Ask a soldier thread....

[Padma]

Obviously MobBoss is either busy working this morning, or taking the day off.

To help answser some of Tank_Guy's questions:

A) Reserves/Guard/Regular all take Basic Training together. There is no distinction between them until after training is complete.

B) Those nicknames are pretty widespread. Soldiers (that's the *official* name for Army personnel) are usually referred to as "Grunts".

C) ??? Just look at them! Read Lotus49's post just a little ways above.

D) Every service, every career field has places that they think suck. And of course, what I think sucks, the guy sitting next to me thought was the best assignment he had.

E) All USAF personnel are issued uniforms in Basic Training. Every year thereafter, they are given a uniform allowence to assist in keeping them up. This includes buying new ones as old ones wear out, etc. Only officers are required to buy their uniforms straight up, with no reimbursement. (And they get paid enough more that they don't need the extra help.)

F) I enjoyed all the C-Rats I ever ate. Well, "enjoyed" may be too strong a word. Let's at least say none of them made me ill.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

Yes, I remember him mentioning something about an allowance to get reimbursed for his uniform. He was complaining because:

A. He was a mechanic and his clothes got filthy almost immediately.
B. He said he was a Staff Sergeant and his paycheck wasn't sufficient enough to get a new set every time they wear out. His solution: wear just the pants while working, and wear them until they are almost literally worn out.

Oh I found the "Unofficial Dictionary for Marines" online awhile back if anyone's interested. Email would be best, as this thing is 109 pages with all (I think) the pictures removed (file is 735 KB). I've also heard some hilarious jokes about marines, some I fell off my computer chair laughing.

I'm inclined to agree that Marines don't have to send out recruiters to schools and that, as I've only seen Army, Army Reserve, and Navy recruiters at my college. Though the Marine recruiters are over-zealous to get recruits over the phone, from my experiences anyway.

 

[MobBoss]

Friend of mine refused to go to University to gain an officers commission on the basis that there is a degree of stimga attached to those officers who do. Is there a similar stereotype attached to those who haven't been promoted through the ranks in the US army?

Not at all.

I read you havn't killed- would you shoot an enemy soldier- considering hes probably just a mirror of you, just the puppet masters at the top have sent you out to kill each other?

or is it kill or be killed?

Two things. First, I dont consider myself a puppet. At least not any more than any other person employed by someone else. Second, I have no doubt I would attempt to shoot an enemy soldier if I needed to. I might hit him as well....I routinely fire expert at the rifle range. But please, bear in mind, that very few soliders actually even fire at an enemy, let alone kill one.

How long do those MREs "shelf life" ???
5 years ? 7 years ? or the navy emergancy rations 15 years ?

(poor poor navy)

Eeek. Going to have to ask a cook. I am going to have to hazard a guess and say the 5-7 year mark is probably good...however, at the rate we use the things I hardly doubt any get to lay around that long.

@ Lotus49
Given that you are answering all the questions I presume you are in an Army somewhere. Which one is it? Sorry didn't know which country you are from. How long have you served?

Hmm. Not sure how you could miss it but ok. United States Army. Going to be 20 years served this December.

 

[MobBoss]

A. I know you aren't in the reserves, but are they in basic training for the same number of weeks as are their cohorts in the regular branch (i.e. army, navy, etc)?

Basic training is the same for the Active Army, Army Reserves and the Army National Guard. The army's basic training is different than the other services.

B. I'm friends with a former (well he says "never former") marine tanker, and he had interesting names for the other branches of the service (squids for the Navy, airdale for Air Force, etc). I was wondering if they are general terms used by all branches of the military? Also, he didn't say what the army's was, so do you know what it is? (I apologize if any of them are durogatory or meant as an insult)

Oh all the branches have various nicknames. Are they widely used by the folks in the military? Not that I can tell. As for the army's nickname: I have heard it called "The Big Green Machine" before. Kinda fits.

C. Why does everyone think the marines are a bunch of crazy's?

Because they run around, yelling "hooah" even more than the army grunts do.

D. A classmate of mine that was in the Air Force usually has a chat with me daily around lunch time. Yesterday it was about the worst possible bases to be assigned at, he mentioned Korea and a particular base in Japan (I forget which one). So what do the servicemen here think?

The absolute worst I have ever heard of was Johnson Island. Its a little bitty island out in the pacific only about a square mile where a bunch of stuff was stored. Nothing on it. Absolute worst place to be. Another bad spot was anywhere close to the Korea DMZ.

