Curious, is everyone happy with going infantry? I was just pondering and thinking about what I could have done and if I made the right choice. Not saying I want to change, I cant wait to be indirect infantry(crosses fingers). So if you could go back would you? Also why does infantry have there own Basic? Like, every other MOS is shorter? anyway thinks for takeing time to read this, respond if you can.

I scored a 98 on my ASVAB and could have had any job I wanted. I chose hitting an Airborne Infantry unit. That was 6 years ago.
When I commissioned, Infantry was at the top of my branch preference sheet, and I got it. I still love it.
There are times when life sucks really big, big hairy balls with 3-week old mustard caked on the bottom. When you think it can't get any worse, it splooges rotten mayonaise. While it sucks then, those are the stories that I tell people, and there are men that I shared those moments with that I will always treasure.
Do I wish I'd have ever been in a different branch? Sometimes. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to sit in the air conditioned post office instead of giving IVs to heat casualties in the Central Texas August heat. There are days I wonder what it's like to be an MI guy sitting in a heated office while deployed to a Balkan icebox sitting in an outer cordon in 3 feet of snow. There are also the times I wish I was straight-up in the Chair Farce instead of rucking 20 miles to my ORP. But that's an easy fix when you have your battlebuddy pull your tampon out of your 5th POC.
Bottom line boss, it's not for everyone, and everyone in the Infantry is miserable at some point. I was a scrawny, know-it-all high school kid when I went in through OSUT. It took some acculturation for me to adapt, and eventually get good at, this whole "Be a beast, kill Kill KILL!" job we know and love.
Give it a few years. You can always get out and be a REMF, POG, FOB-Gobblin, or FOBbit later on. Be a man first.

quote:

Originally posted by No_Fear_In_Love:
So if you could go back would you?

Yes.

quote:

So if you could go back would you?

You mean, there is something besides Infantry.
I didn't know that.

quote:

Originally posted by No_Fear_In_Love:
Curious, is everyone happy with going infantry? I was just pondering and thinking about what I could have done and if I made the right choice. Not saying I want to change, I cant wait to be indirect infantry(crosses fingers). So if you could go back would you? Also why does infantry have there own Basic? Like, every other MOS is shorter? anyway thinks for takeing time to read this, respond if you can.

Yes

You have a LOT of power and responsibility in your hands with the MOS that other MOS' do not have. Thats why they put you under the mental and physical stresses.

A General knows that if the Infantry is mistreated it can cost him his rank and the war. So frequently you will have inspections by Generals and or they will be trying to chat you up.

A Politician knows that if the Infantry is unhappy or grumbles in letters back home they are probably not getting elected again or face a tough election fight. A Politician might appear to be there for a photo OP but unless they are a complete moron they will ask pointed questions and look around.

A Reporter knows that the Infantry knows the real story of what is really going on.....on the ground because they are living it. A Reporter also knows you will be making history at some point so they want your name for some future scoop.

So there you go and it's why you'll be exposed to the above three MORE then any other Army MOS.

Brief list of people I ran into and talked to in uniform as an example:

Major Generl Matera - Adjutant General Wisconsin National Guard.

Anthony Earl - Governor of Wisconsin

General William C Westmoreland (ret) - Commander of Forces in Vietnam and former Rakkasan. Attended and spoke at 1986 Week of Eagles.

Brigadier General Tait - Commanding General of 2nd Armored Division (FWD)

Hon John O March - Secretary of the Army.

Hon Les Aspin - Congressperson that went on to become Secretary of Defense....was on the WIARNG team that demo'd the TOW Missile to him.

Hon F James Sensenbrenner - Congressperson still believe it or not. I don't remember why I ran into him initially.

Major General Burton Patrick - CG of the 101st Airborne Division.

More I can't remember. For some reason I cannot remember the reporters, most of them are local news and thats probably why. Never met a National News Figure in person. Always a local reporter.

People I saw but did not get a chance to meet:

Manfred Rommel - German General Irwin Rommel's Son, Mayor of Stuttgart

Helmut Kohl - German Chancellor.

Soviet Generals / Soviet Soldiers - one of the benefits of traveling to Berlin in uniform, was against the rules to talk to them back then. They were the bad guys back then too.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ErichG2,

You can spend your entire military career deciding whether or not you made a mistake. While you're deciding, look around you at your family, people on the streets, in the stores and children at the playground. Before you deciced if the decision was right YOU, decide if the decision was right from THEM.

There's one job in the army, and 180 others to support it....Infantry FTW.

Sometimes you don't choose your job, it chooses you!!!

Forgive me for sidetracking...

Erich;
I met Les Aspen once while in Germany. We were supposed to be showing him the MLRS launcher system, which was still new at that time. He was more impressed with our crew's M203 grenade launcher though. He said he would like to have one for duck hunting.

I spent 20+ yrs in the Abn Infantry- loved it and would go back in a heart beat if asked, despite age. Like the man said- all those MOS's designed to support the Grunt- who's sole job is to take and defend the ground & destroy the enemy! Hooyah!!

Right on! I cant wait. Thinks for the replys everybody.

quote:

Originally posted by IronErik:
Forgive me for sidetracking...

Erich;
I met Les Aspen once while in Germany. We were supposed to be showing him the MLRS launcher system, which was still new at that time. He was more impressed with our crew's M203 grenade launcher though. He said he would like to have one for duck hunting.

Thats cool. Yeah I didn't want to take this too far off track but he was pretty cool.

I don't know if you remember the TOW Xenon target board engagement system but I was on the target jeep with the big red X on the TOW Gun jeep pedestal mount.

Everytime he tried to engage I would shake the target so the system would register a miss for him (ha-ha). He got smart and figured it out after the third miss in a row. That was 1983.

He did have a good sense of humor.