I do understand where your coming from though.

GD, Keep your eyes open, listen to what everyone has to say, weight your options and RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH AND GET IT IN WRITING! Oh and BEWARE. I enlisted as a weapons mechanic. What they DIDN'T say was that it was made up of three different sections. Bomb loader, weapons release (making sure it will fall or fire off the aircraft) and bomb dump (building up the bombs an storing them. If you got into the section you wanted, they can "Draft" you into another section that is short manned. That's what happened to me. Oh well the best thing was my knees going south and cross training, but then again there my options were limited. All in all though it worked out for me.

BOTTOM line, no matter what ANYONE tells you, it is YOUR choice. If you don't choose the right one, it is on you, and no one else. You need to be willing to accept that.

Good Luck in what ever you choose, what ever branch you choose and keep your eyes open.

Again thanks skunk

No problem, I hope that I have helped some. It's a shame (If you go the Marine route) that you're not out west. You could have JJ to help you out if you were in his AO.

It's a lot to think about and I am not 100% set on the military yet. But I think JJ will be able to answer some of my questions.

Skunk is a very wise man, and I agree with his assessments:

1) RESEARCH!
2) Understand that the you'll be entering the military as the lowest denominator - and they will do what they want to do with you.
3) Pray about it.
4) ITS YOUR DECISION.

I can add that from my experience, people who enlisted end up doing something completely unrelated to their dreams. I'm friends with several retired Marine and Naval officers, and they've all adjusted to civilian life well. They're working in fields related to their military career and doing very well financially.

Your interests, prospects, experience and vaules are all very different from anyone else's. I would say, however, that you should really weigh the information you hear and research. You're likely to hear the military is great from someone who really likes it, and likely to hear it sucks from someone who hates it. However, you have a specific career path in mind and short of ending up a MOS 18B - its my opinion that you're not going to get where you want to go through enlistment.

This is my last thought on this....

Gunsmithing is a trade - not a profession. As such, its a "hands on" job that requires direct training and experience to succeed. I could teach you how to build an AR15 / M16 / M4 in about 1 hour. In two days you'll be able to do this automatically.

Gunsmithing for a living is going involve a lot more than working on AR15's and M9's so is this really going to "prepare" you for your desired career?

If you're interested in the more technical aspects of weapons then you'll need to pursue a career in physics and engineering - both of which require a college education.

GD - Don't forget about the GI Bill! You could enlist and STILL go to college while you're in. I don't remember the specifics but I believe the Government will reimburse you with the GI Bill. You could also join the Coast Guard so you wouldn't have to worry about getting sent off to some foreign country if that's a concern and it will help you stay in school. Don't scoff at the at the Coast Guard, they're a bona fide branch of the military and when I was in the USMC their boot camps were equally long at thirteen weeks and equally tough. They have excellent equipment and facilities and also have any small arms type firearms you could possibly want to service. Good luck with your decision.

...also, if you DO choose to go to school, work towards some type of engineering degree. The world will ALWAYS need engineers. Okay, that's all.

This thread got opinion heavy quick. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The miltary can not change your job specialty if it has been specified in your contract unless you fail to meet the requirements of the contract. In other words, if you fail to learn and complete your mission required by your job they can reassign you.

As for education opportunities, there are many. You even get scholarships from the different branches before joining if you want to go the officer route. Then there's tuition assistance, GI Bill and like the Army told you, you can be sent to college while serving. I did.

When I joined, I had a BA in fine arts and since joining picked up a degree from SU in public communications, so it can be done, but is not easy if your job makes you work a lot of hours.

I will refrain from posting my opinions here and keep my posts fact based. If you want my opinions, it will have to be privately.

Sorry Arch, but this is laughable. <--my opinion. sorry

Ask anyone who has worked in a miltary armory which is the most common weapon they work on, and the M4/16 will be the answer. However, there are about 50 models in the average armory. They range from the M9 to the 50 Cal sniper and machine gun/M2 to the latest XM-25.