USAF or Naval Aviation?

[Son of a Grunt]

My dad is wanting me to join the AF not the Marines. He was a grunt in the first gulf war and says he wants me to use my brain and not pound dirt like he did. He keeps telling me about the easy life, the quick promotions, the planes, the quality of people, the short deployments, better living quarters, better food, relitive saftey(in comparison), etc. So I am wanting to know why you guys choose to become Naval Aviators, the benifits, the life, the people, etc.

 

[MasterBates]

If you fly for the Navy, you will not be pounding dirt on a normal basis.

As was talked about in another thread, the promotions on the Officer side, are about the same in all services.

We land on boats. They freak out if the runway is less than 8,000 feet.

If you still have to ask, enjoy the Air Force.

 

[Son of a Grunt]

LOL I don't want to join the AF. I just want to see what you guys have to say.

 

[HAL Pilot]

I just want to see what you guys have to say.

Which could easily be accomplished by using the search function......

It's called initiative. One of the prerequisites of being a good officer.

 

[usmarinemike]

Don't take pressure form anybody. Even my high school guidance counselor called me into his office to admonish me on the ways of the Corps (something about me being too smart). Anyway, here I am 7 years later with a much better life than pretty much everybody I went to school with, especially the males who decided to stay back and work in their daddy's body shops. What rank/MOS was your dad in the Gulf War? You have to think about what "filters" he's using. If you manage to become an aviator, you can expect your experience to vary greatly. Remember, that was 15 damn years ago. I'm becoming an aviator because a) it's been a life-long goal b) I want to LEAD MARINES more than I want to fly and c) I'm friggin tired of sleeping in holes in the ground and on HMMWV hoods. You will meet no better friends than you will get in the Marine Corps. I suppose you can make friends in the Air Force as well, but growing up in an Air Force town taught me that their ratio of true men capable of combat leadership to cock-mongling wannabes was a bit askew. Just go over to base-ops with your dork shield firmly in place and you'll figure out what I mean. And it's not just about machismo either. It's about who you are in spirit, but I'm not going to go into that. Do what seems best to you and when you do, don't regret going against your dad's wishes.

 

[Swanee]

LOL I don't want to join the AF.

You just answered your own question then. It's your life, and in the end you are responsible for one person: yourself.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I'm becoming an aviator because a) it's been a life-long goal b) I want to LEAD MARINES more than I want to fly and c) I'm friggin tired of sleeping in holes in the ground and on HMMWV hoods.

Doesn't stop as an aviator my man... Slept on the hood/roof of my truck in Djibouti, Jordan, and Pakistan - And I was a winged Aviator. There are always FAC tours...

 

[HuggyU2]

We land on boats.

That also means that you will probably live on a boat for an extended period of time. All of my Navy/Marine pilot friends tell some good boat stories,... but not one of them ever wants to back to "the floating prison" (their term, not mine).
In the USAF of today, expect to spend some time in vacation spots like Baghdad and Kabul.
It's all relative.

 

[wink]

I won't recommend the Air Farce to anyone. USMARINEMIKE said it pretty well. Your father's experience will not be like yours if you become an officer, especially if you fly, in either the Marines or Navy. As a father of two teens I am happy you value your father's views and wish to honor him. But, by time you are old enough to join the military you will be an adult. You should take your father's experiences and wishes seriously, and then make your own decision. If it helps to soften the blow then educate yourself about naval aviation, both in the Marines and Navy, and share with him the differences in lifestyle, training, challenge, career path, and job satisfaction over his 15 year old experience as a grunt. I am sure he would be proud to have you lead men that were as tough, dedicated, and yes, smart, as he was when he was a young stud.

 

[phrogpilot73]

That also means that you will probably live on a boat for an extended period of time. All of my Navy/Marine pilot friends tell some good boat stories,... but not one of them ever wants to back to "the floating prison" (their term, not mine).
In the USAF of today, expect to spend some time in vacation spots like Baghdad and Kabul.
It's all relative.

Having done both, I opt for the boat. Less people shooting at me...

 

[FLYTPAY]

USAF has a lot of ridiculous rules that Navy guys find preposterous. I did a short stint at an AF air base in the mid east and was petty much ectstatic to come back to the navy side. A lot of AF guys confessed that they should have gone Navy. Come on, the AF has a regulation saying you have ot roll your flight suit sleeves to the inside...gimme a fuc#king break and get a life. Fly Navy and have no regrets!

 

[Flash]

That also means that you will probably live on a boat for an extended period of time. All of my Navy/Marine pilot friends tell some good boat stories,... but not one of them ever wants to back to "the floating prison" (their term, not mine).
In the USAF of today, expect to spend some time in vacation spots like Baghdad and Kabul.
It's all relative.

I do have to give you a little credit, you do fly a very cool plane.......

 

[phrogpilot73]

I do have to give you a little credit, you do fly a very cool plane.......

Don't you mean "powered glider"?

 

[HeyJoe]

Which could easily be accomplished by using the search function......

It's called initiative. One of the prerequisites of being a good officer.

And survival (without attracting negative feedback) on AW

 

[BlackBearHockey]

Personally, I would take a look at http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137190&highlight=Parents

It seems like your decision doesn't rest with what branch will serve you the best, but rather what your dad would think, which is understandably something heavy to think about. None of the Marines here will speak poorly of the Corps, and not for PC reasons. Every Marine I've met wouldn't have it any other way. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to prod until you find one small thing you don't like so you can change your mind and cross into the blue to make your old man happy. You don't have to rationalize a decision.