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ORIGINAL: rico21

sergeant instructor asked us what the difference was between a civilian and a military a

Anyone else have a Starship Troopers flashback?

ORIGINAL: Blond_Knight

ORIGINAL: rico21

sergeant instructor asked us what the difference was between a civilian and a military

Anyone else have a Starship Troopers flashback?

Sorry, apparently Ive never posted in a forum before.

ORIGINAL: Blond_Knight

ORIGINAL: rico21

sergeant instructor asked us what the difference was between a civilian and a military a

Anyone else have a Starship Troopers flashback?

Reading the book.

ORIGINAL: Lobster

Big Red One here. Not in this century. But in the last century we would get up, lounge around in our pajamas till 11:00. Stroll over to lunch. Maybe some golf in the afternoon and some time by the poolside. Go clubbing at night.

That sounds more like the Air Force.

ORIGINAL: Blond_Knight

Sorry, apparently Ive never posted in a forum before.

Apparently, you've never been in the mobile infantry either![:D]

Perturabo,

I recommend a gov't civilian or contractor. I've been out of the military for nine years now, and I am just as connected to the mission as I was for the last eight years of active duty. I know plenty of folks that were civilian the whole time of their service. Work hard and smart!

Good luck, T Rav.

I thought I was going in '69 (guess where). I would have jumped and joined the navy; first option would have been sonar on nukes. But. it didn't happen, so not a veteran.

It was one of those "what if's" of life.

The physical requirements and need to be in shape are there for everyone because there is no front line anymore. The military found out the hard way that having people untrained to handle weapons and fight, even in a basic fashion, and not be physically fit does not work in situations where the enemy can hit you anywhere, anytime, like in Tet in 1968. So everyone needs to be trained, and everyone needs to be fit. When I was in during the '80s we were told that you need to be physically fit enough to handle 3 days of continuous combat, because that was what it took to resolve, and win, most battles.

We had people that were physically unfit at Knox when I went to boot camp. One guy lost 60 pounds in 4 months during our OSUT period. He was only allowed to eat salads. They told us you would either lose weight or gain weight in basic training: no one stays the same weight they were when they enlisted. That was true as far as I could see.

The all volunteer force we have now, and the general unfitness of the population at large, makes it harder to find good people for the military. Then again, I am definitely not in the same shape I was in 30+ years ago. [:D]

ORIGINAL: T Rav

Perturabo,

I recommend a gov't civilian or contractor. I've been out of the military for nine years now, and I am just as connected to the mission as I was for the last eight years of active duty. I know plenty of folks that were civilian the whole time of their service. Work hard and smart!

Good luck, T Rav.

Agree. That is why I recommended government civilian, too. The physical fitness requirements are low for most jobs (though obviously some contractor or civilian positions will have high physical fitness requirements), and even people with medical problems or physical disabilities will qualify for many jobs. During my own military career I had Department of the Army civilians working for me most of the time, and most were as hardworking and dedicated as any soldier.