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Experience in US Army
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10-08-2009 9:14pm#1Well,
I'm new to the boards, but I'm starting this thread as a few people have asked about my experiences in the US Army. I've also really appreciated the answers and feedback people have been giving me on my inquiries about the PDF...so again, thank you all.
Now, a little background on myself...
I enlisted in the US Army as Military Police in 2004. I was stationed in Germany and Texas, as well as a 15 month tour in Baghdad. I am currently a Sergeant in the Military Police Corps. If ye've got any questions, go ahead...
UP THE DEISE!
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lol, yea waterford were beaten...but at least it wasn't as bad as last year!
yea, i knew you were all takin the piss...it's okay, i'm used to it i do, however, hold infantry as my secondary MOS. i originally went in as an MP, but then went into the infantry because the MP mission in iraq was to guard a bunch of detainees....i really, really, really wanted to do foot patrols and bust down doors! 
but now i'm back in the MP corps as a sgt and squad leader... 0 -
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eighthoursaway Hi!
this might seem a flippant question but something i have a genuine interest in.
what TV channels from the states are made available to troops in Baghdad?
Do American troops get to view the sports they like?
would an Irish born US troop get to see GAA&other events?
How much access to the internet is allowed?
How often can you phone home using army resources?
regards
well boy...when i was in baghdad, we didn't get ANY tv. however, i hear now they get a few AFN (Armed Forces Network) channels. i think it's three to be exact...afn sports, afn comedy, and afn drama.
as for viewing sports you like...if you're lucky enough to get the tv channels, you're stuck watching them. it's mostly college and prov american football, college and pro basketball, and baseball.
as for the internet...some us posts out there offer high speed wifi for a subscription...i think some paid up to $60 a month. but when you're overseas, it's definitely worth it. if the internet is fast enough, i'm sure one could subscribe to setanta and view the matches...of course, you'd only watch when waterford are on:D.
and the phone...there's no use of army resources to call home. most posts have phone boxes set up that one would pay for.
if i had free time (which was EXTREMELY rare) when i was overseas, i mostly worked out at the gym and watched dvds on a portable dvd player me mam bought for me before i left.0 -
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Local-womanizer wrote: »Eighthyoursaway,
Thanks for wanting to sharing your experiances!As for being an MP:eek::p
As PMG58 said,its all infantry or arty boys here so its good to hear a different story once and awhile.
What do you think of the Coalitions involvement in Iraq?Is it worthwhile?As you have been there can you see any advantage of yourself being there?
Cheers!
g'won boy with the MP stuff...haha
in my opinion, which isn't worth sh*te as i'm only a sgt, the coalition hasn't done much in iraq. i worked with the aussies and brits (:mad:) a bit..and no offense to the brits, but they didn't seem to be doin as much as us and they were seemed extremely snooty to me...
however, they are over there supporting our mission and we are very grateful for the help. the brits are a fairly well trained army. being that i spent 1 1/2 years there and i've friends that have done 3 or 4 tours, it's great to have the extra manpower.0 -
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How did you find the equipment issued by different countries compared? US soldiers are often seen as having all the best equipment, but sometimes too much! Do you think this is accurate?
well, i found the brit's equipment to be a little inferior...maybe i'm biased as i'm in the us army, but their protective equipment (i.e. flack vest, and helmet) seemed a bit bulky and not as practical as ours. their rifles seemed a bit cheap looking, however they were lighter than our M-4s. i know our digital uniforms seem a bit weird and the colours definitely do not mesh in the woods or plain desert, but the us army's digital camo works PERFECTLY in urban warfare.
and you're correct about having maybe too much equipment. i will tell you, however, that everything issued to us is issued for a reason and we genuinely need it all. our iba, (flack vest) for example, consists of the vest with plates, a kevlar neck protector that snaps on, kevlar shoulder and arm pads, and a kevlar "nut" protector that hangs down from the front to protect our...em family jeweles haha. it's a bit bulky and odd at first, but once you're able to break it in, it sort of molds to your body.
in my opinion, our kevlar helmets, which are a fair bit smaller than the irish PDF and british helmets, are stronger and more practical. they are also extremely comfortable with the new chin strap compare to our old ones. i witnessed a round from an ak-47 hit a soldier with his helmet on and it did not go through...they also sort of feel like a bicycle helmet in that it's comfortable.
again i may be a bit biased, but i love the M-4 and M-16 series rifles. they are fairly light and it is extremely easy to add sights and an extra hand due to the rail system that's set up on it.
i also feel our boots and uniforms fit us better and look better on us. i feel that the british and aussie uniforms were always too big on their soldiers, their camo pattern looked silly, and their boots were a bit awkward looking. i also don't really like the whole tucking in the blouse thing for a few reasons...one, our blouse is not meant to be tucked in so air can flow freely and cool us. and two, i think the whole uniform looks more professional when the blouse isn't tucked in.
anyway, this all seems like a huge rant and probably doesn't make sense, but i'm not writing a thesis here! i'm just kind of spewing from the mouth.
i hope this answers your question a bit...if there's anything else you lads want to know, ask. 0 -
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Manic Moran wrote: »Cue comment about you guys not having anything better to do with your time than give speeding tickets to people in Iraq.
Unless you're field MP, in which case I'll give you a break.
negative, i am a combat MP. the only time i gave speeding tickets was back when i was stationed down in ft bliss, tx.Manic Moran wrote: »You in Ft Dix?
yea...i've got a cushy AGR position right now
where are you based out of there moran?0 -
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eightyhoursaway wrote: »Well,
I'm new to the boards, but I'm starting this thread as a few people have asked about my experiences in the US Army. I've also really appreciated the answers and feedback people have been giving me on my inquiries about the PDF...so again, thank you all.
