USAF? or Navy?

Y

youngCAPcadet

Active member
I am going to be a junior next year, and will be joining a national guard, straight out of highschool. After national guard, I want to join as active duty, problem is.........I can;t decide which branch to join. I mean, most of my family has had a long Navy history, but I really like working with airplanes, but my uncle (who is retired Navy) told me that the Navy has more planes than the air force, I want to work with the computer systems on the planes. I am in CAP, so I have been thinking about joining Air Force. Could somebody help me out here???:-?
 
Don't be afraid to talk to the recruiters. Get whatever info you can from each branch and decide for yourself which offers you the best fit for what you hope to be doing. Don't rule out the Army or the Marines either at this point in the game. I'd get as much info as I could from as many sources as possible so that I could make the most informed and intelligent decision as possible.
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As long as you've made that decision based on knowledge, you're OK. Now you should contact your local recruiters. You can probably find a recruiting center near you where you can talk to each of them in adjoing offices. People do it all the time and they are not surprised when someone shops around. That's what their jobs are, to sell their branch's advantages, go for it!
 
I have never been in the service, but I think your question might have an easy solution.

If you go Navy there is a chance you'll be put on a ship. (Yes I know there are many land-based Navy jobs. But you never know where you could wind up).

If I were you, I would ask myself, if I could stand being at sea for several months at a time? If the answer is 'no', then I doubt the Navy is for you. If the answer is 'yes' than I'd follow DTOP's advice.
 
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Ok, good point... I was kinda hoping for a land based job, but.......... And I have never been on a boat except for a ferry in florida.....
 
Ever consider an Aircraft Carrier?

If you really like to travel and see the world, then the Navy is a better choice than the Air Force. You will see a more varied set of locations.

Wishing to work with aircraft you seriously curtail a lot of choice billets. Having said this, joining the Navy and becoming an aircraft computer electronics specialist or one of the related job descriptors, you could serve aboard an aircraft carrier or at one of the naval air stations.

You would be able to get the best of both worlds. Don't be afraid of being at sea for an extended period of time. Service aboard a carrier is different than any other ship at sea and it's never boring. It's almost like living in a small town. (Population approximately 5000).

I wish you fair winds and following seas as you set out on your military adventure.
 
Thanks, I guess I will be talking to some recruiters. Or my uncle, he is currently an officer aboard the USS Nimitz, that is the ship I have on my avatar.
 
Air Force all the way

See it's been awhile since you had a post to your question about enlisting but I just came across this site and you post / thread. Looks like no one from the AF posted anything so here I am to hopefully help you out a bit. First of all you have a bit of time to make YOUR OWN decision. For the Air Force you can enlist for active duty at 17 with parental consent approx. April / May of you Junior year,it's called a "SOFT BOOK PROGRAM". My biggest concern is that you are thinking of going GUARD / Reserve first. DON'T!!!!! AS of right now and for about the last two year AT LEAST the Air Force has not allowed Guard or Reservist to go active duty. You can go from active to guard no problem but once you get out of active duty AF you have a snowballs chance of coming back in active. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE ASVAB IN HIGH SCHOOL!!!!! Take it both your JR & SR Year if your score wasn't all that hot your Jr Year, I'd say if you score about a 40 - 50 your Jr year take it again if you KNOW you will do better your SR year. The School given test is a bit easier than if you take it for a recruiter at a MPES site. Aircraft maintenance jobs are no problem if you score good enough and your physical qualifications are good to go. It concerns me a bit that the Navy guy told you that the Navy has more Aircraft and with the Navy you have more chances of seeing the world. BUUUULLLLLLLLLLL!!!! Trust me friend I love dry land and I have seen PLEANTY of places on this planet at least 2 times over and even had the pleasure of what we in my job refer to as AIR FORCE APPRECIATION TRIPS. That is shippboard operations. Not common in the AF at all but in the world of AF Spec Ops you have to do train ups from time to time with squids and that means a once in a blue moon trip on a boat for a few days which reminds you why you love the Air Force. Look at www.airforce.com and call your local recruiter. Don't be mad if he sort of puts you off possibly, due to your grade in school you are not qualified YET and he may be on the hunt for someone he can spend his time on putting in NOW. Trust me, the recruiters in the office get allot of heat from the bosses higher up to produce qualified folks. If you want to work on Air Craft, get some college under your belt, and enjoy life the Air Force lifestyle would be the way to go. With ANY branch you get out what you put in. Stay in school, stay out of trouble, and stay healthy!!! Aim High my friend and Cross into the Blue!
 
You sound like a recruiter yourself there, PaveDoc. :p First off, if you had checked, Chief Bones has some 20+ years active duty in both the Army and the Navy; I don't think he'd be pulling a fast one on this kid. And frankly, there are definitely some stereotypes of the Air Force that aren't flattering, either.

Every service has its pros and cons; both the USAF and the USN have large aircraft fleets. It boils down to what kind of lifestyle you want, and which culture you would fit in better with. Think about it long and hard, come up with your questions, then talk with the recruiters.

I will, however, second the notion about going right to active duty as opposed to going Guard/Reserve. More importantly, why are you considering Guard/Reserve? If you want to go to college, why not apply for one of the service academies or an ROTC scholarship to a civilian school? This way, you go to school on the military's dime, and you'll get your commission as an officer upon graduation from college and go on active duty. Going to college while being in the Guard/Reserves won't guarantee you a commission upon graduation; you might wind up staying as an enlisted soldier/airman (which is fine if that's the way you want to go). And since you like planes, you might wind in flight school as a pilot, which you can only do as an officer (check the thread on becoming a pilot).
 
