Anybody ever been in the Air Force?

[aweyerman]

I've about convinced myself to join. If you were in what were the ups and downs? Thoughts?

[hillhunter]

My brother was in the Air guard based out of Jackson, MS. He really liked it and went full time with them after he graduated college. He got stationed in Germany for a summer, and went on probably 20 missions going into Iraq to pickup wounded soldiers/deliver supplies. He liked it just fine but has since switched to the army guard to try and get a helicopter pilot slot. The basic training tends to be easier than other branches but is still pretty hard. Are you wanting to get a pilot slot or just be in that division of military?

[coonman]

Was active duty for 5 yrs and reserves for 5. Ups it was a goverment job! Downs its a goverment job! I was power pro and deployed twice once to Italy(awesome!!!)and once to Kuwait (SUCKED!!). I am not the yes man so I couldn't stand that part of the whole thing. Where I was at there wasn't many that had common sense. They looked down up on me cause I told them how I felt and wasn't very politically correct about it. It wasn't until I was getting out of active duty that we had someone that come along that knew how to take care of his troops and lead the way you should be lead. Before then they were all do as I say not as I do and I couldn't handle that. Once the new leadership got there I was going to reenlist but got orders to Korea, being that I had just got married I wasn't going there. I would suggest knocking out your overseas tours right out of basic.

Basic training is nothing but mind games don't let all the yelling get to you and you will be fine.

[free78]

Hurry up and sign the papers.

[adame]

im in the fake air force right now(tech school) i leave for italy the first of december. its the yes decision I've made. with the economy like it is, more people are trying to join so just be patient and don't screw up when you dep in

[aweyerman]

Hurry up and sign the papers.

The papers are in my truck. Lol Gotta fill them out and take them back Monday.

[jacksbuddy]

Here's another 'pro' that you may want to consider. We ARE in a war on terror. That means we are sending guys into harms way to fight some psychos who don't like us. These psychos that don't like us have guns that they carry around in the desert and shoot at our guys who are carrying guns around in the desert. However, our guys in the desert also have a navy that can sit out in the ocean and shoot (and hit) these psychos as well as an Air Force that has airplanes way up in the sky that can shoot (and hit) these psychos - all from a lot farther away than these psychos can shoot at our Navy or Air Force and expect to hit anything. (Ok, they CAN shoot at our Navy and Air Force if they want to, but that would really look funny.)

Add to that the fact that the economy pretty much sucks right now, and I am going to quote free78 and say "Hurry up and sign the d@mn papers."

[free78]

At 6'10 your big booty aint piloting anything lol. The Air Force (Chair Force) is the best of all the services. They take better care of their people.

[LODI QUACKER]

At 6'10 your big booty aint piloting anything lol. The Air Force (Chair Force) is the best of all the services. They take better care of their people.

Thats a fact!!!!!! Ha ha!

Add to the mix that the AF deployments are 3 months in country and hell!!!

Sign the dam paperwork!

[CBrown]

I spent 4 years active duty in the Marine Corps (with some time on Navy ships) and have spent the last 14 years in the Army Guard. Here is what I tell people who ask about joining the military.

1. If you are young (18 to 21) and want to go to war, kill, fight, drink, fornicate, go to war, live a life of debauchery, go to war, get tatoos, be mean, see some of the world and constantly go to war...then join the U.S. Marine Corps. Especially if you are just looking to do 4 years.

2. If you want to go to war, possibly make a career out of it, don't mind deploying a good bit, and would like to eventually go into special operations then I would suggest the U.S. Army.

3. If you just want to see the world, not really into that ground pounding stuff and dig the ocean, but don't mind working you butt off, then go into the U.S. Navy.

4. If you know you are going to make a career out of it, want the benifits of military but life but live like a civilian, want the best bases in the best locations, not into that ground pounding stuff and desire to be around the hottest looking women in the military, then go in the U.S. Air Force.

Yes, I know they all have Special Ops and they all can go onto the land but operating in their historical roles this is what you got.

P.S. Sign the #$%@ Papers!

[tuscaloosahunter]

I was active duty for four years and really liked it. Did two years in Germany and deployed all over Europe and the Middle East. Pros - you probably won't get shot at unless you go the special forces route. The quality of life is pretty good - nice bases, good housing, etc... The pay is not bad for a single guy especially if you deploy and get per diem. I went to Italy several times and the per diem was $109 per day. That's on top of your regular pay check. You'll get to travel to some pretty cool places on the government's dime. People sometimes ask me where all I've been and I usually tell them to ask me a place and I'll tell them if I've been there. It's much easier than trying to name off all of the places I spent time – Germany, Italy, Iceland, France, Austria, Switzerland, Kuwait, Turkey, Bahrain, etc... You get the idea. I was in an active duty combat squadron and we worked pretty hard. It wasn't backbreaking labor, but the hours can be long, however, weekend duty was only once a month and you didn't get called in every time. I worked the night shift as an A-10 avionics mechanic. Swing shift can be a double edged sword. You work until the planes are fixed - can make for some long nights. On the other hand, I remember coming in on Friday afternoons and day shift had everything fixed and put to bed and they sent us home. Also, because we worked in real world situations they were less concerned with all the military BS – haircuts, boots shined, uniform pressed, etc... The NCO's in those type of squadrons make rank based a lot on their 24 hour fix rate. They're less concerned with how you look and more concerned with how well you fix aircraft.

