IamA soldier in Afghanistan. There is nothing special about me, I am absolutely NOT a hero, I am just a human. AMA!

[deleted]

I know man believe me. I just had to sit through a meeting with my CO about how much our General wants to thank us for helping the community. Please, thats the last thing we're doing.

OP is verified.

thank you very much

My brother went overseas twice - once to Afghanistan, and once to Iraq - for the Marine Corps. I remember how shitty bored he was - is there anyone in your division that doesn't have family or friends sending him letters from home? I was a pretty good pen pal back in the day, if I do say so myself.

No my company is pretty well taken care of. I appreciate the gesture though.

My best friend is out in the sand box with you. Try not to be too bored

We like to call it moon dust lol. The dirt out here is literally SO FINE that sweeping is almost impossible; it floats in the air.

I'd hate to think what such fine powder would do to Engines and machinery. . . shudders

It does gunk up the works every now and then.

What kind of boots do you wear? Are they the Army issued boots or have you purchased your own? Also, what kind of boots do you see your colleagues wearing in Afghanistan and do you have any recommendations for or against any types?

I just recently bought a new pair actually. Rocky SV2 Coyote Brown. Super comfortable. I will NEVER EVER wear Army issue boots ever again. They're cheap, flimsy, and are absolutely painful. After basic training, i threw away every pair they gave me and bought my own. A lot of people wear the kind I bought, I see Nike a lot, and Blackhawk is a good brand. Before i deployed I owned a set of Blackhawks that I had worn through mud, sand, ice, and snow for two years. The only reason i got rid of them was because I was told I couldn't use that type over here, they lied.

Awesome, thanks for your input. I'm in the market for new boots and am always interested in what you guys are wearing overseas. I'd say you guys are putting the most wear and tear into footwear so you are the best resource around.

Anytime!

I bought the Nike's... It took a lot of time and blisters to break them in, but damn I'd run a PT Test in them if I needed to.

Yeah the Nikes are super lightweight, I've never owned them, but when i get back in the states I might get them.

What have you found to be the most significant sacrifices you've made, and what are some of the biggest rewards?

The biggest is family. I missed out on most of my younger brothers best accomplishments. I'm currently engaged, but I might've been married by now had I not joined. I've been gone from home for 3 years, and only been home on a handful of occasions. But, I made lifelong friends who I love, and I prepared myself better than I ever could've for the real world.

Thank you for your service, and for answering my question. You guys are so damn brave.

Thank you, and anytime!

As a guy who has a bunch of family and friends in the military and hears A LOT of funny stories while in service, what are some of your funny stories?

Well recently there was a 5K run here on our base, my buddy ran the entire thing wearing a horse head mask lol. He was pouring sweat when he got done but it was great. We havn't done any great pranks yet, but I'm looking forward to that.

do you suffer from any sort of PTSD?

No not at all. Never been in combat.

What do you think of the war where you are now serving?

What was your position before you joined? If your position changed what made you change your mind?

I don't approve of it. I personally think the government should leave everyone else alone and fix our own problems. And yes I realize we were dragged into this war through no fault of our own, but I think we've done all we can do at this point. I do not think it is the governments job to play world police. Before I joined I don't think I had a position. I definitely wasn't against it, but I wasn't for it either. I changed my position because I want peace. This planet has NEVER seen human peace and I don't think it ever will, but our government is trying to police the world, and it's simply not capable. It just doesn't work.

Thanks for enlisting and serving. Lord knows it's not the job for me. Even non-combat positions.

Thanks for the support! I don't think that thought ever crossed my mind before I left. Once your in, your in :)

What made you want to enlist?

At the time, I was just finishing a VERY expensive first year in college. One day I was sitting around and thought, why not. So I went to go talk to a recruiter and heard my future schooling would be free! Thats about it.

What was your understanding of the military THEN, and how does it compare to your understanding of the military NOW?

HUGE difference. I always had a huge interest in WWII stuff (planes and guns), but I had NO idea what the military was about at all before I joined. Before I joined I used to think it was cool to see military personnel wearing uniforms at the airport, now I find it annoying. Its the little stuff like that where my perspective has completely changed. Also, i try not to tell strangers about me being in the Army, it feels like I'm bragging or trying to earn respect. But it does feel good when my parents brag about me.