Now, a little background on myself...
I enlisted in the US Army as Military Police in 2004. I was stationed in Germany and Texas, as well as a 15 month tour in Baghdad. I am currently a Sergeant in the Military Police Corps. If ye've got any questions, go ahead...
UP THE DEISE!
How did you get into the US army. Green card by lottery or by marriage, etc ?0 -
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Hi there,
You forgot to tell them about the Burger King and Taco Bells in your base, chow lines that go on for hours, the PX with everything you need. Not to mention the education benefits, both while in and if or when you leave .
I'm based 30 mins from a US base and its a world of its own
the larger bases in iraq have burger kind and taco bells and all that good stuff...the base i was at had none of that. we didn't have toilets for months, but then the little indian guys finally built them for us.
we also didn't have a chow hall...our chow hall consisted of an unairconditioned tent where they would get the previous meals from the big base down the road shipped to us...it was nasty!Have you ever come accross incidents of guys not having enough/properly functioning or the correct equipment?
What's it like being an MP? I've read all of Lee Child's Reacher books, and in most of them he gets abuse for being an ex MP. Is it really like this?
Is the MP seperate to the other branches of the Armed Forces, or is it Army?
The Military Police Corps is a branch in the Army. The Marines also have MPs, the Navy calls them SP (which i have no clue why), and the Air Force calls them SF (Security Forces).
In today's war, we like to say that MP stands for "Multi Purpose". MPs do a wide range of things from guarding prisoners, doing patrols, serving as a quick reaction force, to personal security details for generals and whatnot, to kicking down doors, to convoy escorts...we do get the piss taken from us from a lot of other guys, but i loved that. it just showed everyone was jealous
As for equipment...when the war began we were ill-equipped. Now, for the most part, everyone's got what they need. It's only a matter of soldiers knowing how to use their equipment properly...kickoutthejams wrote: »Are there many Irish in the US armed forces?
I've come across quite a few Irishmen in the Army...most of them are towards the age of retirement as they came over during the early to mid 80's...there's also tons of Irish-American as well.0 -
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eightyhoursaway wrote: »sorry if this seems ignorant, but what's a stable belt? those awkward looking LARGE belt buckles they wear? they look hideous...QUOTE]
:eek: How very dare you!!!0 -
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kickoutthejams wrote: »Yeah, I can see that happening; I've an interest in Irish emigration and loads of them enlisted during the Civil war upon arriving. Heard it seems to be similar enough these days with the Latinos (easier path to citizenship)
It's fairly similar, however during the Civil War the Irish (and other immigrants and lower class citizens) had to pay a fee in order to not be drafted. It basically was forced though, because what immigrant, especially Irish, could afford to pay the US military hundreds of dollars upon arriving in the States?
Even during the Civil War, like the blacks, the Irish were segregated from the rest of the WASP troops (white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants for those whom don't know..but I'm sure all are familiar with that saying). We were forced to serve in units such as NY's Fighting 69th..which still fly an Irish harp and shamrocks in their colours, are primarily hispanic now :mad:. 0 -
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kickoutthejams wrote: »We often hear that the military helps pay for college.
Do many American military personnell avail of this?
the military completely pays for college. there's a few programs available to soldiers...if you go to a public college, you get what's called the "tuition waiver form". basically your company commanders signs off stating you're in good standing with your unit, then you give that to the college and they don't charge you any tuition. if you go to private college, you can apply for what's called the "federal tuition assistance program". the TA program is first come first serve, so once they funds are gone you're SOL.
in addition to the tuition waiver and TA, soldiers (and airmen, marines, etc.) are elligible to collect the Montgomery GI Bill. The GI Bill is run through the Department of Veteran's Affairs and has no affiliation with the US military, other than the fact that you had to serve in one of the four branches (well, 5 if you count the coast guard), you were discharged honourably and generally, and it was in your contract (The bold part is important!!!!) The GI Bill was generally meant to use when you get out of the uniformed services, but if you are able to go to school while you're still in, then you can take advantage of both programs.
what does this all mean?
well, let me put it this way...I am enrolled full time at a publicly funded university in NJ and I'm still actively serving in the Army (it's rough as I work all day for the Army and take classes 5 nights a week). I currently get the tuition waiver, so that means the college doesn't bill me at all. Therefor, the GI Bill (which works out to be $1600 or so a month, and is supposed to go up to $3k next semester, goes directly into my pocket).
EDIT: and this is all for enlisted personnel...there are various scholarships available to contracted ROTC cadets as well (but who wants to be an officer? i work for a living!)0 -
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eightyhoursaway wrote: »would i find it difficult to enlist in the RDF when i move back home seeing as i'm in the us army (obviously i'll be out once i move back).
I'd imagine you'd be an asset to the unit you choose to join, I don't really think there would be too many difficulties. Max age is 35, need good hearing & colour vision etc, not too many joining requirements. Recruitment ban until 2011 though
. Might be a big shock to you though, I don't think the training and equipment would be on a par with what you're used to. 0 -
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I'd imagine you'd be an asset to the unit you choose to join, I don't really think there would be too many difficulties. Max age is 35, need good hearing & colour vision etc, not too many joining requirements. Recruitment ban until 2011 though. Might be a big shock to you though, I don't think the training and equipment would be on a par with what you're used to.
how about the PDF once the recruitment ban is lifted? I read on the military.ie that the max enlistment age for the PDF is 25...I will be 26 in 2011. maybe they have some sort of age waiver for prior service personnel? i know the us military does. i'm just worried about securing a job before i move back home...0 -
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