Never done one of these threads and I have no idea how it will work out-
Ask a complete fuck-up who joined the military anything
>>29748705
What do you do in the army? What do you need to join?
>>29748734
I joined the Royal Military Police and then did my Close Protection training, I'm currently debating if I want to go for selection but I doubt I will since I think you need to be 100% dedicated.
You don't need any formal qualifications (Unless you want to go to Sandhurst). Once you go to an assessment weekend you will-
>Do the Army BARB test
>Must run 1.5m in under 12m
>Do English and Maths tests (If you don't have GCSE's at C or above)
>Lift two cans weighing at 20kg each for 150 meters
>Lift a bag at 40kg
>Do a short talk about yourself
>Complete various teamtasks
>Do well in an interview
>>29748845
Thanks, anon. Looks like I need to get in slightly better shape and sign up, can't think of anything else I want to do besides rot in a retail job.
Did it sort out your fuckupiness?
>>29748913
That was the same realization that I had. I worked in a store before and was getting really sick of life. Working up the fitness is the easy part I thought since I initially trained at night so no one could see me. The hard part was getting over the social side of things
>>29748968
Yeah, it helped me loads since it basically drummed a sense of self-worth into me. I was happy that I could go back and visit my family and know that I'd have interesting stories to tell and that my life had some direction and order. I think it honestly saved me from a pretty dark place.
>>29749022 Sounds like something I might do then to be honest. Been thinking about it for a while.
>>29748845
>fuck up
>joining RMP
/K was right again
>>29748705
I'm an officer in 7 Para RHA. Nice to meet you. Considering SF selection myself also but like you said I'm not sure I want to dedicate my entire life and being to the Army/SF, and I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay in. I'd also like to know more about the culture in the SAS/SBS/SRR to gauge whether or not I'd actually be content with the people surrounding me there.
Army life has pros and cons. It's like being at a boarding school, kind of. I've always maintained that joining the Army for a few years is a good way to start oneself out in life. How's Army life treating you, OP?
>>29748705
I'm considering joining the American armed services, but I still have a couple questions that might be relevant to you anyway.
What age did you join up with the military?
Did you have to go through some sort of boot camp or training?
If yes, then were the physical tests before or after boot camp?
>>29749022
>The hard part was getting over the social side of things
>>29749229 here again
I wholeheartedly agree. I was, as my friends described me, a "social bulldozer" before the Army - as in I was so confident I would just "bulldoze" my way through awkward social situations and make them funny. I could talk with anyone, make friends with anyone, some people thought I was far "too much" saying I had too big a personality.
Well, Sandhurst changed that (officer academy) and ever since then I've been back to being a bit socially awkward. The Army doesn't like people being different. Everyone is extremely sarcastic and snarky.
For example, something I heard today:
>Rich is standing in the foyer with a tennis raquet
>Greg comes down the stairs and says "Oh, off to play tennis?" conversationally
>Rich snorts in derision and goes "No, I'm off to go fucking BOWLING...jeesus"
>Greg is embarrassed and slinks off
This personality is so infectious because it's so easy to be a sarcastic cunt. It rapdily spreads across units and military communities and can be very damaging to morale. There's just no point in being like that to people.
Any thoughts/experiences, OP? I'm sure it's similar if not worse among the ranks.
>>29749114
I got used to the RMP hate really quickly. Most of it comes from ex-infantry who are just salty they got pissed on when they did something wrong.
>>29749103
It's worth doing but I'd say you should find a role that suits you. I think the mistake lots of people I knew from the assessment made was going for the bad ass positions (90% of the people wanted to be in the Para's) but they really didn't want to work on the extra levels of fitness involved. I'd research it loads before you join and also quiz your recruitment officer as often as you can.
You've got to make it work for you. Honestly, the saying "It's not a job, it's a way of life" is 100% true.
>>29749229
I must've met about 50 people so far at association meetings who claim to be ex-regiment and they all talk a load of shit. I think that selection is something you need to be obsessed about to even stand a chance.
Yeah I agree, joining was the best decision I ever made and honestly (despite the hate the RMP gets) I have loved doing it, especially CPU work. The best part is going along to RMPA meetings and events and getting to socialize with people who served in Ireland, Cyprus and Germany. How about you?
>>29749292
I joined at 20
Yeah I went through phase 1 and phase 2 training
Yeah we have an assessment weekend which I detailed here-
>>29748845
There was a bit more than that but that is the main stuff
>5ft 7
>eo to some assessment day at Newcastle.
>everyone's towering over me except 2 lads but were 16 and 17 years old
The manlet meme really hit me hard that day.
>>29749442
Not everyone in the Army is tall. Some of the best guys are even shorter than you. Three of the top five in my sandurst company were shorter than you.
>>29749388
I think that within the ranks we tend to be pretty banterish with each other and unanimously blame the Officers for any problems, not all of them mind but a bad Officer can leave some damaging impressions, my Captain is a top bloke and I've never heard a bad word spoken about him however the newly commissioned Officer we got is pretty shit (mainly due to thinking he's better than the rankers who have been in years longer than him).
I love the humor personally, I think you need to learn to love it or you just get pegged as a twat, which no one wants to be. The best experience was during CPU training with live ammo, one of the lads shot himself in the foot during a close range exercise. Everyone was talking about it and one of the staff walked over-
>Did you hear about x?
Yeah
>What do you think about it?
I think he failed
>>29749528
It didn't scare me off, and i got through the assessment. But i damaged my lower back with barbell squats so i don't think i could qualify anymore and i'm getting a bit too old now. When i look back now it was probably for the best that i didn't join.
>>29749565
I think it is just the people that came with me to Larkhill for phase 2. There were a couple of extremely sarcastic people that infected most of our course with their negativity.
At regiment things are a lot better. It's nice being surrounded by people with a positive sense of humour, not one that is entirely negative, whinging or complaining about things all the time. It emphasises how important it is to find a regiment filled with people that you can get on with. Then you can get some really good banter and have the time of your life.
>>29749619
Why not consider the reserves? I used to do that. It's very relaxed, filled with good people, and feels more like a weekend hobby. Good for meeting friends as well.
>>29749720
Yeah I agree a few negatives can really ruin everything, same for people who take themselves too seriously. You've really got to just roll with things.
I don't know how different things are as an Officer but most of the ones I've met are up for a decent laugh when the time calls for it, which is really nice to have since you actually want to work for the man and show him real respect rather than just formalities.
During my Phase 1 we had a handful of people who just complained about everything, shit got boring real quick.
>>29749720
I've become even more of a socially retarded recluse since then. I really just don't click with anyone anymore, it would be terrible for me.
>>29749870
The reserves is a good way to fix that. You don;t spend all your time with these guys, only the odd evening or day, so you can get away from them when you need to be awkward. That's one of the reasons people are socially awkward in the army, because they want to relax and be alone because they are socially exhausted but they're still forced to be surrounded by people. They get tired of it and become more vulnerable to banter.
I can't recommend it enough. It's great to have a group of mates you do weird and interesting things with now and then. You don't see them that often so you somehow get even fonder of them. It's not like work colleagues that you spend every day with and can't wait to get away from.
