I hope someone is still reading this. I know its long, I'll put a TL;DR. Just really need to get this off my chest.
I feel like I'm making a mistake. I joined the Navy reserve with an AECF contract and will push-button to E-4 upon graduation. My ship date is May 14th, under 60 days. Lately, I have been looking back at my reasons for joining and am sitting here trying to figure out how I got to where I am. So let me explain:
As I grew up, I gained an interest in guns and combat and all of that stuff like naive young boys do. My neighbor was a gulf war veteran and tank commander and I loved listening to his war stories. Both of my grandfathers fought in Korea and Vietnam. When I was coming close to graduating high school in 2011, I was pretty much dead-set on joining the Army. I wanted to get down in the dirt, shoot some guns, fuck stuff up, serve my country and earn that combat veteran status (I know, I know, naive).
Instead, my parents offered to help pay my way through college if I got some scholarships as a way of keeping me out of the Army. I had a deep talk with a teacher of mine who served 10 years in the Navy and he insisted I take their offer. So I did. I went to college. I studied criminal justice and fell in love with law enforcement. I matured, and figured out that going to war isn't going to be as glorious as I was making it out to be. I joined Army ROTC my second semester, so I could at least get a taste of the life. I loved every second I spent in that program. I loved the PT, I loved the field exercises, I loved the subjects taught in class, I loved the brothers and sisters who wouldn't hesitate to help each other make it through whatever we were doing. I loved it.
Unfortunately, I broke my leg. I couldn't PT and I couldn't participate in field exercises. My doctor wanted me to steer clear of Army PT and exercise for 6 months. My commander told me that if I can't participate in exercises then I cannot stay in (I didn't have a commission slot yet). So I got out. I figured I would come back in a year when I was healed and give it another go, or at least join the National Guard.
Then I started dating a girl. I'm pretty sure this one can explain itself. I veered of course and put military on the back burner. Then the war in Afghanistan ended. I was pretty upset that I had missed my shot to participate in the war. Military got back on my mind.
About a year ago, things were getting more complicated, as it always does as you grow older. I was about to have a degree, I had several law enforcement agencies I could practically just walk through the front door and grab a career. I was still interested in the military though. I figured, if I don't do it now, I never will. So I went for it.
I talked to the Army recruiter about Officer positions and being a pilot. The response I kept getting was that due to my poor eyesight (20/200 correctable to 20/20) I couldn't fly. He suggested logistics officer. No way in hell. I still wanted to get in the dirt, shoot guns, and fuck shit up.
Then I found out about the Navy Riverines, VBSS, etc. It looked pretty cool, but I had never looked into the Navy before. I spent countless hours learning and learning about the Navy and their programs. I found a couple of jobs that suited my interests, Master at Arms and Gunner's Mate. I got all distracted from my original motivations for joining and started dreaming about sailing to different ports, seeing the world, maybe living in another state or another country (I've been in Texas my entire life). I was still interested in the Army, but after talking to a lot of people, it seemed like the Navy was a better place to be right now. So I started the process with the Navy.
Then, I scored a 96 on the ASVAB. Suddenly, all I ever heard was that I didn't want a job like MAA or GM because I was too smart and I should be going into an advanced program like Nuke or AECF or Intel. My friends, family, even the recruiter pushed on me that I should go reserves since I have the police career lined up for when I return. They convinced me that active duty wasn't for people like me. My friends, family, and recruiter convinced me that I should go for a more technical job. So I ended up with AECF. Reserve contract. I'll either be an electronics technician or fire controlman, but most likely ET since I am on a landlocked base as a reservist. I got excited at the thought of being an E-4 right out of training and advancing my career.
So, here I am now. Wondering how the hell I ended up with a Navy reserve contract for a technical job at a landlocked base with a year of training and no travel, no living somewhere else, no war, no guns, no getting dirty, no airborne, no tanks, no flying, no commission, none of it. None of the reasons that got me interested in the military, other than to serve my country, are happening. I feel like I made a mistake. I'm less than 60 days out. I don't feel like I could get away with dropping from DEP and joining the Army NG without everyone I know calling me insane. Any advice here?
~~~ TL;DR ~~~
Originally wanted to join Army. Went to college instead. Got a career lined up for police work. Series of events (of course including a girl) led me to not join the Guard/reserves. Got interested in Navy Master at Arms position. Thought I would get to live somewhere new, travel, etc. Went for Navy. Recruiter/family/friends all convinced me to go reserves. Recruiter/friends/family all convinced me to take a technical position. Ended up AECF reserves contract. Started remembering my motivations for joining in the first place. Now I sweating because I'm not sure I've made the right choice. Someone please tell me the Army NG is nasty and that taking this Navy technical job, despite the lack of travel, guns, flying, and war, is a good decision.
Thanks