What Do You Want Out of the Army?


by Alan King - Date: 2007-02-28 - Word Count: 503 Share This!

There are as many reasons to join the army as there are recruits, but there are some common themes. Some join for a taste of adventure before a relatively normal life. Some join to get technical training for a planned career of some sort. Some plan a career in the Army itself.

It is certainly possible to change your mind after you join, as to what you desire out of the experience. We can merely plan as best we are able. Once you know what you want out of the experience, you can attempt to make that happen.

If you are seeking a specific technical skill, determining which MOS, or Military Occupational Specialty, provides that training is the first step. This might be a helpful veteran or recruiter, or it might be the result of a search at a library or on the internet.

https://www.cool.army.mil/index.htm is an excellent source of information about the military versions of civilian skills and credentials. Whether you desire to be trained as a French horn player or fuel technician, this can tell you which MOS will provide you those skills.

Adventure is easier to find. There are many methods that can be employed to maximize adventure, but a veteran or recruiter can present those options. This can be pursuit of a combat arms MOS, airborne training, a track to membership in Special Operations Forces or even volunteering for assignment to a combat zone.

Sometimes there will be a family tradition. This might encourage you to seek assignment to a specific unit or command. Depending on the exact circumstances, this can vary from quite easy to essentially impossible. Such soldiers will probably have access to more of the information needed, for instance, to deal with a family tradition in the SF or at a specific fort. There are many families, including mine, with traditions of military service older than the US and a larger number that is merely several generations long. This can be especially strong in the National Guard, where families can have two generations in a unit easily.

Naturally, while you may have things you intend to get out of the Army, this is only part of what you will actually get from the experience. You will see heroism of several types, camaraderie of a type which most will never experience, you will endure the dreaded hurry up and wait and wade through enough paperwork to bury an elephant. You will face and overcome challenges and this will alter what you think of as a crisis when you get back to civilian life. When the weather gets bad, you'll find yourself telling war stories about snowstorms, sandstorms, tornadoes and bright sunshine. You'll discover how long you can function without sleep, what you can eat and the power of a leader saying "Follow me." You might even be that leader. These things will stay with you even if you have only done one tour of duty before returning to civilian life, and the growth you've experienced will color your life from that point on.


Related Tags: army, joining, reasons to join, recruits

For more information on the US ARMY please check out the authors site at http://USARMY.COM

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