My son wants to join the Air Force

[kirstenb1]

DFIL signed up as enlisted aircraft mechanic in the Marines. Served 20 yrs, 2 tours in Oki Nawa. They paid for his Bachelors and Masters. He in turn served in Vietnam as an Artillery Officer. It is an excellent oppurtunity that comes at a price. I am very grateful to DFIL for his years of service, and will be very proud if our kids choose that same route.

 

[dbramer]

I'm curious as to why specifically the Air Force.

I certainly understand those who are college-bound and wish to become pilots. However, those positions are few and far between. Also, the Air Force hasn't had enlisted pilots since the 50s.

Any job that is done in the civilian world is done in the military and then there are many more that don't exist in the civilian world. Not everyone who is in the Air Force is a pilot, nor aspires to be one...

 

[dbramer]

My son loves the Air Force. He's an air traffic controller at a base in Oklahoma. He's only been in the AF for 2 and a half years but still plans on making a career out of it.

Where in Oklahoma? I was stationed at Altus AFB in the early 80's. Not even sure it is still there, but it was the SW corner of Okalhoma (almost Texas).

 

[dbramer]

The most visible were the base police carrying around combat weapons, although I wasn't sure why they needed elbow/knee pads.

Ever try crawling across a taxiway or runway? Not very comfortable. This was my job when I was in and we didn't have the pads, but still had to low crawl across pavement and concrete....fun stuff

 

[m3retired]

I was stationed at Altus also, from Nov 75 to Dec 76.

Spent 28 years, 6 months, 10 days on active duty (and was never a pilot ). Met my husband of (now) 30 years in an Air Force NCO Club.
USAF = Great way of life!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

There is SOOOOO much more to the Air Force than pilots. Medical, air traffic control, maintenance, law enforcement, engineering, even special forces positions (bomb squad, pararescue etc.). It's naive to think that the Air Force just means planes.

OP, my husband has been in the Navy since he was 17 (12 years now) and just like the Air Force doesn't mean that they have to fly, the Navy doesn't mean they're on boats. He's never worked on a ship. The military has just about every job you can imagine. Of the branches, the AF gets the reputation for being the cushiest (and I can say that because my AF friends agree lol!)

Do prepare him for the fact that he will have to move ANYWHERE they need him lol. Your preferences will be requested - and then promptly thrown out the window lol.

My cousin was a firefighter. Was rough at times as he was putting out plane crashes and there were occasional fatalities. But, he liked it mostly. Was stationed in AK.

Transferred to the Phillipines and was a "spares analyst" - stockman in a warehouse. Got a civilian job in the Marshall Islands after that.

 

[trip]

Do prepare him for the fact that he will have to move ANYWHERE they need him lol. Your preferences will be requested - and then promptly thrown out the window lol.

And that's why it referred to as a "dream sheet". (My DH is retired AF.)

 

[manning]

OP, joining the military is not for everyone. It's not just a way to escape or sleep away grow up camp. This can be life or death experiences. It can be freezing *** off or burning up in places all around the world.

Your son won't start at the top with super awesome jobs and positions and hours. He hears these awesome cool stories but he needs to remember just like any job, you start at the bottom.

Also the military as a whole is downsizing in a big way and are being a lot more selective for jobs. When it is time to go to the recruiter, GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING, I cannot stress that enough. Any promises or ideas or job offers IN WRITING. Some recruiters, NOT ALL, can be shady GET IN WRITING. I can't say that enough.

Have your son take the ASVAB and really think about what his interests are or talents. There is so much opportunity for advancement and help within the military but he has to want it and want to succeed.

My husband has been in the army 17 years and has made such great memories and wonderful doors opened from his career. The life is not for everyone though and I don't encourage all to jump in boots first.

Talk to the recruiter and talk to some members of the military if possible. Have him really discuss WHY he wants to join. There are several educated Air Force families on here and hopefully they can chime in with that branch help.

Well put! I was in admin in a training center in the 60s. I can't tell you how many recruits who got the short end because of a dishonest recruiter. I don't know how it is now but back then even if you got it in writing the army, after 6 months, had the right to put you where you were needed. Also if you didn't make it through your MOS training the army had the option to keep you for the term of your enlistment or release you for the good of the service. You had to be pretty bad for them to release you.

