army reserves

hey guys, i am stongly considering joining the army reserves. so just wondering if any of you guys are in it so you can tell me what its like or if its a pain in the ass. Id rather get a personal opinion than getting it from goarmy.com.

Is there any special reason you want to go to Iraq, or just because?

nobody joins the army just because, i want to fight for my country and get some training in mechanics and what not. And it would be a good career choice because i speak arabic and from what im hearing they need people that can speak that language.

Since you have asked for opinions, here is mine.

i want to fight for my country
The current leadership are businessmen masquerading as politicians. They have lied to their country, lied to the world, and raped a region of the globe that will not see stability for the next 100 years. They have wasted fine young American lives, and countless innocent Iraqi civilians, and billions of dollars on a sham that has shackled America. Out of all the ways I would like to give back to this beautiful country, dying of an IED in downtown Fallujah so that some poltician and his Haliburton group of companies can make billions is not one of them. I owe my family more than that. Therefore, I personally do not beleive that my being sent to Iraq would be fighting for my country. I beleive it would be fighting for Cheney and his fat wallet. That is my opinion, and only my opinion. Soldiers, however, do not have the luxury of one, and I salute them. (my grandfather was an Army general, his brother was a general. My dad and his 5 brothers are all retired Majors. Many other cousins still in the Marines, Airforce, and Coast Guard.)

get some training in mechanics and what not. And it would be a good career choice because i speak arabic and from what im hearing they need people that can speak that language.

That would be the premier reason why I believe you should join the reserves, and with those language skills, you would certainly be a most valuable asset. The skills you will acquire will benefit you in the long-run, and military training will look nothing less than superb on your resume'. Also, the friendships you will forge in your time there will be irreplaceable, as will be the sense of unity and discipline you would have learned in that time span.

It is up to you to do a cost-benefit analysis of what it's worth to you, and that can only be done by doing what your heart says is right, whatever path you choose.

Just my opinion. :2cents:

thank you, you have given me a lot to think about.

you have to have a goal in it all. why are you thinking about joining?

i was in the Navy for a spell chasing a Fighter Pilot dream.

for reference here is the breakdown:

Army: you are a number. there are MANY jobs in the army. fighting is only a small portion. the Army has Tanks and Helocopters. blowing shit up is fun. Spec Ops: Rangers

Marine Corps: you are a Motivated Killer. you are the first one in and the last one out. you get the tough guy missions. more Tanks and Helocopters, but also Aircraft. Spec Ops: Force Recon

Air Force: you are on vacation. 1st step in planning an Air Force base is deciding where the golf course is. Airplane Mechanic is a pretty good job. so are any of the other Aircraft related jobs. Spec Ops: Delta, PJ

Navy: you are a man of the Sea Service, women in every port. Spec Ops: SEALS [baddest fuckers on the planet]

Subs = super duper smart. everyone goes to Nuke School. 8 hours a day of school and last time i was in something like 10 hours of studying after school. stuck underwater for 3 months at a time. best food and most water per person on any boat in the Navy to compensate.

Ships = floating tin cans. lots of maintinence stuff to do. better to try to be the guy shooting the missiles. FC is the rate to be. or a PH [photo dude]

Aviation: greatest jobs int he fleet. not stuck to a boat. get to work on the finest jets in US inventory. might get stuck ashore your whole career.

as you can se i'm a bit biased.


my GF's little bro just got out of Army boot to be some kind of a troop psychologist to lessen PTSD or something like that. he is at home in Ohio [my chick is from there, Cleveland area]. he seems to like it some.

i would get bored of any kind of regular military job. i would want to be flying on board something [if not piloting] or sneaking around blowing shit up.

about Iraq: it's the only war we got. by default people in the military may end up in places of war. but you already knew that.

about the rest of the world: there are like 135 or so other conflicts going onright now that don't get so much press coverage. Somalia just went supernova and completely destabilized recently. a guy who works for me ended up at a Marine Corsp camp out in Niger and just got back. another Marine Corps bro just came back from the Phillipine Jungle fighting the rebels [who think that 9/11 was made up and didn't really happen. no internet and all, you know.]. he has a bullet in his leg over that one. there is much more going on than Iraq. that is just where they let the Reporters go.

food for thought and all...

I spent five years in the Marines aviation side. Did two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, but all in all it wasn't terrible.

The military can be a great thing, especially when it comes to a stepping stone into other career fields. (Being that you have a technical job) The bond of brotherhood in the military is like nothing I have ever experienced and the friends you make last a life time.

There are some downsides to the military mostly involved that more than likely you will work with people you don't like and of those people most will probably out-rank you. (Atleast at first) But overall it's not a bad experience at all.

I would suggest if you do decide to go in, make sure that you find a job that has a civilian counter-part and is an in demand position in the civilian world.

I mean we all know that being a dude who fires Stinger missles would be bad ass but obviously you can't get a job outside of the military firing Stinger Missles.

I was practically signup for the Nation Guard Reserves. Now I know this is the bottom the the barrel, last to go out, last to do anything really, but that's what I was looking for. Wanted something to get me in shape and have something like Shpyder was saying, something for my resume.

I was signup and just had to go in once more to sign one more paper before it was all official. The day I had the appointment with my recruter was 9/12/01. I ended up holding off and waiting to see how it turned out after that.

I still want to go in. Been thinking about it again. I figured if I can't get a job awhile after school here, I may still go in, however, I do hate how Bush is going about the whole war. It's unnessicary to be there. It's their problem, not ours. And the way he vetos everything Congress proposes about pulling troops out is just bogus. But again, everyone has their own opinions.

