How many years in?

[Prof]

I neglected this thread because I didn't consider my 4 years to be the sort of meaningful service contribution this outfit seems to value. Plus, I just had too much fun. Then I read the whole thread. I was wrong.

Navy, just at 4 years ('69-'73) not counting the essentially meaningless inactive Reserve part. Hospital Corpsman. Proud of it.

Doc

[rsacheli]

swore in on 11 Sept 2007
Shipped off to BASIC on 19 Sept 2007
Still currently serving
Facing a Medical Discharge... (never deployed)

Total time in service 2 years 1 month 26 days
honorable discharge due to a non-combat related, service connected dissability... (fractured 3 vertebrae during morning PT - Ballistic armor, ruck, etc... Total weight = ~75lbs... 3 mile run in under 30min)

[ShawnG]

USMC enlisted 1983-1989
USMC officer 1989-present
Coming up on 26 years next month.

Prior Enlisted make the best officers Sir! ;)

[ShawnG]

Total time in service 2 years 1 month 26 days
honorable discharge due to a non-combat related, service connected dissability... (fractured 3 vertebrae during morning PT - Ballistic armor, ruck, etc... Total weight = ~75lbs... 3 mile run in under 30min)

That's tough. I would feel more comfortable if your pension were coming out of your commander's paycheck for authorizing that "run" for PT. Ruck, yes, run with that kind of gear? To much damage to even the healthiest body (as you are fully aware!)

[MSI64]

Hey new to this thread

Army 18 years in and still loving it

[Shek]

Prior Enlisted make the best officers Sir! ;)

And the absolute worst as well . . . very few in between. I'm always amazed how they seem to fall only on the ends of the spectrum.

[bigross86]

Here every single officer was an enlisted soldier at one point. The difference is whether they've been in combat units before hand, or went straight from Basic all the way through OCS a year and 8 months later. I've come to notice from my limited experience that an officer that has been in a combat unit before going to OCS will always be better than one that sailed through all the courses without seeing a combat unit.

[S2]

"limited experience" + "always"= nervous.

I try to stay away from "absolutes". My fifty-five years of living have suggested plenty of outliers to damned near any norm. In this case, each demands evaluation upon their own merits.

[bigross86]

When I saw "always", I mean looking at every single officer I had in the 2 years and 4 months in a combat company. In that period I had 7 officers that were my direct Platoon CO's, and 13 others that were other Platoon CO's. We also had one Company XO that had been a platoon CO in the Armor Training School and he had also never seen a combat unit.

Every single officer that had been in a combat unit before becoming an officer (8 of them) was a much better officer than those who hadn't. My proof, aside from my observations? The officers that had been in combat units before were retained for 2-3 times as long as an officer that wasn't. If an officer that hadn't seen combat was with us for a 4 month rotation before being kicked loose, one that had usually stayed for 8 months to a year. We had one officer that was so good the Company XO (him from the Armor Training School) was kicked out after 4 months so this officer could take over as Company XO.

[Tankguy]

U.S. Army 22 years, 11 days (all enlisted, all Armor with a brief diversion on Strykers from 2002-2004)

[kie_taylor83]

New on here but I had 7 years in the british army.

Signed on 11 December 2000. Left January 2007.

Loved it i suppose when i look back on it.

[Aryajet]

Signed to join IIAA (Imperial Iranian Army Aviation) in 1971 and few pieces of Russian made cast Iron landing on my left side ended my military career in fall of 1982. It prolly could be easier for me to detach from my own children than walking away from the mighty CH-47 Chinnok, I loved that fat Girl so much and to some degree I still do.

BTW: Even with this left over gray hair, strippers around Lackland AFB TX, Ft Rucker AL, Ft Eustis VA and Langley AFB might still remember me.

[Aryajet]

Remember the slide rule, Commander?

Colenel,
We used to call it "Flight Computer" and had to take a short course just to learn how to use it. :D

[Wolf X]

Currently serving: Commissioned May 4 2008 and currently in the middle of deployment two to Iraq

[dave lukins]

Currently serving: Commissioned May 4 2008 and currently in the middle of deployment two to Iraq

Keep safe and remember EVERYONE is your enemy until you set foot back home ;)