In English please lol.

When deployed: blow shit up.

When not deployed: Unit operations and combat awards

You're in the Marines? Where are you stationed?

Okinawa, Japan.

Shoot to disarm means you'll have a chance of being shot by the person you disarm.

Are you kidding me? I'm in Yokosuka, Japan.

When I say disarm, I mean that literally. dis-ARM

Sounds like a lot of fun eh. How is Japan?

To tell you the truth Guard is usually deployed before active duty.

I figured their main object was homeland security.

What I've found to be evident with reserve units, regardless of their branch, is that they're definitely lacking in training. Its frustrating because there are active duty that would rather be deployed on a more regular basis but its cheaper, speaking in terms of the Marine Corps, to send a reserve unit.



I could (and would like to) stay here for the rest of my life.



What branch? We can hit up Roppongi next time I'm in mainland... just don't tell my ol' lady. She knows what goes on there.

I'm actually here for the break, I get back to California soon. I'm actually under an AFROTC scholarship at SDSU but I'm still gung ho about Navy. I used to go to the high school here, walking around in my little NJROTC uniform.

Anyway, I definitely know Roppongi. We should hit that up whenever I come back for another break.

You go to SDSU?! When I was stationed in Cali, I was messing around with a broad who went there. I didn't tell anyone I was in the military, though. You know how it is with college kids and Marines in San Diego. There are so many nights that I can and I can't remember, that involved me stumbling down Montezuma, going from house party to house party.

How's your Japanese?

Jumping from house party to house party, eh? Sounds pretty sweet, man.

My Japanese is enough to get by, enough to talk to girls and get fed at the restaurants. Sometimes I think I cheat my Japanese skills when I go to CoCo's (I'm sure you know CoCo's, the one that's just on the tip of Blue Street), the staff speaks English and they even take U.S. currency.

CoCo's is on point. Chicken Cutlet Curry, level 6. Thats my shit.

My Japanese is about the same, I suppose. I definitely understand a lot more than I can speak, and I recognize and can write random kanji symbols that serve no purpose is everyday conversation. SUGOI!!! ^_^

Level 6! That's pretty hardcore already, the highest I've gone so far is level 5. I get tonkatsu, basically a pork cutlet curry, but I bet you already know that, CoCo's is where it's at.

By the way, you've been on the base, right? Of course you have, you're a Marine. They opened up a Chili's here not too long ago. So whenever you get back on the mainland and you feel like some Chili's, they got it on the base.

^^ ahha that made me smirk

I know the military can be a great chance for any rural community. There's my two cents

ahhh...a fellow army soldier



well, then i guess i won't mention any marine comments huh? lol (just kidding)

I think that I may join and try to go into the fire department there.

Marine Corps Crash Fire Rescue.

Or if you want to go the EMT route, the Navy also has their own thing.

i would never join the military

BWAKKKK

i enjoy living i wouldnt put myself in that kind of danger unless i HAD to. then i would break my leg and arm so i wouldnt have to

I went from the field to the command deck. I hate the command deck because of the politics, but the Chief of Staff has given me his approval.



Two years ago, I said the same thing.



Joining the military isn't an expressway to death.

Damn I am really thinking about joining the military man.

it's up to you if you do decide. but make sure you compare because not everyone is the same. and you might wanna think about what you wanna do in the service. because they might not need firemen but put you in something that's "similar" but yet no where near what you want to do. TRUST ME! i thought i was going to an accounting job when i joined but instead i got a "counting" job. counting bullets that is and man that sucked like hell!! i was pissed at my advisor for suckering me into a stupid ass job like that. and he made it sound all great and that it's exactly what i was looking for. man, they are slick so be careful!

You were an ammo tech.

What recruiters won't tell you is that you are in control of your own contract. Don't sign on the line unless you're guaranteed what you want.

you know what? i liked be an ammo spec. because i was able to do crap that not a lot of others got to do. man, i drove those PLS's and 6 ton fork lifts. plus i was able to get away from my plt for ammo drops. but i was a desk jockey before i got out so

I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do in the military, but every time I think about going in, I always find a reason not to. Ugh that is life I guess.

HA! you dont know me. in 9th grade was the very first time i ever made it to home base in kick ball. in softball i hit the ball a total of 3 time in a week. and in soccer i missed the ball when it came to a stand-still (almost fell on my butt. ouch).

i WOULD die.

well, the choice is really up to you, but if i had to do all over again, i would've signed for a 2 year contract. and instead of sleeping with my counselor to get that stupid ammunition specialist job, i would've went with like finance or something.

I would love to join a fire dept in the military, but I know that the risk over in Iraq is hella crazy.

well, see if you can find some firemen soldiers. i don't know any but you can try.

I will, but it such a big commitment for two years ya know.

yeah...but those two years can go by so fast that you don't even realize it is 2 years. you'll spend 3 months at basic, then however many months for your job training and then the rest is at your first duty station. so those 2 years will just zoom by you.

I know, I wish I could have joined right out of high school. I would have been in a better position.

yeah...well what can you do right? what's done is done

True indeed, ah well, there goes that idea.

Don't let some misled, former Soldier, lead you in the wrong direction. Recruiters will only tell you what they feel as though they need to. You can do whatever the hell you want in the military if you step to them knowing what you can/can't do. If you want a guaranteed contract, granting you the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) as Marine Corps Crash Fire Rescue, then make that known. With an MOS like that, there are often benefits involved. Ask questions, b.

True thanks alot man, I am really going to look into this stuff now.

I got accepted into Cornell University, The University of Michigan, George Washing University, University of Pennsylvania, and The University of Chicago. I joined the ARMY instead and ship for basic in June of '08.

Do I question my decision? No. Will I regret it? I hope not.

Wait a minute, you got accepted into all of those places, and instead went into the Army? Wow! That is a big risk eh! I wanna go so bad, but I know that if I do, I will be even further behind in college.

Honestly, if I had the means to afford an Ivy League school like UPenn, I would've gone the officer route. You'll go a lot further with a commission. Good on you, though.

Of all branches, what made you choose the Army? Air Force Avionics is in dire need for intelligent people.

I am not going to front, I remember back in school, my instructors told me that the air force was thought of as being the weakest branch. Apparently they do next to no pt at all and other things like that.

True.

But they have extremely techincal jobs that need people with a high IQ, versus a dedication to being in shape.

I want to be able to get my work out on too, maybe navy? I don't want to go to f*g land though, no offense.

It all depends on what you do in the Navy. There are some cool ass people in the Navy. But there's something strange about a guy who's a refridgerator technician, with little time on his hands, will never see combat, and is on ship with other guys just like him for 8 months. Yikes.

Naval Corpsman (medical) are the shit.

True, I am going to put a timetable on it though, if things don't start falling into place by June, I am going to start looking at military options.

Don't join the Marine Corps.