Could you give a little more insight on what it feels like to be "on the other side" in terms of civilians and personnel sharing the same space? I've seen personnel in their uniforms, too, and I wonder what a day must be like for them...because I'm definitely not the only person staring at them.

Well I definitely feel more comfortable when I'm just on base and not leaving my work area. Civilians know when someones in the military and it really just kind of feels awkward being around strangers when they know you're military. I try not to travel in uniform but somehow I always get offers to have someone buy my lunch. I'd say its more uncomfortable being around strangers, to me anyway. I've been in for 3 years. Still not completely over it.

What's been a "day in the life" for you lately?

Lol its funny you should ask. I'm on night shift and I watch the network to make sure it doesn't fall out or anything. So my exact schedule for the past month has been, waking up, getting to work, eating dinner, watching movies and reading all night to stay awake, surfing reddit, getting off work, watching a little more tv, and going to sleep again. 12 hours on and 12 hours off. I do the same thing everyday.

Whats the weather like in Afghanistan?

Usually clear and sunny. It's very comfortable right now, its cool outside, the sun is just now coming up. But it gets VERY windy in the middle of the day where I'm at. It never gets too hot, occasionally it rains, and when it does it always lasts all day.

Was the army the same as you thought it to be?

Why did you enlist?

Do you regret enlisting?

Would you recommend armed service for someone at some point in their life or the national guard?

Yes it was. I enlisted for the benefits and the stable job. I don't regret enlisting it was a great experience. I would recommend it to my own family if they told me they were thinking about it. There's a lot of great things to benefit from in the service.

This is really a lot more honesty than I usually see from service members. "I enlisted for the benefits and the stable job". Not the whole "wanted to serve my country" thing. I hate that. Soldiering is a job, it's a respectable enough job, and there's no reason to make it into some heroic thing unless the guy somehow distinguishes himself as a hero.

Exactly. I do have patriotism, but that is not why I joined the Army. Thank you for seeing that, these other military AMA's were annoying me so I thought I'd do my own.

What does your job entail?

My MOS (job) is 25N, which means I am a Joint Network Node Operator. I'm basically like an IT guy. I set up computer networks wherever needed. I give communications so other soldiers can do their jobs better.

What's the best thing about the Afghan people, so far? I mean, anything- do you really like their food, are their girls pretty, do you see their kids as being pretty good, do you like the music there?

What's the worst thing about them?

I know one of the major exports of Afghanistan is heroin and other opiates... do a lot of the people use drugs, or is it mostly just a production thing?

Is it legal to drink? Do you?

What's the worst thing that's happened to you, or that you've seen happen? How did you get over it and continue going about your day?

They're kids are nuts. They play these 'chicken' games where they like to run in front of convoys and shit. Almost hit one. Never seen anything like it, no parents around, they just wander the streets. I dont get to talk to the people much, but they do a good job of washing and folding my laundry. The worst thing is that you can't tell which ones are the terrorists until its too late. A lot of the people do use the drugs, that's why their hair is sometimes bright orange or blood red, its really strange to see, they're beards are completely unnatural colors sometimes. It is not legal to drink, although some of the other nationality armed forces get to drink an allowance, we dont though. They sell near beer here and every now and then I'll buy some to go with a cigar. It tastes like beer minus the alcohol, exactly what you might think, not good. Nothing terrible has happened to me so far and I havn't seen anything bad either. Completely combat free.

Hey man. In currently contemplating dropping out from college and joining the military. I am an engineering student and am looking into combat engineers. Any advise? Thanks for what you do.

i forget what the cap is but honestly, i would look into going to college, getting a degree, and letting the military pay it off. When i was in that option was there. The basically pay off your loans, up to whatever the cap is, and you only pay the interest on it. Its worth a shot.

Yes that is true, and yes that is still an option. But for me, the benefit of getting 36 months of free education was a much better sounding option than accruing debt over 4 years of tuition. And i don't think there is a cap if you choose to do it the way I am doing it and doing school after military.

