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Discussion: General Forums / General Discussion - Thinking about joining the army - I am thinking about joining the army to become a ranger. I was wondering if
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02-22-2008, 09:16 PM #1
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Thinking about joining the army
I am thinking about joining the army to become a ranger. I was wondering if it would be better if i go to school for 4 years to get my bachelors degree so i don't have to worry about doing it in the army and it would also give me time to prepare for the Army Ranger Training.
These are some questions i have:
- Will I be able to take my PC to my dorm after basic training?
- Can I be a reserve ranger?
- Do you get bonuses for having a degree?
- Do rangers most likely operate in the middle east?
- Do rangers do joint operation with other special forces?
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02-22-2008, 09:31 PM #2
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Not to burst your bubble or anything.... You would have to be suited for Ranger school first. You would have to go through normal basic training as an 11B, which is light infantry soldier. Then you would go through Ranger school and if you pass that then you would be allowed to wear the Ranger tab. Not all soldiers who pass the course go to a Ranger unit...please make sure you understand that! Being a Ranger is tough business and is a ton of hard work. Do you get to see some awesome stuff? Absolutely. Most of your time is spent training, training, training...running, running, running, and firing your weapon. You could join now and the govt. will pay for your degree later, or you can go to school while you are in. If you are not in tip[ top shape now, then that is ok. Army Basic and Infantry AIT will shapen you up quickly. Ranger School is more about intestinal fortitude than brawn strength, just remember mind over matter. If you are serioulsy interested see if your Local recruiter can hook you up with a current Ranger and if not...see if your local VA office can help you. It is always better to talk to someone in person who has gone through it...
Originally Posted by |TG|SpecOpsRanger
Good Luck!
B
PS: I answered your questions in the original quote...sorry to confuse you...see in the grey."Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." Gen. George Patton
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02-23-2008, 03:28 AM #3
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Look into a RIP contract or something (if they still have that going on)
It is supposed to guarantee you a spot in a Ranger Regiment, provided you pass the neccessary schools
|TG-X|Turkish
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02-23-2008, 10:05 AM #4
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
I remember about 6 guys in bootcamp who where "guaranteed" SEAL training.
Not one of them went. It was obvious that a couple of them where just flat out lied to. They could barely get through boot camp, let alone SEAL training.
A couple of them looked like they might make it. In shape, dedicated, at least seemed smart. Both did not go. One for a very minor medical reason. Everybody, even the CC, was shocked at how minor it was. And the guy never tried to hide the condition but nobody asked him until after he was already in.
And all 6 of those guys still got the honor of serving in the US Navy for 8 years doing job they didn't sign up for. Probably chow-dale or something.I’m not racists, I have republican friends. Radio show host.
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02-23-2008, 11:38 AM #5
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
After basic and AIT, you are a human and you live like a normal person, so it is like living in a campus dorm. Originally Posted by |TG|SpecOpsRanger
Being a Ranger has nothing to do with Reserve /Active status. Once you attend school and graduate you always a Ranger. But no there are no Reserve Battalions in the NG or Reserve. Originally Posted by |TG|SpecOpsRanger
If you become a officer, it all depends on your FA (Functional Area). Some FAs get bonuses, some do not. Believe it or not you are more apt to get bonuses being Enlisted, yes with a degree. Originally Posted by |TG|SpecOpsRanger
Read the papers, currently everybody functions in the middle east and Asia, until the next area in the world is a hot bed for action those places will remain the concentration of effort for those types of units. Originally Posted by |TG|SpecOpsRanger
Psst, Ranger are part of Special Operations. They are a USASOC (US Army Special Operations Command) unit. Originally Posted by |TG|SpecOpsRanger
Those questions being answered, you have to really take a step back and consider what you really want in life. You have several choices in life and believe it or not and now is the time to decide. If you join the military as a Officer after college, you may do a tour with the Regiment maybe once. Most officers in Combat Arms do go through Ranger School, but very few actually ever serve in the Regiment. Most are helping the Army out in other units. Plus, most officers do not stay doing the sexy life style forever. They may do a year or so out of their whole career doing something sexy, before they move up to a command or staff position which takes them away from the action. Now if you are Enlisted, you have a much better chance of actually getting into the Regiment and staying there for a couple years doing something fun. But even that is limited these days, they still try and encourage soldiers in the regiment to go out into the big Army and share their skills with others. So you do have a limited lifespan there.
Now if I were to give a recommendation, it would have to be going a doing a 18X enlistment. That is where you got to SFAS (Special Forces Assessment and Selection) straight out of basic. Being Special Forces has a lot of advantages over Rangers for several reasons. There are actually huge bonuses for being SF, some up to $150k later on. You will usually be assigned to a SF Group once you are qualified, not like Ranger where it is hit or miss. You can still go to Ranger school as SF qualified, so you have both qualifications. Your tour in Group is also usually a lot longer. Normally you do not leave Group after a couple years unlike the Regiment. Plus in SF you will learn a language and normally get treated a whole lot better. But again, this only pertains to Enlisted, Officers usually do a short stint in Group as well before they go out to the Army. And SF does have a National Guard unit.The Meek shall inherit the earth..... after we're through with it!
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02-24-2008, 04:56 AM #6
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
BTW, C... If you ever do any drops out of the Okinawa area, PM me... I might be around to give you a push out the door.
BTW, any thought to other services? I'm in the Air Force...enlisted. I've been in for 5.5 years, learned two languages (courtesy of uncle sam) and love my job. I currently fly special ops(no, im not a pilot) out of Japan. Granted, I'm not a ranger, or a PJ or a SEAL or anything to terribly cool...but I do have a pretty good time. Our re-enlistment bonuses are high...to tune of 40-90K depening on years and rank. I dont know what the enlistment bonuses are these days.
