ITT, I am in desperate financial straits...

[Chief Uwachiquen]

I was more referring to making cold calls to the families of the recently deceased. Somehow the phrase (And the actual act of making said cold call) seems kind of inappropriate, however amusing if you have a sick sense of humor.

[Suu]

I'm not going to lie. I wish I went into the USAF full-time after I got out of college. My loans would have been paid, I'd never run out of food or housing, and chances are I'd have been deployed a few times since then and banking on hazard pay. I'd also have been promoted to 1st Lieutenant by now and probably out of flight school and in control of a supersonic jet engine of my very own.

Of course, I'd have to deal with being a full-time airman, but sometimes sacrifices are necessary.

-Suu
Her ego is writing checks her body can't cash.

[LMNO]

Does the near certainty that you would have been killing other human beings factor in any way in your decision?

[Suu]

Does the near certainty that you would have been killing other human beings factor in any way in your decision?

Or being killed by other human beings, it's a full-circle kinda deal. But if I had stayed in, I'm sure that my outlook on the whole situation would be a lot different than it is now. 

Of course, the Air Force has been doing jack shit over there. They're sitting on base drinking bad Saudi beer and playing cards. I'd take $1000 a week to do that for 3 months. Sure.

If my knees weren't so fucked up now, I'd actually consider going ANG, because this little economic crisis isn't going anywhere anytime soon. And with my situation as dire as it was last summer (almost losing my apartment, eating nothing but ramen and spam and bacon-flavored spam...) I was willing to to reenlist. If RCH is considering the National Guard, I won't tell him that it's the right or wrong thing to do, but that's telling me he really needs the help.

[LMNO]

Ok, the nominal point of any armed service is the killing whoever their Authority deems the Enemy. What the USAF "might" be doing really isn't the point. If you sign up for the armed services, you are signing up to kill whoever Authority tells you to kill.

[fomenter]

not entirely sure how it works but some national guard jobs aren't necessarily killing, i was looking at warehouse specialist i cant get a guarantee that i wouldn't end up counting bullets and moving boxes in Iraq but i think (totally not positive) they wouldn't send you on patrol.... so you wouldn't be expected to kill unless your warehouse (or kitchen if you are a cook) came under attack...

[Zenpeanut]

I wouldn't be so sure on that one...One of my stepmother's friends joined up strictly as a medic. Once he got deployed, they handed him a rifle and sent him out on the front lines.

[fomenter]

yes like i said "totally not sure".... they do own you, so you do what you are ordered to do, the possibility of being given a new career on the fly does exist...
i think they wouldn't want to do that to often, it would screw up logistics pretty bad, you would have to ask someone in the guard to find out if its common or not

[P3nT4gR4m]

Ok, the nominal point of any armed service is the killing whoever their Authority deems the Enemy. What the USAF "might" be doing really isn't the point. If you sign up for the armed services, you are signing up to kill whoever Authority tells you to kill.

That was the dealbreaker for me. If I can haz guns and bullets I want to kill indiscriminately damnit

[East Coast Hustle]

yeah, the killing part isn't a deal-breaker for me. as long as I'm reasonably well-compensated.

That said, I wouldn't be signing up for infantry so the odds of me being out in some desert shithole (that's not Eastern Oregon) with a rifle are pretty slim.

I was more interested in getting into one of the intelligence specialties.

[The Johnny]

As far as i know, "intelligence" gathering includes scouting.

Isnt that front lines? (Unless you are processing sensor info and not actually collecting it)

[East Coast Hustle]

I was thinking more along the lines of being an intelligence analyst, though I doubt they'll want someone who gives realistic and honest assessments.

anyway, I don't really give much of a shit. Send me to some desert shithole and make me crawl around in the dirt spying on "enemies". It can't be worse than being broke and nearly hopeless, especially for someone who can pretend to be morally bankrupt as easily as I can. And if I did get deployed to a combat zone in a front-line capacity I'd quickly find opportunities for profiteering. War, after all, is good business.

[Cain]

I know in the UK military, intelligence rarely get put on the battlefield itself.  Interrogation, signals analysis and research are the most common roles, and even at the tactical level you're more likely to be providing information for front line units than putting yourself on the front line.

Yeah, the main problem will be realistic assessments.  The military prize conformity and ideologically correct answers well above and beyond, say, a major political party. The military may talk the talk on counterinsurgency for example, but actually do it successfully and...well, lets just say the lowest rated officer Special Forces officer in Afghanistan was the guy who reduced IED attacks and ambushes by the most in his area, and he got that rating because he had the fewest kills during his tour of duty.  UNGH!

[Storebrand]

I was thinking more along the lines of being an intelligence analyst, though I doubt they'll want someone who gives realistic and honest assessments.

anyway, I don't really give much of a shit. Send me to some desert shithole and make me crawl around in the dirt spying on "enemies".  not going to happen It can't be worse than being broke and nearly hopeless, especially for someone who can pretend to be morally bankrupt as easily as I can. And if I did get deployed to a combat zone will be at some point for between 6 and 12 months in a front-line capacity not likely, unless you really piss someone off and they make an exception just for you  I'd quickly find opportunities for profiteering. War, after all, is good business.  Get your hands on some beer and your golden(This is illegal but very profitable)

Depending on what type of analyst you want to be, the training is right around 5 or 6 months. 

I know in the UK military, intelligence rarely get put on the battlefield itself.  Interrogation, signals analysis and research are the most common roles, and even at the tactical level you're more likely to be providing information for front line units than putting yourself on the front line.

Yeah, the main problem will be realistic assessments.  The military prize conformity and ideologically correct answers well above and beyond, say, a major political party. The military may talk the talk on counterinsurgency for example, but actually do it successfully and...well, lets just say the lowest rated officer Special Forces officer in Afghanistan was the guy who reduced IED attacks and ambushes by the most in his area, and he got that rating because he had the fewest kills during his tour of duty.  UNGH!

This

It's your decision and none of my business whether or not you join.  I just wanted to clear up some misconceptions.  If you do, read every single line of everything you sign.  If they promise you something, get it in writing or they don't actually have to go through with it.  I've had friends who didn't get a bonus because of shoddy paperwork.

[Cain]

I'd never trust the military to do anything, ever without having their arm twisted beforehand.  Except maybe play kinky BDSM sex games with foreign prisoners.  That one is always a good bet.