Ask a Soldier

[kochman]

Are American soldiers forced to go abroad or can you join and never go abroad.

If you take the oath, the Army can and will send you wherever directed by the President of the USA, and the rest of the chain of command between him and you.
There are no exceptions...

I was a soldier but quit when they wanted me to go to Afghanistan. I didn't quit in a nice way and they don't like me at all anymore.

I love the army life, the training and the exercises. I want to defend my country. However I don't want to participate in stupid imperialist wars that I don't support at all.

Well, I understand this sentiment. After I had served my obligated time (plus some) I left the military primarily because I didn't believe in the wars we were fighting.

 

[Flying Pig]

I was a soldier but quit when they wanted me to go to Afghanistan. I didn't quit in a nice way and they don't like me at all anymore.

I love the army life, the training and the exercises. I want to defend my country. However I don't want to participate in stupid imperialist wars that I don't support at all.

This is a family-friendly forum, so I'll hold back a bit, but I very strongly disapprove of that picking and choosing of your wars. I can understand, if not agree with, people who refuse to go to war because they can't justify killing another human being, but to refuse to be out there supporting your mates and doing your country's work for a justification like that smells of thinly veiled cowardice to me. I've been on deployments that I thought were totally unneccessary or being conducted in a stupid way, and yet never refused to go out there.

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

This is a family-friendly forum, so I'll hold back a bit, but I very strongly disapprove of that picking and choosing of your wars. I can understand, if not agree with, people who refuse to go to war because they can't justify killing another human being, but to refuse to be out there supporting your mates and doing your country's work for a justification like that smells of thinly veiled cowardice to me. I've been on deployments that I thought were totally unneccessary or being conducted in a stupid way, and yet never refused to go out there.

It is kind of hard to fight if you support the other side. I want Afghanistan to be independent and I whole heartedly support the Afghanis right to defend themselves. If they occupied us and said that we have to adopt their system I would be planting IEDs aswell even though I am not a fan of their level of religion.

 

[7ronin]

In the Navy prior-enlisted (non-warrant) officers are called Mustangs.

Mustang is a nick name. The correct title is Limited Duty Officer (LDO). Navy LDOs can only be promoted as far as Captain (O-6). Some attain command at sea of specialized ships (submarine rescue ships, for example) and command ashore of bases or facilities related to their technical speciality (naval communications stations, for example). Marine Corps Mustangs are also known as Limited Duty Officers. I think Marine LDOs promote only as far as Lieutenant Colonel (O-5).

 

[Flying Pig]

It is kind of hard to fight if you support the other side. I want Afghanistan to be independent and I whole heartedly support the Afghanis right to defend themselves. If they occupied us and said that we have to adopt their system I would be planting IEDs aswell even though I am not a fan of their level of religion.

Afghanistan is independant and is ruled by popular sovereignty. The Taliban want to disregard that popular sovereignty and rule it in the way that fits their opinions. Have you forgotten that NATO forces are there under the remit of 'expanding the influence of the Islamic (not Christian) Republic (not Protectorate) of Afghanistan'? The whole point is that the Afghans as a group don't support the Taliban any more than the Irish support or ever did support the IRA.

 

[IglooDame]

In the Navy prior-enlisted (non-warrant) officers are called Mustangs.

Mustang is a nick name. The correct title is Limited Duty Officer (LDO). Navy LDOs can only be promoted as far as Captain (O-6). Some attain command at sea of specialized ships (submarine rescue ships, for example) and command ashore of bases or facilities related to their technical speciality (naval communications stations, for example). Marine Corps Mustangs are also known as Limited Duty Officers. I think Marine LDOs promote only as far as Lieutenant Colonel (O-5).

Yes, mustang is a nickname. But there are mustangs that are not LDOs - exhibit A being former CNO Admiral Mike Boorda.

 

[Flying Pig]

Mustang is a nick name. The correct title is Limited Duty Officer (LDO). Navy LDOs can only be promoted as far as Captain (O-6). Some attain command at sea of specialized ships (submarine rescue ships, for example) and command ashore of bases or facilities related to their technical speciality (naval communications stations, for example). Marine Corps Mustangs are also known as Limited Duty Officers. I think Marine LDOs promote only as far as Lieutenant Colonel (O-5).

In the British Army there's theoretically no limit to the advancement of a Late Entry Officer - Bill Slim was one, and there was a Field Marshal during the Great War with a VC won as an Other Rank - however, the time required to rise through all the ranks means that it's very, very rare to have an LE officer above Lieutenant-Colonel. I for my part reached Major, but potentially could have got further had I stayed in.

 

[kochman]

It is kind of hard to fight if you support the other side. I want Afghanistan to be independent and I whole heartedly support the Afghanis right to defend themselves. If they occupied us and said that we have to adopt their system I would be planting IEDs aswell even though I am not a fan of their level of religion.

Were you conscripted? Or a volunteer?
Did you speak an oath?

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

Were you conscripted? Or a volunteer?
Did you speak an oath?

I was a strange mix, I was in the army on a semi voluntary basis. They where changing the system and I was signing new contracts all the time. I don't even know what title I had.

I did swear an oath and I could have gotten out of it if I had wanted to.

I was also given the opportunity to continue as a professional soldier after my training and quickly weaseled out of that when they said I was going to Afghanistan.

 

[Ajidica]

Afghanistan is independant and is ruled by popular sovereignty. The Taliban want to disregard that popular sovereignty and rule it in the way that fits their opinions. Have you forgotten that NATO forces are there under the remit of 'expanding the influence of the Islamic (not Christian) Republic (not Protectorate) of Afghanistan'? The whole point is that the Afghans as a group don't support the Taliban any more than the Irish support or ever did support the IRA.

