The Military

Hey, guys! It's been a while since I've posted, but I've been hanging around. Recently I've been very focused on schoolwork and extracurricular activities, so the only time I have to play any games is on the weekend.

Anyway, the reason I posted this topic is because I've been accepted to two military colleges (Virginia Military Institute and The Naval Academy Preparatory School) and am hoping to be accepted to a third (The Naval Academy). Any way you slice it, it looks like I'm going to end up in the Navy in 5 to 6 years. So I'm wondering if any of you have anything to share about the military.

Have you been in the military? Are you part of a military family? Would you consider joining the military? Pretty much anything military related.

Both of my great grandfathers served in WW2, one as a paratrooper, the other as a bombardier (he also witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor). Other than them, my family has no others who were involved in the military. My cousin (not chg101) would like to be a marine, however!

Congrats on getting accepted into the academies. I too want to apply to join the navy (Royal Navy as I m British) and I know some people who are full of good things to say about their experiences. There very few other jobs where you get virtually free accommodation and food while still doing an Interesting job. The places you go and the people you meet will just make for a great experience and being American you will be able to work on some of the best ships in the world.

I m guessing you want to enter as an officer? If so what area you planning on going into?

As for experiences of the military all I have is the fact that unfortunately my grandfather from my German side was conscripted into the Luftwaffe in WW2 however my British side of the family were sailors so I can tell you plenty about the seafaring aspect of it if your interested

My brother served on a US sub from 1999 to 2004, he said it was pretty uneventful, though I'm sure that's changed from the time he left. He said he got to launch a few missiles at Afghanistan when the US first moved over there, but other than that his service was pretty uneventful. Good luck with your studies, bro, hope you get to use those crazy fucking lasers they're mounting on boats now that can take out UAVs

MaxxOverdrive wrote:My brother served on a US sub from 1999 to 2004, he said it was pretty uneventful, though I'm sure that's changed from the time he left. He said he got to launch a few missiles at Afghanistan when the US first moved over there, but other than that his service was pretty uneventful. Good luck with your studies, bro, hope you get to use those crazy fucking lasers they're mounting on boats now that can take out UAVs

STARWARS!!! the future is here

yeah i ll just add to that. I would definetly pick a career on the surface fleet

MrSpoon wrote:

MaxxOverdrive wrote:My brother served on a US sub from 1999 to 2004, he said it was pretty uneventful, though I'm sure that's changed from the time he left. He said he got to launch a few missiles at Afghanistan when the US first moved over there, but other than that his service was pretty uneventful. Good luck with your studies, bro, hope you get to use those crazy fucking lasers they're mounting on boats now that can take out UAVs

STARWARS!!! the past has come back

yeah i ll just add to that. I would definetly pick a career on the surface fleet

Dah, duna na na na na NA na na na, na, na, na NAAA, NAAAA, NANANANA NAAAAAAAAAAAAA, NAAAA, NANANA, NAAAAAAAAAAAA, NAA, NA NA NA NAAAAAAA...........

MrSpoon wrote:I'm guessing you want to enter as an officer? If so what area you planning on going into?

Yep. I want to be on a surface warfare ship. I plan to study mechanical engineering, so with any luck one day I'll be designing/building ships. I know it will be tough, but I hear that once you get out of the Navy, people will be handing you jobs. Gotta give a little to get a little, right?

Blind_Merc wrote:

Dah, duna na na na na NA na na na, na, na, na NAAA, NAAAA, NANANANA NAAAAAAAAAAAAA, NAAAA, NANANA, NAAAAAAAAAAAA, NAA, NA NA NA NAAAAAAA...........

even though this is just gobbledigook (is that how it's spelt? ) i know exactly which tune you mean.

CornNerd wrote:Yep. I want to be on a surface warfare ship. I plan to study mechanical engineering, so with any luck one day I'll be designing/building ships. I know it will be tough, but I hear that once you get out of the Navy, people will be handing you jobs. Gotta give a little to get a little, right?

cool engineers get paid tonnes even when they just starting out. I was going to train as a warfare officer because it would lead up to my ultimate dream of commanding a ship
also with your plans of designing ships i also want to do that but I think for that area you have to study naval architecture but you know different countries, different systems

One of my best friends is in the Navy and another one of my very close friends will be going to boot camp shortly after he graduates high school.

I'm incredibly proud of both of them but I wish they had chosen different paths. I guess I'm just being selfish.
My friend had a 10 day leave before he was shipped off to base. 10 fucking days, that's it. While he is at base he can have his phone and laptop and stuff, but he can't have anything while he's on the aircraft carrier because they don't want pictures leaking I guess.

Looks like I'm gunna be different when I say I want to be in the RAF as a fast jet pilot. Much more exciting than sitting on a boat for months.

