Anyone here have military experience?

[Gretch87]

Here lately I have been considering joining the Air Force...
I just don't what I would be getting myself into by doing so.  The benefits sound good i.e. enlistment bonus of $13-20k, healthcare, a month of vacation, traveling, free education, job training, decent pay, etc..
But I don't like the idea of being owned by the gov't.  Maybe it's not as bad as I'm thinking?  I've talked to a few people who have had military experience and they loved it.
I was considering the ROTC being commissioned to officer route.  I think it would suite me more than just enlisting.
If anyone has any knowlege/experience/background and wouldn't mind offering advice that would be great.  I know it's a big commitment that you can't exactly walk away from if you don't like it so I want to put thorough thought into it. 
As of right now I'm not exactly doing anything career wise that will help me out finnancially later on.  I'm studying philosophy & psychology....While interesting for leisure, not sure about life's ambition.

I know this is a little off topic given the forum but not sure where else to post at the moment so I figured why not?

[zensunni7]

Hi

I was in the Air Force - I was drafted so I joined the branch I wanted rather than being an Army grunt.
I liked their motto - We use our Brains first -
It is the same as any other experience- its value lies in your response to it. There are those that will say it is a killing machine - and it is- the military in general but it also serves many other purposes as well. Basic is six weeks of bullshit - but then it is not much different than any other job with a uniform. I had nights free and I met people from all over the world and country all in one place. The pay now is considerably better than it was then too.
As far as the govt owning you - look around America, it is a war as to the govt or wall st trying to own us all. But until Americans regain their backbone - it will continue.
Isn't the skill we are all learning here to BE our genuine Selves wherever we are ? So it matters not if it is in the Air Force or there where you are now.

[Gretch87]

Good insight, Thank you.

I guess what you are saying is if it sounds like something you would want to do, if it makes sense to me, then perhaps I should consider it?  Like you said, it's my reaction to the experiences I have, not the experience itself that matters. 

And yes, you are right.  Wall st. and the gov't own us already...however there is a tad more freedom in civilian life I guess.  But then again, isn't all sense of freedom "illusory"?

It's still a big step from what I'm doing now.  A drastic change to take place, inside and out.  I just have butterflies thinking about it.

[cloaknpoke]

Follow your gut instinct or intuition.  But don't let fear cloud your judgement.

I spent 4 years in the Marines.  It was overall a good experience but I being the eldest of 4 boys told my 3 younger brothers to not join the military.  All but 1 of them joined, 1 went in Navy and got kicked out of basic because they said he had psych issues, the other is currently in the Army and just got home from Iraq.

Looking back at the whole experience even tho I've always believed in peace and non conflict, it will always be one of the best experiences of my life.  I think it's funny I'm a very good shot from 500 meters and I really don't like guns.  I'm all for the 2nd Amendment, but I just don't like what guns can do to people in the wrong hands.

Airforce is probably the one branch I would recommend to anyone because they really are the smart ones.  Yet the Marines have the best uniforms and really good leadership training/experience.

[zensunni7]

Welcome Cloaknpoke

Good counsel indeed. I enjoyed my experience as well, but  I could have fun at an insurance seminar too.
I was grateful for my military run. it taught me self discipline which came in very handy for my spiritual life and fatherhood later on. I was exposed to many of the martial arts and other practices I have done all my life while there.

Any life choice of this magnitude is going to give you butterflies. I believe eventually the military will shift its talents and resources to better purposes as we expand into space more and more.
For now - it is a bit ass backwards to send our young and finest people to war - so much talent and genius dead on the battle fields across time.
To me it is not much different than joining a large corporation though. But if your married or thinking of marrying and raising a family - it is NOT a good career move for a family.

[juliainkc]

Yes indeed,

A warm welcome to the forums Cloaknpoke. Justin thank you as always, for your interesting thoughts and bringing them into the forums! And Darrell, Namaste` for your thoughts here as well:

To me it is not much different than joining a large corporation though. But if your married or thinking of marrying and raising a family - it is NOT a good career move for a family.

I Am speaking as a BRAT. A child of a military 'father'. A lifer in the military...

Darrell speaks wisely. It is not a good career move for a family.

Many children of military fathers, do not know them. 6 months in and 6 months out ...

And yet, I am grateful for my experience, it has molded me through my experiences to be whom I AM today...

and this is why I set in motion, to establish, 'Home' Base, Roots of another kind ~

Julia expressing as a child of the Military Influence ~

[Gretch87]

Follow your gut instinct or intuition.  But don't let fear cloud your judgement.

That is always the hardest part for me to discern...