 

[bcla]

Ever try crawling across a taxiway or runway? Not very comfortable. This was my job when I was in and we didn't have the pads, but still had to low crawl across pavement and concrete....fun stuff

It was a public event with a big show of force. I don't know how else to describe it other than a large contingent of base police carrying automatic weapons but wearing gear that looked like they were ready for paintball. The guys had external body armor with POLICE on the front but also elbow pads, shoulder pads, and a combination shin guard/kneepads. It looked kind of like lighter versions of football pads - maybe closer to hockey pads. I don't think this is exactly what I saw, but this is the best photo I can find. It's actually a couple of Oakland Raiders cheerleaders (says it was the 2011 event) posing with some pilots. There's one base police on the right in front of the B-1 but behind the pilots.

This was also the one where one of the performers crashed and died. That was the second day though, and we only went the first day. They cancelled the rest of the event, although I heard the word wasn't getting around consistently.

 

[Burnedout]

My DH is a former Marine and he loved it. But he's always said if one of our kids wants to join the armed forces he'd definitely want them to join the Air Force.

The Air Force has the rep for being the easiest and having the poshest facilities. Mine chose the marines. We pushed for the Air Force or the navy. He chose well. He loves it.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am trying to tell him to do some homework so he will be prepared. I have heard many say it the cushiest of the branches and that is probably why he wants it lol!! My kid, God love him, is lazy and likes to do the least amount of work possible but says he does the most..... It will be a rude awakening for him and that's a good thing!!!!! He needs a wake up call

Again, he is not interested in being a pilot. He is young and has some time to do research into what types of jobs/careers they have.

Up until 3 days ago he was determinded to go to Ohio (from Michigan) and go to Ohio Tech. College to be a diesel mechanic. He was going to have to TRY to get $28,000+ in student loans for an 18 month program. I kept telling him he wasn't being realistic. He argued with me saying I was wrong, he would get the loans and he would pay them back. I knew better. 3 days ago he comes home and says he's joining the AF. He said he didn't want any debt and the military would pay for school so that is what his plan was. 2 days ago he decided he didn't want to go to diesel school at all and would consider making the AF his career.

He keeps changing his mind. I won't push him because if I do he won't sign up and in all honesty he really needs this for many reasons. He is disrespectful, unrealistic, unmotivated, argumentative, undisciplined.... this list goes on. I hope this works for him and puts him on a good path!!

 

[Burnedout]

lol posh means a whole different thing in military talk! I hope he finds the right life fit. He is young. It might take a bit.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

I don't see it specifically mentioned so I will thrown this out there. I am a high school teacher and have talked with recruiters, etc. because they like to talk with my seniors. When a student is interested, the AF recruiter usually starts out by wanting to know the students GPA and what kind of classes the student is currently taking. Basically, slackers in the classroom need not apply (my words, not theirs). Then the ASVAB score comes into the discussion. I forget what the minimum is, but I believe its higher than the other branches (I could definitely be wrong). The Air Force is in a position to be very choosy right now and, in my experience, they definitely are.

Most of my students think of just "four" branches of the military, forgetting about the Coast Guard all together. I always tell them to consider all options.

Good luck no matter what he decides!

 

[HeatherFeather]

DH is active duty AF and I served for 6 years as well. It was a great experience for me as it forced me to grown up and take responsibility for myself and my actions. When I got out, I was able to use my GI Bill money to pay for x-ray school and 95% of ultrasound school. This was HUGE for us as I put in $1200 and used about $40,000.

I was in military intelligence and it sounds exciting to a lot of people, but it wasn't a good fit for me as I prefer to interact with people a lot and my job was more of a solitary one.

The people I met and experiences I had made the AF one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It is definitely not for everyone though.

I would suggest your son make sure he has a guaranteed job before signing up. Those that didn't were just farmed out to whatever positions were needed.

 

[bcla]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am trying to tell him to do some homework so he will be prepared. I have heard many say it the cushiest of the branches and that is probably why he wants it lol!! My kid, God love him, is lazy and likes to do the least amount of work possible but says he does the most..... It will be a rude awakening for him and that's a good thing!!!!! He needs a wake up call

Again, he is not interested in being a pilot. He is young and has some time to do research into what types of jobs/careers they have.

I understand. Heck - most officers in the Air Force aren't even pilots. There are about 400,000 active duty personnel and reservists and less than 6000 aircraft. I think most personnel aren't even directly involved in aircraft operations, but in support roles.

