to speak to a recruiter, and be prepared, because if I am not mistaken the qualifications to make it to OTS have become stricter…also there are fewer job categories that need to be filled, some of them already have too many officers to fill the available spots…

But I’d definetly tell you to cross into the blue…but I’m a little biased…

GO AIR FORCE!

Peace be with you,
Jamie
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I chatted with an advisor online today at their website. He made it sound as if it were impossible to get into OTS without enlisting first. He said I could do some dual track thing where I apply for OTS and enlist at the same time. That way if I don’t make it into OTS I could enlist and try later for OTS. He seemed pretting insistent upon enlistment. I told him thanks, but no thanks. I’m not really interested in enlisting.

Anyone have advice on how to prepare for and what to do to get accepted to OTS without enlisting? In other words, what would improve my chances?

I also called the Navy Recruiter on the phone. Whoever answered would not let me talk until he got my name, address and phone number. Then I told him i was interested in being an officer (I really had general questions). He just started telling me all this stuff, without seeing what I wanted. Finally when I told him I was looking for general info like how to become an officer, how long I’d have to sign up for, what I can do with my degree, etc. he told me to hold and tried to transfered me. After a couple of minutes of waiting I hung up. I wasn’t really impressed at all with him, very unprofessional. I hope this isn’t a reflection of the rest of the Navy!
 
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