Well, no family here so that isn't a challenge.  However, if I like it enough to make it a career, then I don't know what then.  I mainly just wanted to do it for the experience, the travel, the money, the discipline.  I'll be honest.  I have very little discipline.  I'm a little lazy.  I get what I need done but always at the last second and with bare minimum effort.  I am a procrastinator.  I'd like to change this because as Darrell said, it would be immeasurable in my spiritual practice. 

I like guns, but not what they do to people.  I was in my highschool riffle team and I really enjoyed it.  I don't like violence or conflict either but it almost seems inevitable unless of course you enter into the solitude of a monestary but then there is always the inner conflict which must be confronted.

[cloaknpoke]

Thank you all for the welcome.

Oh and I too want to say that it is not good for someone who want's to have a family.  That's why I only did 4 years because I got married and did not want to have to choose between my service and family.  To me family came first.

One thing we could use more of in the military are more officers who really serve for the American citizens, and are not afraid to do what's right, when faced with very very hard decisions that affect the lives of people.

[mcdwg11]

Thank you all for the welcome.

Oh and I too want to say that it is not good for someone who want's to have a family.  That's why I only did 4 years because I got married and did not want to have to choose between my service and family.  To me family came first.

One thing we could use more of in the military are more officers who really serve for the American citizens, and are not afraid to do what's right, when faced with very very hard decisions that affect the lives of people.

I will have to disagree with you. I am in the Marines and I think the key is to learn to wait. Unfortunately in the Marines the divorce rate is high because many young Marines marry in their first four years and I think these are the worst because the first four years is when most of the BS happen since most first term Marines are low rank. I waited until my 11th year in, not by choice it just happened so I have more control over my career and I am more mature. I have been married for two years and so far so good.

Ruben

Ruben

[cloaknpoke]

I will have to disagree with you. I am in the Marines and I think the key is to learn to wait. Unfortunately in the Marines the divorce rate is high because many young Marines marry in their first four years and I think these are the worst because the first four years is when most of the BS happen since most first term Marines are low rank. I waited until my 11th year in, not by choice it just happened so I have more control over my career and I am more mature. I have been married for two years and so far so good.

Ruben

Ruben

Well I said family not marriage, and divorce rate is high in America in general.  When I say I don't think it's good for family I'm not even thinking anything about divorce.

I also planned on getting out after my first 4 years before I went to boot camp.

They teach in bootcamp from the start that the Corps comes first wife comes second, generally most join the corps before they get married.  Also as you start to get rank you start to become responsable for your Marines which are also your family.  Juggling two families would be quite a bit of work.  When you have to be deployed you have to serve and leave your domestic family behind, because your Marine family is #1 especially when your a leader.  If you have kids your sometimes forced to spend long periods of time apart from your kids.  I had kids after I got out because I never wanna be away from my kids.  Just having a wife and no kids would be very easy to do, cause either she accepts what you do before she married you or never shoulda got married in the first place.

[SaintSoldier]

Very recently, a few of my friends have been basically forcibly inducted into being military dogs. I have witnessed a boy turning into a man, and the burden on your soul is much greater than you can imagine without knowing what it feels like to kill a man. You have to keep yourself in perspective; living in a society with rules set down upon you, you are a slave. Do you want to be a slave with a gun who is forced to confront others who may or may not be slaves of the same master? Regardless if you join the military, it may be necessary to learn about this force as all of this talk of 2012 and all the prophecy that is getting publicized in the media to the average joe who cannot understand a majority of the things that go on around them, will probably get scared. When people get scared, people start doing stupid things, riots, and probably in some cases, unnecessary government crowd control that may lead the paranoid that think the government will relocate them to cause their own relocation. A self-fulfilling prophecy comes to mind. My gut instinct tells me I need a weapon, not to hurt anyone, but to make sure that I am at least prepared to act should I see danger. Only my opinion though.
 
If you see it from the viewpoint that you want to sacrifice yourself so that you can do the moral thing, then by all means surrender yourself to an even greater degree to those who already own you. I try to be an optimist, but the truth is the truth; you are given a gun and told to kill and are given no choice but to trust those above you. Unless of course you are a fortunate son and give the orders.

Regardless if you think love is all you need as many have voiced around these parts, I don't think sitting by idly will benefit anyone; I take this idea from the way the rabbit behaves. The rabbits that get scared and do nothing when they are frightened all died out to the point that every bunny you come across will always make an effort to run if they believe they are in danger; inversely, they may believe they are in danger when they are not and run, putting themselves in danger.
I hope this helps you in your decision.

[zensunni7]

This is one of the most impressive threads on here.
It is talk of things rarely talked of - as all too often the spiritual aspects tend to ignore navigation through such times.
Yes - all is divinely unfolding, yet in a very real way, no-one is unaffected.When the threat of no gas was broadcast just after 9/11 - I watched a four lane highway become a car lot - people running out of gas waiting to get into the gas station, then evolved to violence at the station when they ran out of gas, then the police - the evolving was rapid and the consequences teetering on animal violence with every new hour, and that was just one small city in Ohio - for one night.

