Why did you join?

zig

Hi, Im not sure if this kind of question has been put up before, but im just wondering why did you join the army/navy/etc?
And also are you happy you joined?

The reason I ask is I have a serious urge for this kind of life , and doing bits of research about it makes me want it more.I am too old for the army but not the navy. The reason I want to join is for the very reason they advertise : "a life less ordinary". I finished college, cant stand the idea of working in a 9-5 office job for some company I dont care about with computers etc.

But i know Im being a bit innocent/naive. My father was a Lt Crnl(retired now), and my friend is a private, both people have given me alot of warnings about the risks involved, i.e. it is very institutional, almost school like, they say it can be very boring also. These are both people who love the outdoors,love the adventure, are physically fit etc.

Anyway I guess what im really asking is , will I (as someone that enjoys their independance) be sorry I joined because its not all its cracked up to be.
I dont mean to offend anyone who loves their job here,its only 2 people I have talked to so I know that doesnt say much

Lockstep

I amn't in the army. So my views here aren't as good as the real soldiers here.

Considering the army though.

Most of the people I know who are in it joined due to a military history in their families. There are other reasons obviously but those were a surprisingly strong influence.

One man I know reached Lt Colonel and realized he had humanitarian objections against the army.

Bam Bam

I was bored, broke and oblivious.

rednik

I joined the army because it was something I always wanted to do growing up. When I signed up I had no preconceived ideas about the life as I knew nobody in the army.
Recruit training was rough but enjoyable and considering there were almost 70 in my platoon it was a while before we all got to know each other. I joined in 1981 and in those days there were no interviews, you walked in the gate signed on passed a medical and you were in.
I left the army last year and I have to say it was 26 years well spent. I got a lot out of the army and I am proud to say I have a good number of friends still serving and those who have left and we still meet up for a few and we will continue to do so.
But even back then a few people got in who should never have been accepted as it was obvious to all that they were not cut out for life in the army.
As regards the boredom sure it is but is'nt every job. But it has many different aspects to it than a lot of other jobs will ever have including overseas service. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Saruman

I always wanted to join, i thought it would be interesting.. not the army though.. I would be more interested in the Air corps Or maybe the Navy...
Thing is im too lazy so it never happened.... then again, my laziness is as much a product of how i have lived my life by not joining up

I do not imagine there is too much time to log on to boards though.

arybvtcw0eolkf

I joined in Friday 13th of December 1985 (and still serving).

1. Both my great grandfather and grandfather served and fought in WWI & II (Grandfather WWII) plus my father served after them so it was natural that I was going down the same road.

2. I applied for both the army and the guards at the same time, the army called me first. I'm glad I joined the army now as I can retire with a pension

3. With hindsight 9-5 Monday to Friday would have killed me.

Todays army is a very different place than it was 'when I were a lad'. There's greater oppertunities to serve oversea's, progression through the ranks is quicker & strongly encouraged. Education oppertunities are great, I'm not saying the OP is uneducated but there is great potential to improve on your education by way of career courses, re-sitting exams or taking the junior and leaving certs for the first time. Then going on to do degree's, esp. in some of the corp units.

The defence forces now have strong anti-bullying polices in place, this has made huge differences both good and bad (bad for the lads training recruits).

Overall its a good life. For what you do the pay isn't too bad either.

Oh, and Rednik will confirm this.....

You'll never make friends like the friends you'll make in the defence forces, never. Its a very special kind of friendship, witnessed by the amount of 'ex-ers' who remain in touch with their units and who regularly turn up for unit functions, funerals, deceased members masses.

If I met someone from my recruit training days today we'd chat like old friends I'm sure. Likewise with lads I've served oversea's with, I may not have seen a lad in ten or fifteen years but I know when we meet we'll still be friends.

I hope this has helped.

Flying

Joined up as it was a job simple as that, my father is in it 44 years leaving this year and was something I was good at, all my close friends are from there and my best friend.

And looking back in hindsight it is much better than crappy fat and meaningless civvie street.

Mick86

I joined in 1985 when jobs were at a premium. But my father, two brothers and several uncles and cousins were or had been in the army so I'd have joined anyway.

I've never regretted it. Well there was that one time in the Glen when I thought my testicles were going to drop off with the cold and we didn't sleep for three days and the rain just wouldn't stop.:D

minidazzler

OP you said you went to college right??? Do you have a level 8 course done??? If you do then AFAIK you are not too old for the Army. I have been told that people with Degrees can be left in because they wioll not go through another degree so they will be serbing quickly.

