i have been doing alot of thinking lately, and i think i want to join the guard. this past summer, three of my absolute best friends i consider brothers came home from the marines, and the change i saw in them and their overall mindset was unquantifiable(sp?) and i found myself re-evaluating my previous thoughts on the service. i spoke to a good friend of mine that is a recruiter and got all the info on what it entails, and i really feel like i want to go through with it. i am by no means in shape, with the surgeries i had on my chest in the recent 5-6yrs have had a detrimental affect on my physical capabilities, but the doctors said if i work out i can overcome the issues and re-structure the muscle around my chest cavity and be perfectly better than normal. i just dont know if the short timespan of boot camp would be enough time for me to be able to do it without serious health issues, and i dont want that to stop me. im basically looking for anyone’s input who is in/has been in the national guard and their experiences with it. i havent told my parents yet, as i know they will flip and my mom may even kick me out of the house for it.
Working out gradually would help out your chest, but putting your self through all out training everyday with no recovery time will not help your chest problem. sorry to hear though.
exactly. just jumping into boot camp is not enough to bring you back to 100 percent. It may even hurt the recovery process. if you are 100 percent certain you want to go into it, i would suggest giving yourself a time table and plenty of time between now and when you enlist. this way you can gradually work out, weight train etc, so it wont be such a shock to your body and you will have built the muscle back.
i dont know the extent of your procedures, but if they are what i got out of your explanation i would get a good 10-12 months of training so you dont hurt yourself
are you talking army national guard or air force national guard… if you want air force national guard i can have someone call you and they can tell you whether they you are able to enlist cause of the problem… or what not…
and with BMT… you don’t want to go into it with a medical problem… unless you know for a fact that you will be ok… you re injure something in BMT it makes your life fucking hell. I had an ear ache in the first week of BMT and didn’t sleep… cause of it… sucked ass…
all i kno abotu the guard is that my cousin and her husband were/are in it, and they told both of them that they would be doing the 1 weekend a month 2 weeks a year bullshit. my cousin ended up spending 2 years in Bosnia, and her husband is in Iraq on the front lines right now. My cousins term was up a coupple months ago, and she didnt re-inlist, mostly because hs has a 7 month old kid, but her husband did and in March they are moving to Germany where he will be stationed “untill further notice”
i have nothing against the people who are out there right now allowing me to type this, and i thank them from the depths of my heart for thier service, but that is the closest thing to any experience with the national guard ive had. i also thought about going into the airforce reserves or the Navy reserves at one point, then i realized that id never make it, physically or mentally, and then when i saw what happened to my cousin and ehr husband, that put the final nail in the coffin for that idea.
well, i had a bar installed in my chest because the cartilage grew slower than the ribs themselves, causeing a “dent” effect in the center of the cavity which pushed my heart into my left lung, shrinking my left lung. the bar goes in for 3 yrs then comes out when everything is strong enough to support itself again. its been out for about 2yrs now (august), and i can do situps/pusheps/etc. again…so i think i should be okay so long as i dont have to do like pull-ups cause those are actually horribly painful for me to do.
and im talking Army national guard.
and i really dont care if i get deployed because the timeline i would be on would leave me finished with school and at that point only have one year left of my term, as well as that being the end of bush’s term in office :lol:
If there is any doubt, don’t do it. I’m having a hell of a time down here in Georgia still… I got fucked out of the Rangers, in my opinion and I’m just sitting and waiting for orders. I was told it is anywhere from 2-6 weeks of a wait, and I have NO IDEA WHATS GOING ON! AHHH.
Its a great way to “better” yourself, that is through discipline, and the army values. Youll get stronger and learn to push yourself harder than you ever imagined you could. It’s a fun time and a good way to serve your country, and with the guard youll actually get to stay at home, finish school and more or less continue life uninterrupted.
^ thats my exact reasoning for considering, and the other is quoted by VQ30de. lol
im hating life in studio right now and i have to re-design and build my building by wednesday. GYAR!
As for architecture, it is quite possibly the most disheartening major evar. But, it gets much better. You are a junior right? It only gets better. My senior studios are really good. Im in the process of pulling an allnighter, but its for a really great project. Its still hard as shit, but its more fun. 10 hours of working on CAD just flew by for me, and I’ll be here at least another 10 hours.
You are, for all intsensive purposes, in boot camp. I have learned that from our major, there is much to be learned about dedication, and hard work. I will not be working in the architecture field, but these are values i will still walk away with…
Just realize that not many people can make it as far as you have. Since my freshman year we have lost 140 students…You clearly know something about hard work and dedication, values you cited as something you would learn in the national guard.
I’m a 8 year veteran of active duty and now NG. I can tell you that i’d have serious doubts if your allowed entry with any “retained hardware” that being your sternum reinforcement. Your free to PM me or call me at 716-698-5787 if you want to talk more, I can fill you in on all i can, and you can make your decision from there. Its just way to much to type.
The Marine Corps is a totally different experience than the National Guard. I’m not saying the National Guard won’t change you as a person, but the intensity level just isn’t the same.
^ this i understand. i know my capabilities, and i know for a fact im too much of a pussy for marines. im just saying that seeing how proud they are of what they are doing im rather inspired to do my part as well, and this is a way i feel i can do so. i understand it doesnt compare, but its the best i feel i can do. its just something that has grown to mean alot to me, and i want to be a part of in some shape or form.
and thanks alot for the kind words carl(vq30de)…it means alot, especially since i just constantly feel like im not good enough for the program, and so happen to get put on academic probation ever other semester.
Ok, as long as you have all the information you need. Maybe taking a break and doing the National Guard thing might give you some focus. Then maybe you will have a better idea of what you want to do as far as school is concerned. Just realize that with today’s world the way it is, it’s a matter of when, not if you will be rotated overseas. If you are just trying to focus your life, I can think of safer ways to do it.
If there is any doubt, don’t do it. I’m having a hell of a time down here in Georgia still… I got fucked out of the Rangers, in my opinion and I’m just sitting and waiting for orders. I was told it is anywhere from 2-6 weeks of a wait, and I have NO IDEA WHATS GOING ON! AHHH.