Post 9-11 GI Bill is great. When I'm done with my BS I'll still have enough to cover my masters.

I Know! I can't wait to use it. I'm looking forward to the E-5 BAH too. I'll barely need any of my own money!

Yesssssss be an engineer...... totally same thing

The reason I want to join is for the same reason OP did. I'm at a university which is super expensive and I think I would rather serve then go to college if I don't make the military my career. What branch do you reccomend? (From your experiences what do you think is my best route for achieving a fun career in the military, or should I stay in school?)

Air Force Biomedical Equipment Technician here, I would say the the Air Force is the easiest branch to be in. You dont have to put up with the Army bullshit, OP knows what I am talking about. Make sure your job is something that can get transfered into the civilian job market. The Air Force has an accredited community college where you can earn your degree if you dont have one. I signed for six years and am about 1 year away from separating. Remember, whatever your job is, you are going to get deployed. Right now I am also sitting in Afghanistan.

Hahahaha awesome post.

If you want combat, be a combat engineer, I know plenty of them and they all love it. What kinds of things do you like to do? I could tell you what you'd enjoy. Since you're studying engineering, I bet you'd like to be UAV pilot. Its very technical and you get to see a lot of cool shit

I love building things. I built robots for a 4 years in high school and loved every minute of it. They ranged in weight from (10 lbs mini robots to 200 lbs fighting bots) I'm a very technical person. Who loves the occasional adrenaline rush. A UAV pilot would be cool! But I'm tempted to do a more boots on a the ground role. Would UAV be mainly Air Force?

No the Army has UAV's too. They just got a great new one I believe. The training is like a year long, minus basic training. You'll get plenty of boot time in the Army. There's a couple other technical things out there I'm sure you'd like.

Awesome!! Okay I'm going to go research this thanks man! I'll keep you posted!

There's also stuff like aviation mechanics that's very technical and I'm sure you'd be great at it. It would make you feel like you're doing something greater than yourself, and with your hands. I like working with my hands.

Anytime, no problem at all. Good luck with your decision.

What was the last thing that made you cry?

Umm probably breaking up with my girlfriend, I cant really remember. My group of friends and I all drink a ton on the weekends back in the states so it could've been anything lol.

What is the scariest situation you have ever been in over there?

Well I've only been over here for about four months and I've never directly encountered any danger. Sometimes I can hear rocket attacks coming in, but they're never any close. The scariest thing that happened to me was when i was sleeping and the Army did a 'Simulated Attack' drill and set off a few fake bombs outside my tent. That woke me up pretty quick. The drill is meant to prepare us for the actual event. I was never in any danger, but it was the loudest thing I've ever heard, plus I was asleep and I didn't know it was fake.

Im only a freshman in highschool, but my dad served and my brother is now and it seems like a great way to get a good education. I considered joining when I graduate but I don't really want to be a military person. Do they have solely academic positions that don't require signing off a few years of your life to get?

No. If your talking about working for the military without being IN the military, then theres a million different contractors that work with us and love it because they get paid so much, but most of them have background experience in the military. And the military is not going to pay for your college without SOME service. Three or four years isn't so bad though. Life is pretty normal for me. I'm almost done and it's kind of flown by to be honest.

I'm not sure this has been answered, but will you miss being in the military?

Absolutely I will. The military is a way of life. I've shared the ups and down with the same crew and family for 3 years. Guys who have made me better and helped me enjoy life more. People I've shared new experiences with. People I love. It's a part of me now and without it it's definitely going to be different.

I love this answer. Thank you for responding.

A part of me has always wanted to join the Australian Defence Force... but I feel that the military life wouldn't suit! Hah!

Thank You! It's definitely different at first and not always suited for everyone, but its an experience I'm VERY happy to have had.

Finally, a soldier doing an AMA that isn't an NCO or officer. I'm getting chaptered soon, but I wish you the best of luck out there, brother. I deployed once to Iraq for 4 months for a bs deployment, but it was an awesome experience. Keep up the good work!