It was my understanding that most Afghanis approved of the Taliban (in the "better then the other guys" sense of approval). Although the Taliban was very harsh, they did establish some sense of order to villages and the country. Most people prefer order and security over whether the government is a democracy or not.
While it is desirable for the Taliban to be removed from power and a secular, liberal democracy to be instituted, I'm not sure to what degree you can say the Taliban was disregarding popular soverignity of the Afghanis. (As for the brutal nature, the US State department initialy approved of the Taliban taking Kabul from the Northern Alliance because of how brutal the Northern Alliance had become and the lack of order and stability in their territories.)

 

[7ronin]

Yes, mustang is a nickname. But there are mustangs that are not LDOs - exhibit A being former CNO Admiral Mike Boorda.

Yes, Boorda was prior enlisted and was not an LDO. There are many Naval Officers with similar careers although none of them advanced as far as Boorda. Boorda was commissioned through a now defunct path known as the Integration Program. More commonly, this type of officer attends the Naval Academy or some other University through the Enlisted Commissioning Program. Many get out of the Navy, attend college, and then reenter the Navy as an officer.

During my career in the Navy as an LDO, the Mustang community did not consider prior enlisted unrestricted line officers (ship drivers and aviaors) to be "real" Mustangs. Perhaps things have changed. I retired twenty years ago.

 

[Flying Pig]

It was my understanding that most Afghanis approved of the Taliban (in the "better then the other guys" sense of approval). Although the Taliban was very harsh, they did establish some sense of order to villages and the country. Most people prefer order and security over whether the government is a democracy or not.
While it is desirable for the Taliban to be removed from power and a secular, liberal democracy to be instituted, I'm not sure to what degree you can say the Taliban was disregarding popular soverignity of the Afghanis. (As for the brutal nature, the US State department initialy approved of the Taliban taking Kabul from the Northern Alliance because of how brutal the Northern Alliance had become and the lack of order and stability in their territories.)

That's perhaps true in the areas where the Taliban are still strong, which are Afghanistan's equivalent of Alabama, but in the country as a whole there's no love for them any more. Now a true democracy will probably include some elements sharing the Taliban's beliefs - because some people there think that they're right - but the number of people who would support them if the government, rather than the Taliban, controlled the area in which they lived would be much smaller than it currently is.

 

[GenMarshall]

Do recruiters care if I was fired or laid off from my previous employer?

 

[squall78]

Do recruiters care if I was fired or laid off from my previous employer?

i got "laid off" (got screwed out of unemployment) from my last employer, and I enlisted. The military doesn't seem to mind too much outside felonies and serious charges, they'll train you assuming you know nothing about the job you're enlisting for.

 

[kochman]

Do recruiters care if I was fired or laid off from my previous employer?

Depends on why... if you just got let go, absolutely not.
If you were stealing and found guilty, probably...

There is a program where troubled youth have the option to join the military in lieu of jail time they would spend due to committing a crime... so they are pretty flexible.

 

[GenMarshall]

Depends on why... if you just got let go, absolutely not.
If you were stealing and found guilty, probably...

So they would not care if the enlisted person was fired from their previous employer for attendance issues (chronically late)?

 

[kochman]

So they would not care if the enlisted person was fired from their previous employer for attendance issues (chronically late)?

Asolutely not...

However, I would highly recommend not trying that in the Army... attendance is strictly enforced.
You will live in barracks, and if you don't make it, they will come get you.
If you live outside of barracks, for whatever reason, expect the same.

You can't just call off... you have to go to "sick call" and get diagnosed and prescribed bed rest.

Being in the right place in the right time saves lives in war, so they strictly enforce it at all times.

 

[Flying Pig]

So they would not care if the enlisted person was fired from their previous employer for attendance issues (chronically late)?

As an officer you'd probably have to explain that one quite seriously, and although as a soldier you would probably still be asked about it (specifically - how and why you've remedied it) you're unlikely to have it as a bar to entry. That said, remember that Army Time is five minutes early and turning up late is a very, very bad idea in training. As Kochmann says, personal discipline saves lives in war.

There is a program where troubled youth have the option to join the military in lieu of jail time they would spend due to committing a crime... so they are pretty flexible.

The British military have actually specifically banned people from doing that, because so many did and they ended up with awful soldiers

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

How does it work with your training in the USA? Do you first apply for baisic training and then apply for something specific or do you apply to become something specific such as a gunner/GI/tankdriver when you are a civilian and then do basic training as a part of that course?

For how long are you a nobody that is treated the way people are treated in basic? I was like that for 327 days.

 

[cav scout]

How does it work with your training in the USA? Do you first apply for baisic training and then apply for something specific or do you apply to become something specific such as a gunner/GI/tankdriver when you are a civilian and then do basic training as a part of that course?

For how long are you a nobody that is treated the way people are treated in basic? I was like that for 327 days.

Before you enlist in the Army you get to select the specific job (military occupation specialty) you want. The jobs available for you to select depend on how well you score during the pre-enlistment testing. Your enlistment contract will actually specify the job you selected and you will be guaranteed this job unless you don't live up to your end of the contract (fail in training, etc.).

Note: as far as I know the Navy and Marines don't offer this guarantee with their enlistments.

If you enlist in a combat job like infantry, armor or field artillery you will be treated like a "noboby" during your basic combat training (BCT) and your job specific advanced individual training (AIT) since these are blended together for the combat jobs.

For all the other jobs you are treated better once you make it to the job specific training (AIT) that immediately follows basic training.