Poll: Military Service

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

So true that the British had two fighter pilots flying with no legs during WWII. One of them was taken down by Adolf Galand squadron over France. As I recall, the German offered him champaign, and sent him back home. He got right back in a plane and continued the fight.

the formal requirements are toned down a bit I guess .See the list of amputees,wounded,one eye shot out and otherwise maimed people that served actively in the Japanese and German forces during WWII.

I wonder how hard the health requirements are to get into a contractor job or even som eparts of the national guard or regular army they send to Iraq-I know some instances that the requiremenst are stiff-but then again other seem less hard..

[jester]

Originally Posted by headquarters

the formal requirements are toned down a bit I guess .See the list of amputees,wounded,one eye shot out and otherwise maimed people that served actively in the Japanese and German forces during WWII.

I wonder how hard the health requirements are to get into a contractor job or even som eparts of the national guard or regular army they send to Iraq-I know some instances that the requiremenst are stiff-but then again other seem less hard..

There are two things I have run into.

1.) If you are prior service then they apply a different set of rules as far as joining. IF you are a first time enlistee then the rules in some ways are more stringent. An example, for prior service you can be up to 30% disabled per the Military or Department of Veterans Affairs and still get into the National Guard or Reserves. <This is my experience> However, if you have never been in before, the same conditions will disqualify you right off the bat.

And then there are waivers. Waviers are required for damn near everything. And it is up to the aproving authority to pass or fail the waiver request.

Also, the unit and recruiter. Do they want you? Do they have the numbers or do they need them? How dilligent is the recruiter? I have had several say to my face, "eh you aren't worth it, you take to many waivers, it'd take to long." In my day that would border on deriliction of duty. They don't want to do their job because it takes to much work! LOL I would loved to have seen that tried in my old unit. "Sorry gunny, that is just to much work, I don't think I'll do it." Ridiculous.

As for contractor, you had better have some talent and have all your ducks in a row, with a little luck to go with it. And I am not just talking the companies who employ trigger pullers either.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by jester

There are two things I have run into.

1.) If you are prior service then they apply a different set of rules as far as joining. IF you are a first time enlistee then the rules in some ways are more stringent. An example, for prior service you can be up to 30% disabled per the Military or Department of Veterans Affairs and still get into the National Guard or Reserves. <This is my experience> However, if you have never been in before, the same conditions will disqualify you right off the bat.

And then there are waivers. Waviers are required for damn near everything. And it is up to the aproving authority to pass or fail the waiver request.

Also, the unit and recruiter. Do they want you? Do they have the numbers or do they need them? How dilligent is the recruiter? I have had several say to my face, "eh you aren't worth it, you take to many waivers, it'd take to long." In my day that would border on deriliction of duty. They don't want to do their job because it takes to much work! LOL I would loved to have seen that tried in my old unit. "Sorry gunny, that is just to much work, I don't think I'll do it." Ridiculous.

As for contractor, you had better have some talent and have all your ducks in a row, with a little luck to go with it. And I am not just talking the companies who employ trigger pullers either.

all academic for me of course .

I was under the impression that the contractors were a mixed bag of nuts so to say .

[jester]

Originally Posted by headquarters

all academic for me of course .

I was under the impression that the contractors were a mixed bag of nuts so to say .

Actualy alot of contractors I know are top notch. Some have retired of military service and this is the only way they can join the fight. Others got out or were forced out durring the draw down. And they are returning in the only capacity they can. Most of the knows I know have a tour or two or more of honorable service. That is the hired gun types everyone thinks about.

I know a few others who work for other companies as medical personel, administrators and similiar.

Pretty much if you have anything on your criminal record even a parking ticket that went unpaid, or poor credit or job history forget it.

[TiggerCCW UK]

I'm a civilian. I thought about trying for the regs but as I am still asthmatic they would have turned me down. My asthma is controlled, but only if I keep taking the inhalers. I tried out for the TA as well, but was told they would only consider me if I had gone a year without using an inhaler. I did manage to serve with the 1st Ulster Marine Cadets for seven years as a cadet, a further two as an instructor and then spent two years as an instructor with the Army Cadet Force (ACF) - first year attached to 3 Company Para cadets (interesting for an ex baby bootie), the second attached to 7 (City of Belfast) Royal Irish. Sadly due to the nature of my work (shifts running a bar) I had to give up on it due to being unable to guarantee a time commitment.

[Antenna]

Served as an wheaterforecaster in the Swedish Airforce, got some on the side training that I still wonder why the hell I am in a battlezone now and then. It seems I got some weird training couse i seem to get out on recon missions now and then just for fun. =)

Antenna

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Antenna

Served as an wheaterforecaster in the Swedish Airforce, got some on the side training that I still wonder why the hell I am in a battlezone now and then. It seems I got some weird training couse i seem to get out on recon missions now and then just for fun. =)

Antenna

That doesn't strike me as unusual at all -- in the Army (especially at G-3 in Korea and when I was at the 82nd Airborne), we often worked with your counterparts in the USAF -- the Weather Recon guys. When you're planning an attack, a good weather forecast is as vital as any other piece of intelligence. And of course, when you're a paratrooper, you really want to know the weather, particularly what the wind will be like at the DZ. CCTs (Combat Control Teams) and TACPs (Tactical Air Control Parties) almost always have at least one weather recon guy.

OT: I remember one night during Team Spirit 88 -- it was horrible weather in Korea, with a driving snowstorm. Everyone was hollering for when there would be a break in the weather. After about an hour of that, the Major in charge of the DTAC's Weather Recon Team suddenly stood up and shouted: "I predict there will be a 100% chance of weather tonight!"