Onasander Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Hi. I'm new, I'm 22 and in the US Army, Airborne Infantry up in Fort Richardson, Alaska (outside Anchorage). Anyone else military? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil61 Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Hi. I'm new, I'm 22 and in the US Army, Airborne Infantry up in Fort Richardson, Alaska (outside Anchorage). Anyone else military? I recently ETS'd after a year in Iraq as a 1SG. I was airborne on Bragg for ten years, got out into the Reserves and stayed airborne for five more then on to a leg unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onasander Posted July 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Fort Bragg? Almost got sent there from RIP, went to the 501st instead. Ft. Rich is my first duty station. Which did you like better, leg or airborne? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil61 Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 There's nothing like being airborne, the quality of the people and the espirit de corps. My only complaint is that jumps took up a hell of a lot of time and sometimes it's more about jumping than other training. Let's face it, airborne's just a way of getting to point B. I was in two leg companies, I have to admit there are some good people there as well with maybe a few more duds than in an airborne unit. The Reserves on the other hand are a mish-mash of some great people with really spotty quality among officers and senior NCOs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scanderbeg Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Im thinking about it. I really have started to give a good thought into it. My family has a long history of military service outside this country. But that was mostly because of the communist and militaristic era of Albania during the Dictator years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onasander Posted July 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 I was talking to a recruiter from Mass. State Guard, I knew it was rare to find a state with an airborne unit, so was talking to him.... it turns out they did, but it was a SF unit, which shocked me that they would ever allow the Guard to possess a SF unit! I have been thinking about the Strykers as of late, I mean, after you hit the ground, all you got is a couple of infantry guys watching your back, and while I full trust them, I think I may very well perfer have the Stryker as well watching nearby. But it's so cool jumping out a C-130 at night on a mission, I feel like a ninja sometimes doing it, you hit the ground from a place the enemy wouldn't expect, form up into an opposing defensive position and then unleash hell attacking them however you like; it's something I don't think most legs could comprehend. I just wish instead of superthin humvees they would give us Strykers to pack at the JMC, I would much rather have their support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onasander Posted July 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Oh, Scanderbeg, if your planning on going into the US Army, start working on PT; 42 PUSH-UPS, 53 SIT-UPS, and a 2 MILE RUN UNDER 15:00. I was always weak in pushups, I usually average 55, most guys are in the 70s within two minutes, my sit ups are around 75 in two minutes, and my run used t be before my injury under 12:00 minutes, though now it more like 18:00, which is really not good at all. sk There are a few other tasks that you have to do to get your first promotion before even joining, like learning the basics of land navigation and reading a map, which I can give you links to the net. It's good having some rank before you join. You might want to look into JROTC too, if you go enlisted, you'll get promoted for that as well, just don't tell anyone in basic you were there, or they'll abuse you by making you carry the flag around and sing cadence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil61 Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 I was talking to a recruiter from Mass. State Guard, I knew it was rare to find a state with an airborne unit, so was talking to him.... it turns out they did, but it was a SF unit, which shocked me that they would ever allow the Guard to possess a SF unit! s to pack at the JMC, I would much rather have their support. Believe it or not the only non-Regular Army SF units are in the National Guard. It's been that way since around 1990 or so when a great realignment happened. There are two National Guard SF Groups; 19th and 20th. A lot of SWAT guys in them if I remember correctly. http://www.groups.sfahq.com/19th/ http://alguard.state.al.us/20thSFG.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onasander Posted July 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 I don't recognize the sight on the M4 in the picture of the 20th Special Forces hompage, also, I thought they didn't wear ballistic helmets, but noticed he was sporting some weird black block on the side of his helmet, what is it for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Marcellus Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 I'm prior enlisted Navy now a commissioned officer in the Army. MI. I was with 3ID during the invasion of Iraq. Now at Patton's Own 3rd Army on super REMF duty. I admire you airborne folks. There's no way I'm jumping out of a plane. At least not now. If they'd have gotten ahold of me when I was graduating high school they might have got me to do it. I watch the movie and read Band of Brothers and am so awestruck by what they did. The way a little kid might be awestruck by Terrell Owens. It's really a thankless job. Many people don't understand or appreciate the risks you guys take everytime you jump whether it is into a combat zone or on Fort Bragg somewhere. In my opinion from what I've seen in the Army in my almost 5 years is the 82nd and 101st are the Army's poster units. They are what being a soldier should be all about. At 3ID we got a couple of guys in from Fort Bragg who were X-Infantry and switched over to MI due to injuries. There's a lot of them. It can be a rough life and I have the upmost respect for any soldier in the airborne. I have one other observation for Virgil. I don't know about peacetime, but now the 82nd conducts their training in Afghanistan and Iraq by executing combat missions. THat might be why they spend so much time jumping when in garrison. What can you teach a guy who just came out of the killzone really? I guess they're trying to give you guys a little break. If you consider jumping to be a break that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbow Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Believe it or not the only non-Regular Army SF units are in the National Guard. the British had a SAS terrotetorial unit (part timers,same as your national guard)i think they were disbanded after the first gulf war after its members were moaning about the amount of time spent away from there works.I dont think it went down too well with the regular SAS troops who werent allowed into the Gulf because of other duties. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 I served for 7 years and did a tour in Chad and Gulf War 1. 84 to 91. It got me out and about and I saw many sights etc. But in retrospect it sucked....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onasander Posted July 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Felix, sir... what on earth got into you head that convinced you to switch from of all things the navy to the army! You don't go down, you go up: Best is the Coast Guard, Airforce, Navy, Army, then at the very bottom, Marines. Marines flock to the Army, army goes either airforce or navy, and so up. You went against the flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scanderbeg Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Oh, Scanderbeg, if your planning on going into the US Army, start working on PT; 42 PUSH-UPS, 53 SIT-UPS, and a 2 MILE RUN UNDER 15:00. Running I do daily so thats not much along with situps. But pushups kill me due to my body size and weight(6'5 200lbs). I could probably do all in like 20 minutes right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demson Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 (edited) Enlisting with the Dutch Airmobile Brigade next year after I finished a higher study (really don't intend to run around with the privates for long, I need to use my mind or I get crazy). Just for a few years, I'm going for the security bussiness. I get to look cool in my suite and shades and catch bullets for VIP's. Dutch Airmobile Brigade is the same principle as US airborn I think, though we rope down out of chinooks and wear red barets. We crazy Europeans like to have things our own way. 42 PUSH-UPS, 53 SIT-UPS, and a 2 MILE RUN UNDER 15:00. Seems to be standard NATO? We have that here too (for the airmobile brigade). I was slightly below that time in the orientation year (finished it four weeks ago). Had a better time then our sergeant from the armoured infantry regardless (hah!). The orientation year is an 5 week period in the military for 16-17 year olds to give them a taste what it is like. That's besides a year-long normal education for the lowest-grade security operative. I expected allot of it when I began, but am quite disappointed now that it is over. Majority of my class was a bunch of baffoons that enjoyed daring our sergeants. As we are an orientation year, they couldn't discipline them either. As result, the actual military orientation resembled a high school trip. I was actually quite embarresed to share a uniform with them, I hope the people on the base haven't remembered our faces heh. Edited July 25, 2005 by Demson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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