Military Question

[Cronopoulos]

^^ you look like Jerry Shea from Van Wilder!

[evoDRichie]

look into doing intel at a DGS-4 (Germany) that would be your best bet for the AF look up 1n1, 1n2, 1n3, 1n4, 1n5 jobs

[deutschman]

U do know the Nurburgring isn't cheap?

1 lap €26 ( 33.7 dollar )
4 laps €89 ( 115 dollar )
25 laps €490 ( 635 dollar )
Year-card €1,445 ( 1872 dollar )

That's still only about $2/mile

[Deathtoll]

^^ you look like Jerry Shea from Van Wilder!

All of us Costa Ricans look alike.

[Eric]

So... You're considering joining the military because you want to drive the Nurburgring? Are you confused?

That's what I did, what's so wrong about it?

Gotcha, what would be the best career field that you think would get you stationed there?

Choose an AFSC that is needed everywhere, and they need lots of monkeys to do the job. aka. security forces/services/ammo/supply. choosing a more specialized afsc limits your possibilities like metals tech, crew chief, nuclear weapones etc.

I can guarantee you Germany.

Sign up for a job that is needed on every base... Aka Security Forces or Services
Fill out your dream card in basic as such... (1) Korea, (2) Germany... No CONUS bases

If you volunteer for Korea, or practically any sort tour, you'll get it. Short tour = base of preference on way out.

So, go to Korea, save money for a year, go to Germany and have fun.

Best advice in this thread! A couple of cautions about korea though... Don't get sucked in to going out every night or pissing your entire check away in the hooch. Lots of people go there to "save money" and come back broke. Also if you get in trouble there the FIRST thing they take away from you is your base of preference, so keep your nose clean.

For BOP, Spangdahlem is about 35-45 minutes from the ring depending on how fast you drive. Ramstein is about 2 hours from the ring.
Ramstein is much bigger and busier. Spang is quieter with less to do, but also a little less fun. People from Spang go to Ramstein to shop/eat/do stuff.

I wouldn't want to ship my car. Convertible + snow seems like a bad idea.

Maybe several tourings and some good euro parts as well. ;)


Do they speak English on base or should I take a few German classes before joining?

1. I'd sell your car and use that money to find a solid car in germany.
2. Good luck shipping the cars over. You fall under the same rules as anybody else. Car has to be over 25 years old or else pay a ton of money on federalization (ask dirtboy).
3. Yes they speak english and both major bases have been there since the 50's so most locals also speak english. Learning german is really good as a courtesy, but not a limiting factor.

Enlisting, picking a job, finish training, then getting orders to Germany-will most likely never happen. You will be put where manning is needed in your specific AFSC.

I did it.

fire cool guns that I wouldn't be able to in the fascist state of California,

This isn't Transformers dude. You shoot once in basic and not again until you deploy... and it's not that exciting.



Best way to get there is to do what Alex said.

1. Choose a job like services/supply etc. (cop life sucks and you'll spend your off days drinking yourself into a coma and not having fun.)
2. Volunteer for Korea
3. don't get in trouble in Korea
4. enjoy Germany!

[turge]

That's what I did, what's so wrong about it?



Choose an AFSC that is needed everywhere, and they need lots of monkeys to do the job. aka. security forces/services/ammo/supply. choosing a more specialized afsc limits your possibilities like metals tech, crew chief, nuclear weapones etc.

Mmmm.... Nukes... that would be a fun job. lol

Crew Chief would you get you stationed on one of the Heavies correct like the C-17 correct?

Best advice in this thread! A couple of cautions about korea though... Don't get sucked in to going out every night or pissing your entire check away in the hooch. Lots of people go there to "save money" and come back broke. Also if you get in trouble there the FIRST thing they take away from you is your base of preference, so keep your nose clean.

Best way to get there is to do what Alex said.

1. Choose a job like services/supply etc. (cop life sucks and you'll spend your off days drinking yourself into a coma and not having fun.)
2. Volunteer for Korea
3. don't get in trouble in Korea
4. enjoy Germany!