Spiritual people should address such things as this, in the present moment, while keeping the awareness of the changes. The fourth dimension is not separate from the others, they are all inclusive, unity of the three creates the fourth. The equation is in constant evolvement.
As will all beliefs will be, from the most violent to the most serene.
War is a Human desire, and will not be deleted from the Human equation until it serves no purpose to the survival of the race. For now - it is imperative in its belief system, it is its instinct, and as powerful to the biology as intuition is to Spirit Mind.
It also possesses a unity of purpose lacking in Spiritual governance of Self or Race. Form has one driving purpose - it WILL survive regardless of cost.
Being told to kill in the military is a reality, doing so when in battle is not - there are battles and personal encounters that ended when both looked into the eyes down the barrel of a gun, and walked away - all soldiers know this.
Human Beings recognized each other and realized the depth of their slavery - the many generations of them aware in the same instant, and the Human stood erect.

Generals are trained in one ideal - war will not cease until all become Human Beings - the logic is to keep the death to a minimum, not wasting energy and trying to stop the battle that has a life of its own. War is instinct allowing itself to be seen by the naked eye - for awareness and a plea for unity with Spirit. Real Spirit - that knows the value of what it is seeing, and honors it as it does its Self. A quality yet to be seen with the same determination of purpose and power.
Those of here with the loftiest words and intentions will see that we cannot - DO - nothing for those that do not feel the future approaching - and to entice them to our workshops, coaching seminars and rally's is not going to help them. They live in darkness - unseen - not uncaring or unworthy - they just do not ' know ' and those of us here that have attained knowledge to navigate a new dimension - will be watching the same street I watched, and the saem battle field of Human fear. We will have to walk into the dark and test our Light.



 

[mcdwg11]

I will have to disagree with you. I am in the Marines and I think the key is to learn to wait. Unfortunately in the Marines the divorce rate is high because many young Marines marry in their first four years and I think these are the worst because the first four years is when most of the BS happen since most first term Marines are low rank. I waited until my 11th year in, not by choice it just happened so I have more control over my career and I am more mature. I have been married for two years and so far so good.

Ruben

Ruben

Well I said family not marriage, and divorce rate is high in America in general.  When I say I don't think it's good for family I'm not even thinking anything about divorce.

I also planned on getting out after my first 4 years before I went to boot camp.

They teach in bootcamp from the start that the Corps comes first wife comes second, generally most join the corps before they get married.  Also as you start to get rank you start to become responsable for your Marines which are also your family.  Juggling two families would be quite a bit of work.  When you have to be deployed you have to serve and leave your domestic family behind, because your Marine family is #1 especially when your a leader.  If you have kids your sometimes forced to spend long periods of time apart from your kids.  I had kids after I got out because I never wanna be away from my kids.  Just having a wife and no kids would be very easy to do, cause either she accepts what you do before she married you or never shoulda got married in the first place.

In my belief it is all about compromise, whether one is only married or with a big family. If the wife is on board and understands the sacrifices that will be made then everything trickles down to the kids, and it is a better atmosphere.

I have been in almost 13 years and I have to say in all honesty that I have never been told that my family will in any way be second. Fortunately I have been in duty stations where from the start I was told to make sure that my family comes first and that ensures I will be effective at what i do.

I am now a Staff Sergeant or E6 and it is true that as you get more rank you have more responsabilities to your Marines. The way I aprroach it is small unit leadership, in the Marines we are told we are all leaders and we are all in charge of taking care of each other, of course those with more rank and more experience are the ones who make the decisions and ultimately are responsible for the well being of those new Marines. I am a Staff Sergeant and I have Sergeants, the Sergeants have Corporals and the chain goes down. By delegating authority down the chain it relieves a lot of pressure to those on the higher ranks and keeps everyone involved in making sure everyone is taken care of, like any family there will be problems but in many instances the issues stop even before it gets to the top and this is because a Sergeant or a Corporal took care of it.

Everything is relative, just because one is only married with no kids does not mean it is easy specially if the wife does not like the military. I have met many Marines that have gotten out because the wife gave them an ultimatum of either get out or I'm out and of course there are those where the wife is allways involved with the husband's military career, so again everthing is relative just like in the civilian world, the key is to compromise and communicate, at least it has worked for me and I try to instill the same to my Marines.

[sativaguitar]

Now before you click the link please please be aware there is very offence language and subject matter here. So do not complain after if you click it. This is so true of the USA......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np6_b-72H3E

[perfect]

Adrian does not approved of using profanity in his forum.Thank you,I love you,I am sorry,Please forgive me. If you use profanity,you do not belong here.