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Cooper M

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Nov 1, 2014
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Not sure where to post this or if it belongs on these forums but here goes. I will be attending BYU Provo on an AFROTC scholarship next year.
However I have a very dear friend (Senior this year)who's high school record leaves a four year college out of reach. He has talked about enlisting in the Army but i do not think he has thought about serving the way I have. I understand that by joining I am signing a blank check to my country for any amount up to and including my life. He hasn't really realized this and he does not want to see combat. Furthermore he was told by an Army recruiter he would never have to see combat if he didn't want to. As far as I am aware when you enlist you go where the Army needs you no if's ands or buts. Is there any way he could join the Military (any service) where he would be less likely to see combat and will be able to either earn a degree or receive training that will help him get a job after the military? Or should he even go into the Military? From what I understand it would seem Air Force is the way to go, but I may be a bit biased. Thank you in advance.
 
There is no "no combat" clause written into enlistment contracts, however it is possible to have your MOS/AFSC/RATE stipulated. So if you sign a contract stating you will be trained as a computer technician for example, it's likely you will not be kicking in doors any time soon.

But your friend should understand that joining the military means you are signing up to serve... and that means things anything is possible.
 
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Yes his contract should state what field he is headed into, that is the best advice a recruiter can give. If he goes in with an open contract he could end up anywhere. Having certain MOSs can certainly reduce one's chances of going to combat, but a recruiter cannot guarantee he would be excluded from it. Since the Army enjoyed making a commercial regarding someone joining to become a graphic designer for instance... their chances of front line duty are probably alot less than going infantry. With that being said, our nation has been at war for a very long time all over the globe. That means they need extra folks to guard bases and help with convoys. When they need bodies to fill spots they will pull from anywhere if needed. Most of my friends are Navy. Most of them ended up doing ground tours in Iraq or Afghanistan because folks were needed to fill billets to help rebuild their government, teach future Iraqi instructors how to train their future soldiers, someone to run finances for all the stuff going on over there and a million other things. We have sort of left this phase of the wars behind with the draw down but who knows what the world will be like in 1, 5, 10 years from now. Also, once you graduate, you will see that Airman join for a variety of reasons. "Wanting to serve this great nation and I may sacrifice myself one day," is very noble but the reality is so many of our great young troops join for a million different reasons.
 
A good friend of mine was a graphics artist in the Air Force and was assigned to a large staff to develop slide graphics for general's briefings in Vietnam. He left Vietnam with not one, not two, but THREE Purple Hearts and all due to situations like Hoops described. As a brown-water riverboat sailor in the same time frame, and desperately trying to avoid that award, I was absolutely floored.
 
Thank you all. He is a great guy and I am sure he will figure it out but it is just hard to watch him try to find something he can do.
 
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