# Meeting with a Sergeant tomorrow, any words of wisdom?



## Invictus (Aug 19, 2008)

I received a phonecall today from a certain Sergeant representing the Army.  He is coming to discuss options within the military and specifically how the Army can assist in paying for college.  Is there anything that any of  you believe I should ask specifically about?

Thanks.

I apologize if this is in the wrong section.


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## SgtUSMC8541 (Aug 19, 2008)

Don't trust Sergeants.  Bunch of Lier's and cheats! All of them!  :doh:

Just make sure you get any promises in writing.


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## Invictus (Aug 19, 2008)

SgtUSMC8541 said:


> Don't trust Sergeants.  Bunch of Lier's and cheats! All of them!  :doh:
> 
> Just make sure you get any promises in writing.



haha, roger.  

For clarification, this isn't a recruitment meeting of any sort, purely informational.


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## car (Aug 19, 2008)

Be respectful. Let _him_ ask the questions. He will engage you, and sell the Army to you - not a bad thing.

He's prolly gonna ask you what you want from the Army - what you want out of life. Think about that now, and have an answer - not some recitation, but what you really want. And not some blue-eyed shit about being an SF guy. He'll try to "sell" you that, and anything else you show interest in. Again, not a bad thing, just don't commit to anything yet

Listen to what he asks you, and then think about your response before you pipe off. Don't tell him what you think he wants to hear - tell him what you think, and what you want.

He can, and will, offer you many things. Listen to all of them - *Don't sign up for anything,* yet. Make sure you completely understand all of the options he gives you before you give him any answer. And you, by *no means, have any obligation* to answer him tomorrow, as far as commitment.

Then let us/me know what you brought back from the meeting.

After that, we'll throw you to the lions


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## Viper1 (Aug 20, 2008)

ditto on what car said plus this:

read the fine print and don't let him push you to sign anything. Give yourself some time to think and process all the information he's going to give you. When you have what some of us call a "moment of clarity" then you'll be able to make an informed decision and be true to yourself.

board: rep points if you can name the movie that above "moment of clarity" quote came from. 

Seriously though, good luck. Ears open, and asked informed questions.!


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## Marauder06 (Aug 20, 2008)

Invictus said:


> ....
> 
> For clarification, this isn't a recruitment meeting of any sort, purely informational.



lol

They're ALL recruitment meetings... ;)


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## 8'Duece (Aug 20, 2008)

Marauder06 said:


> lol
> 
> They're ALL recruitment meetings... ;)



Ain't that the truth. 

I went in, volunteered for Airborne, specifically the 82nd and next thing I knew I was boarding a flight to Ft. Sill Oklahoma. :uhh: 

Wasn't much to getting me in other than the ASVAB and then the physical. 

Remember the recruiters are trained like salesmen, and they do SELL their product, which in this case is getting your signature on a contract. 

Some will promise the world, literally and others may not be so high pressured.  

If you feel uncomfortable with his approach, dont be afraid to tell him "Ok, thanks for for your time and I'll consider everything you have told me" Get up and lead him to the door and shake his hand and leave. 

Your first question is probably going to be "Will I be deployed?" The answer to that is a 99% yes.  If that scares you, then don't waste his or your time anymore, he has a job to do and it isn't with you. 

Good luck.


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## MADMIKE175 (Aug 21, 2008)

Marauder06 said:


> lol
> 
> They're ALL recruitment meetings... ;)




AHAHAH - werd.



What is it you would like to do in the Army? Figure that out and then you don't have to worry about anything but getting it.


Example:

*Wannabe Ranger:* I want to enlist 4 years as an Airborne Ranger with the baddest unit on the planet: 1-75. 
*
Wannabe Ranger:* OR 2 years as Airborne Infantry.

*Sgt. Not here for a Recruiting meeting* : Hey that's awesome, how about going in as a cook in 2ID first? You can get all trained up and then head off to Ranger School once you get to your first duty station.
*
Wannabe Ranger:* I want to enlist 4 years as an Airborne Ranger with the baddest unit on the planet: 1-75. 

*Sgt. Not here for a Recruiting meeting* : Well that's great I can see you are a real hard charger.....but how about learning a skill? You can get 5 million dollar bonus right now for going in as a gay porn fluffer? (Rusty's MOS).

*Wannabe Ranger: *Fuck you, I guess I will go find a different recruiter.


The moral of the story - KNOW what you want, then execute.


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## Rabid Badger (Aug 21, 2008)

MADMIKE175 said:


> AHAHAH - werd.
> 
> *Sgt. Not here for a Recruiting meeting* : Well that's great I can see you are a real hard charger.....but how about learning a skill? You can get 5 million dollar bonus right now for going in as a gay porn fluffer? (Rusty's MOS).
> 
> ...



HAHAHAAA...YUP.....you might even let him know you are taking advice from many....MANY service vets.....

also....as far as the 'different recruiter' 'threat', mention a different SERVICE in that 'different recruiter' statement.

I imagine that the Army recruiter will bend to your wants because not only do the services have quotas, it would KILL that recruiter to see you walk in next door and sign up for a different service.

Good luck today!!!

:2c:


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## tjwest (Aug 21, 2008)

*It's all about the contracts...*



Viper1 said:


> board: rep points if you can name the movie that above "moment of clarity" quote came from.



The "moment of clarity" quote come from the Jules Winnfeld character in Pulp Fiction.  "Well, yeah. I was just sitting here, eating my muffin, drinking my coffee, when I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity."