Hahaha that was my goal. I noticed how annoying these other military AMA's were and thought I should do my own. Good luck to you too man!

What do you miss most about home? Family aside.

My friends. Drinking. Hot wings. Going to concerts and sports games. Pretty much anything that I can't do here. I liked to go out and do stuff on the weekends. Here, I can't go out, and there are no weekends.

I'm crackin a cold one in Canada for you right now. Stay safe southern brother.

Awesome man! Well appreciated!

no hot wings? that hit home with me.

Yeah, it's tough. Everyday is a challenge without the fiery goodness.

Iraq vet here. Thanks for your service! PS: That 9/11 GI Bill is FATTTTTTTT :D

LOL! Damn right it is! Stay cool man

What is your standard issue?

Standard issue what? Weapon? I carry an M4 with a little red dot sight.

Yup, weapon. No sidearm?

No. Usually only officers or soldiers who walk with officers carry a sidearm. The officers have M4's too, they just never carry them.

Air Force here, I am enlisted and carry a M9 and my M4. I am also in Afghanistan.

Cool deal brother. What do you?

Willing to bet they are Security Forces since they mentioned both. Even in places like Iraq and Afghanistan it wasn't SOP to arm the others with an M9 and an M4 whenever I was there. Of course, things do change all the time.

Yeah its usually Personnel Security Teams who need the M9's, but the chaplains assistants also carry both since chaplains dont kill.

What kind of advice do you have for those who have just enlisted/are in an RSP Program other than the whole "Work out every day" things? I've been becoming more and more active each day, studying the Soldiers Creed/Ethos/Army Values and trying to better incorporate them in my life, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm not mentally ready yet.

You'll do fine man. No one is ever prepared for it it just comes to you when your in your first part of training. You will learn everything there. They do much better job at training you than you can by trying to prep yourself. I went in blind, and once you get over the shock of it, its not so bad. I promise you'll look back after its over and think how cool it was. Nobody ever goes into the military perfect, you dont want to be that guy anyway. The only thing I can recommend is to get used to not relying on anyone except for yourself, for the time being.

Thanks for your reply. My brother has told me in the past "There's a method to their madness, listen to the Drill Instructors". Idk, I guess it's just pre-game jitters.

Hahaha definitely. And he's totally right. You can't mentally prep yourself for that stuff, they're trained to be mind blowing and they're good at it. You'll be fine. After you get used to being there, you'll start to like it.

I won't waste any more of your time friend. I appreciate what you've told me today.

Anytime! Good luck with your ventures!

Hey thank you for being there! My sister came home last year, sending her back in October. If you message me your info I send kick ass care packages! Be safe!

Haha awesome! I appreciate the gesture but I'm fine. My fiancee just sent me a bunch of Ramen noodles and Pringles chips!

Ok! I wasn't trying to be weird, I just know when my sister was over there I sent her and her friends a bunch of stuff!

Oh no it's fine, I didn't take it as weird! I just don't want to get fat!

What's army food like?

It's not the Army's food, but over here it's hit or miss. Friday's are surf and turf (steak and crab legs). Every other day is blah. It's about as good as I can expect to eat back at Fort Drum, NY, their food was Army food. And lame at that. The local nationals cook our food over here. Mostly Russians, Afghans, and Pakistanis.

Hah! I was stationed in Diego Garcia for a few months... we had Make your own Pizza night on Fridays... It's amazing the crap one looks forward to on deployment.

Whats Diego Garcia? And yeah, I keep a steady supply of hot sauce on hand for whatever crap I eat.

Nothing special about you, other than literally signing your life away in service to our country. No, nothing special about that.

Please don't put down that sacrifice. Surely you know that bad things happen in theater.

The only thing I'm sacrificing over here is Taco Bell. I'm in no imminent danger and I sit at a desk all day. I appreciate support from everyone who gives it, but the idea that I 'signed my life away' is a drastic exaggeration. I would reserve that for someone who has been in for 20 years. I've only got 3, and I havn't yet 'sacrificed' anything that any civilian hasn't. And I surely don't plan on dying over here so as far I'm concerned I have not sacrificed it.

