How many members are in the Armed Forces??
 

I know Kotomile and I think MarkP are in one of the branchs.

The reason I ask is that I am filling out all my paper work so I can go into the OCS program for the army. My current date to go in front of the board is Jan 7th.

For all those that are in what is your branch and MOS? Also are you in for life or just for your set time.

Just wonder what you each do and if you enjoy it?

Service - Army
Branch - MI
MOS - currently 35F (old 96B) reclassing to 35P(A) (old 98G)

How long I stay in depends. I'd like to do at least 20 but the nature of the job is such that you can't guarantee that you'll be able to stay the whole time.

Good luck to you, OCS is tough but worth it (not that I know from personal experience, but I know many who do). Why the officer way though? IIRC you don't get to pick your branch, but enlisted you do. You might check out the warrant officer program also, that's another prestigious path and I've never met a warrant who said it was a bad decision.

Well the the man reasons for OCS is pay, and the advantage of student repayment. I was going to in as 25B or 35T but neither offers LRP anymore. The whole lack of picking my branch does kinda suck, but I am hoping that with current degree and if I bust my A$$ during OCS that I should be able to get either of my choices of MI or whatever the main branch for 25B is.

25 = Signal

Thank you. I have the whole sheet of paper at my house, just not in front of me. I need to pick my ten locations and ten branches in the next week.

Can I just say that I think the military is really complicated. Every time I read one of these threads on various forums I cant help but think how confusing the entire system is. I am referring to the names given to everything and the number designations for programs and such.

I cant find any better way to describe my confusion. Maybe its just me.

There are people in the military who don't know even a fraction of the MOSs, myself included. When it comes to MOS identifiers, obscure acronyms, and such, you're not expected to know. All of that crap is on Wikipedia anyway. Some of it is stuff you might only know if you're in the infantry, like designators for types of rounds (there are 7 types that can be fired from an M16/M4/AR15 type weapon and they all have their own code) or things you might only study for a board.

"If the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT? Otherwise the VC might find out, he could wind up an MIA and we'll all be on KP!"

Half the audience was rolling on the floor, the other half scratching their heads.

- L
(Retired USAF SNCO...)

^ I heard that in the movie "Good Morning Vietnam".

at times i wish i could do something in the miltary. but i am too fat, too slow, have asthma, high blood pressure, and a sissy at times. looks like im out, LOL

US Navy ACTIVE DUTY Lieutenant (O-3)
9yrs
Commission via OCS Pensacola, FL.
Designator (Navy version of MOS): 1320 or NFO (Naval Flight Officer)
Community: Aviation
Platform: E-2C Hawkeye

Now living in San Diego, waiting to check onboard USS Nimitz for sea-duty.

There are 6 Naval Unrestricted Line Officer Designators (warfare designators):
Pilot
NFO
Surface Warfare
Submarine Warfare
SEAL
EOD

There are about 40 Restricted Line Office Designators:
Doctor, Nurse, PAO, Dentist, Intel, Supply, SeaBee, AEDO, AMDO, Physiologist, Merchant Marine, Info Pro, Chaps, JAG, LDO and WARRANT Officers in all major warfare fields, HR, Oceanography, Recruiter... probably a few more I can't remember.

This is my baby:
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/...op_View_lg.jpg

I've been in the Air Force for almost 3 years, and all that stuff sounds somewhat foreign to me even. Every branch of the military has their own way of naming things. Anyways,

AFSC- 2A656- Electrical and Environmental Systems Specialist

Work on B-52's in Barksdale AFB

Air Force Captain (O-3)
Been in 8.5 years and having a great time.
I am an Engineer by trade = 62E3G (62E=Engineer, 3=experience level, G=project engineer)
Jobs so far:
3 years F-16 System Program Office at Wright Patterson AFB, OH. Worked as lead engineer / program manager for $320B (yes billion) operational flight program for 5 NATO countries. Was responsible for upgrades and maintenance of 300+ F-16s. Got 4 paid trips to Europe while I was there. First TDY (Temporary Duty) in the AF was to Belgium. I love this job!

After that I went to the Air Force Institute of Technology where I spent 18 months full-time getting my Masters in Systems Engineering. Best paid students in the world!! It was a great program and I would jump at a chance to go back for three more years to get a PhD.

My follow-on assignment (current) is at the Global Positioning Systems Wing in Los Angeles. The weather is nice for convertibles, but the people and the housing suck. Been here for 3.75 years, only have three more months on my sentence to LA. LA sucks. Have I said that before? :) Anyway, I was the Chief Architect of the GPS III system and my team constructed the underlying architecture of the next generation GPS satellites and control segments. You all will get the benefit of my work in about 10 years :) Job wise, this is a good job. Office work, but that is all I have ever known.

Moving to Nebraska in the Spring. Yes, the Miata will spend more time in the garage than it does here, but it is closer to family. Seriously, if any of you have any questions, let me know.

--- No, I don't get any discounts on GPS receivers. I have to pay full price too. ---

... and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I didn't join the Air Force.

Haha, kinda reminds me of all the sailors I met in Qatar who never thought they'd be guarding detainees in Basra.

Touche, Koto. I made fun of all my buddies in high-school who got ROTC scholarships and Naval Academy appointments... I thought they had been brainwashed by TopGun and were just scared to try and get a real job. Then I found myself with an uninteresting degree and nothing to show for my first 2 post-college years except for a wicked tan... suddenly free medical forever and retired at 45 sounded like the fucking deal of the century. I haven't looked back. My plan is to retire at 23 years as a Commander... making sure my last duty station is Pensacola or Panama City. I'll have 150ft of waterfront for myself and buy a small apartment complex and market heavily to SEALs and Helo Pilots. I'm sure you've got the same idea... 30yrs SgtMajor and couple acres outside of Bragg doesn't sound so bad!

Here's what I get to do for the next 2 years:
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8922/z5custompr6.jpg

Yea I agree it taken me a few to days of reading over a different jobs and noticing how close some where and what differences they had in there code to start to figure out the difference.

I get to go take my physical and all my test Monday.

Samnavy.. I agree with you, when my friends joined right after HS I laughed at them and now with the gaming market hurting so bad, I can't find a job in my field. So that LRP and free housing and medical suddenly looks really good even if only for 3-4 years.

Army, 96J - 96B, 4-year walk.

Currently I am working for DHS detached to USCG HQ in DC. Everything is COMPLETELY different from Army...

I do however love the military life and will be getting back into shape for re-enlistment shortly.

Nebraska is awesome. Yes, there are some cold winters, but so does most of the world. It is a great job and is the closest to our families that we will probably ever be. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I can actually afford a house there? By the way, LA sucks :D

After reading this thread, I sent off for a packet to join the Army Health Care Corps. I need a change.