I've talked to Air Force personnel, and many hear all the jokes about the perception of how cushy their service is. Stuff like "Chair Force" or "Country Club service". Also - military service involves a lot of boredom and lack of freedom to leave at will. And new personnel are often assigned to menial jobs. It's not for everyone.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

I understand. Heck - most officers in the Air Force aren't even pilots. There are about 400,000 active duty personnel and reservists and less than 6000 aircraft. I think most personnel aren't even directly involved in aircraft operations, but in support roles.

I've talked to Air Force personnel, and many hear all the jokes about the perception of how cushy their service is. Stuff like "Chair Force" or "Country Club service". Also - military service involves a lot of boredom and lack of freedom to leave at will. And new personnel are often assigned to menial jobs. It's not for everyone.

There are also thousands of Air Force members (both enlisted and officer) that aren't associated with flight programs at all, they're working on missles (nuclear), space command, etc. My Dad spent 33 years in the service and never once did any assignments in a flight wing, he ended up in Space Command and travelled all over the world. Too bad we weren't stationed all over the world!

 

[bcla]

There are also thousands of Air Force members (both enlisted and officer) that aren't associated with flight programs at all, they're working on missles (nuclear), space command, etc. My Dad spent 33 years in the service and never once did any assignments in a flight wing, he ended up in Space Command and travelled all over the world. Too bad we weren't stationed all over the world!

I mentioned my former coworker. He did end up around the world, including Korea (where another coworker was stationed later), the Philippines, and Alaska. I remember his joke that the state bird of Alaska was the mosquito (apparently brutal there because natural selection produces an extremely aggresive bug to reproduce in short warm seasons). I think he also was an officer who helped shut down Clark Air Force Base after Pinatubo damaged it.

 

[stm61]

I don't see it specifically mentioned so I will thrown this out there. I am a high school teacher and have talked with recruiters, etc. because they like to talk with my seniors. When a student is interested, the AF recruiter usually starts out by wanting to know the students GPA and what kind of classes the student is currently taking. Basically, slackers in the classroom need not apply (my words, not theirs). Then the ASVAB score comes into the discussion. I forget what the minimum is, but I believe its higher than the other branches (I could definitely be wrong). The Air Force is in a position to be very choosy right now and, in my experience, they definitely are.

Most of my students think of just "four" branches of the military, forgetting about the Coast Guard all together. I always tell them to consider all options.

Good luck no matter what he decides!

Each branch has their own way of configuring scores. The AF has the highest requirements. Their minimum score is an overall of 50. Then they have sub-areas related to different career fields that have minimum score requirements for different jobs. They'll say things like security police needing a min. of xx in general, vehicle maintenance needing min. scores of xx in mechanical and xx in electrical. Every career field has different requirements. As someone else said, the AF can afford to be very picky right now. One of my sons has his heart set on the AF, has planned on joining since he was tiny. Unfortunately, he's LD in math. He wants to be a mechanic and has some of the highest scores the local recruiting office has recorded in mechanical and electrical. His math score brings his overall score down to a 49. He missed passing by 1 point, which was enough to make the recruiter lose interest in him.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

WAYYYY different now. As a previous poster mentioned, now they are trying to downsize. The lucky ones are being offered out of their contracts early to pursue civilian opportunities. The not-so-lucky ones are just plain forced out due to "medical standards" that didn't exist a few years ago or because they haven't advanced to a certain rank by a certain time (also didn't use to be an issue). I'm very lucky that my DH does a job that's in high-demand, but I have friends that have husbands in different fields that have been shown the door. They never expected to be "laid off" from the military but it's happening now!

This just happened with my BFF's husband. He saw the review board today and they are not retaining anyone. He's a cop in the AF, which is a good thing because it will translate well into the civilian world. But he's worried, he has a wife with medical issues and 2 step children. They will be out by August.
The only up side is they were get out of Montana, which is where they have been for 4 years.

 

[nene0182]

This just happened with my BFF's husband. He saw the review board today and they are not retaining anyone. He's a cop in the AF, which is a good thing because it will translate well into the civilian world. But he's worried, he has a wife with medical issues and 2 step children. They will be out by August. The only up side is they were get out of Montana, which is where they have been for 4 years.

My ex husband was Security forces while enlisted and now works as a civilian cop on the same Base with a lot of the same people that left the AF at the same time he did.