You can get commissioned wasier than if they had to put you through college.

Ring your local manpower for both the Army adn the Navy and ask them if you are too old. Do not forget to mention you went through college.

Flying

minidazzler wrote: »

OP you said you went to college right??? Do you have a level 8 course done??? If you do then AFAIK you are not too old for the Army. I have been told that people with Degrees can be left in because they wioll not go through another degree so they will be serbing quickly.

You can get commissioned wasier than if they had to put you through college.

Ring your local manpower for both the Army adn the Navy and ask them if you are too old. Do not forget to mention you went through college.

English ?

NoQuarter

i love the outdoors, adventure and im physically fit so i joined to become a soldier.....

i left, however, because i was (not a rant!) sick of being spoken too like i was stupid, sick of my NCO's complaining they were being spoken too as if they were stupid, sick of cleaning toilets, sick of cleaning everything else, sick of wasters, sick of duties, sick of sweeping leaves, sick of exercises where i was under the control of an NCO with his head inserted where the sun dont shine, sick of shaving:) and sick of complaining/hearing people complaining!

now im in college, chilled out to bits, and the worst thing ive to deal with is exams, this is the life....


on the other hand, i have made mates ill have forever, great lads, and ive seen and experienced things few will in my four short years there.

i wouldnt say i regret joining, i just put it down to a steep learning curve!

arybvtcw0eolkf

king-stew wrote: »

i love the outdoors, adventure and im physically fit so i joined to become a soldier.....

i left, however, because i was (not a rant!) sick of being spoken too like i was stupid, sick of my NCO's complaining they were being spoken too as if they were stupid, sick of cleaning toilets, sick of cleaning everything else, sick of wasters, sick of duties, sick of sweeping leaves, sick of exercises where i was under the control of an NCO with his head inserted where the sun dont shine, sick of shaving:) and sick of complaining/hearing people complaining!

now im in college, chilled out to bits, and the worst thing ive to deal with is exams, this is the life....


on the other hand, i have made mates ill have forever, great lads, and ive seen and experienced things few will in my four short years there.

i wouldnt say i regret joining, i just put it down to a steep learning curve!

And that guy is, sadly, the other half of being a member of the defence forces and one of the reason's I tell young lads to get the fvck out of battalions & Arty units ASAP.

Although some units are worse than other's, but the army does have a lot of muppets.

Dave!

Flying wrote: »

English ?

Yes, it was English.

Flying

king-stew wrote: »

i love the outdoors, adventure and im physically fit so i joined to become a soldier.....

i left, however, because i was (not a rant!) sick of being spoken too like i was stupid, sick of my NCO's complaining they were being spoken too as if they were stupid, sick of cleaning toilets, sick of cleaning everything else, sick of wasters, sick of duties, sick of sweeping leaves, sick of exercises where i was under the control of an NCO with his head inserted where the sun dont shine, sick of shaving:) and sick of complaining/hearing people complaining!

now im in college, chilled out to bits, and the worst thing ive to deal with is exams, this is the life....


on the other hand, i have made mates ill have forever, great lads, and ive seen and experienced things few will in my four short years there.

i wouldnt say i regret joining, i just put it down to a steep learning curve!

Well at least you did your bit, the army and navy is not all solidering it is sometimes excessively mundane with mundane tasks and a lot of NCO's today are badly trained and hugely incompetent as it is merely the way todays society is.

But fair play all in all.

Oilrig

I joined in '83, spent the next nine years waiting to get out...

As has been said, the Army back then was very different than it is now. We got battered by our instructors on a regular basis, but it has to be said when several guys stuffed an instructor in a dark passageway between the billets he took it on the chin... didn't mellow the c*nt though Different times...

Promotion was on the service basis... ie first in, first up. The unit I joined had me 23 yrs down the line based on the availability of courses, those in front of me etc.

I spent my time in night classes to get ahead, at one stage I had the embarrassing situation where I was lecturing my CO on a night course he did for a year :cool:

Still, to this day, as has been said, some of the best mates I've ever made were made during those times. Bar None.

aido_2006

im in the army 2 years now and i love it... have done plenty of courses and so far its been deadly... has its boring days like any job but then we go out on tactical exercises, blow the **** out of things down the range, cmon where else would ya get to do **** like that???? and now im heading chad in the coming months so thats gonna be a crazy experience but all good!!!