Ok military dudes...speaking here is your average, high school drop out stoner kid who just got his girlfriend of two years pregnant. You may have read my post in spurious, but now i am asking those in the military some personal questions. So i have yet to complete high school, but i can go back and pass the GED to get my diploma. Once i have done so, i can enlist in most military branches. (let it be known i dont know SHIT about anything military). I dont know what would be best for me, best for my girl and unborn child. I want to enlist in Air Force but my drug history makes me paranoid to do so. I think i am letting my fear get the better of me...afraid of getting "found out". Of course, i could stop all drugs and just jump in without mentioning a word... But i dont know which branch is best for me. To be honest, i dont think i would get along with the average military joe. I'm doing this solely for my kid and girl. What would i be bet off going into? Air force? Army? Navy? Marines? I don't even know what sort of qualifications each needs. But if i went into one, say air force, and went to basic for 9.5 weeks, what would then happen to me? I live right by a base, but ive heard there is a slim chance you will get posted where you want to. I'm just wondering, will i be allowed to help my girl raise our kid together? I dont want to leave her and send her money every month. I want to be here for their birth and early life. So what are my options, guys and gals? Oh and one last question...what consequences does one face in the military for getting busted with drugs? Just pot? I have heard its prison time in a fed prison, but i have heard of dudes in the military that smoke pot all the time. just a question. thanks

Honestly the Air Force is a very small and specialized branch that is very selective about who they take.

You'd have a better chance of getting in as a ground pounder in the Army.

ok but isnt the air force going to be a better choice than army? what pays more? what is easier? lots of questions im pondering over... i want to be close to home, but still get paid bank, so that i can live and raise my baby. i dont want to get sent somewhere for four years or however long and only get to see my child 30 days out of every year.

ok but isnt the air force going to be a better choice than army? what pays more? what is easier? lots of questions im pondering over... i want to be close to home, but still get paid bank, so that i can live and raise my baby. i dont want to get sent somewhere for four years or however long and only get to see my child 30 days out of every year.

all military pay is the same no matter what branch youre in, its your rank and service years that determine your pay. and if you want to make bank then dont go in the military, military pay isnt that high(although , i suppose if you couple it with the benefits its not all that bad). i also think how hard it is will be dependent on your MOS more than branch. i would say go army since they supposedly have good enlistment bonuses.

You'll probably make the most money in the Army, since you'll be deployed longer, and most likely more often. This is assuming your woman back home isn't blowing all your money off while you're in the sand. Expect to be away from your family for a long time; this is a contributing factor as to why divorce rates are high among people in the military. The income and stability (free housing, money for food, etc.) would be good for your family, but you not being around for a year or so may be very bad.

As for drugs, I'd honestly would discourage you from joining the military if you're even considering doing drugs while you're in. If you're got doing drugs, including pot, you're out. There is a Zero Tolerance policy in all branches of the service. You may or may not serve jail time, but you will most likely have to pay back your enlistment bonuses. If you screw up bad enough/piss off the wrong people, the military can make you pay back every cent they paid you. You will basically be in debt your entire life. This is why a lot of people who royally fuck up end up killing themselves. Such a discharge from the military will look horrible on your record. Don't even think about doing drugs in the military.

As far as people in the military, you will meet a lot of different types of people. Not everyone in the military fits the stereotypical "military joe"; there are probably more people in the military who don't fit that description, than do. You'll meet a lot of really really dumb people in the military too, of whom you may possibly fit right in with. When I was in tech school, a lot of people acted as dumb as kids in high school. That is one reason why you'll be held under a lot of silly rules. If you have a hard time conforming to these rules and adapting the military lifestyle, you will be on your way out of the military. You will then have to tell your girlfriend that you'll need to find a civilian job, and all that military pay and benefits she was expecting, won't be there anymore.

