Yes im a newbie here but know how forums work bc im a big supporter of my forum my350z.com. Anyways, Ok here is what I need a lil help with. im gonna list info at 1st so u can kinda know who ur talking to. My name is Jay. im 21 6'3 220 pounds.

Anyways ok i plan on listing into the army right after or before christmas. I half to get done some BS community service right now. (long Story)

But ok me and my buddy are gonna do the buddy system. Hopefully we can meaning we pick the same job and leave at the same time just for moral support and having a good friend there. But a few things im worried about. 1 is being bootcamp. Im not a pussy so i dont think it will be the physical thing esp since Oak Ridge Military Academy kinda got me ready for that but i think its gonna be the mental sh1ti keep getting told. How is it?

2nd is the bonus sytem. Im told by my recruiter who i dont believe at all but he said anything 10K and under u get after basic Training and the rest of however long my contrct is. is this correct? I also heard that either u can pick ur district i guess meaning where u go or a bonus? Idk

3rd is if I do join the army does that automatically mean im going to the desert? I really wanna make a career at out the Army. Esp since High school i went straight into working at a car dealership as a Service rep then progressed to a manager then economy crashed and they cut back managers salaries so i had to quit. With that i had to sell my bike and my townhouse. Now i can barley afford to keep my car which i will NOT let go back.

Anyways guys i came on here just to get some help and pointed in the right direction and to kinda see my i have to look 4ward to joining the best military branch!! If ur gonna be a Dick or make smartass remarks please dont waste my time or urs in this thread. Thanks guys!!

Jay

Understand about the woes of being a civilian in todays world and economic downturn.

Its unlikely that the buddy system will pan out like you think. Too much depends on too many variables. I wouldn't bank too much on staying with a buddy much past boot camp. It would take both of you to have virtually the exact same contract, same schools, same career path. What if one of you tubes out of any one of a thousand situations? Thus ended the buddy system plan. In my opinion, Army boot camp is easy. Granted I never went to Army boot camp, and my basis of comparison is Marine boot camp. We do have plenty of forum members in here who went through Army boot back in the day and they can speak to it better than I.

The recruiter is the main point of information concerning bonuses. and no you can't change or pick districts to get higher or different bonuses. Your comments about not believing anything the recruiter tells you is bothersome to me. What does he have to gain by feeding you dis-information? The Army has already surpassed its annual recruiting goals, and on top of that the re-enlistment of Soldiers is at an all time high.

Your question about the desert? Wake up son, you are joining the Army. Currently Afganistan and Iraq is where troops are needed, so yes, you have to be prepared to serve in the desert.

This BS community service thing you mentioned, that could be a show stopper for you. You need to disclose all information about this to the recruiter up front. Failure to do so may negatively impact your qualifying for both the bonus and or even enlisting. Most military jobs these days require a security clearance. Best to be up front with your current situation so it doesn't come back to haunt you and interfere with your plans.

Good luck with your endeavors.

Choppa, like gunny says: The needs of the Army come first. That requirement is much stronger than in any civilian employment because the reliability on and responsibilities for other soldiers next to you is much greater in an Army team than among coworkers in any civilian workplace. If you don't do your job others have to do it for you. The other thing is that BS Community stuff. Its better to be open now than getting a kick in the a... later.