In the military

Aaron_Thom · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 126

I've been meaning to ask this but who here has ever served in the Military, no matter what country, and what branch?

Is anyone a spouse of someone in the military?

If not part of the military how many have friends and family that is?

By now most of you know I'm part of the U.S. Army National Guard. I've been a part of the orginization for over 8 years.

Just being curious.

Tsavo · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Posts: 110

IRL I did 4 years in the AF. I've been out for a few years now.

Ashton Gray · Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Posts: 2837

Both my mother and father were in the army for a few years. That's where they met, actually. Or does it only count if they are current members of the military?

Feingo Ferinton · Joined: 09 Aug 2008 Posts: 558

My Step-father and grand father both served in the Navy, one during Korea, the other in Vietnam, and I am a 2-year active member of the Coast Guard.

Xebulon · Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 1354

My grandfather was a Naval aviator during WWII and Korea and my father commanded the guns on a destroyer during Vietnam. One of our close family friends has been in the Coast Guard for quite a few years and even commanded the Eagle during the 90's. One of my friends is currently an Airforce MP in San Antonio and another is with the National Guard. He's trying to get transfered back to the Army to re-deploy though. As for myself, I remain a civilian.

Tadelesh · Joined: 31 Jul 2008 Posts: 485

My great uncle (on my father's side) was a soldier in WWII and is still alive, and my brother-in-law has been trained as a commando, but I think that's as far as my connections to the military go. I don't really know much about what either of them did. I don't think I'll ever join any military myself.

Miss Scorpia · Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 408

In my country young men don't have choise. They have to join the military, unless there is something wrong with them or they pull the "out of military" card in a special lottery.
My boyfriend pulled that card. My father and his brothers convinced them that something was wrong with them mentally. My brother was promitted to end his education first before joining the military.
Therefor the only one in my familiy, who has been a soldier, was my grandfarther in WWII and he died 3 mounth before I was born.

Corran · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 281

My grandfather was in the army during WWII. My brother is in the navy as we speak.

Aaron_Thom · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 126

Not at all Ashton. Retired also counts, sorry I didn't mention it. Glad too here so many of you have some contection with the military.

Both my grandfathers served, one in the U.S. Air Force and the other in the Army during WWII. My father served in the Air Force for over 30 years before retiring.

Its one of the reasons I joined the military, to continue the line as it were. It make me 3rd generation military. Makes me feel good every time I think about it.

JohnnyPsycho · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 981

Both of my grandfathers were in the military during WWII: one in the Army, I believe, though he was stationed away from most of the fighting, and the other in the Navy's Construction Battalion (or the "Fighting SeaBees", which I believe are today part of the Marines) in the Pacific theater, though he didn't talk much about his time there. He did tell a lot of stories about his time inBrazil, where he was stationed for a while after the war.

I have two uncles who were in Vietnam, and another uncle who was in the Air Force just before the first Iraq war ("Desert Storm"). I also know a few people from my highschool as well as college who have served or are currently serving.

Foxonian · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 411

My late father was one of the US Marines who landed on the beaches of Okinawa during the finnal year of WWII.Was a awarded the Purple Heart for injures he got there.I was not considered prime material when I tried to apply to the army when I was 18(flat feet,legs not perfectly straight,too tall,overweight,etc.).But,back then,the armed forces in the US were in peacetime mode(1982) and as such were very selective.In the end,I think it was for the best since I don't think the soldier life was for me.

Feingo Ferinton · Joined: 09 Aug 2008 Posts: 558

Aaron, I've got a question. Feel free not to answer this, but I'm just curious since you and I are the only two actives thus far. What do you do in the National Guard? What is your specialization.

With me, I'm a helmsman. I drive the RB-S rescue/recovery vessels.

Aaron_Thom · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 126

I'm a Combat Engineer. I'm trained to handle C4 and other explosives, set up opsticals, place minefields and destroy them, build bridges and yes destroy bridges and a varity of other things. Baicaly I'm a demo man and I blow shit up.

Ashton Gray · Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Posts: 2837

And I'll bet you have fun doing it, too.

UltimaWolf0 · Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 625

Aaron_Thom wrote: I'm a Combat Engineer. I'm trained to handle C4 and other explosives, set up opsticals, place minefields and destroy them, build bridges and yes destroy bridges and a varity of other things. Baicaly I'm a demo man and I blow shit up.

Wow that sounds pretty cool. Explosions and destruction are two of my favorite things. :lol:

Feingo Ferinton · Joined: 09 Aug 2008 Posts: 558

Aaron_Thom wrote: I'm a Combat Engineer. I'm trained to handle C4 and other explosives, set up opsticals, place minefields and destroy them, build bridges and yes destroy bridges and a varity of other things. Baicaly I'm a demo man and I blow shit up.

... Well, you definately beat me! :lol:

Lord Nelson · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 114

JohnnyPsycho wrote: Both of my grandfathers were in the military during WWII: one in the Army, I believe, though he was stationed away from most of the fighting, and the other in the Navy's Construction Battalion (or the "Fighting SeaBees", which I believe are today part of the Marines) in the Pacific theater, though he didn't talk much about his time there. He did tell a lot of stories about his time inBrazil, where he was stationed for a while after the war.

I cannot imagine any cirumstances that would ever result in the Seabees being part of the Marine Corps, as this would require a colossal realignment of basic training, specialization training, and personnel management the likes of which have not been seen since the Air Force became a separate service in 1947.

The Seabees are today organized into Commander Navy Expeditionary Combat Command's Naval Construction Force, with seven naval construction regiments at Port Hueneme, CA, Atlanta, GA, Newport, RI, Fort Worth, TX, and Gulfport, MS.

JohnnyPsycho · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 981

well, I must have been mistaken then... I thought I had remembered another person mentioning the Seabees (derived from the initials C.B., or Construction Battalion) were now part of the Marines, and didn't really take the time to verify if what they said was true. I just took it at face value and figured the Armed Forces did things differently during WWII than they did today. Not being that closely associated with the various branches of the military myself, figuring out which group goes where tended to be a bit confusing to me in the past.

kommy · Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 469

Sadly, you have to go back a generation or so in my family... But they served with distinction. Grandfather was in the US Army Air Corps, a great uncle in the US Marine Corps, and quietest of their generation was in the US Army. The last was awarded the Silver Star for saving the life of his commanding officer in the last war against Germany.

Oddly, no one in my family I know was ever in the Navy proper, despite my hometown being the site of the US Naval Academy. As for myself, my sister and I spoke of joining the Army together, me into the OCS and my little sister enlisting, but our mother talked us out of it.

Kinda sad, really. Would've been the first time my sister would have had to listen to me. :P

JohnnyPsycho · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 981

My parents weren't exactly adamant about me not joining the military... it wasn't like they'd disown me or anything if I had decided to join... but I would say they "lightly discouraged" me going into the military. I think part of it had to do with them both having family members who had been in Vietnam and seeing first-hand some of the changes they went through from the experience.

Then again, I never really seriously considered it myself... I'm really a pacifist at heart... though if I had decided to get into any of the Armed Forces, it probably would have been the Navy, like my grandfather. Then again, I don't take orders well and tend to have issues with "authority figures" (one of the few things me and my father tend to have in common, besides our eating habits and good looks ;) ).

In my fursona's backstory, I had his father be a former soldier just to add some historical "flair", but my fursona is pretty much like me... tolerant but mostly distrustful of people who bark orders to other people. I've got no beef with enlisted men, just the boneheads at the top of the ranks, including the Commander-in-Chief...