Ask Any Military Question

[Kerfuffle]

Somethings I always wanted to know:



1) The Navy has 'Navy Seals' as their elite. The army has 'Green Berets'. What do the Marines and Airforce have that are equivalent? Is their a certain designation for their elite teams?

2) How is military pay structured? Obviously rank is involved. But does it go by years of service too and higher pay for war experience, etc? Are there bonuses for combat duty?

3) Wife has friend who has son that did 3 tours in Iraq so far. He's in the Marines. On tour #3 he missed his flight and reported late by one day. The military demoted him and cut his pay. Is that normal? Both seem rather harsh, especially cause the cut in pay impacts his wife and kid more at home than him.

4) What's boot camp life? Utter hell? And how do you get through it?

5) If someone is 'dishonorably discharged' is there anyway they can request to be reinstated and apply again or is it permanent?

 

[bubbleheadchief]

Somethings I always wanted to know:



1) The Navy has 'Navy Seals' as their elite. The army has 'Green Berets'. What do the Marines and Airforce have that are equivalent? Is their a certain designation for their elite teams?

2) How is military pay structured? Obviously rank is involved. But does it go by years of service too and higher pay for war experience, etc? Are there bonuses for combat duty?

3) Wife has friend who has son that did 3 tours in Iraq so far. He's in the Marines. On tour #3 he missed his flight and reported late by one day. The military demoted him and cut his pay. Is that normal? Both seem rather harsh, especially cause the cut in pay impacts his wife and kid more at home than him.

4) What's boot camp life? Utter hell? And how do you get through it?

5) If someone is 'dishonorably discharged' is there anyway they can request to be reinstated and apply again or is it permanent?

Let me preface this by something that has been said before, Google works...dont mean that to be insulting or anything of that nature. And also, my perspective is Navy.

1. Marines have Marine Recon and "Spec Ops Regiment" Air force has ParaRescue and a couple other special C&C units (Command and Control)

2. Base Military pay is based on paygrade AND time in service. You get bonuses for various other things. "War experience" by itself, not that I am aware of. However, if you're in a combat zone(called Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger) you get extra pay. During my career I got sea pay and sub pay, and at various times I got Hostile Fire pay. There are bonuses for being nuke trained, medical field pay, flight pay....and various others.

3. Depends on the circumstances......not enough detail to tell you yes it was warranted or not.

4. Boot Camp depends on the person, you make it what it is. As long as you realize there is a reason for everything, then you'll be fine.

5. Yes there is, again depends on the situation, HOWEVER, the odds on it are next to non-existent. I want to say that the percentages are less then 5% they get changed. You have to understand there is a long drawn out process you have to go through to take someone to the point of getting a BCD. That is if the fucktard didnt make it easy, like dealing drugs, murder, theft or things of that nature.

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

Delta Force is considered the Army "elite", but they are just another cog in Army Special Forces which includes the Green (Commando primary, most other SF designations of Army's 6 SF tasks), Tan (Rangers, used to be black), Maroon (Airborne-ish), Yellow (Recon\Cav), and Blue (Air Assault\Intel) Berets.



Yellow and Blue are not as used as much thanks to the change to the Black Beret and most of the unit starting to use them internally in the early 90's when the Army was restructuring their SF's due the realization that the branches should be working together (Somalia accentuated that need).



I personally earned a Maroon, Yellow, and Blue. Got the black by default...







Other than that BHC is spot on with the rest. For me basic training was a piece of cake since I went in with the expectations that I wanted to learn what they were teaching me and I wanted a leadership role. The reality is that I never really got messed with since I did what was asked exactly as asked, didn't fight the trainers, learned-followed-recited-pushed-taught the rule book. I also was very physically capable of what was asked.



I also attended before stress cards and when physicality was still hidden (never will forget the paddle upside the K-pot while training on the range). Probably the worse I got, and funniest, was when I was a platoon "guide" and got fired from the job every time someone missed a target on the practice range (included 10 push-ups), and rehired as soon as the person that missed hit a target (included 10 crab crawls). Learned that was their attempt to "break me". Just took it in stride and smiled.

 

[JOVE23]

How do you active duty/recent vets/whoever feel about the Army sitting on its hands re: the M4 and 5.56 ammo that lacks the stopping power of 7.62?

 

[BigPete]

Biscuit: Delta is not Army any more. It is simply Department of Defense. They are still mostly Army SF types, but they do recruit SEALs, PJs, and Force Recon guys too.

 

[BigPete]

How do you active duty/recent vets/whoever feel about the Army sitting on its hands re: the M4 and 5.56 ammo that lacks the stopping power of 7.62?

The 5.56 is used because it does more damage to a victim. It tumbles upon entry tearing up more inside the body cavity and hopefully bouncing around a bit.