Cons – lots of $#!+. The military is a safe haven for idiots. All you have to do is show up for work and keep your nose clean and you'll keep your job, get promoted and retire in a reasonable amount of time. Promotions are based almost exclusively on time in service and not merit. Consequently, you end up working for people who are a whole lot less intelligent than you are and sometimes they're pretty lazy. Also, if you're enlisting, the most money you can ever hope to make is about $60,000. That's if you make Chief. Most people don't and retire as a SMSGT or MSGT. Then you're looking at making between $40,000 and $50,000. Those are the two main reasons I got out. I wanted to be making more than $50,000 by the time I was 40 and I wanted to be compensated for my talent and not how long I had been somewhere.

Lastly, I'd make sure you have a guaranteed job before you enlist. Sometimes recruiters will try to talk you into going ahead and going to basic so they can fill their monthly quota. DON'T! Don't even settle for a guaranteed field. Get a guaranteed, specific job even if it means you have to wait several months for a slot to open up. My AFSC was 2A4X1 – Aircraft guidance and control systems specialist. I'd also pick a job that translates into the civilian world. You'll gain invaluable experience and will likely get hired immediately if you decide to get out. I was offered several jobs making $60,000 a year when I was 23. I chose to go back to school instead, but it was nice to have that option.

One more thing – go overseas. It's fun and it's a once in a lifetime experience. Aviano AB, Italy would be my first choice. The food is fantastic and the women are gorgeous, plus it's pretty centrally located. Germany was a pretty cool assignment as well. I was at Spangdahlem AB and it was close to everything. France was only a couple of hours away, Amsterdam was a little over an hour, Italy was 8 hours, Switzerland and Austria were 8 hours or so.

I'll be happy to answer any more questions if you'd like. My email address is brad.shurett@thedailysentinel.com. My land line number at the office is (256) 259-1020.

[hillhunter]

Lastly, I'd make sure you have a guaranteed job before you enlist. Sometimes recruiters will try to talk you into going ahead and going to basic so they can fill their monthly quota. DON'T! Don't even settle for a guaranteed field. Get a guaranteed, specific job even if it means you have to wait several months for a slot to open up. My AFSC was 2A4X1 – Aircraft guidance and control systems specialist. I'd also pick a job that translates into the civilian world.

Heard my brother tell a guy who is getting in the same exact thing the other day. You almost quoted him word for word.

[davidees]

If you must go military, Air Force is the way to go. Like some of the others have stated, shortest deployments, fine looking women, and best duty stations. Good luck to you.

[CBrown]

Tuscaloosa Hunter

I agree with everything you said about the military in general except the part about pay. I feel an enlisted man can make more than 50 thousand a year. Not starting an argument but here is how I break down the math. Lets take an E-7 which is a Sergeant First Class in the Army, and let me say you gotta be a douche canoe to not make E-7 in 20 years in the Army.

-2012 Base pay for a E-7 with 16 years in is: $4090 a month. Multiply that by 12 and you get: $49,080
-Now take in your housing allowance which is added to each check and is not taxed: For Biloxi, MS (if you were stationed at Keesler) that is an additional $1080 per check if you are single or $1338 if you have dependants: So add $12,960 to the $49,080 and we are at 62,040.
-Now we have to add $325 a month for BAS (Basic Allowance Substance) or the money the military gives you to feed you. So 325 per month is $65,940
-Absolutely no medical bills for you or your family members, I dont know what the monetary value of that is but it has to be substantial, especially in todays world.
-All prescription drugs are free
-30 days paid vacation a year plus 11 observed Federal Holidays
-Plus if you do 20 years and retire, the next month you will draw 50% percent of your base pay and will continue to do so until you die.


Yes it takes a little while to get there and no you will never be filthy rich, but it is a good life and if you retire in 20 you have plenty of time to start a second career.

[tuscaloosahunter]

CBrown - you make some good points. I didn't take in to account benefits like BAH, BAS, insurance and retirement. Those things certainly up your compensation. I was speaking strictly regarding base monthly pay. As I mentioned, there are other sources of income like per diem, hazardous duty pay, etc... My point was you'll never get wealthy - or even close for that matter. As you mention, there are several other areas that increase your income, but not enough to offset the difference in pay in the private sector. Also, the military limits what you can make based upon a pay scale. No one tells me how much money I can make now. It's all about performance. My earning potential is all dependent upon how well I do my job - not how many years I've been employed. Again, all your points are good ones and should be taken into consideration when making this decision.