Are you a veteran of your nation's military?

[GenMarshall]

Its not a myth. People get that money paid out all the time. Hell, I myself still have 15 grand in an account from the Montgomery GI Bill...going to use it after I retire.

As for the job skills thing that is insane. While the highest bonus's do go for combat arms, they still need a lot of people as cooks, engineers, military police, translators etc. Also the test is not the "top half" unless you think scoring a 50 or higher is top half. All your quote is a very misleading piece of propaganda meant to discourage kids from enlisting. Here is a truthful link: http://www.militarypay.com/Bonuses.html

No, its not just a advertising scam. If it were we would have the ACLU all over us. Your little paper is propaganda however, nothing more, nothing less.

I doubt that is true what you stated. Certanly I dont believe that what I have read is misleading propaganda. Its suppost to educate the kids about the real truth of what happens when you sign up. The paper that I have read is the truth and reality that kids should know before they sign the dotted line at the recruiter's office

No, by LAW the maximum that a unit/person from the guard/reserves can be deployed involuntarily is two years and then they must be rotated out. The TYPICAL rotation for all units active or reserve is a one year stint. That is the truth and not a lie.

Quite frankly, I dont believe in the maximum time that a unit to be deployed to is two years and then rotated out. What I read from the anti-war sites is certanly truth to my eyes.

Dont tell me my business and put out lies and propaganda.

*Sigh* I guess you may have been blinded by the military machine and left you misguided.

 

[Sahkuhnder]

The US Navy paid for most of my college education through the GI Bill. It's not a myth. Instead of believing such a biased internet site just find a veteran and ask them for yourself.

I could easily have used the training and skills I learned while in to get a job as a navigator on a merchant ship once I was out but decided not to. If you have no job skills the service can be a great place to learn some.

 

[Lotus49]

I can tell you the reality of the GI Bill, and any other financial deals joining the military can gain you. What do you want to know?

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Yes, I served the military as we still have the draft - 8 months form July ´97 to February ´98 (it fit my lifeplanning well otherwise I would have done the civil service option). Our unit even did 3 months of what you can consider active service as we patrolled the border to Hungary to catch illegals.
During these months (Nov, Dec and Feb) I developed a serious depression thanks to our rotation schedule that left you with approximately 4 hours of sleep a day, 12 hours nightshifts every other day at down to -25°C temperature and superiors picking on the guys with some education as they had none. No wonder you hear about suicides in the units stationed there rather frequently. Oh and I forgot we got frigging €250 per month for our effort.

 

[GenMarshall]

The US Navy paid for most of my college education through the GI Bill. It's not a myth. Instead of believing such a biased internet site just find a veteran and ask them for yourself.

I dont believe the site I went to is biased, its certanly truth in my eyes. Makes me more inclined not to join the service (One is because I am against Gulf War II for political reasons, Second I cant deal with Drill Seargents since I tend to emotionaly break down under pressure or if someone screams at my face)

I can tell you the reality of the GI Bill, and any other financial deals joining the military can gain you. What do you want to know?

No, I have virtualy no interest in risking my life in the Iraqi meat grinder just to get money for college. So in other words, I realy dont want to know since the site I visited has the truth I need.

 

[Lotus49]

Click this link - It's all fake, it's fake! Propaganda!

Yeah, that 36+ thousand bucks I have in the account - is just propaganda.

Btw, another thing you can do, is go to college first, and get a TON of debt in student loans (I know people that bought sports cars with their student loans), and then join up, and the gov't will wipe out that debt for ya.

A cunning strategy. They'll bail you out for several tens of thousands. I work with a guy that racked up 50k in loans, joined up, and presto...

Plus, there's signing bonuses. Which nowadays, are getting pretty impressive.

You can really milk the system, if you know how. I know a few people - it just makes me shake my head how much they milked it.

The biggest racket, IMO, is the "disability" payouts, and how easy it is to get them. Man...

Gov't employment. Nothin' like it. And the military is how you get in the door.

 

[Sahkuhnder]

I dont believe the site I went to is biased, its certanly truth in my eyes. Makes me more inclined not to join the service (One is because I am against Gulf War II for political reasons, Second I cant deal with Drill Seargents since I tend to emotionaly break down under pressure or if someone screams at my face)


No, I have virtualy no interest in risking my life in the Iraqi meat grinder just to get money for college. So in other words, I realy dont want to know since the site I visited has the truth I need.

Bold added by me.


I am speechless. And that doesn't happen very often.

CivGeneral, I can only wish you well with whatever it is you are looking for.

 

[King Alexander]

During these months (Nov, Dec and Feb) I developed a serious depression thanks to our rotation schedule that left you with approximately 4 hours of sleep a day, 12 hours nightshifts every other day at down to -25°C temperature and superiors picking on the guys with some education as they had none. No wonder you hear about suicides in the units stationed there rather frequently. Oh and I forgot we got frigging €250 per month for our effort.

As for the superiors playing it smart, that happens to Armies all over the world, I think: when people with subzero IQ are in power, they want to prove to others they ARE worthy at something --- that's the biggest problem the Army had/has/will have.

