What have you always wante to ask someone in the Army?

[theycallmemang]

I've been in the US Army for almost two years now, long loved the Escapist forums but never really posted much. I was curious, Escapists, if you were curious about what it's like to be in the armed forces.

MY JOB: (initiate obnoxious Medal of Honor trumpet wail) I am a 19 Delta, otherwise knows as a Cavalry Scout. Yes, we still get the wear the hats you see in Civil War movies, they're called Cavalry Stetsons. No, we don't wear them to battle... as awesome as that would be...

I go in front of the main element of whatever kind of force I roll with in simple HumVees, somewhat rickety Bradly tanks, or the surprisingly comfortable Stryker assault platforms. All of which are fun for me, because I'm the gunner. I either rock the M2 .50 cal machine gun or the mind-blowing penis-expanding Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher. I observe enemy movement, then either move in and take care of the business or call some serious explosions down from heaven that you see on Youtube with creed or ACDC playing in the background. (for the record, I hate those videos)

So Escapists, what would you like to know, if anything, about a soldier's life?

 

[Aggressor and Usurper]

What made you sign up in the first place? National pride? Fear of terrorism?

 

[Pipsquid]

Is it fun to shoot the mk 19 granade launcher?

On a more serious note:
How long after you joined did you get to shoot a gun?

 

[theycallmemang]

It's an odd thing. Sometimes there's a chuckle. Think of it, it's dark work. But it what you're there to do. You're ordered to do it, and you signed up for whatever reason you have. For me, it's to start a family off with an ass load of money.

So at times, there's the chuckle or something particularly odd happens and it's cause for uproarious laughter. It's the only way to stay sane in a total hell hole. Sometimes though, there just isn't any way to make yourself laugh.

I'm actually guilty of quoting Duke Nukem after dodging an RPG that got close enough to burn some hairs. The resulting boom knocked me off my feet, but I landed well and squeezed off some shots. For some reason, I said "I ain't afraid of no quake!"

I laughed later when my squad mate commented on. Didn't even realize I did it.

 

[theycallmemang]

The Mk 19 is cock-throbbingly amazing. One can empty an entire box of grenades before the first hits the dirt, and then everything explodes into a canvas of dust and debris. Chortle, chortle.

As to pipsquid, you actually get live ammo about two weeks into training and go onto the firing range. It's a lot more stressful than you think. Especially after you had to literally sleep with the weapon in hand for the entirety of your training.

 

[theycallmemang]

Any sort of rivalry between the US Army and the Marines?

There is rivalry between all branches of the armed forces. We always jibe and make fun, but it's never to the point of violence anymore. No matter which branch you joined, yours is the best.

 

[Jark212]

What was Boot Camp and Tech School like?

 

[theycallmemang]

What made you sign up in the first place? National pride? Fear of terrorism?

I wanted to start a family right and with enough capitol to really establish a home. As for terrorism, I've never been scared to fly, if that tells you anything.

In all reality, I wanted to get up off my ass and do something with myself. The sense of pride and confidence I got in myself after 16 weeks of training alone was amazing. I went from cookie dough to iron in will and body. I think that alone was worth it.

 

[Vivaldi]

Are drill sergeants ACTUALLY like in Full Metal Jacket?

Whats the most common non-combat injury soldiers get?

 

[Woodsey]

How the hell did you get such a perfectly formed scar across your right eye?

 

[gonzo20]

do you reckon you should be hailed as a hero or would rather just be accepted as a guy who does his job? i love the work you guys do, but i would like to know what you think about this

 

[Timotheus]

What's the army's attitude towards pacifists? Does the normal soldier examine conflicts, their reasons and his/her actions' consequences or is it just about obeying orders?

 

[theycallmemang]

What was Boot Camp and Tech School like?

To quote the novel Starship Troopers, which I recommend to everyone, it wasn't harder than necessary. It was made to be as hard as possible.

Now don't get me wrong. Not everyone will get the same kind of training. Rear echelon people tend to have it a bit easier while those of us in combat get stomped up pretty bad here and there. At the time, it's the hardest thing you've ever done and yet when it's over, you'll shrug it off like it was nothing. It's a curious feeling.

As for the tech school, my training wasn't separated. I did what's called OSUT, where basic training and tech school are all combined. 16 straight weeks of doing pushups and getting yelled at for pretty much anything.

But what gets everyone through it is to realize how FUNNY everything is. You just can't laugh out loud. Drill Sergeants are truly hilarious people for the most part. A lot of them didn't want to do that, they were "voluntold" so to speak.

 

[vallorn]

have you heard of the M4/M16 fault where if you get dust or water in the mechanism, the gun misfires and the carry handle flips up into your face. must suck in a desert enviroment.

actualy. is this fault even real?

oh and have you every made a quip while calling in an airstrike?

 

[snow]

How is basic training? There are plenty of movies and other various sorts of media that show it to be extremely rough, while others show it to be an extremely simple process where higher ups talk to you like a normal person would, so I was always curious as to if they were close to resembling the real thing or not.

This probably sounds like a dumb question now that I have it written down. xD

 

[Aggressor and Usurper]

What made you sign up in the first place? National pride? Fear of terrorism?

I wanted to start a family right and with enough capitol to really establish a home. As for terrorism, I've never been scared to fly, if that tells you anything.

In all reality, I wanted to get up off my ass and do something with myself. The sense of pride and confidence I got in myself after 16 weeks of training alone was amazing. I went from cookie dough to iron in will and body. I think that alone was worth it.

Huh huh. It's for some people, but I highly doubt it'd suit me. ^_^ Well as long as you enjoy it that's the main thing.

 

[theycallmemang]

Are drill sergeants ACTUALLY like in Full Metal Jacket?

Whats the most common non-combat injury soldiers get?

That's a pretty extreme example of hilarity, but most of them are pretty funny. They aren't allowed to hit you anymore in most cases. Mine could, but they never abused that power. They're masters of that kind of psychology.

The injury, I'd have to say rolled ankles. It's pretty hard to move well in all that gear. Aside from that most of it's made up to get out of whatever they were supposed to do.

How the hell did you get such a perfectly formed scar across your right eye?

Magic.

do you reckon you should be hailed as a hero or would rather just be accepted as a guy who does his job? i love the work you guys do, but i would like to know what you think about this

I don't want to be a hero, even though I do ask about military discounts sometimes. Bahaha. Really I feel that it's best for me that I just get known as the guy who gets his job done. I don't need medals, because I tend to let things go straight to my head. Heroes are usually accidents, I just do what I think is right.

What's the army's attitude towards pacifists? Does the normal soldier examine conflicts, their reasons and his/her actions' consequences or is it just about obeying orders?

To not examine conflict is to be blind in this job. Most of us strive to be damn good at our jobs, and those that don't tend to find themselves getting very fat and not doing anything. Pacifists don't bother me at all, I'm all for peace. However, peace is not a garuntee, and it's best that someone like me who wants to be there to keep the average man out of harm's way goes out to do that very thing... because your philosophies on war won't stop a draft. Only volunteers do.

But I can't speak for the Army as a whole. I'll admit, a lot of us are the gun-toting loud mouths, but they tend to make the best soldiers on the whole. I over-think, you see.

 

[Circleseer]

Doesn't it get to you that whilst you signed up voluntarily to help your family, you might be destroying families of others by killing men who had no choice but were forced to sign up?

I'm not trying to be offensive, but this has always bothered me most about the army.