Why the heck did you? 2020 Hindsight

O

old medic

Senior Member
Both grandfathers (WW II) 2 great Uncles ( Korea) and 2 of my 3 uncles ( 1 in Nam) were vets
Family very involved with local fire and rescue... so serving for others was the norm.
End of 11th grade and dreaming my future... Had major schooling in Mechanics, and was looking at going to a trade school after graduation.
Uncles and Grandfather talked me into looking at the service.... Recruiter talked a great game and I took the ASVAB test... did well enough that I could pick whatever i wanted to do... and PFC rank with graduating AIT....
I enlisted At 17 in the delayed entry program... Proudly walked into Fort Jackson SC Aug 6th 1981....
 
I guess I wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier. I enlisted in the Army in 1968 a year before the draft became a lottery system. If that wasn't enough, I volunteered infantry and Vietnam. šŸ˜²
Now, I have to tell you, that once I got overseas, I realized this might not have been the smartest move. When my year was up, I still had time left so I came home and became a drill Sargent. At that time, I did consider becoming a lifer, but I wasn't cut out for that. I guess all grunts suffered from PTSD, but that term didn't exist back then, so we didn't know why we never seemed to fit in anywhere. :(
 
squatting dog said, "I guess all grunts suffered from PTSD". I don't believe humans were designed for modern combat, and probably all prolonged military engagements. What I find odd is that the US military ( I can't speak for other nations) has an extremely good system of healing the physical aspects of war. We are good at keeping a body alive, and repairing its parts. But until recently, we weren't so good with the mental aspects of war. You think that since war was their business, they would have developed the same degree of repairing the mind as they did with repairing the body.
 
My grandfather was in WW11, he raised me and my siblings which was probably another war in itself as we were very young. šŸ¤— But I cannot imagine what you guys (I'm using this for men and women) must have gone through in Vietnam. I have seen a few films and documentaries and in tears for all who suffered. War is evil, perhaps sometimes necessary (not always sure about that one) but it is devastating to all involved. Don't want to be a snowflake but I cannot imagine what the after effects are from being in any war situation. Yes PTSD has not been recognised until more recent years. My great grandfather in WW1 suffered shell shock but no psychological analysis was made ( I understand that was the times). My grandfather would never talk about his experiences or if he did it was very limited. Nowadays we do have an emphasis on mental health and will treat soldiers who for example have been in Afghanistan, Iraq etc for PTSD or so I believe. But any person who has been in a war situation will have lasting psychological effects. We need to do our best for you all whatever country or war situation one finds themselves in. It would be better of course in my idealistic world if we didn't have wars. Perhaps this coronavirus may be a wake up call. This is now the new war, if you like. šŸ˜Ÿ
 
For one thing, I got a direct commission and being in the Air Force more or less guaranteed my being afforded extensive travel on Uncle Sam's dime. I never could have afforded all of that, for sure.
 
I enlisted in the Army, high school wasn't going well and I figured I'd get drafted eventually. I signed up for 3 years so I could pick my MOS. I was guaranteed a training course but didn't realize it was just a 10 day training in shipboard firefighting. Afterwards, chose 61C20(marine diesel engineer), then went to "shake n' bake" school and made E-5. Got the opportunity to attend the warrant officer's advanced course(signed a 3 year "intent to re-enlist"); they didn't need any WO's in Vietnam so I went as an E-5.
 
My parents would have had to sign for me if I were to go into the military. I could get married without their consent, but I could not go into the military. At least that form of sexism is gone.
 
Nathan said:
I enlisted in the Army, high school wasn't going well and I figured I'd get drafted eventually. I signed up for 3 years so I could pick my MOS. I was guaranteed a training course but didn't realize it was just a 10 day training in shipboard firefighting. Afterwards, chose 61C20(marine diesel engineer), then went to "shake n' bake" school and made E-5. Got the opportunity to attend the warrant officer's advanced course(signed a 3 year "intent to re-enlist"); they didn't need any WO's in Vietnam so I went as an E-5.
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I signed while still in high school instead of being drafted right out of high school. I wasnā€™t promised anything, but was allowed to check off a few jobs that interested me. I ended up in the jungle anyway.
 
