Vets - what got you into the Service? What was the story?

[ThomWV]

No one just wakes up one day and finds themselves in the military, there's always a story.

I joined and sort of was drafted. 1966: Because of a screwup at the Draft Board I found out on thursday that was was to be inducted the following monday morning at 7:00 AM. I enlisted that same monday morning at about 6:30 AM. The reason I did was straight forward and reasonably cowardly. Back in those days if you were drafted you knew with some certainty that you would find yourself in Viet Nam within 6 months. However if you enlisted you were given a choice of either what job you would be trained for (provided you prequalified in testing) or where your first duty post would be. I figured I'd find myself in Viet Nam sooner or later one way or the other - nothing I could do about that - but maybe things would go better if I was able to chose what I'd be doing when I got there. So rather than be drafted for 2 years I joined for 4. Ended up doing 3 tours, on the ground, in the bushes; shit never works out the way you think it will.

[Recursion]

1. I was 20 and wanted to do something dangerous

I thought about the National Guard because I liked the idea of helping people during floods and hurricanes. The recruiter wasn't in his office, but as I was leaving the Marine Corps recruiter grabbed my shoulder and said "Where do you think you're going, killer?" 3 weeks later I was on a bus.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

2. My 23rd birthday was the day Desert Shield became Desert Storm

My roommate and I spent 36 hours straight watching the coverage of the first invasion of Iraq. He was a vet, and told me that since I had a college degree I could be an officer. Six months later, I was.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Please include the year you joined and when you left the service.

[sarge43]

4. I was sick upon to death of going to school.

If not school, then work in the Chevy factory, clerk or get married. None appealed. I needed something entirely different. In 1962 for a young woman, the military was different. Plus I could see myself winding up as the spinster daughter taking care of her aging parents. I loved my parents dearly, but .... so as usual I dove off the deep end.

Per sinking's request: 22 May 62 - 31 Oct 83.

[DrDan]

5. finishing college - and going to flight school sounded better than being drafted as an Army grunt

[MineralMan]

6. USAF 65-69. I had dropped out of college and was working

for a while until I figured out what I wanted to do. I realized that a draft notice might well be in my future, so I visited the local USAF recruiter, took the exam, and got a perfect score. I asked the recruiter if I could wait until I had a "Report for Physical" letter. He said, "Sure." It came. I went to the recruiter. The next day I was on a 707 bound for Lackland AFB.

I ended up in Russian language school and in Turkey. Afterwards, I went back to college.

Note: I chose the Air Force because my father had been a B-17 pilot in WWII.

[MindPilot]

7. 1972: Senior year of high school was a horror show. Home wasn't much better.

Racial strife, riots, no way was I ever going to get through the math, totally burned out on the whole mind-numbing boring routine. Dad and I were sick of each other after seventeen years and had a lot of arguments.

Joined the Navy at 17 and finished high school doing correspondence courses while was in. Graduated top of my class in Electrician's Mate "A" School (funny thing, that math I could do). I chose the Navy because I a) wanted sub duty and b) to avoid being drafted into the Army so I signed for six. Couldn't get the sub duty, went to Vietnam anyway. The Peace Treaty was signed while my ship was in Tonkin. Since the war was over, I was able to get out once the ship returned stateside so I actually was in for only two years.

[Winterblues]

8. I was a US

Had a real Serial Number with the US in front of it before they changed to social security numbers...Still remember that number believe it or not..

[MineralMan]

10. Indeed.

My USAF number was AF19859496. That was a long time before the change to SS#s. I remember the drill sergeant at basic telling us we would remember that number for the rest of our lives. He was right.

[sarge43]

13. Enlisted AF women were AA******* and I still remember mine

But then having a noneck monster standing nose to nose with you, informing you that if you didn't remember it the retribution would be memorable does reinforce the learning process.

[MineralMan]

14. That's certainly true enough. I remember a lot of things my

drill sergeant told me. There was really no option. :toast:

[sarge43]

21. In my life I've heard three truly terrifying things

1. Ronnie Raygun, "You ain't seen nothing yet."

2. Carl Sagan, "Our lives are dependent on Soviet military computer technology."

3. MSgt Malkowitz(sp)MTI, "Ladies, we can't make you do a thing. We can make you wish you had."

[era veteran]

29. LOL The four worst words in the English language?

Trouble in the Balkans.

