For those of you that are/was ex-military: What branch of service were you in? Tell us a little something about it.

Branch: United States Army
Year Entered: 1987
Year departed: 1996
Rank: SSG (E-6)
Marksmanship: Expert w/M-16, M-60, M-203 & Hand Grenades.
Average PT Score: 245-250
What did you like most? The comraderie: Made life-long friends in the service.
Why you leave? Spend more time with wife/family.
What do you miss most? The comraderie. Upon transitioning from Military to civilian life, nothing is quite the same. People are distant in the real world. In my department, there are 100+ people; I know maybe 20-30 of them, and maybe 5-10 of them very well. In an Army Company with 120-180 people, I'd have known every one of them very well, and they would know me as well too.

People don't hang-out after work, weekends, etc. like in the Army. In the real world, it's 8:00AM - 5:00 PM, and see you tomorow. In the Army, any times a good time. Any excuse to party will do!

------------------------------------------------
Template:

Branch:
Year Entered:
Year departed:
Rank:
Marksmanship:
Average PT Score:
What did you like most?
Why you leave?
What do you miss most?

 

Branch: Army
Year Entered: '86
Year departed: '89
Rank: Spec-4 P
Marksmanship: Expert M-16 (Scored 40-40 twice)
Average PT Score: 295 (Maxed it every time but once.)
What did you like most? The Korean women (and food) outside the base.
Why you leave? Money
What do you miss most? The motorpool in the heat of the Louisianna summers.

 

Branch: Active Army

Year Entered: 1988

Year Departed: Still In

Rank: Master Sergeant/E-8

Marksmanship: Expert(M16A2 & numerous other cool wpns)

Average PT Score: 250

What did/do you like the most: Serving our country/Discipline/Commraderie/Being a Drill Sergeant

Why did you leave: Still active

What do you miss the most: Still active

 

See above.

 

Branch: United States Air Force
Year Entered: 1981 (Nov)
Year departed: 2002 (Dec)
Rank: MSgt (E-7)
What did you like most? Sense of pride accomplishing the mission, teamwork, traveling.

Why did you leave? Retired after 21 yrs, start a new career and let my son complete high school in one place

What do you miss most? I'm a contractor, still connected to the military in some respects. It was hard watching everyone deploy right after I retired, felt like I needed to go also and do my share - I guess that what happens after 21 years...

 

Branch: Army
Year Entered:1968
Year departed:one year, 9 months, and eleven days later!
Rank:E-5 (buck"tooth" sgt.)
Marksmanship:Expert M-14, M-16, M-79, (couldn't hit the ground with a 45.)
Average PT Score: don't remember but it musta been great, cause they sent me straight to Vietnam and let me be infantry.)
What did you like most?living through it!
Why did you leave?if you gotta ask, you weren't there!
What do you miss most?my youth!

I made light of several questions, but that short time in the service taught me more about life, focus, and responsibility than anything else I've ever done.

BTW, bet I was in the shortest amount of time of anyone here and still got an honorable.

 

I was never in the military; my dad was, got friends today who are. But to y'all that are or did...

Thank you.

 

Branch: Air Force
Year Entered: 1966
Year departed: 1970
Rank: SGT
Marksmanship: M-16
What did you like most? Pride in serving my country. Made several life long friends.
Why you leave? It was 1970....wanted to have side burns and longer hair.
What do you miss most? Being in SAC we were deployed somewhere all the time. Never stayed very long in anyone place.

 

Branch: army 1st Cav Div
Year Entered:1997
Year departed:2001
Rank:spc
Marksmanship:sharpshooter on m16 expert on m2 (.50cal)
Average PT Scorerolly 200
What did you like most? looking back on it, the 8 months in Bosnia
Why you leave?ETS, too much BS
What do you miss most?my browning ma deuce .50 cal.also the cool stuff to do in texas and all the friends i made.

i am glad i served even though it was only 4 years. when i went in i was planning on making it a career. i got jipped out of a promotion and then decided to ets and not reup.

 

Branch: U.S. Navy

Year Entered:1982

Year departed:1993

Rank:E6

What did you like most?Friendships, working on aircraft carriers, visiting many different countries and meeting all their hot little babes

Why you leave? Military draw down. Was given a choice, either wait it out and not be forced out and allowed to continue my career, or possible be given a 10 day notice to pack up and get the hell out, no bonus, no benefits. Had a wife and daughter (4 years old) at the time and could not chance getting screwed BIG TIME so took the nice bonus money and got screwed out of my career (Thanks Clinton)

What do you miss most? Seeing I would have had my 20 in by now, a retirement check and medical. Other then that the friends and travel and the hot little babes in every port…

 

Not to get into a politacal mud-slinging issue- but I was in then too. You can't blame that on Bill.

I'd just reenlisted (During Desert Storm) Shows you how much of a hard-charger I was, in Feb. 1991. I had planned on doing 30. After I got back to the states in June 1991, I started feeling a little different about the Army. Stop-loss was no more, and people were leaving in droves. Some by choice, some by boot.

After we'd handed Saddam his **** so handily, I guess somebody somewhere thought with our technology, we didn't need so many people. We used to wonder how we'd get everyone to the field for training (a few too many people)- my last 3-4 years, we wondered how we'd get all the equipment out to the field. (not enough people)

So people were getting offered early-outs, pick your own ETS date, and others- kicked out)

That didn't sit well with me.

All this took place in 1991-92, well before Clinton was even elected. In 1992, his continued, people were getting big checks to leave. This is why I laugh when Cheney blamed Bill for the state of the Army. Bill simply maintained what was left. A lot of good people voluntered to leave- when shown the door.

 

I'm not in the military but my husband is...

Branch: US Coast Guard
Year Entered: 1983
Year departed: Soon, very soon...
Rank: Chief (E-7)
Marksmanship: Dunno
Average PT Score: Dunno
What did you like most? The lifelong friends we've made. Finally getting to live in Alaska. Seeing parts of the country I would never have seen otherwise. Having a steady, though smallish, paycheck coming in while the kids were growing up.
Why you leave? Going to be retiring soon, it's time.
What do you miss most? Haven't missed anything yet!

 

Hi W-M-R,
My friends daughter joined the Coast Guard last year. She is stationed in Hawaii and her ship goes to Alaska all the time. You may have seen the ship it's the USCG Jarvis. I don't know the hull number. Maybe your husband might get Hawaii as his next duty.

 

Not current, not present, but future.
I leave for Naval recruit training command March 9th 2005.
It's something I've wanted to do since I was in HS (27 now) but went to college first and had medical problems that kept me out.
I'm proud that now I can serve my country, and will make a career out of it
God bles the USA
Go Navy!!

 

Branch: Air Force
Year Entered: 1996
Year departed: Still going
Rank: SSgt (E-5)
Marksmanship: M16
Average PT Score: I passed

Check out my gallery for pics of my job