Coast Guard, Air Force or Nav

[Knob Creek]

Some people are looking to get more than that out of their military experience.

Some people want to have their physical, mental, and emotional limits tested.

We should all be supportive of their desire to do that.

After he served in the Army and survived Normandy this was his advice to his son whom he loved when I asked about which branch to join. I was not suggesting she follow my fathers advice from 50 years ago just that I thought it was kind of anecdotal.

 

[NHKevin]

Some people are looking to get more than that out of their military experience.

Some people want to have their physical, mental, and emotional limits tested.

We should all be supportive of their desire to do that.

Absolutely.
But let's not pretend that quality of life isn't a factor, especially if you are going to make a career out of it.

 

[Andy in NH]

Absolutely.
But let's not pretend that quality of life isn't a factor, especially if you are going to make a career out of it.

Who is pretending?

I know plenty of people who held combat arms MOSs (the dirty, tiring, ones with no set work schedule) and did full careers who never thought about changing that MOS or switching services to improve their "quality of life" (an ambiguous term at best).

 

[Rockrivr1]

Who is pretending?

I know plenty of people who held combat arms MOSs (the dirty, tiring, ones with no set work schedule) and did full careers who never thought about changing that MOS or switching services to improve their "quality of life" (an ambiguous term at best).

If you enjoy what you’re dpi g then no need to change. If your career involves cleaning toilets and sweeping barracks then a change can be warranted

 

[Andy in NH]

If you enjoy what you’re dpi g then no need to change. If your career involves cleaning toilets and sweeping barracks then a change can be warranted

I cleaned toilets, swept the barracks, and picked up brass at every rank I held in my career; enlisted and officer.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I cleaned toilets, swept the barracks, and picked up brass at every rank I held in my career; enlisted and officer.

I’m throwing a BS flag on that one. Maybe it’s a branch thing but I’ve never ever seen an officer clean anything and especially not a bathroom.

 

[rali]

I’m throwing a BS flag on that one. Maybe it’s a branch thing but I’ve never ever seen an officer clean anything and especially not a bathroom.

I have. CO of one of the cutters I was on. I did a round as wardroom mess bitch, so cleaning staterooms was part of the assignment, and his head was always sparkling and his rack was made before I got there.

I learned a ton of valuable management lessons from him that I use every day.

 

[Andy in NH]

I’m throwing a BS flag on that one. Maybe it’s a branch thing but I’ve never ever seen an officer clean anything and especially not a bathroom.

Just because you haven't seen something doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Here is another anecdote for you; USAF civil engineers were tasked with cleaning out the port-a-potties in the Haitian/Cuban migrant camps at GITMO.
That task probably didn't make it into the USAF recruiting materials.

 

[AntiHippie]

I have. CO of one of the cutters I was on. I did a round as wardroom mess bitch, so cleaning staterooms was part of the assignment, and his head was always sparkling and his rack was made before I got there.

I learned a ton of valuable management lessons from him that I use every day.

(Almost) every station I was at, if you had an office, you cleaned it. Didn’t matter if it was the Rescue and Survival Systems BM2 or the OiC BMCM. Same with SDO duty rooms at Surf stations - you just didn’t expect (or allow) the non-rates to clean them. Unless you wanted everyone to hate you, but that would be really ill-advised.