IRAQ: worth the money to go, or not?

[oneoffaccord]

i say no. if u was posting this before 9/11 hit then yes but right now NO.

[Ralphie]

The pay is actually not too bad because you have no bills.

I just finished 4 years of active duty in the Army and it was pretty cool. No deployment for me even though i volunteered.

Dude we already talked and i think your ready to go without a doubt and that being with your pops(if you can get in quick enough) would be awesome. No matter what happens you know that you two have each others back no matter what, not that you wouldnt have everyone else watching you because even tho you wont get along with everyone the comaderie is like no other and ive come across plenty of soliders who were asshats but would take a grenade for you.

In the end its your decision.

Think to the future and what you want out of it, because as we all know, once your in thats it, your in and its not worth it to come out early.

I got out to go back to school but im in the Natl Guard till 2011 and my unit is talking about deploying end of 09 so well see.

[Spartan1987]

Thanks man, yeah youre right. Im glad i made this thread now bc the point was to get you military guys on here and help someone whos looking at becoming one. Thanks for looking out

The pay is actually not too bad because you have no bills.

I just finished 4 years of active duty in the Army and it was pretty cool. No deployment for me even though i volunteered.

Dude we already talked and i think your ready to go without a doubt and that being with your pops(if you can get in quick enough) would be awesome. No matter what happens you know that you two have each others back no matter what, not that you wouldnt have everyone else watching you because even tho you wont get along with everyone the comaderie is like no other and ive come across plenty of soliders who were asshats but would take a grenade for you.

In the end its your decision.

Think to the future and what you want out of it, because as we all know, once your in thats it, your in and its not worth it to come out early.

I got out to go back to school but im in the Natl Guard till 2011 and my unit is talking about deploying end of 09 so well see.

[deevergote]

Just understand the absolute worst that could happen, and figure out if it's worth it for you. There is a definite risk involved, since we ARE at war. However, the benefits are quite good, especially if you properly take advantage of them.

[Fake Thug]

It does for lower enlisted.

Not quite. An 18 year old PV2 out of A.I.T headed for active army makes pretty good $$ compared to other 18 year olds on the civilian side. That was me. I went split op into the reserve at age 17.

The most money I have ever seen in my life at that time. Even if you are mobilized and deployed as a PV1-PFC you have to take into account that your pay WILL increase signifigantly. I underline the word signifigantly.

1. No taxes taken whatsoever while in the theatre of operations.
2. Fruits of deployment, i.e combat pay, BAH, hardship separation pay, free medical care, bonuses increased pay by $1000 per month for extended soldiers.
3. Ultra fast promotions(another pay increase), point/awards accumulated while in the AO.
4. Military discounts on cars,restuarants, entertainment, etc,
5. The most relevant one. Free education as well as training/skilled trades for military occupation speciality.

In the overrall picture military vs civilian pay grade vs pay grade unless you are at or above 100k per year overall military compensation> civilian job.

[Fake Thug]

Just understand the absolute worst that could happen, and figure out if it's worth it for you. There is a definite risk involved, since we ARE at war. However, the benefits are quite good, especially if you properly take advantage of them.

The absolute worst can happen anywhere. If people would actually pay attention they would realize the risk in war these days for U.S. soldiers has gone down at an astronomical rate. These risk assesments that lean towards a 50% chance of death might have some relevance if this was the 70s and we were in vietnam. But its not. Real talk. United States Army back in 2003> ALL. Thats whats up.

If you look at the casualty stats for OIF/EF and compare them to past wars what I am saying will become crystal clear. There are soldiers in the military that do nothing but practice war 24/7. Cav scouts,infantry men, tankers, etc.The percentage they respresent of the total force in Iraq NOW is very low. Even with asymetrical warfare and insurgents targeting supporting role/rear echelon soldiers instead of front line soldiers the risk is still way lower than it was in vietnam or WW2...even DS/DS.

The most obvious reason is technology. The tip of the spear as they call it has been extended and its reach is way beyond the rifleman/front line soldier. The soldier has been improved. Soldiers have been able to adopt to the uneven warfare while at the same time using older disciplines of war fighting effectively. All soldiers regardless of their speciality occupation are trained for these types of war especially during mobilization as opposed to pre 911.

Soldiers are considerably harder to kill now. Interceptor body armor which will be replaced by the superior dragon skin, up armored high mobility multi purpose vehicles, better more accurate rifles, improved kevlar hemlets, tracking systems, anti IED devices, etc.

[Spartan1987]

yeah my dads saying i get a 20k enlistment bonus, and 15k tax free for going to Iraq. I dont know too much about promotions, but ive always understood higher rank = more money, more benefits, more responsibility. Im down with that. and thanks for the replies

[topcop182]

the real money is in being a civillian contractor, I know guys that were making 500k for a year over there when the war first started.

[sackingz123]

im thinking about the same.

[chessboxer]

Not quite. An 18 year old PV2 out of A.I.T headed for active army makes pretty good $$ compared to other 18 year olds on the civilian side. That was me. I went split op into the reserve at age 17.

As far as combat pay goes, yes, it is pretty good, especially if you get your bonus while in country. However, in the grand scheme of things, and talking about not being in a deployed status, it isn't that great. 1400 before taxes isn't a lot of money, but compared to what a lot of kids do at 18, then you are right, comparatively, it is.

[Spartan1987]

As far as combat pay goes, yes, it is pretty good, especially if you get your bonus while in country. However, in the grand scheme of things, and talking about not being in a deployed status, it isn't that great. 1400 before taxes isn't a lot of money, but compared to what a lot of kids do at 18, then you are right, comparatively, it is.

well for most people coming right out of high school, thats pretty good money with all the benefits. Im looking at later going Rangers and later SF so im sure the pay will get better for all the hazard im bound to be getting in to. Hey any Rangers/SF members on here?

[wed3k]

national guard = purpose is to help the nation not the rest of the world. fuck the rest, we have enough problems here.

join the peace corps and dont fight someone else's war.

[sackingz123]

national guard = purpose is to help the nation not the rest of the world. fuck the rest, we have enough problems here.

join the peace corps and dont fight someone else's war.

how much they pay? i want the moolah

[wed3k]

how much they pay? i want the moolah

then become a civilian contractor.

[drummersteve7]

no offense

hey bro, I know your not in yet and the odds of you gettin over there are very slim no matter who your dad is. You simply just dont have the training. Find what training you need and get it!

I am not gunna tell you what you need cause here is another fact you need to know that your dad did not inform you about.

Never talk about what your father does on a website especially if that job is intel. You never know what could happen and the training we receive explains all this. But its just not a good idea! Its totally fine to say he is a marine but dont go any further. You know what I mean!

Plus being a Marine just lets us know what he has been through or will be going through!

But good luck it is a freaking killer time over there! Literally!