The military can be a very good thing, or it can be a very bad thing for some people. One thing is for certain, is that it's not for everyone. People like to point to statistics, such as the one that states most homeless people are vets., and blame the military for screwing up peoples lives, but the truth is that people in the military screw up their own lives. The military has nothing to do with you being either successful or failing. It's up to you to make your military service help you be successful or not, and provide for your family. No one here knows you enough to tell you whether the military is truly right for you.

The military can be a very good opportunity for you and your familiy, but it can have some dire consequences, if you screw up. Based on your original post, I'd probably recommend against you joining the military, just because I don't feel that the "average, high school drop out stoner kid who just got his girlfriend of two years pregnant", would be a good addition the military that I serve in. Like I said though, no one here knows you well enough.

EDIT: Oh yeah, one friendly tip of advice, if you do decide to join: get married before joining. You will get more money when you go to training, and your wife might be able to live with you while your in tech school.

As for drugs, I'd honestly would discourage you from joining the military if you're even considering doing drugs while you're in. If you're got doing drugs, including pot, you're out. There is a Zero Tolerance policy in all branches of the service. You may or may not serve jail time, but you will most likely have to pay back your enlistment bonuses. If you screw up bad enough/piss off the wrong people, the military can make you pay back every cent they paid you. You will basically be in debt your entire life. This is why a lot of people who royally fuck up end up killing themselves. Such a discharge from the military will look horrible on your record. Don't even think about doing drugs in the military.

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Not in the Army. Or my unit at least.

We had a few guys get popped for a dirty piss test. All that happened was they got stripped back down to E-1 pay, and 45 days extra duty. Article 15. Except for one sergeant got demoted to specialist. Hell, our old first sergeant got a DUI 4 months ago, and he got "demoted" to Msgt. Which really doesn't make a difference because he is still making the same pay, but now he just got promoted again back to 1sgt.

I highly agree with the people above, if you're going to keep your drug habits, you won't do well in the military. Consequences galore. If you're honest though during your enlistment, the only thing that you probably won't be able to get is a security clearance. This will drastically cut your available jobs, but don't let that factor the military out for you by any chance. It's a great way to get going in the world, get your shit together, and earn some pay for your family. I can't say much for the other branches, but being in the Army, I think it's a great experience. I am still in training, so I don't know all the day to day life yet, but it's really as bad as many people make it out to be. Yes, you wake up early, work out, train, and get yelled at, but on the flipside you will learn all kinds of things, and get a great opportunity to get somewhere. I know that if you enlist in the Army, you will probably go through the GED plus program, an eight-week program that will get you your GED, and prepare you for Basic Combat Training. The program is held in Little Rock, Arkansas. After that you will go to BCT, and have around ten weeks there including reception, and out-processing. Following these you will have Advanced Individual Training with a length of time depending upon your job. You may also have follow-on schools such as Airborne, or Defense Language Institute depending upon your unit and Military Occupational Specialty requirements. If you want to be home afterward, you could always go either Reserves or National Guard. Don't let anyone lie to you and tell you you'll never be deployed, I'm almost positive I can speak for any branch of the military when I say you will be deployed, period. Overall, if you do decide to join, you'll get all kinds of benefits for your family. Take some time before you go to a recruiter and set yourself some goals of things you'd like to do, and what you're looking for in the military, and seriously decide if the military is what you really want. Good luck in your future man.

Id say quit doing drugs right now and just forget about the fact that you ever did any. All the recruiters I talked to(airforce,marines, army, national guard) told me to lie about the fact I smoked pot since I never had failed a drug test or anything so since it was out of my system they wouldn't know the difference. Like stated before if you say you have done drugs you might not be able to get the job you want due to security clearance.

As far as joining and wanting to be around your girl and baby, id say if you really serious about staying with her and such you need to marry her so you can bring her with you if you move somewhere else. This sounds like a situation my friends boyfriend is in. You wouldn't happen to be around Davis Monthan AFB and girls name start with a C? Because similarities to much.