Any Air Force guys been to iraq?

[dontmockthemach]

Or afghanistan for that matter? I am enlisting, and was just curious as to how the process works, and wanted to hear from someone besides my recruiter. I am in security forces, so any of you guys get shipped over? I really wondered if the rotation came up, are you automatically deployed? And what do you do over there for your job? Thanks guys

[vpMach1]

Yes I have been deployed more than a few times. Also many TDY's. As a cop, you WILL be deployed.

What is the recruiter telling you? ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT O BE A COP???

[dontmockthemach]

recruiter said you will be shipped 1 to 2 times in a 4 year career. What is it like over there? Are you in a watch tower with bulletproof glass around you or do you patrol the outside of the base? I was thinking of fire fighting too, whats the deployment rate for those guys? I dont mind deployment, but I would prefer avoiding war zones if possible. Is it a manditory iraq shipout or something of that nature?

[dontmockthemach]

recruiter was atc and master mechanic for a plane, liked to stay away from the action. Sounded like he was guiding me away from cop duty it seemed

[BlkWdwMach]

If your job is in demand you will be deployed to iraq or afghanistan. I don't know much about the air force and how they work as I am in the army. But more and more non-combat MOS's are being put in the fighting because of decreasing numbers of actual combat troops. But good luck with whatever job you choose.

[NightOfTheCow]

If you have any choice at all, don't go in as a cop. I've never met a happy one. EVER. I did ten and a half years in the air force, got out in december. I was originally in electronics ,but was forced to choose a new career field in tech school because of a shortage of instructors (too many students going through the pipeline). So I went with admin because I didn't want to sit around in tech school for another 5 months. After doing that for a while I got bored and went into comm... became a "computer operator," doing anything from server administration, to network admin, and desktop support. It's a fairly wide open field.

Security Forces get deployed more than most other career fields. Pararescue spends quite a lot of time overseas, as well as combat control. There is also a similar comm field called combat comm, and they are pretty much into the same stuff I was, but they are trained more for the field. However, the air force is changing it's direction and finally pulling it's head out of it's anus... and becoming more of a military branch than it has been in the past. They're trying to get away from the gaining weight in the office mindset and actually giving it's people real military training because after all, it's people are spending a lot more time in a deployed environment.

I was deployed once to Kuwait, December 2002 through May 2003. I didn't see any combat, and I'm not complaining.

As a cop, you'll do different kinds of duties. Some of the stateside guys guard gates, which sucks, however, they're contracting a lot of that out so they can utilize their people more in the field (deployments). It's a critical field so they're always trying to get people. Some cops' jobs are geared more for deployment training... getting people ready to go. Many of them train and work with the army, and fill similar roles to what a soldier would do.

In Iraq, you cuold be guarding a gate, you could be standing in a tower at the base perimeter. You could be walking around the perimeter of the base, looking for things that shouldn't be there. You could also be leaving the base to do convoys, going out and doing certain missions.

Many of the jobs in the air force not only have a specific task in mind for you, but they also carry additional duties. There is a LOT of information to absorb, and although your recruiter will give you a piece of paper or two with a job description of the career field from an AFI (Air Force Instruction), it will only give you a brief description of what it all entails. You might specialize in something, but you'll have to know how to do more than just a couple of things.

Anyway... if you have any questions, fire me a PM. If you want me to call you, I can do that too. I'll answer anything I can, and if I can't, I'll see if I can find someone to give you the answers you need.

[NightOfTheCow]

Originally Posted by BlkWdwMach

If your job is in demand you will be deployed to iraq or afghanistan. I don't know much about the air force and how they work as I am in the army. But more and more non-combat MOS's are being put in the fighting because of decreasing numbers of actual combat troops. But good luck with whatever job you choose.

He's right on the money. I mentioned combat comm and regular comm (which I was). As it stands, the air force is planning to merge all of the comm fields into one, and designate them all combat comm fields.

I believe basic trianing is now 8 weeks, and incorporates some actual combat type training as well.

[spanky192]

not air force but i joined the navy already accepting the fact that i could go anywhere. signed up as an avionics tech expecting to deploy on an aircraft carrier. i have never been on a ship.

i've seen some pretty high airforce traffic going through the middle east. a lot of security force guys end up going to bucca prison. anyone who has spend a day there knows its a jolly good time.

dont be a mechanic if you dont want oil on your hands, dont be aircrew if you're afraid of heights, and dont be an MP if you dont like being shot at

[dontmockthemach]

thanks for all the info guys. That gives me good perspective. I dont mind heights and I dont mind oil on my hands, but I think getting shot at is something I would have a bit of trouble getting used to Lots of respect for those guys but I don't see myself doing that I guess. When should I have a job picked out and in writing? At meps and before basic?

[spanky192]

your recruiter should schedule you in for a day to take the asvab down at meps. i think you need to score a minimum of 34 to be eligible for the air force. 99 is the max. after the test you will talk to a classifier who will tell you what jobs you are eligible for and you can choose then if you want.

