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Soldier Stories
Served in the military? Discuss your time and experiences here.
Hosted by Dave Willett
what age did you join up?
merkava8
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Alberta, Canada
Member Since: September 25, 2002
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Posted: Friday, December 16, 2005 - 06:54 AM UTC
Did a bit in the reserves at 17, joined Reg force at 19 and turned 20 during battleschool. 28 now and going strong.
TacFireGuru
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Colorado, United States
Member Since: December 25, 2004
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Posted: Friday, January 20, 2006 - 04:24 AM UTC
I too joined at age 17. Had to have Mommy and Daddy's signature.

NOW, if I EVER meet SSG Gustufson (recruiter) again, I'll him, and then hug him. Ba$teerd lied to us (yep, it's true) but will NEVER forget OR FORGIVE my 20!!!

Mike (++) (++)
WindSword70
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Ohio, United States
Member Since: December 13, 2005
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Posted: Sunday, January 22, 2006 - 02:53 AM UTC
Went in the navy at age 19 because I had a "winning" lottery number.I figured Vietnam was easier on a ship than in the jungle. Out in 4 years. Got to travel a lot and see many places I would not have normally seen, made the best friends of my life but I was still glad to be a civvie again!
spacejunkie
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Utah, United States
Member Since: August 20, 2003
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Posted: Sunday, January 22, 2006 - 03:27 AM UTC
Turned 17 on a Monday and on Tuesday was sworn in the US Navy on the Delayed entry program. With Mom and Dad's signature. Dad was Air Farce and couldn't wait to get me out of the house . Went throught boot camp and radio school still at 17. Still couldn't get a drink! But to make up for lost time, I got stationed on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean where it was almost required to drink! That island was flowing with booze in the 80's! Got out when I was still 21 and have missed it for the last 20 years.
Regards,
Bill in SLC
lone-ronin
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Mississippi, United States
Member Since: January 31, 2006
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Posted: Thursday, February 09, 2006 - 12:09 PM UTC
I joined the National Guard at the ripe old age of 31. I realized that i wasn't far from being too old, and if I didn't attempt it I would always wonder if I could have made it. OSUT was fun...being the same age (or older) than my drill sergeants, and having a couple of college degrees to boot:-)
LuckyBlunder
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Kansas, United States
Member Since: February 02, 2006
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Posted: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - 03:42 AM UTC
I was 18 and just graduated High School in 1959. Tore out both knees at Fort Benning cause I thought it'd be cool to be a paratrooper. Docs said "No way, son." Went to EOD school and served a year in Korea. Got out in 62.
Austin0311
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Indiana, United States
Member Since: July 19, 2005
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 05:15 AM UTC
17
Geronimo24
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Tennessee, United States
Member Since: March 20, 2005
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Posted: Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 10:22 AM UTC
Joined the Army at 17. Turned 18 in Jump School. Retired in 1995 as a CW4 Master Aviator.
Hollowpoint
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Kansas, United States
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Posted: Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 12:02 PM UTC

Quoted Text

i joined cadets when i was 13 when i was 16 i went to university (i was a smart kid) i did all the courses to get into commericial law by the time i was 18 i had finished uni and i joined up and i was then transfered to the sasr, im sure all of you know what that is (australian sas) i aced the scout sniper training and was transfered within 2 days of finishing and i went to bosnia iraq afghanistan east timour and other places i am still in the army but im only part time its wierd to be a part time special forces officer but thats what i am and when im home i do some work with the tag and starforce groups.

.....while running a car yard, modeling and being a lawyer.


Apparently, you being a boy genius and all, they forgot to teach you about capitalization and punctuation. What law school did you go to? I'd like to avoid it.
TacFireGuru
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Colorado, United States
Member Since: December 25, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 06:32 AM UTC
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Mike (++) (++)
oboat
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Nova Scotia, Canada
Member Since: July 16, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 07:40 AM UTC
Joined at 19 went to Cornwallis, Been in 19 yrs(funny eh!) Been on Submarines for almost 17 of those years. Wife hates me going to sea(I still like it). Cheers Pete
Manchu34
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Missouri, United States
Member Since: March 08, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 11:48 AM UTC
I joined the US Army Reserves (Trp D 5 Cav) at 17 yrs 10 months. parents signed my contract. I was a senior in high school. Sworn in around 6 am and was in the field by 10 Am. Transferred to Active duty Nov 76 (age: 19) Retired in 96 (39)
Grumpyoldman
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KITMAKER NETWORK
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Florida, United States
Member Since: October 17, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 03:48 PM UTC
Pretty neet..... glad this thread popped up again.....
Went to boot came 2 weeks after my 18th birthday......
got discharged.... yes "Honourably...." :-) a month after my 22nd birthday...... :-) :-)
Navy that is.....
95bravo
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Kansas, United States
Member Since: November 18, 2003
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 05:42 AM UTC
I joined five days after my 18th birthday. I said nothing to my parents, I just called the Army recruiter. My mother was very upset (as they usually are). I took the oath of 7 December 1982...and was wisked away to Anniston Alabama to Ft. McClellan and USAMPS. Oh yeah...I took basic there as well. It was back when they had OSUT (One Station Unit Training) I'm not sure if they still do that or not. Any TRADOC people know?

