# Why Did You Join The Military?



## Marauder06 (Jan 7, 2016)

Why did you sign up?  What made you stay in?  What's the weirdest reason you ever heard people give to explain why they joined?  This guy has a pretty interesting story.




> As we celebrate the New Year, I felt that it would be an appropriate time to share the story of my own journey here to the United States and how the actions of a certain generation of Veterans influenced my path to become an American Soldier.
> 
> Even though I was only five years old at the time, I remember the deep drum-like thumping sounds and the flashes of light in the horizon. This was the night before Saigon fell to the Communist and the thumping sounds were explosions of a ferocious battle on the outskirts of the city. I was more curious than anything because I didn’t really understand what was going on as I stood there next to my nanny in the closet underneath the stairs.
> 
> My father (who was a colonel) was at the Presidential Palace at that time helping to develop a counterattack using soldiers from one of the last remaining paratrooper regiments to repel the advancing Communist forces in order to help buy more time for people to escape the city, and certain death.


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## x SF med (Jan 7, 2016)

I had always wanted to be in the military, family tradition to serve kind of thing.  Both parents were AF, dad's father was in the Swiss horse Drawn Artillery, both of Dad's brothers were Army, Mom's Dad was Infantry, all of her brothers served and one of my Uncles by marriage earned a silver Star in WWII.   Plus I grew up on John Wayne, Audie Murphy and other War movies on the local channels, Combat!, The Rat Patrol...

When I hit college, I met the ROTC cadre (mostly VN vets, with very distinctive service records, one had been a Ranger tabbed FO with the 4ID and went on to become a General officer, 2 were SF, and one was a Ranger (tabbed and served in lettered Ranger companies of the 101 and 82).  The NCOs and Major got me to join ROTC and go SMP (Mech Infantry) - I became an AI for outdoor skills/survival, patrolling, mountaineering, was part of the 'Ranger'  unit for the school (with Ranger and SF advisors it was pretty tactically proficient for a bunch of college kids), did Advanced Camp at Ft. Riley, Cadet Troop leadership Training and Airborne at Benning - during one of the worst heat waves ever - instructors at Riley were Heat Catting, and we were rolled through the showers at Jump School every hour.

I got back to school and was preparing for early commissioning when SGM B and MSG H (both 5th in VN, SGM was on Maj Plaster's team for a couple of years and taught MAC-V Ranger and Recondo Schools) pulled me aside and had a frank talk with me, the jist of which came down to SGM's closing sentences....  P, you're never going to be an officer, you're going to be an SF NCO.  He was right, I ran out of money to finish school at the end of the semester and tried to work enough to pay to go back - construction in NYC, 8 months in to the job, I went to the recruiter - 22 y/o college educated guy, with experience in Mech Infantry (not MOS qual'd due to SMP), 2 leadership schools under my belt and jump qualified, asking for Infantry.  He let me know that I could get an SF contract (SF Baby program, forerunner of 18X) and 11B...  I signed, and the rest is history.  I should have careered, but I met my first wife while in and got out because she would have been a horrible military wife, she ended up being a not so stellar wife overall...  BUT, we have to live with our choices, and I made mine at the time.


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## Devildoc (Jan 7, 2016)

Growing up in the military and a family-rich history of military service....father retired from Marines, adopted grandmother in Marines in WWII, uncle served 30 years in the Navy (SeaBees), both grandfathers served, most uncles, male cousins, some female cousins, others in all branches, but most were in Marines or Navy.  I always knew, but never knew the when/what/how.  Went to college, graduated, worked some, decided time was right.  Started off enlisted, eventually got my commission. 

I will say, also, that my dad, who had retired from the Marines, died when I was a boy.  My neighbor, who was the local high school history teacher, retired from the Army, almost all of his time in SF with numerous VN time.  As he had a son a little younger than I, I spent a lot of time with him, and he mentored me quite a bit.  When I finally got to HS he was my history teacher, then VP.  He really nurtured my interest in the military, took me to Bragg to see a Gabriel demo, introduced me to some of his old buddies.  I was _that_ close to joining the Army and going SF, entirely because of him, but he really encouraged to follow my family's history of Navy or Marine service.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 7, 2016)

Family tradition, 9/11 and deep urge to go shoot terrorist in the face. I honestly had no plans to join prior to 9/11, I was very content with my good paying plumber job. After the towers fell, watching everyone freak out and the nation as a whole become very fearful, I figured "bullshit lets go kill these fuckers".

I ended up joining the NG b/c I wanted to keep my good paying job. That was a huge mistake, and regret not doing a regular army 11x opt40. I wanted a job where you get to shoot terrorist's in the face, back then 11B was it for the Texas NG (before the SF companies came) so I went to OSUT. 

I stayed in because I just loved the culture, did 10.5yrs total, 9.8yrs of it was on active duty, volunteered for every bit of it, and if they would let me come back, I would do 30 more years. I just loved it.


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## Marine0311 (Jan 7, 2016)

I wanted to serve, and serve in the Marine Corps because as a child I was most attracted to the Dress Blues.. It was that simple. 

Both my Grandfathers and my Father did. A man should serve his country. I was most attracted to the Marine Corps. I volunteered for the grunts.


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## TLDR20 (Jan 7, 2016)

Money and pussy


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 7, 2016)

TLDR20 said:


> Money and pussy



So how did that work out for you? lol


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## TLDR20 (Jan 7, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> So how did that work out for you? lol



Long term pretty well. Met my wife and got contracts...


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## Grunt (Jan 7, 2016)

I didn't have any grand purpose for joining other than for somewhat selfish reasons. I hated bullies all of my life. I was never bullied, but I saw how they treated others around me and that's how I looked at other countries who decided to impose their wills with impunity on those that were weaker and couldn't defend themselves.

I didn't have any other reasons for it...I figure the Marine Corps would be one of the first to go wherever the bullies were.

It was that simple for me!


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## reed11b (Jan 7, 2016)

Adventure, a chance to challenge my fear of heights (airborne) and time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. 


I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up...
Reed


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## DocIllinois (Jan 7, 2016)

Python said it best:

"For the water skiing and the travel, sir.  But not for the killing.  I asked them to put it on my form, sir: NO KILLING."


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## racing_kitty (Jan 7, 2016)

It was something I had always wanted to do as a kid.  Both grandfathers, one grandmother, one aunt, and my dad all served in some capacity (merchant marine, B-29 & B-52 pilot, 2x intel types, and Army, respectively), not to mention several veterans in the family tree, so one could definitely say it was in my blood.


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