[BlkWdwMach]

It is a good idea to have several jobs picked out that you like. There are only a certain amount of spots open at a time for a certain job. Just keep this in mind while at meps so you don't get sucked into a job you are going to hate.

[Troll]

As long as you don't pick a combat AFSC (PJ, CCT, EOD...combat comm?), you can probably wiggle out of any outside-the-wire opportunities. There are plenty of others who volunteer for that stuff. On base in a combat zone, you'll see mortar or rocket attacks once in a blue moon, but your chances of being near one if/when it hits, let alone injured or killed by something like that, are next to nil. The only person I've seen killed by a rocket was a local cab driver out in town when the idiots missed the base completely. If you pick a job on the flightline, I don't think you'll ever have any reason to leave the base anyway.

Don't be a cop. You won't see any action. Of any kind. The highlight of an AF cop's career seems to be jacking up some poor misguided soul who stepped over the wrong red line. Or vigilantly guarding the gate to an air force compound inside a much bigger, more secure, multi-national, multi-force base.

If you are looking for action, join the army and go infantry.

[Troll]

Originally Posted by BlkWdwMach

It is a good idea to have several jobs picked out that you like. There are only a certain amount of spots open at a time for a certain job. Just keep this in mind while at meps so you don't get sucked into a job you are going to hate.

And if you value the job you pick, make sure you are guaranteed to get it. On paper. Or they can make you whatever they please. Like a cop.

[Troll]

...and as a cop, you just may experience some hate from the rest of the air force.

Additional duties were the worst part about active duty for me. They're one of many reasons I got out and went reserve. Now, the only time I have to deal with the chair force is when I get to deploy.

Your experience may vary.

DISCLAIMER:
If you pick a high-demand specialty (other than Security Forces) your chances of being tasked for crap like convoy duty go down as well. But as far as I know, there is always a chance that your pooch will get screwed and you'll somehow end up on one of those convoys. Don't blame me if that happens. Very, very unlikely, though.

[Troll]

<-------- :OFFTOPIC: Woohoo, I has two stars!

[dontmockthemach]

haha thanks again guys. Meps is going to be tuesday, and I am going to take a practice asvab at the recruiters office just to get an idea of where im at. One of my buddys got an 88 and another got a 59, so it seems as though its mostly common sense. Then again idk whats on it

[TOWGUNNER]

First of all when you join any branch you have a 50/50 chance of getting deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. You choosing the Air Force your chances of seeing any type of rounds coming at you are probably slim to none unless you do go on a convoy. If your scared of getting deployed for some combat then choose a job that will keep you away from that type of stuff. I am in the Marines, infantry is what I do and have done my time in Afghanistan and looking forward to going over to Iraq if I get the chance. Its not that bad over in those areas. The only reason everyone think its bad over there is because they only see the negative stuff on the news. There are alot of good things that we are doing over there that they dont report on. No matter what you decide to do everyone will appreciate the fact that your serving your country!

[Troll]

Originally Posted by dontmockthemach

haha thanks again guys. Meps is going to be tuesday...

Dang. What happened to delayed enlistments? Welp...good luck to ya.

[BlkWdwMach]

How did meps go?

[dontmockthemach]

It went well thanks for asking. Only problem I had was that I got to the recruiters office at 3, and since he was talking to some prospective joiners, I didnt leave until 445, which caused me to miss the test taking deadline of 530. Just did same day processing and all was well. Right ear is still bleeding from an ear cleaning though. It was a civilian doctors office but the nurse definitely didnt want to be in there. Can you say metal syringe ON the ear drum? But yeah, testing I did better than in my practice, so I think I qualified for every job. Im pretty excited to get shipped off now

[Troll]

Oh. For some reason, I remembered MEPS being the day before flying out. Meh. It was seven years ago, and not a favorite part of my life.

You don't have a job yet?

[BlkWdwMach]

I went to MEPS twice. The first time when I enlisted. Then I went into the DEP for 5 months. Then I went to MEPS again for a final inspection then shipped to Fort Benning from there.

[04GOHORSI]

I Have 2 friends that enlisted together. They both went SF out of Basic. One spent a 12 month deployment down range and the other got stationed in Germany. So, it could go either way.

[dontmockthemach]

I picked 5 jobs. I went for firefighter first, then put in for aerospace propulsion, a couple different intel jobs, and readiness

[YellowMenace]

Originally Posted by Troll

As long as you don't pick a combat AFSC (PJ, CCT, EOD...combat comm?), you can probably wiggle out of any outside-the-wire opportunities. There are plenty of others who volunteer for that stuff. On base in a combat zone, you'll see mortar or rocket attacks once in a blue moon, but your chances of being near one if/when it hits, let alone injured or killed by something like that, are next to nil.

Not sure I agree with the once in a blue moon part. my daughter is Army, but is stationed in Balad (also an AFB). They get a mortar attack just about every day. Hence the name, Mortaritaville. The most she's seen was about 17 attacks in one day. And she's in a big base doing a job that's not outside the wire.

The mortars may have eased up a little lately, but she's been there for a little over a year.