Nephew wants to join Army

[C-dub]

I'm going to go over and talk with my Sister and her husband and their son this weekend about the military and what it's like from my perspective and see if he's really interested in serving our country or just wants to get away from mom and dad. The problem is that my perspective is over 25 years old. My BIL never served and is asking me to come over because there's a lot of things he doesn't know either.

What I would like from you all is your perspective on what it has been like the last few years for new enlistees. I don't think he will get to do anything very high tech because he didn't do that well in school and my BIL said he thinks he got a score around 31 on his test. I took the ASVAB test way back in the 80's and the recruiter just handed me the book and said pick whatever I wanted. My nephew is going to be limited, but I don't know how much. Any ideas from that score? Is that even a real score? I don't remember.

There's one other thing I haven't asked him about yet. He also hasn't told me about it yet, but his mom, my sister, told me. He got this big nasty tattoo of a cartoonish girl smoking a doobie covering his left side from his hip to just under his arm. Will something like this keep him out?

Thanks everyone.

[papajohn1964]

I could tell you stories from the 80's when I was in but that's not what your asking. I can tell you that from working on all of th bases here in San Antonio I see a lot of guys with a LOT of tattoos. Some have full sleeves and I have even seen a few on the neck so I don't think one on the side will DQ him.

[WildBill]

I'm going to go over and talk with my Sister and her husband and their son this weekend about the military and what it's like from my perspective and see if he's really interested in serving our country or just wants to get away from mom and dad. The problem is that my perspective is over 25 years old.

He got this big nasty tattoo of a cartoonish girl smoking a doobie covering his left side from his hip to just under his arm. Will something like this keep him out?

I don't have any practical advice, so I wish you good luck.

If all it took to get out of the draft was a nasty tattoo, Tattoo Shops would have had lines around the block during the Vietnam war. I think they frown on visible tattoos for officers, but I doubt that his would make any difference. I would ask him to make very certain that his drug using days are though. Getting kicked out of the armed services for using drugs is a bad thing.

Again, best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[C-dub]

I'm going to go over and talk with my Sister and her husband and their son this weekend about the military and what it's like from my perspective and see if he's really interested in serving our country or just wants to get away from mom and dad. The problem is that my perspective is over 25 years old.

He got this big nasty tattoo of a cartoonish girl smoking a doobie covering his left side from his hip to just under his arm. Will something like this keep him out?

I don't have any practical advice, so I wish you good luck.

If all it took to get out of the draft was a nasty tattoo, Tattoo Shops would have had lines around the block during the Vietnam war. I think they frown on visible tattoos for officers, but I doubt that his would make any difference. I would ask him to make very certain that his drug using days are though. Getting kicked out of the armed services for using drugs is a bad thing.

Again, best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.

I'm pretty sure all he's done is cigarettes and a little weed, but who knows? I'll make sure he understands. What is the discharge for drugs? Dishonorable or what?

[Texas Dan Mosby]

If he wants to fight, tell him to go Army, go Airborne Infantry, and get in a jump unit. The Army has better resources than the corp, and soldiers don't get stuck on boats for extended periods like Marines. Jump units are volunteer units, and the quality of the troops is better over all, as they tend to be more motivated, more fit, and better lead. If he's really motivated, he could volunteer for the Ranger Regiment before he enlists, or in jump school, which will get his foot in the door for other SOCOM organizations if he opts to make it a career. SOCOM is the best place to be, but if you can't hang, you will be booted to the conventional force.

If he doesn't want to fight, look into the Air Force IMO. They've got two jobs that are pretty high speed and would be pretty exciting for a young lad. 1.) Combat controller and 2.) Pararescue / Jumper. The combat controller controls close air support (fire missions!) for ground units, and also sets up runways and controls aircraft arrival and departure in the field. They can be both static line, and free fall parachute qualified, and can work with a WIDE variety of organizations throughout the DOD. Pararescue / Jumpers are like SUPER medics, trained at a high level in medical tasks, and also a wide variety of insertion techniques (static and free fall parachutists, combat divers), they, too, can work with a wide variety of organizations throughout DOD.

An often overlooked service, IMO, is the Coast Guard. I don't know much about them, however, unlike most of DOD, they actually DO their jobs 24/7 as opposed to train, train, train, GO TO WAR, come back, train, train, train. IMO, the Coast Guard would be a very satisfying job because they are out there all the time, saving somebodies butt, or actively interdicting bad things that are trying to be snuck into the country.