Some of the best 8 years of my life.
Sabot
Member Since: December 18, 2001
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 06:26 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I joined five days after my 18th birthday. I said nothing to my parents, I just called the Army recruiter. My mother was very upset (as they usually are). I took the oath of 7 December 1982...and was wisked away to Anniston Alabama to Ft. McClellan and USAMPS. Oh yeah...I took basic there as well. It was back when they had OSUT (One Station Unit Training) I'm not sure if they still do that or not. Any TRADOC people know?

Some of the best 8 years of my life.
Fort McClellan closed when I was stationed at Redstone [auto-censored]nal in around 1997-98. It became a National Guard post. The MP and Chemical school consolidated with the Engineer School at Ft. Leonard Wood to form the Maneuver Support Center.

Hmm, the word "Ar-senal" (remove hyphen) auto-censors for some reason.
18Bravo
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Colorado, United States
Member Since: January 20, 2005
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 07:46 AM UTC

Quoted Text

...and was wisked away to Anniston Alabama to Ft. McClellan and USAMPS. Oh yeah...I took basic there as well. It was back when they had OSUT (One Station Unit Training) I'm not sure if they still do that or not. Any TRADOC people know?

Some of the best 8 years of my life.


OSUT still exists, at least at Benning and Sill. 20th Special Forces runs the the best SFAUC at McClellan now-even better than 10th Group's. Their schoolhouse is where the old kennels were. I've been warned not to eat the wild onions that grow there. Something about two headed frogs and such...
95bravo
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Kansas, United States
Member Since: November 18, 2003
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 08:06 PM UTC
Rob,

A former MP I know visited McClellan a couple of years ago before the big sell-off of the properties to private developers. He had taken some shot of the training company barracks and it was really sad to see all those buildings overgrown with grass and vines. It had that sort of look of the old Warsaw Pac bases at the end of the Cold War.
Sabot
Member Since: December 18, 2001
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 08:10 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Rob,

A former MP I know visited McClellan a couple of years ago before the big sell-off of the properties to private developers. He had taken some shot of the training company barracks and it was really sad to see all those buildings overgrown with grass and vines. It had that sort of look of the old Warsaw Pac bases at the end of the Cold War.
I spent 3 years running around the ruins of the former Ft. Devens. The facilities were given to the state and many were in disrepair. Very sad to see colonel's row in the condition that it was in.

BTW, OSUT is still done at Knox for tankers and cav scouts as well. I think they decided to end OSUT here for M1 mechanics just recently.
LonCray
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Virginia, United States
Member Since: August 24, 2005
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 09:55 PM UTC
I did 6 months at Ft. Devens back in 1986 learning how to intercept morse code, then a class at a college nearby for National Guard - at this point every single post I ever served at is either gone or not active duty - Ft. Dix for Basic, now NG. Ft. Devens for AIT, now a Superfund site. Field Station Augsburg was turned over to the Germans back in the 1990's, and Vint Hill Farms Station in Virginia is an FHA worksite and a bunch of very expensive houses are on the old Antenna Field.
dexter059
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Region de Valparaiso, Chile
Member Since: July 28, 2005
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 10:44 PM UTC
I joined the Navy at 17, Chilean Naval Academy. Graduated in december 2001, currently active duty officer on shore assignement

cheers
18Bravo
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Colorado, United States
Member Since: January 20, 2005
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Posted: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 10:49 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I did 6 months at Ft. Devens back in 1986 learning how to intercept morse code...


You're not supposed to tell anyone that! I was in 10th Group there. The instructors there used to tell the girls (we could still call them that back then) not to date any SF guys, because the secret squirrel stuff they knew was so sensitive, if the Russians ever attacked the first thing we were supposed to do was kill them all. The ASA girls, not the Russians.
There's a reason we had a special name for the Snack Bar. The females there were not good at following orders. Did they still call it sonething else in '86?
SkateOrDie
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Iowa, United States
Member Since: September 09, 2005
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Posted: Friday, April 07, 2006 - 10:27 PM UTC
as soon as I'm old enough, and out off college(st. louis university), I'll join the USAF as a meteorologist. (hopefully)
LonCray
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Virginia, United States
Member Since: August 24, 2005
entire network: 348 Posts
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Posted: Monday, April 10, 2006 - 01:14 AM UTC
Unfortunately for me, by 1986 ASA was only a memory. I was one of the first dit-dots in INSCOM, which I've been told by many an ASA man completely sucked by comparison. I don't remember any particular name for the snack bar, though I hoisted many, many pitchers of beer there. It was odd - I'd left Wyoming at 18, legal to drink. I was legal to drink at Devens even with the state limit of 21 'cause the military limit was 18 then. I was legal to drink for two years in Germany (and took far more advantage of that than anyone should), then came back to Virginia at 20 suddenly illegal for about 6 months 'cause they'd changed the military rules to the local drinking age.
LonCray
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Virginia, United States
Member Since: August 24, 2005
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Posted: Monday, April 10, 2006 - 01:17 AM UTC
Oh, and I remember the 10th Group guys - we didn't have a particularly good attitude towards our SF neighbors and I believe what you say about the instructors. My unit's neighbors in Germany were arty boys (with an even worse reputation than 10th Group), the MP's who were supposed to shoot us all if the Sovs came thru Fulda, and the Navy guys who all got busted on drug charges and sent home.
BadBoyFLSTC
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California, United States
Member Since: November 20, 2005
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Posted: Monday, April 10, 2006 - 12:22 PM UTC
Joined the Navy at age 18, right out of High School.
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