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Fear of Regret?


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Wow, that's deep.

 

If people are on the fence to the point that you're asking people on YouTube, it's not for you bro.

 

The whole point of military training is to weed out the weak and people who do not want to be there. Whether it be basic, WOCS, ranger school or something else. There are going to be hardships endured in the military and if you have doubt, the doubt will be multiplied exponetially on the 23rd hour in some sh*t hole when you're tired, wet, hungry, sore or you just have to do something you don't want to do.

 

At the same time, nothing is forever.

 

Personally, I don't want to tell anyone what to do. But, I prefer to work with fellow aviators who want to be in the Army, not, who joined to get to fly.

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I prefer to work with fellow aviators who want to be in the Army, not, who joined to get to fly.

 

Flying is a very small percentage of what you do anyway. It's super easy to spot these people out and they never last. If they're not 'peered out' (e.g. life made miserable), they get out voluntarily at the end of their commitment or involuntarily since they're not promotable.

If you're on the fence, do yourself and everyone a favor and don't join.

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In my 16 years of Army aviation I've seen several guys who joined because they saw Top Gun (ugh!) and/or Firebirds (UGH!) and thought that the job was nothing more than come in and fly every day, or hang out and shoot the breeze in the office/pilots lounge, then go out to the O-club and let the hoards of single women flock to them. One of the many reasons I've always despised those movies. What zVo said (flying is a very small percentage of what you do) was 100% spot on. Those who join to serve and lead will do well. Those who join just to fly and/or as a way to get paid to learn how to fly, well, those guys will have a miserable time.

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I think many civilian WOFT applicants wouldn't pursue the Army at all if not for being guaranteed a shot at flight school. They may not admit it publicly, but that's the reality.

That's the thing that really urkes me about this topic. Our job, as in Army Aviation, is to support the ground force commander's mission.

 

Whether you're attack, utility, medevac, assault or VIP you are supporting the ground force.

 

That at times, can conflict from certain individuals perceptions of what Army Aviation does. At the end of the day we are NOT the show, contrary to popular belief. I've found some people understand this really well, some don't.

 

As a civilian joining the Army you can expect to do a lot of Army sh*t before you ever get to touch an aircraft. Joining the army, set out to do one thing, usually ends in disappointment.

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That's the thing that really urkes me about this topic. Our job, as in Army Aviation, is to support the ground force commander's mission.

 

Whether you're attack, utility, medevac, assault or VIP you are supporting the ground force.

 

That at times, can conflict from certain individuals perceptions of what Army Aviation does. At the end of the day we are NOT the show, contrary to popular belief. I've found some people understand this really well, some don't.

 

As a civilian joining the Army you can expect to do a lot of Army sh*t before you ever get to touch an aircraft. Joining the army, set out to do one thing, usually ends in disappointment.

 

I agree, but some (not most, but some) of the deception falls on the Army for depicting Apaches with smoke and mushroom clouds in the background. I've seen it more than once in the brochures. That doesn't help the cause.

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I agree, but some (not most, but some) of the deception falls on the Army for depicting Apaches with smoke and mushroom clouds in the background. I've seen it more than once in the brochures. That doesn't help the cause.

That's called marketing, you have to be smarter then the Ads. Otherwise you really are not an asset to any team or industry for that matter.

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They do the same with Special Forces recruiting.

 

How many people join the Army to be an SF guy, then, fail or quit and become straight leg infantry!?

 

Better yet, how many 18X pass, just to find out SF isn't all about kicking down doors and shootin people in the face?

 

It's the same everywhere, people join for the glamour not the grit.

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Great perspective on life that this man brings. As for the prospective pilot, joining the military simply because they have something you want (flying) is a poor decision.

 

Join for what you can give, not for what you can receive. Sure, focus on whatever specific program or job you would like if that's how you would wish to serve, but never forget that you're joining to serve, not to have a cool job.

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Great perspective on life that this man brings. As for the prospective pilot, joining the military simply because they have something you want (flying) is a poor decision.

 

Join for what you can give, not for what you can receive. Sure, focus on whatever specific program or job you would like if that's how you would wish to serve, but never forget that you're joining to serve, not to have a cool job.

 

I watched this video again. I have different take on war than the guy in the video. However, he was spot on saying he loved to fly, but it was offered to him in way that he didn't want (i.e. the military) so that ultimately prevented him from joining. I respect that. If every applicant had the mentality of wanting to both serve AND fly, Army Aviation would be much better off.

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