When my kids come of age, if they express interest in service, the Coast Guard is the branch I'm going to push, and I'm a 3rd generation career Army muldoon...well, kind of.

Best of luck to him.

[C-dub]

If he wants to fight, tell him to go Army, go Airborne Infantry, and get in a jump unit. The Army has better resources than the corp, and soldiers don't get stuck on boats for extended periods like Marines. Jump units are volunteer units, and the quality of the troops is better over all, as they tend to be more motivated, more fit, and better lead. If he's really motivated, he could volunteer for the Ranger Regiment before he enlists, or in jump school, which will get his foot in the door for other SOCOM organizations if he opts to make it a career. SOCOM is the best place to be, but if you can't hang, you will be booted to the conventional force.

If he doesn't want to fight, look into the Air Force IMO. They've got two jobs that are pretty high speed and would be pretty exciting for a young lad. 1.) Combat controller and 2.) Pararescue / Jumper. The combat controller controls close air support (fire missions!) for ground units, and also sets up runways and controls aircraft arrival and departure in the field. They can be both static line, and free fall parachute qualified, and can work with a WIDE variety of organizations throughout the DOD. Pararescue / Jumpers are like SUPER medics, trained at a high level in medical tasks, and also a wide variety of insertion techniques (static and free fall parachutists, combat divers), they, too, can work with a wide variety of organizations throughout DOD.

An often overlooked service, IMO, is the Coast Guard. I don't know much about them, however, unlike most of DOD, they actually DO their jobs 24/7 as opposed to train, train, train, GO TO WAR, come back, train, train, train. IMO, the Coast Guard would be a very satisfying job because they are out there all the time, saving somebodies butt, or actively interdicting bad things that are trying to be snuck into the country.

When my kids come of age, if they express interest in service, the Coast Guard is the branch I'm going to push, and I'm a 3rd generation career Army muldoon...well, kind of.

Best of luck to him.

Unless something drastically changes in his head in boot he'll probably want to be in a non-fighting job. I'll know more after this weekend. He's a little guy, maybe 130 pounds soaking wet with rocks in his pockets. If he could get in, he would easily fit in a sub.

[MoJo]

I was Army Airborne back in the day. I have to agree if I were going to join up now I think the Coast Guard is a great choice.

[jmra]

If his scores are low he won't qualify for either one of the Air Force jobs Texas Dan mentioned.
When I joined in the mid 80's anyone who admitted to an AF recruiter that he had smoked weed was sent down to an Army recruiter. During basic training we were asked about weed again. If you said you had smoked weed you got a ticket home.
I'm sure things are different today.

[E.Marquez]

I've been an active duty Infantry dude since 1985, Airborne, Air Mobil, Mechanized, Armor, Cold weather units in Alaska.. Curently stationed at Fort Hood.

Many deployments all over the world.... 5 that the locals were not happy we were there.

If I can answer any current Army stuff questions for your nephew or parents.. Feel free to PM me.

If you fear I'll be a cheerleader ignoring the bad, for just the good,,, fear not.. I've been talking my youngest son out of the Army for 2 years now..

[C-dub]

I've been an active duty Infantry dude since 1985, Airborne, Air Mobil, Mechanized, Armor, Cold weather units in Alaska.. Curently stationed at Fort Hood.

Many deployments all over the world.... 5 that the locals were not happy we were there.

If I can answer any current Army stuff questions for your nephew or parents.. Feel free to PM me.

If you fear I'll be a cheerleader ignoring the bad, for just the good,,, fear not.. I've been talking my youngest son out of the Army for 2 years now..

Good to know. Thanks.

[snatchel]

I'm not entirely up to speed on current stuff, i've been out for a little over 2 years now.

I can tell you that it's getting more difficult to get into the military these days. Unless I am mistaken, all the branches are downsizing (I know Marine & Navy are for sure). An occasional joint wouldn't get you DQ'd, but a history plagued by consistent drug use will. As far as the tattoo--it can be hidden, so I'm betting it will be at the discretion of a MEPS officer. With drug/drug paraphernalia on the tattoo, they will not be happy with it.