Oh, and if you go see a recruiter...remember...only about 1/4 of what they say is true.
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02-24-2008, 07:56 AM #7
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Agreed. Your recruiter is lying, no matter what he is saying, about 80% of it is a total lie. You are almost guaranteed to see duty overseas if you join the Army or USMC at this point in time. If that is cool with you, good, good luck and be safe. If not, rethink what you want to do with your life. I know of at least 12 friends and acquaintances that have joined the military and were all told that they "might" have to go overseas to Afghanistan or Iraq, but the job they were going for would keep them stateside. Guess what, they didn't get the job they were told was going to be theirs and ended up shipping out, or are preparing to ship out. If you do not get what the recruiter promised you in writing, you will not get it. Even still, I think all of the US Armed Forces contracts have a clause that states that they can put you where you are most needed by the organization. That means if you are promised in writing that you will stay stateside and learn to do satellite communications or work on aircraft but then the military really needs infantry troops, or water purification or sanitation techs or engineers to dig ditches and do municipal construction, then that is what you will be doing. When you sign that contract, you become US Government property and you do what you are told. You belong to the US Government and you are a tool that they will use as they see fit. They will treat you pretty good and you will learn a lot about life and yourself, but you are there to do a job and you can't just quit if you don't like it.
I don't mean to scare you off of your chosen course. Serving in the military is a great way to learn a lot and become a part of something important. It can make you a better person, but it is entirely up to you what you take away from it. Some come out of the military with a ego from hell and are worthless. Others go on to continue their education and become leaders in our society. Sadly, others never make it out and pay the ultimate price serving their country and the interests of freedom. Just make sure you are well informed and you know exactly what you are getting into. Read EVERYTHING and make sure you understand it. It is no one's fault but your own if you sign up and find that it wasn't really what you were expecting. Good luck!
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02-24-2008, 09:50 AM #8
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
I also like the air force. Well maybe I might consider joining that Instead cause I sat Down and talked to a recruiter and it seems way safer and better than most branches. Mthe reason I wanted to be in spec ops is because I thought it was cool but even the best of the best get unexpected suprises and I figured out in the long run its not worth risking my life. Is there any suggestions as to which fields are best to look at in the air force? Originally Posted by section-8
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02-24-2008, 10:17 AM #9
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
By the way these are my asvab scores. They came in the
mail yesterday.
Career exploration Scores
Verbal skills - 50
Math skills- 49
Science and technical skills - 49
Asvab Scores
General Science - 47
Arithmetic Reasoning - 49
Word Knowledge - 46
Paragraph Comprehension - 57
Mathematics Knowledge - 50
Electronics Information - 53
Auto and Shop Information - 51
Mechanical Comprehension - 47
AFQT - 43
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02-24-2008, 04:06 PM #10
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Study your ass off, wait a month, and retake the test. Your job opportunities open up with higher scores.
Last edited by Iceberg; 02-25-2008 at 12:06 AM. Reason: Typo - 'you're != your'
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02-24-2008, 06:27 PM #11
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Also note, other combat MOS's do have ranger training in their career path, 12b, combat eng also does, have quite a few buddies who got to go through and most applied after basic/ait, which for them was all in one unit. The majority did airborne school or air assault first before applying. None that i remember had it guaranteed. Quite honestly when it comes down to it, no soldier or marine knows how "hooah" they are until basic, so signing a soldier up for advanced training ahead of time would be bad business. Airborne school can be guaranteed in enlistment contract though
Last edited by TOOmuchMcLovin; 02-24-2008 at 06:28 PM. Reason: spelling error
Bf2142-TOOmuchMcLovin
America's Army- -=No.Ob=-McLovin
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02-24-2008, 07:04 PM #12
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Originally Posted by Twiggy
By the way these are my asvab scores. They came in the
mail yesterday.
Career exploration Scores
Verbal skills - 50
Math skills- 49
Science and technical skills - 49
Asvab Scores
General Science - 47
Arithmetic Reasoning - 49
Word Knowledge - 46
Paragraph Comprehension - 57
Mathematics Knowledge - 50
Electronics Information - 53
Auto and Shop Information - 51
Mechanical Comprehension - 47
AFQT - 43
Originally Posted by squeak
yeaaaaah.... I was going to suggest 1n3 or 1a8.
Try for anything 1N(intel) or 1A(flying) imo. AFTER you retake that test!
Other guys that I think have cool jobs in the AF: OSI(not sure if you can enlist OSI or not), Loadmasters, boom operators, flight engineers, gunners.
Above all, do not go in open-anything. Especially right now... you will get made a cop pronto and will be doing convoy duty faster than you can say 'I swear'
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02-24-2008, 07:17 PM #13
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Indeed. The AFQT overall score is a percentile score. If you scored a 43, then that means that 57 percent of your demographic scored better than you on the ASVAB, which means you're not in any position to demand a good job. You'll be a grunt or a cook with low scores. Originally Posted by squeak
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02-24-2008, 07:55 PM #14
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Originally Posted by section-8
So you mean with a higher asvab score i can fly or do intel. Can you list some jobs ill get to choose from?
I also am considering this career
A-10, F-15, and U-2 Avionics Systems Apprentice and then from there after i get my degree i will go to OCS and then flight school and then hopefully, if there is a fighter pilot slot open then I have successfully reached my dream
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02-24-2008, 08:34 PM #15
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Re: Thinking about joining the army
Edited for being nice, and not popping bubbles
Last edited by TurkishDelight; 02-24-2008 at 08:56 PM.
|TG-X|Turkish
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