[sarge43]

31. Yeah, those are puckerful.

Cold warrior era: The Soviets are paranoia.

[unhappycamper]

16. RA176***** here.

I know what you mean.

[Cyrano69]

9. two reasons

money for college, and a decent job, and a chance to serve my country. My benefits; I have been to 48 states, and 21 foreign countries. I was in Berlin for the fall of the wall 20 years ago this week. I was in Manila and Angeles City Phillipines the week after Corazon Aquino won the election and the Marcos were kicked out.

I would recommend the experience to anyone. You will learn much more from four years of service in the armed forces than you will in most universities.

[Cyrano69]

12. btw...

On Sept. 12, 2001 I tried to re-enlist at the tender age of 41, and was, in very nice terms, told that I was too old, fat, and out of shape. LOL, oh well.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. 17, just out of H.S., no job, and false advertising. "The Marine Corps Builds Men".

They were right when I arrived at MCRD "You'll beeeee sorreeeee!

[Elwood P Dowd]

15. I was drafted in 1970

after 4 years of college. Spent 2 years in the Army -- most of it in Washington, DC (Ft Myer & Ft McNair).

[Tikki]

17. I was drafted in 1968.

2 years in the Army, also. Most in the beautiful State of Louisiana (Ft. Polk).


Mr. Tikki

[Elwood P Dowd]

20. Compared to duty in Washington, you were stuck in a third-world country.

I'm from the deep south, but most of the military bases down here are in some god-awful places. The 19 months I spent in DC was at least tolerable.

[Tikki]

22. An adjustment for a young couple from...

the Northwest...I joined my husband at Ft. Polk for the last year.
The people there seemed very nice and the area we lived in was beautiful.
Plus we made it to the Galveston Splash Weekend.
Better to make the best of a temporary situation.:)


The Tikkis

[FightingIrish]

18. I enrolled in Navy ROTC and was on active duty from '67 to '71

At that time, getting drafted was a real possibility and the Navy picked up the tab for my education. Being on a Navy scholarship kept me very focused on graduating because the alternative was pretty grim.

[tularetom]

19. Not much of a story

I was a high school graduate driving a propane truck for my dad when I got drafted. I was partying every night and havin a great time and the Army was the last place I wanted to be. I guess our local draft board had trouble meeting quotas. My dad knew all the people on the board so I tried to get him to go to bat for me to get me out but he refused. This was in 1960.

[Vickers]

23. Early 80s, I ran out of options.

Long story.

One of the better decisions I made.

[UTUSN]

24. As Charlie RANGEL has said, economic & lessened opportunity are the chief reasons

And, though I didn't volunteer thinking volunteers had better chances of not going to Vietnam than draftees (as somebody posted, above), I was sent straight to Vietnam right out of boot camp. At the height of it all, 1967-8.

[cliffordu]

26. Welcome home.

[cliffordu]

25. I joined to beat a drug warrant......

[era veteran]

27. Low lottery #

After the 2-S deferment ruled unconstitutional they started drafting anybody, not just the poor or unconnected, which sucked for me, but was the right thing to do. I was the son of a career Army Officer who had retired in 1960, he suggested joining instead of the draft. Everyone, by then (1972), was so tired of Vietnam. Joining put me on a tank in W. Germany for 39 months. I had been at the May Day march on Washington in 1971. This is where Sen. Kerry had his " No one wants to be the last man killed in Vietnam" quote. I did not want to be that person. The Army is a love hate thing with me. Jan 1973 March 1977

[Obamanaut]

28. We were poor and I didn't see college in my future while in high

school, so I didn't take the courses that would be required in order to enter college.

I went to basic training 4 days after graduation from HS in 1960, and retired from USN in 1988.

During those 28 years I did get the college, and a wife, and two daughters. Mine had been a fortunate life.

[cognoscere]

30. Because of a bad shoulder, I didn't make the grade.

But in response to your comment about shit never works out the way you think, it was drummed into my head that because the military owns your ass, no matter what they promise you to join, they can do whatever they want with that ass once you've taken the oath. Curious to know what made you stay for the extra time?