 

[BigPete]

DOD pay scales:

http://www.dfas.mil/dfas/militarymembers.html

 

[JOVE23]

The 5.56 is used because it does more damage to a victim. It tumbles upon entry tearing up more inside the body cavity and hopefully bouncing around a bit.

I always heard complaints from soldiers that they could put multiple rounds into a baddie and he wouldn't drop. I'll have to ask some of my buds if that's what their complaint was with 5.56.

 

[Kerfuffle]

Does the military provide any bullet-proof vests and if so why not? Too expensive? Not sure if these would stop scrapnel coming through and obviously would be useless against a IED. But to stop gun fire or scrapnel - why not?



I should add that while in college my roommate was an army vet of the First Gulf War in 1991. He said some guys in his unit bought their own bullet proof vests which I thought was odd cause you'd think the military would provide that. He said he didn't have one himself cause it would only stop small arms fire and that the bullets being fired would go straight through. I don't know whether that was accurate or not.

 

[BigPete]

Yes, all combat troops and those going near combat are given pretty good protection from small arms fire as well as shrapnel. It all depends on local commanders and what they force their troops to wear. It is not easy carrying over 50 pounds of ammo and gear while wearing a full coverage vest with ballistic chest and back plates all in desert temps and conditions.



Check out this link to see what they are doing about protecting our troops better:

http://www.army.mil/article/52093/

 

[CaveMan]

The body armor that I used in Africa was bulky but there wasn't a spot in my torse that was unprotect with the exception on my under arm areas. I felt safe in it, hot and sweaty but safe.

 

[bubbleheadchief]

Does the military provide any bullet-proof vests and if so why not? Too expensive? Not sure if these would stop scrapnel coming through and obviously would be useless against a IED. But to stop gun fire or scrapnel - why not?



I should add that while in college my roommate was an army vet of the First Gulf War in 1991. He said some guys in his unit bought their own bullet proof vests which I thought was odd cause you'd think the military would provide that. He said he didn't have one himself cause it would only stop small arms fire and that the bullets being fired would go straight through. I don't know whether that was accurate or not.

You grunts & ground pounders can correct me if I am wrong, but if I am not mistaken, the issue stuff for the First Gulf war was the old style "issue" flak jackets, which I know sucked and stopped very little other then hand guns. We still had them in storage when I was military police in the late 90s.....we all had our own vests.

 

[LordKOTL]

Okay...from those in the know:



AR-15 (M-16), or AK-47?

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

Biscuit: Delta is not Army any more. It is simply Department of Defense. They are still mostly Army SF types, but they do recruit SEALs, PJs, and Force Recon guys too.

LOL, shows how long ago it was that I was in. It is good that it has been spun off, and it sounds like there is a ton more interbranch co-op.

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

Okay...from those in the know:



AR-15 (M-16), or AK-47?

M16 hands down, IMO. Sure it had jamming issues, but I personally never experienced it as I took great care of the weapon. But for me, it was more accurate at the ranges that were needed.





As far as the 5.56 and 7.62 debate, I agree with Pete that it did more damage. The 7.62 is generally overkill for the body and great for light vehicles, but the ammo needed was heavy.

 

[JOVE23]

What do you guys think of the ACU, Multicam, green Class As, getting rid off the beret, whatever the hell other uniform stuff? I wish you guys would go back to Pinks and Greens but that's just my two cents.

 

[BigPete]

You grunts & ground pounders can correct me if I am wrong, but if I am not mistaken, the issue stuff for the First Gulf war was the old style "issue" flak jackets, which I know sucked and stopped very little other then hand guns. We still had them in storage when I was military police in the late 90s.....we all had our own vests.

I deployed to Kosovo a week before 9/11 with a 'flac jacket' styled vest. When I got back to Fort Campbell they gave me desert issue uniforms and equipment to include a new 'Ranger' styled vest. I was to get plates for front and back once in theatre. That was December of 2001. I never got deployed there so I don't know fit and feel down range.

 

[BigPete]

What do you guys think of the ACU, Multicam, green Class As, getting rid off the beret, whatever the hell other uniform stuff? I wish you guys would go back to Pinks and Greens but that's just my two cents.

I love the multicam. I hope fit and finish is good, the ACU sucked from what I've heard.

I hated the green class A uniform. I don't mind the new blues. I loved the WWII Ike jacket look. I also liked the uniform that the Old Guard has been wearing at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Ultimately I would like something all black that is shaped similar to the USMC blues.

 

[bubbleheadchief]

I love the multicam. I hope fit and finish is good, the ACU sucked from what I've heard.

I hated the green class A uniform. I don't mind the new blues. I loved the WWII Ike jacket look. I also liked the uniform that the Old Guard has been wearing at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Ultimately I would like something all black that is shaped similar to the USMC blues.

Got to give the Jarheads props, their Dress Blues are the best looking dress uniform in the Military.

 

[BigPete]

In the world.