Any other bases besides Korea, or is Korea just a guaranteed switch to whatever base you want afterwards sort of deal?

And what's so bad about being a cop? Hell I'd bring my GoPro and just record and upload stuff to YouTube. I would think being in supply / services would be boring as hell. Although getting stationed on one of the Heavies would be pretty cool. I got to take a tour of the C-17 Globemaster III when I was at the Miramar Air Show last month.

For BOP, Spangdahlem is about 35-45 minutes from the ring depending on how fast you drive. Ramstein is about 2 hours from the ring.
Ramstein is much bigger and busier. Spang is quieter with less to do, but also a little less fun. People from Spang go to Ramstein to shop/eat/do stuff.

So you would prefer Ramstein then? And I take it there are a group of car enthusiasts over there that on their time off take their cars to the ring? If I got stationed there I'd try to go to the ring as often as possible to tone up on my driving skills. And is there anyplace you know of that you can work on cars while your there? As I mentioned I'd want to build a BMW while I am there.

1. I'd sell your car and use that money to find a solid car in germany.
2. Good luck shipping the cars over. You fall under the same rules as anybody else. Car has to be over 25 years old or else pay a ton of money on federalization (ask dirtboy).
3. Yes they speak english and both major bases have been there since the 50's so most locals also speak english. Learning german is really good as a courtesy, but not a limiting factor.

This isn't Transformers dude. You shoot once in basic and not again until you deploy... and it's not that exciting.

But you can go to the range with your service rifle and practice or how does that work?

[Eric]

Mmmm.... Nukes... that would be a fun job. lol

No, no it's not. You are on PRP, and you can only go to St. Louis, HOT ass luisianna, COLD ass north dakota, or if your really really really really lucky, Bueschell which is about 15 minutes from the ring.

Seriously though, PRP is such a pain in the ass, you don't want to be on PRP.

Crew Chief would you get you stationed on one of the Heavies correct like the C-17 correct?

Crew Chief is also a shitty shitty job. Besides the horrid hours and treatment flighline maintainers receive, they get shredded out in tech school. That means that a letter is attached to their AFSC. If you are shredded out to F16's, then you can only go to F16 bases. Shredded out to C5's and you can only go to C5 bases etc. You have to go back to school for training in a different shred, so crew chiefs often get stuck on the same airframe until they become SNCO's.

If you think working on plane for 14 hours a day in a blizzard on a Sunday is a good time, then crew chief is the job for you!

Any other bases besides Korea, or is Korea just a guaranteed switch to whatever base you want afterwards sort of deal?

Any base that is a short tour, which currently is both Osan and Kunsan in Korea, Anderson in Guam, and Qatar or Afghanistan. You won't get the last two as a new airman, those are usually for SNCO's.

Any time you do a 12 month tour without your family, you get "base of preference." This doesn't mean that you are guaranteed the base you want, it just means that your moved to the top of the list of eligible people to go to that base. If you pick nukes, your job cannot go to spang or ramstein, so you wouldn't be eligible (wouldn't be in korea w/ that job either...). If the base that you put on your preference list needs somebody in your rank and your AFSC at the time you are scheduled to leave Korea, then you and others on a short tour are at the top of the list to be chosen.

And what's so bad about being a cop? Hell I'd bring my GoPro and just record and upload stuff to YouTube. I would think being in supply / services would be boring as hell. Although getting stationed on one of the Heavies would be pretty cool. I got to take a tour of the C-17 Globemaster III when I was at the Miramar Air Show last month.

Pretty sure the Gopro thing isn't allowed for privacy reasons. and being a cop sucks sucks sucks. Ask Alexw about his time as a cop in the AF. He's a bit of a hate lifer ( celmer told me so :D ) but he will give you an honest opinion of korea, being a cop, and being a cop in korea.