911 said:
I signed while still in high school instead of being drafted right out of high school. I wasnā€™t promised anything, but was allowed to check off a few jobs that interested me. I ended up in the jungle anyway.
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The military lies when they promise things.
 
I was too young for WW 2 and Korea, and too old for Vietnam. I served my country as a field engineer for the Air Force in Korea, Okinawa, Japan and the DEW Line in northern Alaska.
 
Phoenix said:
The military lies when they promise things.
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Yeah, itā€™s sort of like ā€œbeingā€ volunteered. When we were in basic training on the Island (Parris Island), our Sergeant asked for a volunteer to help tar the barracks roof. He thanked me for volunteering and I never opened my mouth. It was July and about a 100 degrees that day.

While marching during basic, the Sergeant would yell out, ā€œJones, give us a cadence!.ā€ I was prepared in case he called on me and he did. After we had finished marching and we had a smoke break, he came to me and ordered me not to use that cadence again. I would print it here, but then I would be banned.
 
911 said:
Yeah, itā€™s sort of like ā€œbeingā€ volunteered. When we were in basic training on the Island (Parris Island), our Sergeant asked for a volunteer to help tar the barracks roof. He thanked me for volunteering and I never opened my mouth. It was July and about a 100 degrees that day.

While marching during basic, the Sergeant would yell out, ā€œJones, give us a cadence!.ā€ I was prepared in case he called on me and he did. After we had finished marching and we had a smoke break, he came to me and ordered me not to use that cadence again. I would print it here, but then I would be banned.
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The only thing I know about sergeants is what I've learned from movies, but it seems to me they must be mentally and emotionally challenged. As Leonardo said, "He who truly knows has no occasion to shout."
 
old medic said:
Near the end of basic we were asked ....
If you could spend 5 minutes alone in a room with anyone, who would it be...
My Girlfriend Mama and such....
I begged for my Recruiter.
old medic, I, too, wanted to hunt that lousy bastard down. It was after the Tet Offenses, and we were drafting anyone with a pulse. I walked into the Recruiting Office, and said I wanted to be a Navy Corpsman. He said he would have to do some finagling, but he might get me in. And I bought that line. But by the end of my 4 year stint, I forgot his name.
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Phoenix said:
The only thing I know about sergeants is what I've learned from movies, but it seems to me they must be mentally and emotionally challenged. As Leonardo said, "He who truly knows has no occasion to shout."
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Boot camp is just a narrow slice of the military experience and gets wildly exaggerated by movies. It does weed out many people who cannot handle stress.
A far bigger slice would be the experiences of people after boot camp: the aircraft mechanics, the electronics repair folks, the supply types, the Seabees, the army engineering battalions and etc.
I very, very rarely had to raise my voice, and I was in for 31 years including time as a Chief Petty Officer.
 
Pecos said:
Boot camp is just a narrow slice of the military experience and gets wildly exaggerated by movies. It does weed out many people who cannot handle stress.
A far bigger slice would be the experiences of people after boot camp: the aircraft mechanics, the electronics repair folks, the supply types, the Seabees, the army engineering battalions and etc.
I very, very rarely had to raise my voice, and I was in for 31 years including time as a Chief Petty Officer.
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When I wrote what I wrote I wondered what your experience had been.

jujube said:
My grandfather lied about his age in order to be old enough to enlist in the early days of WWI......and then they wouldn't take him for some reason.
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My husband went into the air force at age 16.... He was allowed to do that. He graduated high school two years early. They ended up kicking him out because they said he lied about his height. Lied? They were the ones who measured him. He said he did not slouch when he was being measured. He was nearly 6'7" He would have had to pay for his uniforms. He chose not to do that. I am grateful, because of that he did not die in Vietnam. War always sucks.
 
911 said:
While marching during basic, the Sergeant would yell out, ā€œJones, give us a cadence!.ā€ I was prepared in case he called on me and he did. After we had finished marching and we had a smoke break, he came to me and ordered me not to use that cadence again. I would print it here, but then I would be banned.
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Have anything to do with an Eskimo?
 
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