Hey yall! I am a 30 yr. old mother of two boys (12 & 13) and I am thinking about joining the military (army preferably) and I just want to ask you your opinion. If you have or are serving, do you regret it or would you not change a thing? I am thinking about the many benefits I get for being in the army. Oh yeah, I do have a bachelors degree.
US military...no or yes?
- Thread starter the_jinx_one
- Start date
Coming from some1 who just returned from Iraq back in April (ARMY NG), I'd personally say GO FOR IT! I dunno what your Bachelor's Degree consists of majoring in, but try and use that to your advantage (OCS - Officer Candidate School, for example). I majored in animation, and have been doin' art all my life, so I'm a multimedia illustrator. I was also able to do some work out in Iraq as well. Only thing I regret is waiting so long to decide for OCS (my contract is up next year, whether or not I'll re-enlist to do OCS is still pending).
So w/ that, take every opportunity you can if you decide to join (especially w/ a degree).
So w/ that, take every opportunity you can if you decide to join (especially w/ a degree).
My major is in African Studies and History. I don't know much i can do with that. I know I can go to law school or education (which is my intended choice in the civilian world) Do you have a family and what were some of the benefits that they recieved while you were away.
Nah, I don't have a family. I believe w/ a family (married or single w/ kids) you get separation pay, hostile pay and other incentives but that's only if you get deployed. You might wanna look into more family benefits 'cause I'm not too keen on that subject.
just read a articule on black women having the highest degree of happiness across the board ....u should look into what the airforce has to offer
What article was that?!
on the dod monthly news letter
i was shocked
its explain how black women tend to advance and embrace the role of leadership the fastest and they are the most happiest ranging from White male to Hispanics
DOD????
Department of Defense.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
No. Not with this bullshit ass war. Why risk your life and well being and that of your children for this nonsense. 
No. Not with this bullshit ass war. Why risk your life and well being and that of your children for this nonsense.
c/s
I guess it depends on what you find most important.
I am dating someone in the military and it has its ups and downs, the downs being the time and distance apart.
I am dating someone in the military and it has its ups and downs, the downs being the time and distance apart.
Not to discourage you but I personally have a grudge against the Army. My cuz was in the first one, the Gulf War, and they gave him "antibiotics" for going across seas. By the time he got back he damn near lost 100 pounds, (he tall so he had weight), because the "antibiotics" shriveled his intestines and no food could get through. In the end when he went to the hospital they had to stretch it out...
I do however have two cousins who were/in the Navy and they loved it.
I do however have two cousins who were/in the Navy and they loved it.
I wouldnt advise any black person to jooin the army but I would advise them to get a senior job with Pentagon or one of those branches whose jobs is to give directive.
Leave the army to other minority groups. Surely you havent exhausted all other options to join the army and you come across as smart than that.
Dont forget its 2008 and you have options to go to school without being in the army.
ever asked yourself are these people worth dying for?
Leave the army to other minority groups. Surely you havent exhausted all other options to join the army and you come across as smart than that.
Dont forget its 2008 and you have options to go to school without being in the army.
ever asked yourself are these people worth dying for?
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No. Not with this bullshit ass war. Why risk your life and well being and that of your children for this nonsense.
100% cosign...
I would not recommend anyone join the army right now, especially with the war going on, they are shipping more and more people out left and right. Yes, the army can provide opportunities, but so can other stuff. The risk is too high to leave your children motherless in a world that doesn't care about young black men. I say look into other government jobs, it takes time, but you can do it. My friend is trying to be a passport official or border patrol, just so that she can get into the government, once you're in-you're in... Your major was african studies, so what? I have a friend who's a social worker and her major was leisure studies... You have life experience outside of academia, use that to your advantage and say no to Uncle Sam.....
a single mother of two wanting to goto the military?
i wouldn't think that would be a good idea. too many what if's? come into play.
your basically forsaking your kids for the "perception" of what the military will do for you.....if you make it...
if it's about benefits, just work at the post office.....
i wouldn't think that would be a good idea. too many what if's? come into play.
your basically forsaking your kids for the "perception" of what the military will do for you.....if you make it...
if it's about benefits, just work at the post office.....
What I think is that Im trying to go somewhere stable. I think I am afraid of the future. I keep going from job to job with no benefits and no stability within the job market. Many of you have posted with different opinions. My family is being very supportive of my decision. If dying is THE operative consequence you guys are talking about then that is not what I'm worryed about. I could've died years ago when I was stabbed on Josephine St.(3rd ward for yall that don't know , for yall from NO you know what Im talkin bout Central City is in itself a war zone) in the NO. Shit, I was in NYC for 9/11 and I was born and raised in NOLA so life has many extremes...I guess life is what you make it. After many of you posted about the Air Force I went on its website and I think I'm going to visit both recruiting offices to see what both will offer.
why not go teach or go be a police officer instead of joining the military who is going to send you to fight a senseless war after your training.
if your going from job to job now what makes you think it will be any different from the military? you can quit from there as well.
if your looking for stability, take a government job.
you went to college, fbi is always taking people in, same as most government positions.
i just hate the thought of blacks falling victim to the military when there's that much more available.
