Marines? Army? Navy? Or Air Force?

[David B]

Im biased my **** self. If you wanna be a bad ***, and look **** good in a unifor, join the ranks of Mad Dog, and Chesty; USM friggin C! But dont plan on being able to get a job kicking in doors, or blowing **** up afterwords. I went to work in the oil fields as a roughneck, then worked my way into an electrician.

If you wanna be a family man, and want them to be covered well, AND want to climb the ranks faster, Join the ARMY. Go to jump school, maybe RASP training, then do some time with the Nasty Girls.

Smart? Got brains? Air Force, those *******s know some stuff. Smart AND wanna be a bad ***?? PJ's!!

And Navy?? lol, well. There was once this boat of a thousand sailors....... You get my point.

Seriously tho, in 6 year, I worked with and knew members of every branch, cept Coasties. They all have their advantages. I was raised by a career Marine, 47 years of service my Gramps had. When Chief WO Franks (my Papa) passed away, he said one last thing to me,"Your gunna make a **** fine Marine one day son." That was it for me. My mind was made up. It was like he ALLOWED me to join HIS Corps. Gave me his blessing. Thats all it took.

Do YOU! Look for what you want AFTER service, Those 6-8 years go by fast buddy, its what you do AFTER that makes your life what it really is.

[xman59]

if it were me i would go coast guard,,, but i am past the age of thinking about or needing to make a choice,,,, being a retired leo, the coast guard fits my persona better

[Patriot-2000]

I'm partial to the Army since I'm retired Army and now work for the army as a Civilian Instructor. But If I had to do it over again ... Air Force !
The ultimate choice will be yours and go with the branch of service that has the best to offer with a job your interested in making a career.
Inter service competion is OK but when it comes down to it all service Tags begin with the same letters ... U.S. !

[12RingKing]

You should think about which branch gives you the best opportunity for employment outside the armed forces IMO.

Hard to beat the Navy and Air Force in that regard. Lots of Nuclear Navy boys working at Nuke plants making money hand over fist, and I've always heard the Air Force gives you a darn good education.

[ETX_Bowhunter]

I retired with 20 years in the US Coast Guard - enlisted in and Chief Warrant Officer on the way out.

Information Technology and Telecommuncations training as primary with Law Enforcement secondary...everyone in the US Coast Guard gets involved with Search and Rescue and or Law Enforcement missions. The Law Enforcement missions are Fisheries Enforcement, Drug and Illegal trades enforcement, Pollution and Maritime waterway safety.


During my stint......received 137 College credits with military and civilian training.....setting me up for the High Tech industry now. Could have gone Law Enforcement, could have leaned hard on HAZMAT and or the Boating\Shipping industries...opted to go High Tech since these jobs offer the greatest salaries throughout the US without being tied to the Ocean and or strict Law Enforcement duties.

Retired at 39 years old.......my yearly income from this retirement alone is roughly 26k per year...project that from 40 till I die......quite a bit of coin added on top of my IT salary gig now...as well as moon lighting with small businesses that hire me on as a consultant and or technical resource for decent hourly wages on the side stuff. All of this earned and learned inside...wearing a uniform.

One thing the Coast Guard offers that no other Military Branch\Service does....a day to day mission centric with Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Maritime Navigation - Marine Safety enforcement. You essentially have more jurisdiction than any of the State LE agencies..within the States you serve. I've worked with DEA, FBI, Secret Service, Customs and countless local State LE agencies through those years. It really sets you up for a secondary career once you reach service completion, no matter if it's 4 years, 10 years or a full stint at 20+.

Thanks for doing what few will do...serving your country!

Did 5 years in the CG and got out as a BM2/E-5. I was stationed at a small boat station conducting search and rescue missions and law enforcement. Applied for and went through the police academy afterwards. The academy was EXACTLY like my CG training so it turned out to be a breeze. As stated above, I loved that the CG has a day-to-day mission during wartime and during peace time. There are also ways to be deployed if that's what you want.

Above all though, do as everyone has said...speak with a recruiter (with a grain of salt...dont believe everything) from each service and see which one fits you better.

[Charlie6Delta]

Rob is a good recruiter for the Coast Guard! Awesome stories.
If I was young again, I think I would enlist!