The basic reasons why being a cop sucks
1. the lowest asvab score cuttofs to get in... you get some really dumb co-workers.
2. you work at the gate as an airman which is a shitty job
3. you work 12 hours on the gate, your relief needs to do stand-up and turn in on either side, so your day turns into 14-15 hours all the time.
4. nobody is there to relieve you, so you need to schedule your appointments on your days off. Normal AF just goes to an appointment when it's made.
5. you deploy a lot. Cool if your single, but gets old really quick.
6. those idiot co-workers who barely passed the asvab and security forces was their only option? Well eventially those people make rank and become your boss. You put this smiley to real life just about every day.

So you would prefer Ramstein then? And I take it there are a group of car enthusiasts over there that on their time off take their cars to the ring? If I got stationed there I'd try to go to the ring as often as possible to tone up on my driving skills. And is there anyplace you know of that you can work on cars while your there? As I mentioned I'd want to build a BMW while I am there.

There are positives and negatives to both. I really liked the area and the local food of spangdahlem, but I bet I'd find some great places in the KMC area too. My co-worker that was stationed there says that there were too many americans in the ramstein/kmc area. This can be good and bad I guess.

You can do HPDE's through the BMWCCA right now to "tone up" your driving skills... This will help you on the ring later on too.

Just a word of caution, I personally saw almost a dozen americans wreck their cars at the ring. Most had zero on track experience before going, and thought that just cause the drove a cool car, they could handle the ring. AARMCO is expensive, about 300 euro a linear foot, and nobody takes out just a foot worth.

Both bases have an auto skills center. You can rent a lift and crappy over-used tools for a couple of bucks an hour. It's really convenient and a cool perk of being stationed over there. If you leave your car on the lift, they charge $25 a night for an overnight fee, and the normal hourly rate while the shop is open, so a long term build gets expensive fast. With that said, member OTT built a quick little E30 basically out of the junk yard, and he's now running sub 9 minute BTG times at the ring!

But you can go to the range with your service rifle and practice or how does that work?

This isn't vietnam, you are not issued a service rifle. You shoot once in bootcamp, then you don't shoot again until you deploy. If your unlucky enough to be a cop, then you shoot more often, but the novelty wears off quickly. The range isn't open for just anybody, and you cannot use it unless you are in the training class. Volgelweigh, about 10 minutes away from Ramstein had a gun club/shooting range that you could go to, but you pay about the same price as going to a shooting range here in the states.

Also, owning a gun in germany is VERY expensive and very very rare for an american. The germans last little conflict with guns kinda left a bad taste in the worlds mouth...

[e30_luv_]

To echo what all the other members shared about getting Germany, it's difficult.

My experience with it, as an ROTC cadet[punk] and a nursing student, we get to participate in a NSTP [Nursing Summer Training Program] and have a few options in the CONUS and some non-CONUS, Landstuhl in Germany, Tripler in Hawaii, and Brian Allgood in South Korea. Everyone and their grandmother wants to go to Germany, who wouldn't? Great beer, beautiful women, wonderful country, and if your a car nut, the obvious Nordschleife. To get Landstuhl is another story in itself. You have to be the fittest, brightest, grade A stuff to get it.

After commissioning, the Army 'highly' suggests CONUS duty station, Ft. Bliss in Texas for example, yet I digress.

Moral of the story is, Germany is the tits, everyone wants the tits, very few get the tits, so I'm choosing Korea :)

[M-technik-3]

This thread went down the tubes. Marines have VERY limited posts in Germany. Army and USAF has the most there and then there is Navy at Stuttgart.

The job you choose and the slots per grade/skill level is what every career field factor choice I have had.

I can say I have been doing this longer than nearly any R3V member.

[turge]

This thread went down the tubes. Marines have VERY limited posts in Germany. Army and USAF has the most there and then there is Navy at Stuttgart.

The job you choose and the slots per grade/skill level is what every career field factor choice I have had.

I can say I have been doing this longer than nearly any R3V member.

What Army jobs are in Germany?

[Eric]

Dont go army.

[Exodus_2pt0]

That's what I did, what's so wrong about it?