My family is actually very military orientated... Uncle designed missiles etc. for the American army before he decided to fool around with stocks. (Now he's rich )

My dad went to the military and served normally but he didn't get sent into any war, strangely. Unfortunately because I'm german and Jewish, in World War II my mom's Great Grandfather and Grandmother was killed in that war, while the parents before that served in WWI...

I honestly don't plan to do anything with the military, since my dream since 9 has always been to make video games.

in germany military is sitting in the baracks, watching tv and drinking beer :/

That is just cause Germany has a restriction on how powerful their army can become... Ever since WWII no one trusts them anymore.

skeletonboy wrote:Looks like I'm gunna be different when I say I want to be in the RAF as a fast jet pilot. Much more exciting than sitting on a boat for months.

nope I originally wanted to do that skele but I can't because
A. I am short sighted and laser eye surgery won't be accepted for a while and
B. I am quite tall (6'1") so my body would cope too well with the G-forces)

so instead I have decided to do the next best thing and work on a ship (in my opinion)

Adding on what you said draco...also Germany is reluctant to get involved in military conflicts anyway (although there is a small force in Afghanistan). I m not sure whether the restrictions apply but even if they do Germany along with many other european country's spends minimal amounts of its GDP on the military (the US spends more than double the percentage of its GDP on weapons than the UK and other EU nations). I think the USA's spending as a percentage of its wealth is on par with China and only beaten by a handful of dictatorships .

Also it is a bit unfair if no-one does trust them. Germany is no longer an unstable country. WW1 it joined the war to help Austria-Hungary and afterwards it was forced to sign the war-guilt claus (saying it was soley responsible for the war) and pay massive reparations to the ally's. When Hitler came to power it was largely due to poverty and unrest within Germany (the wall str crash and reperations made germany's economy incredibly weak) and he was a strong leader who seemed to be the person able to bring back prosperity.

(I m doing a History GCSE so I could write you an essay if I had too (and could be arsed) )

skeletonboy wrote:Looks like I'm gunna be different when I say I want to be in the RAF as a fast jet pilot. Much more exciting than sitting on a boat for months.

My friend wanted to be a pilot but he is color blind, he loves the Navy though. There's a lot more to do than you'd think...unless you do the radar. Have a friend who is in a sub and that's what he does all day long.

NAVY NOT GOOD ENOUGH, EH??? TRY A FREAKING SUPERCARRIER CLASS ON FOR SIZE!!!!!! (Except it is only found in the good ol' U.S. of A!)

draco222 wrote:NAVY NOT GOOD ENOUGH, EH??? TRY A FREAKING SUPERCARRIER CLASS ON FOR SIZE!!!!!! (Except it is only found in the good ol' U.S. of A!)

By the time I am qualified there will be these bad boys in the british navy. Admittedly they around 20 000 tonnes short of a Nimitz class carrier and there will be only 2 but still loaded with new technology and the dual tower arrangement.

France is also constructing its own version on these ships

Mind you I wouldn't really consider working on a carrier the best you can get. I read a book by some1 who worked on one and conditions on a Nimitz class carrier are pretty poor .The better jobs are on the ships like the cruisers and destroyers plus with a smaller crew there is more community on-board.

MrSpoon wrote:

draco222 wrote:NAVY NOT GOOD ENOUGH, EH??? TRY A FREAKING SUPERCARRIER CLASS ON FOR SIZE!!!!!! (Except it is only found in the good ol' U.S. of A!)

By the time I am qualified there will be these bad boys in the british navy. Admittedly they around 20 000 tonnes short of a Nimitz class carrier and there will be only 2 but still loaded with new technology and the dual tower arrangement.

France is also constructing its own version on these ships

Mind you I wouldn't really consider working on a carrier the best you can get. I read a book by some1 who worked on one and conditions on a Nimitz class carrier are pretty poor .The better jobs are on the ships like the cruisers and destroyers plus with a smaller crew there is more community on-board.

Well my friend works on the USS Nimitz and the conditions aren't poor at all. In fact, he says it's quite nice.

BrynHavoc wrote:

Well my friend works on the USS Nimitz and the conditions aren't poor at all. In fact, he says it's quite nice.

to be fair it was in the 90's sorry

Yes. Nimitz class carriers are actually rather old now... however they have had and are having so many upgrades that they are definitely one of the best.

draco222 wrote:Yes. Nimitz class carriers are actually rather old now... however they have had and are having so many upgrades that they are definitely one of the best.

sure what it lacks in modern designing it definatly makes up for on sheer scale. There is no other carrier out there that can despatch aircraft at such a quick rate (largely due to the fact 4 aircraft can take off at a time)