Anyone served in the military?

[Insidiator]

Where I'm from (Greece) military service is mandatory for every male that is of at least 18 years old and has finished with his educational responsibilities. I recently served my term. I served in the greek forces in Cyprus, in the artillery. Anyone else has a similar experience to share?

 

P.S.: I'm not militaristic, nor do I condone a militaristic outlook on life. Just bringing it up as an experience.

[Surenas]

Royal Netherlands Army, 4-year enlistment, of these nine frakkin months among the Taliban

followed by a one-year guerilla war against the mullahs of the brotherhood on Planet Nexus

The bottom line is: For the rest of my sweet life I'm fed up with trigger-happy bearded guys!

 

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbI6eEg_3YM

 

[Slammer64]

U.S.A.F here 78-82 with a 2 year reservist term. Aircraft equipment maintenance tech.

[gregathit]

Does 1 year in ROTC in college count?

Just did it up to the point you had to join and then quit

 

Why you ask......M-16 rifle range, rappelling and an easy A

[Tossie]

2 years of JROTC in high school. Would have stayed in it longer, but my fellow cadets were abusing the power that they made up and it pissed me off.

[Guest GingerTom]

I tried.

 

But after 3 days of psyco-testing me they decided they didn't want a guy that when told by a sarge to heave a hundred pound bag of sand to the top of the hill would reply: 'It would make more sense, sargent, if two of us carried it up so that one of us wouldn't end up with a hernia. Seriously.

 

Carry on, Sargent.

[Slammer64]

ROTFLMAO @ GingerTom

[GSBmodders]

Where I'm from (Greece) military service is mandatory for every male that is of at least 18 years old and has finished with his educational responsibilities. I recently served my term. I served in the greek forces in Cyprus' date=' in the artillery. Anyone else has a similar experience to share?

 

P.S.: I'm not militaristic, nor do I condone a militaristic outlook on life. Just bringing it up as an experience.

[/quote']

 

I served in the us army (active duty) from 1988-1992 then from 92-06 as a reservist and a national guard after the army scrapped its reserve program. At the time it seemed like a good idea, I just finished up getting my ged after having dropped out years before and was thinking of college.

 

I never predicted the shit that came my way during my service, going to the sand trap three times was not my idea of a fucking good time

 

[Guest GingerTom]

 

Slammer64 quote: ROTFLMAO @ GingerTom

 

That's the usual respone I get when I tell ex-military people about my '3 days in the service'.

[thesapien]

In my country, joining the military makes you a mindless drone devoid of any moral responsibility; a henchman for an evil empire who just wants to get paid and have college tuition covered as well as any other benefits, never mind the players or politics. I would sooner fight AGAINST my country than for it. So, no.

Yes, to independent training though. I seem to have a natural marksman talent in that I can check out what someone else is using at a range, be invited to take a few shots with a rifle I've never used, and make them look bad as they eye me with suspicion. My dad would had been full of pride except that I did this to him, as well, so his bragging and talk of trophies weren't impressive to his son.

[Insidiator]

Well, for me there were things I liked and MANY MORE things I didn't like. I enjoyed learning about how the artillery works (and the comparison to experience from movies/books/videogames), I liked the chance to shoot with an assault rifle (very hard to do as a civilian in Greece) and I made some very interesting social observations on people's behaviour in these particular circumstances. On the other hand, being told what to do by ignorant idiots, being obliged to obey orders without thinking them over, shaving every day, saluting flags etc., well, let's just say these are not my cup of tea. I'm not made for the army, at least in it's current form.

 

 

But hey, if all else fails in my life, I hear the French Foreign Legion recruits people up to 40 years old.

[Surenas]

[snip]

But hey' date=' if all else fails in my life, I hear the French Foreign Legion recruits people up to 40 years old.

[/quote']

Good idea, but because females are not permitted to join the Legion I'd simply do what I can do best and join the mobile brothel of the Legion.

[ThePhenom34]

i wanted to but they refused me on the grounds that i was crazy for volunteering

[LinaMia Orion]

Yes (3rd tac fighter wing) of the (3rd combat support group) USAF without us the USA would not be USA.

[Kashked]

I did my turn in the army. My generation were among the very last to be conscripted before sweden changed over to a volenteer force, but to be honest, by the time I got there it was actually harder to get in than to get out. If you weren't interested they weren't forcing you, they just sent you home. It was different during the cold war when you basically had to be a drooling idiot to get out, and sometimes not even that helped...