To answer your question, I think it's a great idea. I don't know how old you are, but I figure kinda younger. You do get to travel, get in shape, do things you'd never do anywhere else, and you come out on top. However, just like everything else, there's the downs. Being shipped someplace you don't want to go, being killed, or some other things. Just weigh out your options and go with what you feel is right to you.

I've been considering the Marines because it looks bas ass and the training looks intense as hell espically since I would love to be a scout sniper. But then I decided I didnt want to get shot and the black guy usually dies first :lol:

I've been considering the Marines because it looks bas ass and the training looks intense as hell espically since I would love to be a scout sniper. But then I decided I didnt want to get shot and the black guy usually dies first :lol:

HAHA. That's funny. Damn movies.

But then I decided I didnt want to get shot and the black guy usually dies first :lol:

Awwww man that made my sides hurt, lol. :rofl:

:rofl: Nice Scott.

I think the Rangers are the baddest mother fuckers in the world... but I dont know a lot about the millitary.

I'm not even going to go into what I think about our government and military endeavors, but if its something you are passionate about and truely believe in then by all means, go for it. Just dont let promises of big enlistment bonuses etc lure you in.

you have to have a goal in it all. why are you thinking about joining?

i was in the Navy for a spell chasing a Fighter Pilot dream.

for reference here is the breakdown:

Army: you are a number. there are MANY jobs in the army. fighting is only a small portion. the Army has Tanks and Helocopters. blowing shit up is fun. Spec Ops: Rangers

Marine Corps: you are a Motivated Killer. you are the first one in and the last one out. you get the tough guy missions. more Tanks and Helocopters, but also Aircraft. Spec Ops: Force Recon

Air Force: you are on vacation. 1st step in planning an Air Force base is deciding where the golf course is. Airplane Mechanic is a pretty good job. so are any of the other Aircraft related jobs. Spec Ops: Delta, PJ

Navy: you are a man of the Sea Service, women in every port. Spec Ops: SEALS [baddest fuckers on the planet]

Subs = super duper smart. everyone goes to Nuke School. 8 hours a day of school and last time i was in something like 10 hours of studying after school. stuck underwater for 3 months at a time. best food and most water per person on any boat in the Navy to compensate.

Ships = floating tin cans. lots of maintinence stuff to do. better to try to be the guy shooting the missiles. FC is the rate to be. or a PH [photo dude]

Aviation: greatest jobs int he fleet. not stuck to a boat. get to work on the finest jets in US inventory. might get stuck ashore your whole career.

as you can se i'm a bit biased.


my GF's little bro just got out of Army boot to be some kind of a troop psychologist to lessen PTSD or something like that. he is at home in Ohio [my chick is from there, Cleveland area]. he seems to like it some.

i would get bored of any kind of regular military job. i would want to be flying on board something [if not piloting] or sneaking around blowing shit up.

about Iraq: it's the only war we got. by default people in the military may end up in places of war. but you already knew that.

about the rest of the world: there are like 135 or so other conflicts going onright now that don't get so much press coverage. Somalia just went supernova and completely destabilized recently. a guy who works for me ended up at a Marine Corsp camp out in Niger and just got back. another Marine Corps bro just came back from the Phillipine Jungle fighting the rebels [who think that 9/11 was made up and didn't really happen. no internet and all, you know.]. he has a bullet in his leg over that one. there is much more going on than Iraq. that is just where they let the Reporters go.

food for thought and all...

A lot of good info in this post. Pretty much all of it is true. I go on cruise pretty soon here. So it will be a while before we pull back into shore. One thing i can say about the navy is that if you like to travel, then you can try that. Im stationed in japan. Next, I am going to try italy. I sold my eclipse a year ago to get a skyline. Little did I know, you don't need a skyline...or even a car in japan. It is to crowded and the subway is available. Now that i've seen skylines, Im sick of them. It seems like every american here has one. Why? why because cars are cheap...real cheap. Anyway, why not go full enlisted? You will getting all the benefits, pay, and a time in your life where people you haven't seen in 10 years will still be your best buds because you would have shared an irreplacable time in your life doing things that only a few ever do.

edit- a far as the women in every port, all I have to say is thailand and austrailia.

:rofl: Nice Scott.

I think the Rangers are the baddest mother fuckers in the world... but I dont know a lot about the millitary.

I'm not even going to go into what I think about our government and military endeavors, but if its something you are passionate about and truely believe in then by all means, go for it. Just dont let promises of big enlistment bonuses etc lure you in.


Pfft. Rangers.

Regular Marine Corps infantry is better trained than those clowns.

I sold my eclipse a year ago to get a skyline. Little did I know, you don't need a skyline...or even a car in japan. It is to crowded and the subway is available. Now that i've seen skylines, Im sick of them. It seems like every american here has one. Why? why because cars are cheap...real cheap. .
How about you bring back one for me then?

Pfft. Rangers.

Regular Marine Corps infantry is better trained than those clowns.

i have a bro that was Force Recon and he let me know that Ranger Training for them was done on days 2 and 3 of the schedule and mostly consisted of finding the toilet in the dark with a glowstick.

also something about using only one piece of toilet paper with a hole cut out and using the little piece for under your fingernail [something they teach all Rangers aparently].

Beat Army.

i have a bro that was Force Recon and he let me know that Ranger Training for them was done on days 2 and 3 of the schedule and mostly consisted of finding the toilet in the dark with a glowstick.

also something about using only one piece of toilet paper with a hole cut out and using the little piece for under your fingernail [something they teach all Rangers aparently].

Beat Army.

Haha, So true.