At least, you got paid 250 Euros per month: I was paid 3 Euros per month(I was not an officer) and I was at far more difficult/harder conditions very often(among others, there was a period of five days without sleeping).
Anyway, from what I've heard, the money they give to soldiers today are more, although I don't remember the the exact amount: 15-30 Euros(or did I mention too much? ).

 

[Lotus49]

Here you go, buddy...

LINK2

-that's the ca-ching you get per month (current full-time rate: $1,034.00) for 3 years straight (36 months total).

So, roughly, 37,224 dollars total for schooling - which yes, you can even use while you're still in the military. And they increase the rates each year, btw.

All you do, is put in 100 bucks per month, for your first year (on active duty), for a total of 1,200. The payout is obviously many times that.

Plus, once you complete that, you can supplement it by adding 800, bringing it up to 2k, and the payout rate goes up significantly.

Don't think I've ever seen anyone that believed the GI Bill was propaganda. LOL

 

[MobBoss]

I doubt that is true what you stated. Certanly I dont believe that what I have read is misleading propaganda. Its suppost to educate the kids about the real truth of what happens when you sign up. The paper that I have read is the truth and reality that kids should know before they sign the dotted line at the recruiter's office

Bottom line it is not the truth Civgeneral. Not at all. Just like that little factoid about the "upper half" thing, when a kid only needs to score 50% on a test to pass for the bonus. Tell me, is 50% passing on any other test in school? No. Its not that hard. And you have to take the test prior to signing up, so you know prior if you are qualified for a bonus or not.

Quite frankly, I dont believe in the maximum time that a unit to be deployed to is two years and then rotated out. What I read from the anti-war sites is certanly truth to my eyes.

Why would I lie to you? Here read this about one year deployments: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/terrorism/a/iraqdeployment.htm to my knowledge the vast majority of anti-war sites are not truthful in any way, shape or form.

*Sigh* I guess you may have been blinded by the military machine and left you misguided.

Sorry, but you are the one blinded. Here read this about your "meat grinder" comment: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49566-2004Dec8.html Iraq has the lowest combat fatality rate ever in a war.

 

[GenMarshall]

Bold added by me.


I am speechless. And that doesn't happen very often.

CivGeneral, I can only wish you well with whatever it is you are looking for.

Personaly, I dont want to join the armed forces, not because of Gulf War II. First, because I dont want to deal with a drill instructor screeming at my face as I certanly will break down emotionaly. Second, I doubt that I will pass the physical exam since I wear eye glasses for distance only, cant run a certan length at a certan time, as well as the BMI issue.

I started to have virtualy no interest in going into the armed forces after the unjust war of Gulf War II happened and hearing stories on how drill instructors turned grown men into babies (Yes I have watched the discovery channel on how the USMC drill instructors "instruct" their recruits). Thirdly, I dont want to risk my life in a frenzy of a firefight and getting myself shot.

 

[Lotus49]

If I were him, I wouldn't join up. Recruiters can smell somebody like this before they walk in the door. If you THINK they're going to screw ya, they will.

Me, I went in there, was meek, humble, and basically GAVE myself to the Marine Corps, OPEN CONTRACT, and they totally hooked me up. Now, I'm set for life in a great career.

Conversely, I knew a guy that tried to weasel his recruiter, and was acting paranoid (kinda like this guy, bascially), and he ended up signing a 6-year contract... active duty. Didn't realise he was serving 6 until he'd been in several years.

 

[Sidhe]

too old to get drafted now and I couldn't join as an officer anyway no qualis till now. I certainly wouldn't of joined as a grunt, I like giving orders too much

Other pretty much. I did work on a navy base for 2 years and I also grew up in and around naval personal both on board ships and at home as my dad was in the navy.

 

[MobBoss]

Personaly, I dont want to join the armed forces, not because of Gulf War II. First, because I dont want to deal with a drill instructor screeming at my face as I certanly will break down emotionaly. Second, I doubt that I will pass the physical exam since I wear eye glasses for distance only, cant run a certan length at a certan time, as well as the BMI issue.

I started to have virtualy no interest in going into the armed forces after the unjust war of Gulf War II happened and hearing stories on how drill instructors turned grown men into babies (Yes I have watched the discovery channel on how the USMC drill instructors "instruct" their recruits). Thirdly, I dont want to risk my life in a frenzy of a firefight and getting myself shot.

Thats fine...no one is making you do that. However, when you call me a liar when I mention incentives for young people be prepared to be stomped upon by quite a few people who have actually gotten those incentives. The military is an excellent way for a young person with no means to get money for a college education....but in fact the majority of people recuited are college dropouts of about age 20 that need more money for collge and want training in a professional skill.

Trust me, move to Canada now if you are worried about the draft. Because I certainly wouldnt want you in my Army with your attitude.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Or maybe they just dont know about the money available.

Right now qualified young men and women can receive over 70k, yes, thats right 70k in the Army College Fund for a 5 to 6 year enlistment. They can probably qualify for thousands more in bonus monies (I am talking over 20k cash here) depending on what job speciality they take.