31 on the ASVAB is pretty low. Any techie jobs are going to be a no-go with that score. I could tell you more if I were to have his entire score. Here is a link you can follow to see what minimum scores are for a particular job in a particular branch of service.

http://www.military.com/ASVAB/0,,ASVAB_MOS.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Drug use will get you kicked out in a heart beat. Depending on your command, you can get anything from a Dishonorable, Other Than Honorable, or Medical discharge. OTH & Dishonorable are terrible--I don't think I need to go into detail. I can tell you for certain that it is a heck of a lot easier to get kicked out of the military now than it was 30--or even 10 years ago. Things like DUI/DWI, multiple write ups, and Domestics will result in immediate discharge for most commands. The economy is terrible, and the military is downsizing. This means that the Mil can be a lot more selective & strict in who they hire/keep. The Navy is looking for a reason to kick you out right now.

Just because he is small doesn't mean he can't be a warrior. I'm 5'6, and was only 135 lbs when I joined. I beefed up quite a bit quickly. In battle, heart & tenacity go a lot further than size or strength. I will agree with the above--SOCOM is the way to go--if you can cut it. Going SWCC was the smartest thing I ever did in the military. Becoming part of an SO organization sets you apart from the rest. I would never bash the infantry guys -Marine or Army- cuz those boys got stuff done. But I will say that discipline & quality of your brothers gets better in the SO Community. Not to mention, SO communities get to play with all the cool toys.

In short, I support anyone who joins the military for the right reasons. At the same time, I despised those that joined for the wrong reason. There is absolutely NOTHING worse than getting stuck in a gunfight in a Sunni Slum with someone whose heart isn't in the fight. They are a dangerous liability, and drag down the reputation of our Armed Forces. Tell him I said good luck, but he better be in it all the way. If he isn't, he will have 4 years of the worst misery he could imagine.

[SewTexas]

my understanding from hanging out around BAMC for several years is the big tatoo shouldn't keep him out since it will be covered by a t-shirt(it could be considered "offensive", but then many could, but it's big and that could have been a problem) I think they changed the tatoo regs a few years back.


(don't quote me on anything, this is just what I've picked up from hanging out around BAMC hospital)

[3dfxMM]

The size of the tattoo won't be a problem. The subject matter might be. A 31 is the minimum score you can get in with so it is unlikely that he will be eligible for the Ranger Regiment.

[Heartland Patriot]

The USAF is downsizing as well. They are PICKY about what jobs they let folks into vs their ASVAB score. However, did the kid take that test in high school? How long ago? He might be able to retake it at a base/post/installation and try and get a better score, if he is serious about joining. The tattoo MAY be a no-go but like snatchel said, it will probably be up to the folks at MEPS. USUALLY if it is covered up completely when in Service Dress uniform, they are more likely to let it slide. Drug use in the services is NOT tolerated, and with downsizing, they can afford to kick folks out for minor offenses; helps them meet those "target" numbers. Anyway, best of luck to the young man. Hope things work out well.

[Valk]

I’m not sure about the scores now, but if it is based on the scale of 150 (when I joined) or even 100, they may not take him with a score of 31. My score was 115 and was categorized as II.

My take is partially from the mid-70s (for the scores), although I later was hired as a civilian in 2004. US Army.

I was a Personnel Management Specialist (75C). I worked In the United States Army Reception Station (USARECSTA) at Ft. Polk, LA. My first job there was “Classification & Assignment”. We interviewed new recruits and asked them their personal preferences, education,and used that knowledge along with their first test scores, to assign a job classification. The recommendation would include their preference, and our recommendation, which normally would take precedence. Butt holes would not get a good classification.

At the height of Bush’s wars, it really didn't much matter which job skill you had, you would pretty much end up in Iraq or Afghanistan. Even if you reenlisted to go to another post in the US, that other group may be redeployed.

A don’t forget (thanks to George Bush) that the total time you served was 6 years. It is not a misstatement about Bush keeping you for 6 years. It was in place during Vietnam. The only difference is Bush forced you for the whole 6 years. Whatever the duration you enlisted for (2-4 years), you would normally be in reserve for a total of 6 years.

If he wants to go to the badlands, join the Army. It appears we will have many fronts.
In the Air Force it takes a long time to get promoted and you could be setting up a runway in hostile territory.
In the Navy, you probably may still end up in the Middle East seas or Japan or Korea.
Marines could go anywhere.
Coast Guard I would agree may be the best choice.

See if there are any bonuses for certain classifications. See if they are offering any "guaranteed" skills/training. You don’t want to come out with a skill that doesn’t translate to a civilian job! Foot soldiers skills aren’t required in any civilian job.

Last but not least, let it be HIS decision.