I am in the The Guard and just last week got back from Ft. Benning as a brand new infantrymen. I am currently in college and have college first. When i first signed up for the guard i was going to simply contract with ROTC when i got back and then worry about being deployed after school. I am currently a Sophmore. Well heres the deal my unit is being deployed very soon and i have been given the option to go with them. Ive got till middle of next week to decide. I have a very strong desire to go now as enlisted. The experiance i would gain would be very vauleable later on down the road. Although i would miss some school. I have a very strong desire to go with my unit now cause college is always there but this is the only time i will ever be able to go while im enlisted. I would just like everyones thoughts on what coarse of action i should take. Stay in school and contract with ROTC or go with my unit. Thanks for your time.
I too have College First, and it is great to hear that they are honoring that (a lot of guys in my Platoon in OSUT said they knew people that got screwed on that). If my unit were to get deployed, I know I would go. How can I watch my battle buddies get sent off to war and stay home because I want to get some college credits? I don't know if I could look them in the eye when they came back from the deployment. Especially if the unit lost someone... Maybe my presence there could have made the difference between life and death. That is how I look at it.
On another note, I just read your post in another thread, congrats on graduating. I was Alpha 1-19, graduated in June. You guys started your cycle when we were nearing FTX. We loved watching you guys get your azzes smoked! Haha.
Thats almost exactly how i feel at the same time though i know good officers are needed. Im not saying im going to be a great officer but i know my men will be taken care of. Im still not sure yet about it.
Man that was a long time ago it seems when yall were in cycle, that was red phase. I must say once we were in the last parts of training it was fun watching everyone get smoked.
At the risk of sounding like a chair-borne war monger, I say you should go. It may open your eyes in ways that college cannot teach. However, you will ask yourself why you did it....because the experience is not altogether, fun. But, your buddies will look at you differently. And, when you get back, if you have shown any leadership, I think they would not hesitate to be led by someone who has been in their shoes.
Not to mention you will get your CIB too more decoration for the uniform yeah!!! . Just became an infantryman too you guys graduated a week before we did -A Co. 2/54-
Would I rather serve with a 2LT who volunteered to deploy as enlisted, or with a 2LT who decided to stay home and finish school? You will get the same salutes from us enlisted, but will there be respect behind that salute?
I think you want to be that first 2LT above. Its a big decision, and it may cost you your life. I say right now you are an enlisted soldier and you are being called to war. Just go and do your job well, come home alive with that CIB. You will know so much more that the other butter bars will about your men, how they think, what they do daily, and there will be that rumor floating arounf that that 2LT over there was enlisted and deployed as an 11B. They will all want to serve under you.
Man, I think you already said it. College will always be there, and if you want to deploy, DO IT. Dont live your life with regrets, do what feels right to you, and if you feel like you need to go with your unit, honor that.
Have you spoken to your college advisors to see if there were any classes you could take online while deployed? If you work with the college, they may find a way that you can continue with college while you are deployed. I am in an online class with my university right now, and working full time as well, so it is probably do-able so long as you have internet access. If you coordinate it with both your school and with your NG unit, you might be able to win on both accounts.
If you need to communicate with someone who is currently in an online class and also downrange in the sandbox, please let me know and I will try to hook you up with someone who is currently attending my university and is also deployed.
. Just became an infantryman too you guys graduated a week before we did -A Co. 2/54-