This is a very refreshing AMA for the honesty and candor. I find that many people have a sort of hero worship, while many soldiers tend to just say thanks and lap it up. In the early days of the Iraq war, I recall many Americans accusing other Americans of not "supporting the troops" because they were critical of the war. That has largely passed, but the mythos of "every soldier is a hero" remains.

Unfortunately that is one of the major barriers to having a realistic view of war is a realistic view of the job, which only people who have served can give. You're doing a very big thing by acknowledging that it is not heroic nor special.

Thank you.

Cool ranch Doritos tacos. Yep.

OMG THEY HAVE THOSE NOW?!!!?! Man I REALLY want one. When I left it was just nacho cheese and I don't like those.

They do indeed good sir.

Oh man, what other wicked shit am I missing out on in the states?

a depression?

Hahaha I caught the first half of that one already!

It's interesting to hear from someone who is actually serving speaking with such honesty about their experience. The hero worship some people display seems a bit unhinged at times.

Thanks for the interesting AMA. Stay safe.

Absolutely! Thanks for the support!

Be safe and keep your head on a swivel. Remember the enemy hopes to find you complacent. :) Thanks for doing this AMA.

Always. Thanks for the support!

What would you recommend for a guy who is, quite frankly, short and not buff. I'm about 5'7, not weak, but not muscular. I'm in college now and considering joining a branch of the military for the stable job, but worry about my own height by being the shrimp around a bunch of giants haha.

I'm only 5' 10", most people in the Army are not particularly tall, and we are definitely NOT all buff. I'm a pretty average guy. I weigh 175 and can barely bench press my own weight. I know a lot of smaller dudes who do just fine. As long as you can pass what the regulations state you must weigh for your height and can pass a PT test, you'll be fine.

If you had to choose any other MOS, what would it be?

Thanks for your service!

I love flying so that ones easy, I would be a OH-58D pilot. Its an Army helicopter, specifically a Kiowa. First I would have to be an officer. So if I couldn't be an officer I would be a UAV pilot which is about as close as I could get being enlisted.

Thanks for the reply! That's really neat - just googled the Kiowas. Mean machines!

Did you find that when you went to enlist, you were given a slew of options as to what you could do, or did you feel pressured to go to certain MOSs based on what "open spots" the recruiter had available?

When i went to talk to the recruiter, they did this thing where they tell you what they have open, and they ask you to pick. This is why I tell everyone that's thinking of joining to take someone in the military with them to the recruiter, so they can't be bullied. The truth is, is that you can have any job you want, there just has to be a slot open. So if there isn't a slot open, just tell the recruiter to keep you updated, and leave. You're not going to want to do a job for multiple years that you don't want to do. I originally signed up for 89D (Explosive ordnance disposal) because I felt pressured, but then I changed my mind and picked something I was more interested in.

I'm currently at NKC. The Taliban spring just started so keep your head on a swivel.

Many people think that its all over and we are killing time but THIS was just September of last year. They are still capable.

What's NKC? And yeah I'm aware of the fighting season, I'm always ready. That attack was NUTS.

When I have looked at Afghanistan on google earth it is somewhat of an amazing landscape, ribbed mountain ridges running valleys of streams, hedged by villages. I guess what i would like to ask is what are the people like? I know you come from a somewhat restricted position(not there for holiday), but would be interested in hearing what you have to think. Thanks for your time.

I havn't talked to the people much so I couldn't tell you. But I do wish i could come here for a winter vacation. The skiing looks like its intense.

I wish I was there, stuck in a year long training cycle though. Hope I get a chance to go out there before we all pull back out.

Keep your ear to the ground, units know when theyre gonna leave before its announced. If it sounds like theyre prepping for something, they probably are.

Thank you. Stay safe.

Will do. Thank YOU for the support!

Thanks for your service. I really appreciate the sacrifices you have made to keep us safe

Thank you for your support.

My dad (a relatively senior State Department diplomat) served there from 2011 to 2012. I don't have any questions for you, I just want to thank you for doing what you do, which helped keep him safe so he could make it back home.

Thats awesome! What did he do over here, generally speaking?

