Veterans Survey

[RWNJ]

I'm curious. How many of the Veterans on here had G.I. JOE toys when they were a kid? If so, did they in any way influence you to join up?

Never had a GI Joe. Spent most of my childhood running through the woods and fishing. My idea of a "toy" was a bicycle, camping equipment, or any kind of outdoor gear.

Why did I join the military? Well, I had been in a foster program for around 3 years when I figured out they were simply using me for the money they got from the Casey Family foundation, and so I ran away my senior year to live with my Grandparents. If I had stayed and graduated while in foster care, I would have had a full ride to college as long as I kept a B average, but I didn't want to live there any more so I ran away to my Grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa told me that I was welcome to live with them until I turned 18, but when I hit 18, they were breaking my plate and kicking me out.

Well............jobs up in my area were kinda hard to come by, so I looked at my options, and the military was the quickest way for me to get training and have a job that would keep me fed, clothed and sheltered. Besides, my uncles Bob and Jerry had both done an enlistment. Bob made it home, Jerry didn't.

Never saw my Grandparents as proud of me as the day I came home with enlistment paperwork to have them sign.

As far as why did I join the Navy? Well, I had a bias against the Air Force because I grew up in Great Falls MT (big AF base there). I checked with the Army for what they had, and although I enjoyed camping as a hobby, I thought it left a lot to be desired as a way of life. Checked with the Marines, and decided I didn't want to be a bullet sponge.

When I checked with the Navy (my final stop), he told me about all the travel he did while on sea duty, and told me all the good and the bad that went with it. The thing that made me decide on the Navy the most though, was the fact that my berthing and housing went with me on deployment, because I lived on the ship.

Nothing like having good air conditioning when it's 100 deg in the desert and having heat when I went above the Arctic Circle.

And...................I had so much fun, and did so much travel that I decided to stay for 20 years. Glad I did, because when the economy crashed, if I hadn't had that pension check, I might not have made it.

And the Navy has the best food. That was the clincher for me. I was only in for 5 years, but that was enough time to visit every continent except Antarctica. Not that anyone would want to go there. BRRRRR! I also got to work on the biggest guns in the world. How cool is that?

You're right. The Navy DOES have the best food. Wanna know why that is? Because there is a Chef's school in the NE that the Navy sends some of it's cooks to. I was stationed with an MS1 that made the BEST New England clam chowder.

As far as travel? Well, unfortunately, I was an East Coast sailor, and none of the commands I was with ever took a world cruise. I would have gone on the one the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON did when it first stood up, but unfortunately I had to transfer to shore duty three months before they left.

You never wanted to go to Antarctica? I did, and the whole reason was that I wanted to get that pretty blue wintering over ribbon. Never got to though because there weren't many PN billets available. But, I did go above the Arctic Circle and have my Bluenose certification, as well as Shellback.

Didn't hit every continent, but I did manage to hit 26 different countries and 49 different states. Only missing Alaska.

When we did our world cruise, we circumnavigated the globe. Also got my GOLDEN SHELLBACK. The downside was that tour in the Gulf of Oman in the Summer. Talk about hot! The A/C broke down and I decided to go topside and sleep on deck. The steelbeach picnic did NOT make up for any of that, though they did let us have a couple of beers. Of course, three ports in Australia made up for all of that.

 

[tyroneweaver]

I'm curious. How many of the Veterans on here had G.I. JOE toys when they were a kid? If so, did they in any way influence you to join up?

Never had a GI Joe. Spent most of my childhood running through the woods and fishing. My idea of a "toy" was a bicycle, camping equipment, or any kind of outdoor gear.

Why did I join the military? Well, I had been in a foster program for around 3 years when I figured out they were simply using me for the money they got from the Casey Family foundation, and so I ran away my senior year to live with my Grandparents. If I had stayed and graduated while in foster care, I would have had a full ride to college as long as I kept a B average, but I didn't want to live there any more so I ran away to my Grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa told me that I was welcome to live with them until I turned 18, but when I hit 18, they were breaking my plate and kicking me out.

Well............jobs up in my area were kinda hard to come by, so I looked at my options, and the military was the quickest way for me to get training and have a job that would keep me fed, clothed and sheltered. Besides, my uncles Bob and Jerry had both done an enlistment. Bob made it home, Jerry didn't.

Never saw my Grandparents as proud of me as the day I came home with enlistment paperwork to have them sign.

As far as why did I join the Navy? Well, I had a bias against the Air Force because I grew up in Great Falls MT (big AF base there). I checked with the Army for what they had, and although I enjoyed camping as a hobby, I thought it left a lot to be desired as a way of life. Checked with the Marines, and decided I didn't want to be a bullet sponge.

When I checked with the Navy (my final stop), he told me about all the travel he did while on sea duty, and told me all the good and the bad that went with it. The thing that made me decide on the Navy the most though, was the fact that my berthing and housing went with me on deployment, because I lived on the ship.

Nothing like having good air conditioning when it's 100 deg in the desert and having heat when I went above the Arctic Circle.

And...................I had so much fun, and did so much travel that I decided to stay for 20 years. Glad I did, because when the economy crashed, if I hadn't had that pension check, I might not have made it.

And the Navy has the best food. That was the clincher for me. I was only in for 5 years, but that was enough time to visit every continent except Antarctica. Not that anyone would want to go there. BRRRRR! I also got to work on the biggest guns in the world. How cool is that?

Lot a guys I play golf with are career navy
Maybe I should have gone that route