E. This classmate also said that USAF have to buy their BDU's (well uniforms in general) as opposed to having them supplied to them like with other branches. He served from the mid 1990's until about 2003. So is this true of the BDU and other uniforms?

Yes. You get your initial issue for free. And then you get paid a clothing allowance once a year to maintain and buy replacements. If they have a uniform change (like the new uniforms) you once again get an initial issue for free.

FIs Vienna Sausage the only good thing to come from C rations?

C rations were being phased out when I enlisted in 86. I only got to taste them twice. So, I am not so sure about the food and stuff. However, I do have one leftover from the C ration days that is excellent - my p38 can opener that is still on my keychain to this very day. I can open a can anywhere..anytime.

@Padma. Yeah. Thx for the backup. I gotta sleep sometime!

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

He was right up on the DMZ, the Americans combatted the North Korean propaganda by blasting Pantera over it. The entire border was alive with Pantera.

Sleep is irrelevant. I haven't slept for the past 2 days, caffeine has kept me awake since about 2 PM yesterday. BTW, this is day 3. I must say it is catching up with me though.

Here's one of the cleaner Marine jokes I've heard. I did have to edit a word or two though.

Are you a musclehead?
Was your high school GPA put down as N/A?
Do you have explosive rage and curse excessively?
Do you have a strange desire to kill everything in sight?
Have you found yourself in solitary confinement on occasion?

If youve answered yes to any of these questions the United States Marine Corps may be right for you.


Call 1-800-MARINES The few, the proud, the downright effing crazy.
THE MARINES

This was posted by a guy named NavyRules!!!

Here's the site: http://www.dirtyjokesinc.com/jokes-marine_jokes-p1.htm

 

[IglooDame]

From what I can guess, and it is a guess..its from the service schools sports rivalrys. All the service academys compete against other schools in the NCAAs and against each other. Long tradition of rivalry amongst the army, navy and air force.

That'd be it. I must have hollered "Go Navy, Beat Army" a hundred times a day during my plebe year. The football team can lose every game but one, and it will still be considered a successful season if that one win is over West Point. Both Annapolis and West Point consider the Air Force Academy a sort of weak younger brother to kick around, too.

 

[ummmm........]

Yet Air Force has had the most success in football of late. Though Navy did well last year . . .

@MobBoss: Prince of Leigh was asking Lotus49 about his service history . . .

 

[IglooDame]

Yet Air Force has had the most success in football of late. Though Navy did well last year . . .

Right, it is because they can recruit more footballish athletes because #1 the Air Force Academy in general isn't as regimented, and #2 because Air Force Academy weight standards are not as harsh as those at Army or Navy, thus they can get the mountainoidal linemen that successful division-IA teams need nowadays to be most competitive.

(This message brought to you by an individual who is phenomenally biased when it comes to service academy rivalries... )

 

[ummmm........]

I think Army and Navy would benefit from joining conferences. Army at least - Navy's got a pretty natural bowl tie in with that San Diego bowl. I actually thought Army was in C-USA, but they're not there now. Maybe they used to be and bowed out?

 

[shortguy]

I think Army and Navy would benefit from joining conferences. Army at least - Navy's got a pretty natural bowl tie in with that San Diego bowl. I actually thought Army was in C-USA, but they're not there now. Maybe they used to be and bowed out?

Something like that. The realignment that happened when the ACC raided the Big East, who raided C-USA, who raided the WAC, etc., was really confusing. They are both in the same basketball conference, though (The Patriot League).

 

[Keshik]

Mob Boss,
No question but if I may: Thank You for your Service!

 

[MobBoss]

Mob Boss,
No question but if I may: Thank You for your Service!

Why thank you! And to be honest, I have gotten told this more in the last three years than in the rest of my career combined. Its definitely appreciated!

 

[downtown]

I think Army and Navy would benefit from joining conferences. Army at least - Navy's got a pretty natural bowl tie in with that San Diego bowl. I actually thought Army was in C-USA, but they're not there now. Maybe they used to be and bowed out?

Funny you should mention that. In all sports except football, both Army and Navy play in the Patriot League...which also happens to be home of my American University.

Both military schools stink at basketball

 

[Godwynn]

What all do you have to pay for on base? Is most of your paycheck just pure profit?

 

[MobBoss]

What all do you have to pay for on base? Is most of your paycheck just pure profit?

