Military Training

[beyond_godlike]

Well to become a mercenary you need to already be trained.

[rahowhatever]

it is a very good idea, especially if you go for pure combat training like infantry. oddly enough most of the casualties in these current wars are support personel, this being kids with a minimal amount of combat training who signed up for specific jobs not involving combat but then find themselves in the war zone illequiped to deal with it. the guys in combat units generally fair pretty well. learning weapons and tactics is only half of the benefit, learning your inate abilities and limitations is the biggest reward. veterans movements are powerful forces for change in times of crises and chaos.

[Umbrage]

It seems to me the US army is filled with white thrash and gangmembers. The French Foreign Legion is the best and most legendary option.

http://www.legion-recrute.com/en/

[Annihilation]

The only unique and helpful information in this thread:

user Dhalgren:

...in the US Army there are over 150 enlisted jobs, 24 definitely involve combat.  The rest may see you in sporadic combat (truck driver), or they may not (food service specialist).  

If you are worried about combat, pick a non combat MOS, if you are not, you are lying.  But if you want to experience combat pick a combat MOS. BCT in the army is 9 weeks for most MOS's, and more or less 14 weeks for infantry.  Before you get to basic you will spend several weeks if not months getting cleared to even enter the army at all, not to mention the time you will wait to get a contract with the MOS you want and the schools that may be available to you.  For example take the 6 months I know that recruits have spent waiting on Ranger contracts and the subsequent 14 weeks of infantry basic training, 3 weeks of Airborne school, and 4 weeks of Ranger Indoctrination to become "n00b" Ranger who must still wait 3 months to a year in the 75th Ranger Regiment to get a chance to attend Ranger school (the most useful for learning [survival skills]) for 9 weeks to become a full Ranger.  If you spent that time teaching yourself the basic skills you desire, you would come out about 2 years ahead of someone in the army because everything YOU need to know to survive in your backyard can be taught to you in a matter of weeks.  And when I say you will spend 3 months to a year waiting for a slot in Ranger school what I really mean is you WILL spend 15 months on deployment.

[Istaev]

If you join the military, especially the infantry, with a hidden agenda you won't be successful and you will hate life. You're going to hate life regardless but if you're uncommitted and/or think you can get away with being an individual as a junior soldier or Marine, well, see what happens.. It's possible to "quit" before the end of recruit training but they don't make it easy for you because they're trying to make good on their investment. In addition to that you are far from combat-ready during this initial phase of training; the valuable training comes after the indoc. Infantry training is only useful if you're 100% with the program. Enlisting to acquire "combat skillz for _insert Turner Diaries scenario here_" is a bad reason to join the military. And by bad I mean fucking stupid.

good reasons to be a grunt:
 - want to kill people
 - want to do something dangerous/heroic
 - seriously interested in weapons/tactics (i.e., modern military weapons/tactics, not LARPing)
In other words: someone who wants to experience combat and is willing to get killed for it or worse.
Before their first deployment enlisted grunts acquire a 'combat mindset' (confident and aggressive), become competent/proficient with a handful of individual and crew-served weapons, learn basic military tactics, and may get an opportunity to learn small unit leadership.

Oh, I almost forgot. Eggheads make terrible grunts. I'll tell you why: without a combat mindset, without mental preparedness, martial skills and knowledge are useless. Now some of you may be still have that curiosity about combat, killing, etc. You want a challenge, you want to push yourself. Good for you. Just give yourself an honest self-evaluation before you do something which will do you more harm than good. Sensitive minds (artists, intellectuals, social introverts, etc) generally do not do well in the military and certainly not in the infantry.

[Bondage]

It seems to me the US army is filled with white thrash and gangmembers. The French Foreign Legion is the best and most legendary option.

http://www.legion-recrute.com/en/

The FFL is filled with Slavs, Russians, Algerians, and Southeast Asians. You might get one or two Anglophiles in your unit to talk to but that's it. And their style of military leadership is still stuck in the pre-WWI doctrine that will get everyone in your unit killed. I would keep the FFL as your last resort. Enjoy doing obstacles courses every fucking day of your life, btw.

Also, to those who said you should join for Basic/Boot Camp, then find a way to get out by failing a physical test or something -- You have obviously never been in the military because: 1) It's not easy to get kicked out and 2) The training you get in Basic/Boot Camp/Infantry School does not provide you with the training needed to be Rambo. You need a few years in a Line Infantry company to become competent in basic Infantry tactics and Fire & Maneuver.