I graduated high school last summer and was thinking about joining the Army (contemplating reservist vs. active )to help pay for college since both of my parents have lost work and can't find work and I am currently having a problem findng employment in my home town. This is not the sole reason for my decission, as I feel compelled to help out my country as much as possible. Ideally I'd like to become a medic, as I hope to become a physician one day.

1) I've heard from a few people that you need to have you college degree before becoming a medic, but others have said that I only need a EMT-B + CPR (which i was able to get over this summer)

2) Were 68w reservists called upon for active duty during Iraqi Freedom / Afghanistan ?
2b) 68w reservists are not being called for duty now (that is the impression that the recruiter gave me)

3) I'm a fairly big person. 6'4 260 lbs. I used to play offensive lineman at my high school. Will that affect me from joining? Still fairy healthy ( but wasn't good at football. )

4) I am considering active duty as well. What are some situations that I could see as an active with what is going on in this world today?

I'm enlisted as a 68w in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), scheduled to ship out Oct 20, 2009 for BCT. I can give you some general answers, just a disclaimer I have not actually done any of this yet, but I have done a lot of research and know a lot about this position..hope this helps!

1) you absolutely DO NOT need a college degree for 68w. You only need to meet the standards for enlisting in the Army, which at this time means a high school diploma and a clean record. Did you get NREMT-B cert? If so, you will be able to skip the EMT-B portion of AIT and go straight to the combat medic section, effectively cutting off more than half of your AIT time!

2) Reservists were, and still are, being utilized in Iraq/Afghanistan. While it may be less than a few years ago, don't let your recruiter tell your otherwise. Depending on the unit, it's very possible that you may deploy as a reservist.

3) If you are within the 21-27 age range, the maximum weight for your height per Army standards is 226 lbs. Talk more with your recruiter about this, as there are exceptions depending on your level of fitness and BMI%.

4) Active duty is what I'm doing, since i needed a full-time job with benefits on top of my desire to serve. You could be a line medic (combat medic), work in a forward aid station or battalion aid station treating patients, work as a flight medic (with additional training), work in a fixed hospital setting, etc. Also, remember that duties as a reservist vs. active while deployed are generally interchangeable, again dependent on what type of unit you are assigned to.

This is a great overall description of 68w:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...3IVY&feature=related

Also, I recommend the book "Saber's Edge" by Tom Middleton, which is a great memoir of a combat medic's deployment to Iraq.

I hope this has been informative and helpful for you! Good luck!

I am a medic ( Well, by now I think I am a Nurse already yippie, cause I did my Nclex, official results tomorrow lol) and everything future medic told you stands correct. You have to have a high asvap score and I cant recall what it was, but other than that you do not need any extra qualifications other than what was mentioned above.

Further, situations change all the time, so I think it is silly to tell potential soldiers "hey they dont go to Iraq." You are better off to come into the military with the mindset that you will deploy and as a medic the likelyhood for such is high.

how long (month wise )are typical deployments overseas for 68?

I know for active it is 12-18 month for reserves I believe as well, at least 12 month.