Amen to that!!!
Basically disregard everything a recruiter says. Period. Even if something is in writing, the military gets to rescind what it wants to (recall all those people who signed up for 4 years, and discovered that the military gets to renege on any contract "not in its interest"; they got to spend extra years in Iraq- woohoo)
My navy experience was the worst of my life. I would only recommend the military to HS dropouts, or delinquents forced (by a judge) to choose between it and jail time (which is actually how quite a few enlistees land there) and the navy was quite similar to being in jail.
It's unlikely you would land a shore duty assignment-- being at sea for 6-12 months straight sucks so much that everyone in the navy wants shore duty (where you get to go home at 5pm like a normal job) and those billets are awarded to those who kiss ass the best.
My experience was that everyone's goal was to avoid work and push it off to their underlings. The common saying is that "S--- rolls downhill" and you of course start at the bottom of that hill.
If you have any reasonable prospect at doing what you enjoy outside of the military, try like hell to stay out! The happiest day of my life was walking off that ship forever.
I'm sorry to hear your experience was a bad one. But for the others reading this, the military is what you make of it, just like any other job. There are some differences to be sure, but your attitude towards it goes a long way. Sea life isn't for everyone, and 6-12 months out there can be burdensome to folks who cannot handle the isolation.
Thanks for all the input! I am researching the career fields very carefully.
Awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing! I thought the Marines retired the Harrier...or was that the RAF?
Be sure to do your own homework on whichever service you choose, and anything any recruiter tells you, take with a grain of salt and get a second opinion. If you know anyone in the service you're looking at who isn't a recruiter, talk to them.
Again, my recommendation is to enter the service as a commissioned officer; the pay is better, you are treated better and afforded better privileges. But along with being an officer, comes a lot of responsibility, and decision making.
It was the
Royal Air Force which retired the Harrier. I've been out of the Marines for 11 years and as far as I know, we (USMC) are still flying them.
I'd also like to point out something special about the Marine Corps that differs from the other services. I don't know if this is part of your plan or not, but I think you should at least be aware of it.
Back in the 1990's when I was in, the services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard) would advertise and give bonuses anywhere from, I don't know, $15K-$30K for use towards college on top of the GI Bill. But the Marine Corps didn't and still doesn't. The Marines do not want people joining their ranks as a primary means to gaining money for college. The Marines want people to join them in order to be a Marine and carry the fight to the enemy.
That's not to say they want dummies or to prevent Marines from getting an education, because that isn't true. One can get money from the Marines for college, but it isn't easy and they don't advertise it. You can go to school while on active duty, if your command allows it and your duties don't take you on deployment a lot. The Marines want your priority to be on them, not trying to get money out of them for college and not putting your all into the Corps.