He was working in Transition (with a capital T, yes) -- coordinating with military, government, etc, trying to get the eventual complete handover of governance and security to the Afghans to run as smoothly as possible

That's great. Stuff like that is what's gonna get us out of here as fast as possible.

Exactly. And you guys kept him safe, so thank you.

Well tell him I said thanks, thank YOU!

Proof? Please see the sidebar for details on proof. If your proof must remain confidential, please message the moderators.

Which moderator should I message?

What I believe, anyone.

I did it a couple minutes ago, thanks for the heads up.

This has been said already and probably sounds meaningless by now, but I want to just say thanks for everything you do for me and everyone else back at home.

Thank you and I appreciate the support

What branch are you currently serving in? MOS?

US Army - 25N

I am considering joining the militairy to help out with college and to save up some money. No need to get personally specific, but what is they pay like for joining up? I am unsure of which job I would like but likley infantry or a mechanic of some sort. Thanks brother and stay safe!

It's not personal at all, our salaries are posted all over the internet. http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp Depending on your rank and time in service, this is the current pay scale for military. I'm an E-4 (Specialist) in the Army with 3 years time in service. So i make $2193.90. When I had just enlisted, i had less than 2 years in service and I was an E-1, so I was making $1516.20 every month.

Thanks! With the way cutbacks are going how do you see tuition and salaries changing in the next couple of years?

Well I THINK that the salaries are always increased every year. Its a small percentage like 1.5%, but I don't think they have cut salaries and I don't think they will. As far as tuition goes, they just recently cut our Tuition Assistance program, which is a great program for soldiers taking college while in the military, but they soon reinstated it after a HUGE fuss was made. The government is making cuts everywhere it can and I think we will lose SOME benefits eventually, I'm just not sure where.

Looks like I'll have to see how it goes. Thanks for the advice. Best wishes from Iowa, good luck over there, and safe travels when you're headed back home. Cheers Brother!

Good luck to you too brother!

be safe brother

Will do, thanks for your support!

So how close are you to FOB Shank?

I'm not exactly sure. I'm in RC-East, Paktika province. Is that close to you?

Let's see, i have been in Bagram, Shirana, Shank, and some i cant spell lol

I've been to Bagram, Sharana, and Rushmore.

Im sorry about Sharana, that shit is a hell hole. I was there in april back in '09, there was fucking nothing but a tent for the defac, and some razor wire for a barrier. And it was over 100 degrees. I dunno how it is now, but it cant be much better. Bagram is nice, what with the Bk and Disney ave, where you have to salute to damn everyone, and everyone shits themselves with incoming.

Hahaha. Sharana is not so bad now. The dfac is lame, but we have a coffee shop and a tiny PX for essentials and near beer. Its not hot yet, I hope it doesnt get hot anytime soon, I sleep during the day and work nights. Bagram is GREAT. They have a BBQ ONLY dfac alongside a regular DFAC, and yeah while I was there I ate subway damn near everyday.

Awww shit, sharana has a green bean now, you guys get all the best stuff. I'm glad it has been built up. I hope but nothing for the best for you guys.

Haha yeah we got a green bean, run by a nice Indian guy, he always plays Indian MTV in it. Great coffee though. We're comfortable here. Thanks man!

Anybody talk of Bowe over there?

Yes actually. All of our computers have screen savers with his picture, information about him, and where he was last known to be.

I think I last saw him on liveleak. I'd just really like to know exactly what the hell happened and why.

Rolling Stone did a good article on him if you can find it. Basically, he felt very outcast from his organization and he didn't like the job he was doing. He was infantry and he didn't like the fact that he wasn't helping people the way he was told he'd be helping people. One day he simply walked off the base on his own will. He was seen walking the streets of the nearby town outside his post and picked up by the Taliban. After they realized he was gone they looked all over for him from the sky but didn't catch any good leads on him. He is believed to still be alive.

Yeah, I dont see us actively looking for him in that case.

They are. I can't say whether or not its a priority as its been over 2 years since he has been gone, but I don't think they have given up.

From one human to another, thank you.

Thank you for your support!