If you are a single guy living on base, your housing and food are all paid for and your check is for whatever outside of that you want to spend it on.

Me, as I live off base with my wife and kids get a housing allowance benefit and a separate rations benefit - both not taxable. Its rolled up in what I make a month. The housing allowance benefit is based upon the zip code that I live in, so it can fluctuate where you live and my rations benefit is something like 7 to 8 bucks a day. Its all on the pay charts I linked to earlier in the thread.

Bottom line, you see a lot of young single soldiers driving a lot of nice cars.....

 

[CruddyLeper]

Needs work in the PR department and ensuring that the general population knows how we do things as opposed to how we are sometimes perceived. A lot of times the perception is quite different from the reality, but we are not very good in showing how.

Good answer. Thank you. I guess too much Hollywood, not enough documentary.

Best quote I've heard on the subject;-

"There's the right way, and the wrong way, and the army way. The army way is like the wrong way, takes twice as long as the right way but does actually work".

Also, I might add that things are constantly changing organization wise. Units move around every five years or so and even change their base structure. Modernization seems to have picked up quite a bit in the last 5-7 years in an effort to get more bang for the buck. Not sure where it will lead, but things have certainly been changing.

Happening a lot in the Brit Army as well. Big bucks being spent on equipment (needed in a lot of cases) but no overal increase in expenditure so manpower cuts happening... mixed reactions in all the armed services, but Army usually most resistant to change.

 

[blackheart]

What medical benefits and other benefits do you receive, and does it very from reserves, guard, and fulltime? I know my brother gets very good dental and health and he's in the Air Guard.

 

[The Yankee]

I'd also like to add, if it wasn't mentioned already, that Marine basic training is 13 weeks, longer than the training for the other services.

And yes, I was one of the crazies that wanted in! Too bad a still fresh injury kept me out even though I tried, exercised with the recruiters, etc.

 

[Lotus49]

^Marine Bootcamp is also the only one that isn't co-ed.

I went over 3 months, all the while seeing only 2 women the whole time. The first, was a nurse, that rammed a long needle into my buttocks at medical in-processing. The second, sometime around 60% through the basic training, we were in a formation standing outside a supply depot, getting ready to be issued some(...thing), and there she was... this hot woman Marine (WM as they are called), wearing service unifrom, w/ short sleeves & skirt. Pretty attractive, too. She was approaching from the front, coming towards us. Obviously, we were breaking discipline, and eyeballing her.

Suddenly the command came, "LEFT.. FACE!!"



Anyway. That's the difference. In the Army, you train side by side, daily. In the Navy, they're even sleeping the same building, just down the hall in another open squad bay, and (as the Navy guys have told me) there's all kinds of 'fraternizing' going on at night. Army is probably similar. Air Force... heck, it's probably like college. They probably bring in the beer keg on weekends.

The one, undeniable truth, and bottom line is; that the Marines simply take the whole "being in the military" thing, a lot more seriously, and along the lines of the old-fashioned hardcore style of training.

Bootcamp would have been a lot different, if there had been a bunch of chicks running around all over the place.

"Ohhohh... sit here on my feet for me while I do my sit-ups, honey...."

Gimme a break. That's not 'militaristic'.

Whatever. I'm out. And I got what I wanted out of it. I got the 'real experience'. As best as it could be received, in this era, anyways. And the advantages I got from it, I'll keep for the rest of my life.

Couldn't/wouldn't do it again, though. Not sure how I did it the first time. I guess when you're 18, you can go through (and put up with) anything.

 

[MobBoss]

I'd also like to add, if it wasn't mentioned already, that Marine basic training is 13 weeks, longer than the training for the other services.

Thats because it takes those guys longer to learn things...like rolling up their sleeves!

What medical benefits and other benefits do you receive, and does it very from reserves, guard, and fulltime? I know my brother gets very good dental and health and he's in the Air Guard.

I get full medical. My wife and kids get full medical. In fact, all my kids were born in military hospitals. I get full dental as well, but I pay about 20 bucks a month for my family to be on a military sponsored dental plan that includes basic stuff yearly and half off on major work. Example: It paid for about half of my oldest daughters braces.

^Marine Bootcamp is also the only one that isn't co-ed.

As a side note, basic wasnt co-ed when I went through it either. I havent ever really formed an opinion on whether making it co-ed is a good or bad thing to do.