Anyone in the armed forces?

[Pancake]

I am thinking of joining up to either the British Army or the US Army, can anyone who has been to afgan give me some pointers of what its like?

I have always wanted to be in the army as a kid, and we only live once!

Any general advice/discussion welcome

And how easy are the tests/ASVAB?

[Guy]

I'm guessing you've got dual citizenship?

What exactly do you want to do? Any particular trade/route you think might appeal the most?

[peterb]

Are you looking to join as direct officer entry, or join the ranks?

[IronWarrior]

Just visit the Army Recruitment Office if you want to know anything.

For US Army stuff, goarmy.com will answer many questions.

[Pancake]

Yeah i have got dual citizenship, i am looking at just joining the ranks as something like an infantryman.

I know i can go there for all the information, just wanted some actual opinions from people. Im assuming i should actually be pretty well off as i will have near to no costs really

[ik9000]

Got friends and relatives in the forces. What's it like? You don't know man, you weren't even there

Nah seriously, I've only had a few chats with the people I know who've been out there about it, but sounds like it can be good and bad in varying amounts at different times. You really need to speak to them direct. It is not a game though, that much I do know. Ever seen someone's jaw get blown off? Ever had to try to do first aid to someone who has? Ever seen another country's troops shoot innocent farmers from their helicopters "just because"? Equally, they do a lot of good stuff (non violent) that doesn't get reported - the media are very selective in what they report.

[Pancake]

Yeah i watched all of Ross Kemps documentaries, and it does seem faaarrrrr move interesting than regular boring old life, it seems like all of the people who joined up have said its the best decision they have ever made.

If there is no risk, you cant be doing anything that interesting imo.

Just fired an email off to the German recruitment office for Europe, lets see what they say about my situation. i want to stay in the UK (As in, all my crap will stay here) and if i leave i will come back here. I wonder what the situation with pay will be like? im guessing ill have to pay tax twice if i want to do this

[Gerrard]

I'm in the RAF, but even after 7 years, I've never been Out Of Area (ie Afghan, Iraq etc). For the RAF, Afghan is actually OK since we rarely go outside the wire, and despite volunteering for it, I was unable to go (aircraft technicians can usually only go if their type of aircraft is out there).

Of course, it's vastly different for the Army, since they spend the majority of their time outside the wire. With regards to US vs British, there are some fundamental differences. For a start, I believe (and would need to confirm this) that operation deployments are different, with it being 1 year for the US and 6 months for the British. But, the big advantage with the US is regards to pensions. I believe you only need to serve a few years (I even heard a rumour that just one tour!) to get a pension for the US. In the RAF you need 22 years! I'm not quite sure if that's also applicable for the Army though, it might be less.

Regardless, I would guess those of the sort of comparisons you need to think about. The attitudes are probably a little bit different as well, but since I've only ever met one US soldier, I can't really make any comparisons.

[blueball]

You'll probably get more info if you try The ARmy Rumour Service forum (http://www.arrse.co.uk/)

Be prepared to get bantered though

[[GSV]Trig]

Be careful if you do join, you might end up seeing people you grow to have a weirdly underscribable bond with ripped in half as they get blown over a car by an IED.

[Blitzen]

I am thinking of joining up to either the British Army or the US Army, can anyone who has been to afgan give me some pointers of what its like?

I have always wanted to be in the army as a kid, and we only live once!

Any general advice/discussion welcome

And how easy are the tests/ASVAB?

I had several tours in the Middle East during the late 80's to late 90's in Iraq amongst others (though not Afghan) with the Royal Marines (Desert Storm in '91 I was on boarding party searching ships in the Persian Gulf).

- Its not pleasant (surprise surprise)
- It DEFINITELY not a game
- If you are under 20 then don't even think about it

I am a firm believer that people don't just 'think about' joining the armed forces.
It's one of those jobs that you are destined to do, and if it's just a thought, you don't fall into that category, and you are not right for the job.

NOTHING can prepare you for what you see! All the training in the world cannot prepare you for the first drop into theatre.

[Pancake]

Tbh, i see your point, but i doubt i will not enlist. I would much rather be in the army than boring old life, looking for a job in rubbish weather and then wondering every day what it would have been like to join, everyone i have asked so far have said its the best thing they have done. And i would hate to grow old knowing i may have missed an awesome part of my life

[Gerrard]

Rather than just joining as a regular infantryman, it might be worth trying to specialise a bit. That way, when you do leave, you'll have a (useful) trade to fall back on. Even if it's just as a driver, you'll still get the risk of conveys and so on, but you'll get all your licences for free, and with a dangerous materials category, can make a living off it afterwards; or even during!

[Pancake]

Rather than just joining as a regular infantryman, it might be worth trying to specialise a bit. That way, when you do leave, you'll have a (useful) trade to fall back on. Even if it's just as a driver, you'll still get the risk of conveys and so on, but you'll get all your licences for free, and with a dangerous materials category, can make a living off it afterwards; or even during!

So i assume if you are a driver, you would still be in combat situations? that doesnt sound like a bad idea actually, ill look into it some mroe

[Gerrard]

Well, as much combat as there is out there. It seems to be mainly IEDs rather than firefights nowadays, and as a convey, you'd certainly be at the highest risk. Having a very quick look over at the Army job site seems to suggest several different types of drivers rather than one trade (like in the RAF), so you would have to research which one would be the best for you. Have a browse of them to see if anything else catches your eye, and just keep an open mind for the future rather than just getting into a fight!

Also, be careful when going to an AFCO; they have quotas to fill in certain trades, so don't be surprised to find the guys there maybe pushing a certain trade. Having said that, even with the cutbacks, I'm sure they are always wanting infantry, but it may be worth waiting until the trade you want comes up.

[Marenghi]

if you have the time to, read some books about people who have fought in a modern war. i've got over 50 books of personal accounts from such people but only one of Afghanistan - 3 Para by Patrick Bishop. It's a decent enough read from what I can remember but a lot of what is described in there could well not apply to what the situation is like over there now.

Other than that try and speak with a recruiter for your preferred branch and hope they can tell you what it's really like. Best of luck to you