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AJChenMPH said:
You sound like a recruiter yourself there, PaveDoc. :p First off, if you had checked, Chief Bones has some 20+ years active duty in both the Army and the Navy; I don't think he'd be pulling a fast one on this kid. And frankly, there are definitely some stereotypes of the Air Force that aren't flattering, either.
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I don't see where he said anything negative about the Navy or Bones, and nothing in his post says anything about Bones pulling a fast one. He did correct a misconception that you won't have the opportunity to travel as much, because trust me, the opportunity is there in the AF to travel just as much, if not more than with the Navy.

I think you had a misfire there, sir. Let's try not to have any blue on blue for no reason!
 
youngCAPcadet said:
ok, I had wanted some advice, and I will be talking to the local recruiters on monday
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Don't forget to write down your questions before you go. Once you're there you might forget to ask something, so make a list and make sure you write down the answers. Anything that doesn't look right, come back and ask or research it on the internet.

Good luck!
 
PJ24 said:
I think you had a misfire there, sir. Let's try not to have any blue on blue for no reason!
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My bad, I re-read his post and you're right -- he disagrees with Chief Bones's comments, but doesn't really say that he's trying to pull a fast one. Standing down...
 
Wow I want to join too but mines USAF or USArmy lol. Im in AFJROTC and went to many fieldtrips to Air force bases like Edwards (omg fun). I also heard Navy has the better food? lol. My decision is.. whichever college I get accepted to and if that college has both ROTC programs; Ill go with the branch that pays more...
Reason of Army is that if I go air force, I dont want to be a pilot (bad eyes anyways) and I wont fly.. so what the hell am I supposed to do? lol. Great commanders were usually pilots in the AF so.. Army seems the best.. all combo of infantry,tanks,planes,and ships. And I can feel like im DOING something like shooting rifles or something instead of being in the air force sitting in teh chair writing about how I can better my troops.
If I join; ill be the first family member to serve in the US so I got no footsteps to follow :(
 
JulesLee said:
Ill go with the branch that pays more...
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It's not about the money, chieftain.

Although I am biased towards the Army, I have many AF buddies who do quite amazing things in their repspective professions. Before you knock the AF, you should learn of some of the "high-speed" jobs they have to offer, like Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), forward air controllers (who accompany Soldiers and Marines to direct air support), Pararescue Jumpers (PJ24's line of work, he has a TOUGH job), among others. My point is that the AF is not divided into two groups of pilots and paper pushers, but is quite diverse.
 
JulesLee said:
Ill go with the branch that pays more...
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Sorry, but the pay is the same across the board. Same pay chart for all branches of service.

Army seems the best.. all combo of infantry,tanks,planes,and ships. And I can feel like im DOING something like shooting rifles or something instead of being in the air force sitting in teh chair writing about how I can better my troops.
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Maybe you should know a little about the Air Force before you make comments like that. I've lost a lot of good friends in the WOT, and you can bet your ass they weren't sitting in some chair pushing paper. My unit has been deployed several times in support of OEF and OIF as well as in other areas for the WOT, we were boots on the ground and in the shit more times than I'd like to remember.

There are Airmen (not even in our combat arms AFSCs) running patrols daily in Iraq right now, please know what you're talking about before you blindly insult a group of men and women that are sacrificing just as much for their country as anyone else.

Maytime is right about the jobs the AF has to offer, there's a lot more to the AF than flying. In fact, only a very small percentage of the AF are actually pilots.

Btw, Army has helos. Their planes are for mostly transporting heavy collars around.

Both the Army and the Air Force offer great opportunities. I loved my time in the Army and I love being in the Air Force, but what made me love it and continue to was my job.

I suggest doing a lot, and I mean A LOT of research before you sign anything (that goes for anyone looking to join). Research all of the jobs every branch of service has to offer, find one that best fits what you want to do.

Good luck.
 
Definitely do the research. You can only make a good decision when you have the facts at hand. If you say "I don't want this service because of xxx and xxx and xxx" and that is not an informed opinion then you may be doing yourself a disservice in the long run.

Like others have said, talk to all the recruiters before deciding. Don't let one recruiter tell you that he/she won't talk to you if you speak to another service recruiter. That is one of the "tricks" of the trade so to speak.
 
Well-in a few months (after I turn 15) I will be going to the local Navy and USAF recruiters. I will have my questions prepared-and I have been looking at certain jobs in the USAF. Aircrews, Computer Operations, Avionics, I want something that can mix computers and aviation-my two favorite things. (Considering I cannot become a pilot-vision and height)
 
i was talking about college for pay.. and im sorry for talking bad about the air force.. i talked with the army recruiter when he came over ._. and I said im interested in the air force (then) and he said all you do is sit in chairs and its not fun.. so thats what I was believed in =/ also looking at my AFJROTC instructors.. my colonel sits in the chair all day on his computer... and my sergent is a fire chief and he said he would of quit if there was any combat and he was happy he retired before he was sent to iraq.. so thats why I have a negative thought about the air force.. I need to do more research.. I shouldnt of said what I said before.. past is past.
 
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