On a more serious note, take heed of what the other guys have said above about reading the fine print.  Speaking from a lawyer's perspective, contracts are what makes the world go around, particularly when it comes to dealing with the government.  I've seen the it cut all ways.  I've seen the Army/recuriter make a mistake when putting together a contract, and it works out in the soldier's favor.  Conversely, I've seen guys get screwed when their recruiter told them something would be included in the contract, but it either was forgotten or omitted.  Yet still, I've known other guys that got upset because they believed their contract said one thing, but never bothered to read it to make sure.  By the time they found out it was too late.

The lesson to be had is to make sure that you know exactly what's included in any document you sign before you sign it.  There's no problem in requiring a recruiter to give you something in writing backing up his promises.  If he refuses, there's nothing wrong with checking with another recruiter to see if the first recruiter is even permitted to offer you the things he is.  If you don't have another recruiter to ask, you can probably touch base with someone right here on the board to find out the answer to your question.  There are at least a couple of us here that know guys currently working in recruiting offices around the country.  Finally, don't let them rush you through the final signing process if you're not comfortable.  Remember, it's the army that's hurting for numbers these days.  They want you to join.  If you tell the recruiter or MEPS lackey to back off for five minutes so that you can actually read the document they're going to let you do it.

Good luck.


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## harryhubbard68 (Aug 21, 2008)

Join the military you civilian puke!  AirForce or Army.  And that joke about "you can change later, first join as cook or supply or an ammo guy", is not a joke.  No, join ONLY AS YOU WANT, that transfer later crap is BS.  Sign up for what YOU want!


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## Invictus (Aug 24, 2008)

Thanks for all of the advice, heeded and applied.  It was mostly just an introduction/sales pitch..."This is the Army, look at all of the wonderful benefits we provide-jump out of airplanes and travel the world!" While rather basic, it was professionally done.

Apologies for being late on the reply, been having some internet issues.


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## MADMIKE175 (Aug 24, 2008)

It should definitely be said that the Army does in fact offer great fucking benefits.

I can't really understand how people are soo stupid as to not take advantage of them. Especially if you look at certain states, where veterans go to college for FREE tuition.

How fucking hard is it to better your lot when the you can go to college tuition free and still collect your GI bill, which for me was 829$/month back in 95'.

One word - "fucking faggot pussy losers".


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## Paddlefoot (Aug 26, 2008)

Invictus said:


> For clarification, this isn't a recruitment meeting of any sort, purely informational.



Yep, they always start out that way. Just an "informational" meeting...


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## RetPara (Aug 27, 2008)

MADMIKE175 said:


> AHAHAH - werd.
> 
> What is it you would like to do in the Army? Figure that out and then you don't have to worry about anything but getting it.
> 
> ...



Isn't 1/75 the All Gay Ranger Bn?

Listen to Car.  He speaks well and learned all of that from the school of hard knocks by doing all that shit wrong.....  two or three times....  I was there to bear witness....


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## TheGunDoctor (Sep 29, 2008)

Here are two important lessons about joining the Army. (Strictly FYI, it's not what the topic is asking for really.)

#1. When/if you take the ASVAB test, DO NOT settle for anything less than a 110 GT score. If you score lower than that, I advise you to retake the test. The reason being is that you may get the MOS you want initially, but there are a lot of other great specialties out there that you won't be able to choose for reclassification with anything less than 110 GT. Hell, you need a score of 100 just to go to Drill Sergeant school without a waiver these days. You will also need a minimum of 110 if you plan to go Warrant Officer down the road.  I've dealt with so many soldiers that have missed out on career opportunities simply because they didn't have the minimum acceptable score.  Some try taking the FAST (Functional Academic Skills Training) class in order to raise it, but even then most are unable to because they've been out of the education system for so long.

#2. At the very minimum you should get atleast one special school in your contract. My advice is for you to choose Airborne because you'll get a suitable sum of extra change in your pocket ($150 a month), in addition to the fact that it opens door for other highspeed schools and specialized units (not to mention the esprit de corps). Being a paratrooper doesn't make you better than other soldiers but it most definitely gives you an edge in your career, especially when it comes promotions and professional advancement.


My last bit of advice: "Stay away from the Army if you absolutely hate waking up early as hell in the morning to do physical training in shorts and a t-shirt even though it's frosty as shit outside." Heh, units like the one I am currently assigned to absolutely refuse to allow any use of cold weather gear despite your numbing body parts during German winter. 

Fortunately for me, I like a little pain for breakfast.
Run All Day, Run All Night...Airborne! :cool:



EDIT: One more thing I'd like to reiterate is that the Army tends to deploy for a lot longer than the other branches. Case in point; my last combat tour was 15 months and originally we were slated to serve 18 months. The one before that was 12 months. Most other services deploy for 7 months if I am not mistaken. I can tell you from experience that a full fledge Regular Army deployment is a hardship that isn't easy to tolerate. So think about the fact that if you join the Army you might attend a lot of ramp ceremonies for your fallen brothers, that you'll be exposed to danger on a regular basis when deployed, and that you'll be trapped in a isolated little shit-hole of a base while baking in the sun for ATLEAST a year whenever you deploy. It's a stressful lifestyle, be ready for it. And being back in garrison has it's problems too. 

Other then those awful drawbacks, the Army is excellent.


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