 

I did my military service as a "close protection"-squad commander, stationed with the battallion staff (I would guess some of these terms dont make sense, but I dont have a clue what it would be called in english). We were trained to guard and act as "bodyguards" for the senior officers. Sounds cooler than it was... Basically meants I spent 4 months standing about in a big pile of snow freezing my ass off after basic training, during which, incidently, it was hot as hell, the part of the years that actually is pleasant to work in outdoors I spent indoors, learing communications systems. After MUCK ("Military manouvers in civilian clothing" as it is jokingly called, since up until just a few years ago every man in sweden was officially still part of the army until the day he turned 45) I stayed on with my local Homeguard (sort of like the US national guard, except we aren't deployed outside the swedish borders, and honestly, with the 200 year anniversiry of uninterupted swedish peace coming up we mostly put out forest fires and find lost hikers in the woods).

 

I'm still active, sergeant/squad commander. My speciality is the Carl Gustav grenade-rifle.

[Kashiwaba Tomoe]

Did my time in the US Army.

 

Also Kashked, close protection would in english be the same thing really.

 

And a batallion staff is the exact same thing as well of course.

 

Also, I'd like to say I like Sweden.

 

An armed society is a polite society, and one that doesn't get fucked with.

[bluedivide]

Australian Army, 14 years as an infantry soldier and the last 8 as a combat medic (my knees gave out).

 

ADF is a volunteer force we don't have conscripts or drafts. The pay is good and we have a good profile with the civilian population.

 

If I was to do it again though I would go Air Force.

[sammythesquirrel]

Yes (3rd tac fighter wing) of the (3rd combat support group) USAF without us the USA would not be USA.

 

lawn darts are for chumps b1 bombers rule nuff said

[mem4ob4]

Early 1980's U.S.Army ADA.

Spent part of my time staring at a big barbwire fence and a field of landmines (The Iron Curtain). The rest of the time was staring at a radar screen watching choppers and jets test the boarders.

I did get a chance to see some wonderful country and meet good people all across western Europe. Khania on Crete had VERY nice beaches and sunbathers

[gatobankou]

swiss army. 10 months. coldest days of my life. probably colder than skyrim lol. no sleep at all. why the fuck are swiss mountains so fucking big and cold ?! anyway now i'm finished with this shit. I am a lot more stronger than before but my sleep is fucked up. sometimes I don't sleep for 2 days and feel fucked up in the head lol.

[Guest Loogie]

I did my military service as a "close protection"-squad commander' date=' stationed with the battallion staff (I would guess some of these terms dont make sense, but I dont have a clue what it would be called in english). We were trained to guard and act as "bodyguards" for the senior officers.

[/quote']

 

Sounds like the American equivalent would be Military Police.

 

I don't have any REAL military experience, just JROTC and ROTC. I could have become an officer but decided not to contract because aside from two guys I'm friends with to this day, 85% the other cadets were date rapist assholes and I didn't want to be part of an organization that welcomed them.

 

Of course, looking back on it, I think those kinds of guys were an exception rather than a rule, and it was a problem with that particular program's culture and not endemic of ROTC recruiting as a whole.

 

I did not some neat training stuff, but I wouldn't have the gall to compare it to it to real military service.

[Nonsense667]

I don't have any REAL military experience' date=' just JROTC and ROTC. I could have become an officer but decided not to contract because aside from two guys I'm friends with to this day, 85% the other cadets were date rapist assholes and I didn't want to be part of an organization that welcomed them.

 

Of course, looking back on it, I think those kinds of guys were an exception rather than a rule, and it was a problem with that particular program's culture and not endemic of ROTC recruiting as a whole.

 

I did not some neat training stuff, but I wouldn't have the gall to compare it to it to real military service.

[/quote']

 

I know what you mean. I never did the JROTC or ROTC stuff, but I signed up for the air force a year out of high school. Ended up getting ELS'ed (Entry level separation) out, after getting put in med hold in the 319th for a month after getting through zero week, then sent back to go through zero week a second time, then sent back to the 319th to the separation dorm for a few weeks, as they rushed to get everyone of the sep dorm out by christmas.

 

I wouldn't call it completely "serving," but damn, did it help to shape me as a person. I like to call it "The most necessary mistake I ever made."

[sbire]

i had a little "vacation" at my time on duty.

nothing really serious situations, most little brain f4k by self panic.

 

great expierience in his own way. i wasn't in any combat, but i never forget these strange feelings in these totally different context of life. there are moments, where i thought it could be happen any moment.

 

after all i see some things clearly now, changed my mind in some points.