I say don't do it. I served in the Air Force many moons ago. The climate has changed since then. I have come to believe that the government does not care about it's military members. People who have served have never been treated so unfairly. When you go fight for your country you should not come back to America and wonder how you are going to eat. Some former military members do quite well, but others are deemed useless once their enlistment is up. Considering you don't know what your outcome will be, it would be wise not to join. Research the number of military members committing suicide, the number of rapes of service women, the unexplained deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, the poor treatment of veterans, the broken promises made by the government, etc. If you still want to join after you do your research, my prayers will be with you.
man yall crazy about this deployments ive done 4 deployments to the sandbox
the only negative shyt i know of from going ova to the sand is taking them pills for malaria (crazy ass dreams) and being around deleted uraninum (said i couldnt have babies but I did have 1)
It was hard being away but I had so much fun over in the warzone we did alot of mmmmmmmmmm awesome shyt to say the least
was i in harms way yea but no...my career as a firefighter is built for that
but honestly i really think it depends on your goals...
and landed a job with DOD fire service...the military is straight as long as u use it to your advantage...and dont let them use you
all the goals that ive accomplished up to now happen thanks to my years in the military the only reason i got out is because I was offered a job doing what I do now...
army there are more enlisted folks at deployed location
marines all them mofos are ova there
airforce sends there officers enlisted does basically nothing
the only negative shyt i know of from going ova to the sand is taking them pills for malaria (crazy ass dreams) and being around deleted uraninum (said i couldnt have babies but I did have 1)
It was hard being away but I had so much fun over in the warzone we did alot of mmmmmmmmmm awesome shyt to say the least
was i in harms way yea but no...my career as a firefighter is built for that
but honestly i really think it depends on your goals...
and landed a job with DOD fire service...the military is straight as long as u use it to your advantage...and dont let them use you
all the goals that ive accomplished up to now happen thanks to my years in the military the only reason i got out is because I was offered a job doing what I do now...
army there are more enlisted folks at deployed location
marines all them mofos are ova there
airforce sends there officers enlisted does basically nothing
DON'T DO IT....your college educated, come on THINK!!
I know you can come up with a plan better than that....
I know you can come up with a plan better than that....
I agree… Giving you freedom of eight years… Too close to a volunteer slave for me.
No. Not with this bullshit ass war. Why risk your life and well being and that of your children for this nonsense.
I co-sign with the above statements. I dont know how a college-educated woman with kids could even entertain the military. I have a great friend in the Navy who is on his 3rd deployment. You will have no control over your life, and risk death just for good health insurance. You'll miss time with your kids, etc. I'm from the school of thought that I would rather struggle here, e.g. pay back school loans, hustle for a job, rather then have the government tell me what to do. I'll never understand it. And not to mention the shitty treatment veterans get when they come back...
Sounds like a recruitment officer...
So being told you will probably not have children is not a big deal?
Don't let them use you? You are a soldier. You do what you are told not what you want. You have no say. You have no face. You have no thoughts worth listening to. You are fully EXPECTED to give your life for...do you even know what?
She is a mother. He number one priority should be her children. She does her children no good dead, crazy, or crippled.
Sounds like a recruitment officer...
So being told you will probably not have children is not a big deal?
Don't let them use you? You are a soldier. You do what you are told not what you want. You have no say. You have no face. You have no thoughts worth listening to. You are fully EXPECTED to give your life for...do you even know what?
She is a mother. He number one priority should be her children. She does her children no good dead, crazy, or crippled.
I understand my motivation was different from hers at the present time...Im speaking from my experience what experiences do u have in the armed forces to offer? Im not at all an recruitment officer...Just speaking of my personal experiences so you can save that lil rant and keep it to yaself first off...Obviously she is curious to the risks vs. benefits of the armed forces so whats your problem
as for the dead, crazy or crippled i haven't met any of those in my trips to the desert
FURTHERMORE I WORK ON A MILITARY INSTALLATION WHERE ITS JOINT BASE MEANING ARMY AND AIR FORCE HOUSING BOTH BRANCHES...AND HAVE GREAT FRIENDS FROM BOTH SIDES AND THESE STORIES U SEE ON FOX NEWS ARE VERY LIMITED TO WHAT YOUR DESCRIBING...
http://www.blackmilitaryworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=565
A new study of self-assessed job satisfaction, gender and ethnicity in the U.S. military finds that African-American and Latino men and women have higher job satisfaction than white men, says Jennifer Hickes Lundquist of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Overall, African-American women have the highest levels of job satisfaction in the military, followed by African-American men, Latinas, Latinos and white women, Lundquist says.
Newswise — A new study of self-assessed job satisfaction, gender and ethnicity in the U.S. military finds that African-American and Latino men and women have higher job satisfaction than white men, says Jennifer Hickes Lundquist of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In civilian society minorities consistently express lower job satisfaction.
The survey, which covers active-duty personnel, is published in the June 2008 issue of the American Sociological Review.
Overall, African-American women have the highest levels of job satisfaction in the military, followed by African-American men, Latinas, Latinos and white women, Lundquist says. She says a key to the findings is that the military has more social and economic equality than the civilian job market, and that is why racial and ethnic minorities and women report higher job satisfaction. In her study, Lundquist notes that the U.S. military is viewed as a rare example of a workplace with little racial discrimination due to its enforced Equal Employment Opportunity workplace structure and ethnic diversity.
“Military service can be quite demanding, requiring lengthy family separations and allowing the employee far less freedom and autonomy than civilian jobs,” Lundquist says. “It’s not surprising then that white males tend to have lower job satisfaction in the military than in civilian jobs. But what’s striking is that minorities express more satisfaction in military jobs than they do in civilian jobs. This makes a strong case for the continued position of disadvantage for minorities in many civilian jobs.”
Lundquist also says the findings support the idea that inequalities and discrimination, not cultural differences or values, account for race and gender differences in job satisfaction in the civilian job market.
She says, “By including Latinos, I show that other minority groups clearly benefit
from the meritocratic conditions of military life in similar ways as African Americans. Moreover, this is one of the few analyses of satisfaction to account for both gender and ethnicity, finding that black women and Latinas report extensive gains from military service relative to their white counterparts.”
White women, Lundquist says, also appear to have more positive experiences in the military than white men, although the differences are not as extreme as seen in the other groups.
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