As for Iraq being a "meat grinder'...think of how many hundreds of thousands of troops that have rotated in and out of Iraq in the last three years without a scratch. Just by odds alone, your chances of getting killed by a car accident on the freeway is probably higher than getting killed in Iraq as a member of the US Army.

???

"Since at least 180,000 Army soldiers and 58,000 Marines served in Iraq in 2003" (Only figures I could find) From wilki

So we can assume roughly most tours of dutys are min one year to extended duties 18 months. And rotating of reserve forces (guard) whom are 2/3 of regular forces, with the last 1/3 (regular) doing 2 and 3 tours.

This gives us 238,000 (*.8 *3) + (*.2 *2/3) = 517200 + 31733 == 548 933
(roughly service personal which servered in Iraq)

9047 seriously wounded + 2287 dead = 11334

548933/11334 = 48.42

You have a one in 240 chance of being killed
You have a one in 48 chance of being killed or seriously wounded.
You have a one in 28 chance of being wounded or killed

I suspect that regular units which better equiped and do most of the heavy lifing (fighting) and also do more tours of duty odds of death would be higher. While those who serve rservest units and do logistics / sercurity for a single tour would be less likely to be killed.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

As for the superiors playing it smart, that happens to Armies all over the world, I think: when people with subzero IQ are in power, they want to prove to others they ARE worth at something --- that's the biggest problem the Army had/has/will have.

At least, you got paid 250 Euros per month: I was paid 3 Euros per month(I was not an officer) and I was at far more difficult/harder conditions very often(among others, there was a period of five days without sleeping).
Anyway, from what I've heard, the money they give to soldiers today are more, although I don't remember the the exact amount: 15-30 Euros(or did I mention too much? ).

I was not an officer either. They had to pay us something otherwise all drafted eprsons would have made civil service although it lasted 12 months. The problem was that we had this kind of service over 2 months continuously, you just don´t see the end. We did additionally not see much daylight as we slept during most of the short days. Of course we had these kind of exercises you mentioned during our training as well (I was part of the infantry; light machine gunner in our group) but with 2 nights spent awake as maximum. 3 Euros? That´s not enough to buy the occasional beer at the soldier´s mass

 

[Lotus49]

You know, the entire U.S. military is not over in Iraq, or Afghanistan. We DO have other assets. Hey, go join the Navy, Coast Guard, Air Guard, or USAF or something... if you're so scared of fighting house-to-house in the Sunni Triangle.

Or get "guaranteed aviation", like I did (after I'd already signed up - LOL, hey I said they were good to me). You'll be working on planes, or in a control tower or something.

Iraq IS dangerous. Sure. But just because you "enlist", doesn't mean it's a one-way ticket to Tikrit.

 

[Sidhe]

I remember talking to a friend of mine who is a communications seargeant, he said having to listen to the US bombing our own troops(misidentification of convoy as enemy target by US fighter) and being close to the front line was enough of an exposure to war for him, he said and I quote:

Yeah I joined the army, but I didn't expect to have bombs going off near me, or to get shot at. Which was a wonderfully dry and ironic thing to say and made me laugh alot

War is unpleasant if you think being in logistics or support will give you a free ticket to the easy life, think again.

 

[GenMarshall]

The military is an excellent way for a young person with no means to get money for a college education....but in fact the majority of people recuited are college dropouts of about age 20 that need more money for collge and want training in a professional skill.

If there was no war going on, I would be happy to join just for the money. But with the war going on, I realy have no interest in getting myself killed.

Because I certainly wouldnt want you in my Army with your attitude.

Attitude? What do you mean by "your attitude?

Bottom line it is not the truth Civgeneral. Not at all...

Why would I lie to you?... ...to my knowledge the vast majority of anti-war sites are not truthful in any way, shape or form.

How do you know all this? How do you know for certan that anti-war sites are not truthfull? I certanly cant trust anything that come from the government anymore after Bush came to town.

Here read this about your "meat grinder" comment: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49566-2004Dec8.html Iraq has the lowest combat fatality rate ever in a war.

That article I cannot believe nor chose to accept. I can tell that article is already a year old. Certanly a lot of things has happened in a span of a year. I still believe, especialy with the insurgents blowing themselves up, that Iraq is still a meat grinder.

Sorry, but you are the one blinded.

Certanly I dont believe that I am blinded. I just dont believe what comes out of the government anymore.

 

[King Alexander]

The problem was that we had this kind of service over 2 months continuously, you just don´t see the end. We did additionally not see much daylight as we slept during most of the short days. Of course we had these kind of exercises you mentioned during our training as well (I was part of the infantry; light machine gunner in our group) but with 2 nights spent awake as maximum. 3 Euros? That´s not enough to buy the occasional beer at the soldier´s mass

Yes, 3 Euros, and you know for what? For shaving equipment! I mean, even if you bought the razor you couldn't possibly buy the shaving foam!(the money weren't enough) Those prices were the same for many years, from what I remember(the Army should make "updates" more frequent, if you ask me).