If your sole purpose of joining the Military was so you could drive on a race track, that seems a little counter-intuitive. It's more likely that you joined the Military because you felt an urge to, and just so happened to get to a place that you could drive.

The military does not care about what you want, you sign up and become their tool. If you think that you got what you wanted because you asked, you are wrong. You got what you wanted because they felt you could serve a need there.

Don't get me wrong, I have friends who have served and LOVED it. I have a feeling they loved it because they joined to serve, not drive around a race track.

[M-technik-3]

What Army jobs are in Germany?

These days, it's scaling down to very limited as many Army folks have noted compared to day 2 decades ago. USAF is in Poland, Romania, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and UK plus Amsterdam and other few other places.

It's based upon your AFSC. Yan, Eric and a few others have talked about it. I have done 26 years in the USAF and had a great time of it.

Granted others look at me me and freak but I like my job and the Aircrew life,

[mikeedler]

The Army isn't that bad, I did 8 years, 6 of which were here in Germany. BUT I would do it all differently now that I am older and wiser though.
def. join the AF and when you do, look for a job that will make you money when you leave the service.

there's tons of Army jobs over here, but most being mechanic type of jobs in the southern part of Germany, as well as infantry/ engineer/building jobs. Maybe try the medical/dental field if possible?- those people are everwhere.

I was a 13M MLRS crewmember.... I was in a tracked vehicle that shot rockets and missles.-- sounds ultra cool when your 18 to run shit over in a tank an blow crap up huh!!!!
wrong, it was a terrible choice, that when I left the military, helped me with nothing in the real world (tracked earthmovers are'nt opperated anything like army "tanks")


When I was in the Army over here, I didn't speak the language, and had no connections, so it was VERY difficult to do any car stuff without paying a ton of money. If you meet the right people, it all gets so much easier.


I came over here single, and met my awesome now wife, who talked to the right people and got my foot in the door at a dealership/BMW schooling over here for free, even though at the time I didn't speak any German. Try to find out as much as possible before signing anything.

[rogue38]

First and for most decide what career you want! Do not take whatever is available or what is available anywhere. You could regret that for a long while. Yes you could go just about anywhere (Hawaii, Germany, Florida, etc.) or you could go just about anywhere (Thule, Greenland, Diego Garcia, Iceland, Kuwait, etc.)

Skycops (Security Police) eat their own. I have talked to many of them and they regret that decision.

Crew Chief is a very rewarding career. You are involved with all aspects of aircraft maintenance and have a lot of responsibility. You also get to travel with your airplane (mostly the heavy’s C-130:p, C-17, C-5, KC-135, etc.), which is a blast and if you don’t go overboard can get you extra cash for your car. Also heavy aircraft maintenance give you experience for work with civilian companies after you get out.

What career you choose is something to consider, because you will eventually return to civilian life. Yes it may be 5, 10, or 20+ years later, but you want to do something you enjoy. You do have to option of changing career fields while in, but it depends on availability. If you get into a hard to fill specialty you could be stuck.

Always remember the needs of the military come first.
There is no guaranteed way to get to Germany. The remote/short tour is a good option for base of preference follow on assignment. Make sure you’re the bases you choose on your dream sheet have the career fields or aircraft you want to work in, as well as where you want to be.

Unless thing have changed in order to ship a car back from overseas you have to take one over, or something like that. Not positive on that.

Another import thing to remember, get your college work done in your off time. Success is not in the bottom of a bottle, and running the clubs won’t help either. Ask me how I know this. I drank and partied my first 4 years away. I joined to go to school in my off time and become a pilot. Shot that dream all to hell.


I spent time as a KC-135A/Q Crew Chief and the rest of my career as a legacy C-130 Flight Engineer. Aside from not becoming a pilot, my only other regret is not doing an overseas tour. I have been deployed and temporary duty all over. Germany is one of my favorites. I retire this summer after 27+ years.

Ramstein AB, has most of the Air Force career fields, and flies the C-130J. But transient maintenance of most aircraft is available.