My son is going ACTIVE IN THE ARMY

[squirrley]

Im happy and Im sad.

Im happy he's making the decision to do something with his life and being pro-active rather than sit on his ass and mope. He has so much going for him through the Army. But they lost his paper work. GEEEZUZ already. They had it last week. Hes suppose to do MEPS on Tues so they better find it in the next 24 hrs. He could be gone in November. Thank God he made a decision, the everyday drama was killing me.

Im truly sad to see my son go, leave the birds nest. But its for the best. I beleive had things gone differently with my mother in law we wouldnt be where we are today. But its water under the bridge and have to move in other directions.

Hed be home for Christmas and I told my husband I want my son in our home, he said of course!! So that made me so happy and so relieved. Maybe enough time is passing that time is healing our wounds. And our family can be just that again, a family.

OMG my baby is leaving...

[vashti]

Aren't you a little bit worried? My nephew up and joined the marines with no warning, and we all freaked out. He's in basic right now, in Camp Pendleton, probably fighting fires.

[squirrley]

Vashti, yea Im worried. But he sat with his Sgt today and they chose a job where he's not in any direct harm. I forgot the name of the job. But he's got to finish basic first (they pulled him 2 weeks before graduation with mono) then he goes to AIT. The job he chose is around 13 weeks. He will be working in the warehouses inventoring items and making sure all of the bases in the US have what they need. From pens to weapons he'll be processing. Making sure everything is counted for etc. So hes no direct harm, he didnt join to go combat, THANK GOD. Although there is always the chance he gets shipped out of the country. But we read somewhere that like only 20% active actually leave the country.

Hes had his fears, but last week when he talked about his career choice it was med recovery and they told him right away he'd go overseas. He changed his mind! Your nephew is in my prayers.

[anachronistic]

all my friends are going off, apparently going to put college on hold. 5 of 'em so far. i've been thinking about joining the national guard myself, but i'd do basic in the summer instead of schoolyear.

may luck be with your son, army can be a good experience, as well as a bad one.

[vashti]

I think around 60% of National Guards are going to war in Iraq, lilwing. FYI.

Thanks for your good wishes, squirrely. My nephew will undoubtedly be going to the middle east... he wants to be a sniper.

I wish your son well. You are a brave mom!

[anachronistic]

I think around 60% of National Guards are going to war in Iraq, lilwing. FYI.

Thanks for your good wishes, squirrely. My nepheew will undoubtedly be going to the middle east... he wants to be a sniper.

I wish your son well. You are a brave mom!

i didn't know the statistics were that high.. *shrug*, my buddy next door must be part of the lucky 40%.

i got another buddy down the hall going into the airforce, and a buddy at a different university who just signed up. if i signed up i'd probably go into recon.

[squirrley]

Im not sure about the other branches on this one, but my son did the split option. He did Bootcamp between his Jr and Sr year. Then the plan was to finish AIT after his Sr yr. Things quickly change. But he had like a 7 grand bonus for just signing for the reserves he had no intention of going active(to spare me too). NOW we find out last week the army is giving the delayed entry people a grand a month until they leave for AIT. WTF? My guess is that theyre becoming desperate for people. And I have heard National Guard is going overseas first.

My sons BF WAS in the Marines. He broke his shins twice in Bootcamp and they finally sent him home. He changed to the Army and was shipped out for AIT this week. They say if you go Marines and finish BC and decide to change branches you dont have to go through BC. Kyle actually thought of going to the Marines JUST to complete the BC.

ALOT of young people are joining because of the education getting paid for, one more reason for kyle to active. He will also get a larger signing bonus for going in earlier. I think he's signing his contract on Tues for 2 years. Its alot to think about for someone in his age bracket. The fact he wont have health insurance after May, so many things.

He found out this week the army will give him a car loan at 4% rather than what he has now at 9 with no interest. SOOO many benefits but you have to be prepared no matter what.

I have a best friend whose in the AF he's already been to Iraq twice in 3 years. I think he's almost out too.

Thanks you guys, Im gonna be bawling my heart out when he leaves AGAIN!!

[DoesntMatter]

I wish the best to you and your son. Hopefully we pull out of this cluster**** of a war sooner rather than later.

Do you know what base your son is going to be stationed at? My uncle is in the 101st Airborne Division, in Iraq right now for the 3rd time, but 101st Airborne is based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

[Charlie Boy II]

DM don't you think that, having started this catastrophe, the "Willing" now have a responsibility not to desert the iraqis to be overun by warring extremists?

[DoesntMatter]

To be honest the situation is so incredibly complicated and ****ed up I shouldn't be giving an opinion, but it's something like this: Most of the country has a culture so different from ours that I think almost all of them can be categorized as extreme on some level. But let's say some aren't extreme, i.e., those that don't always want to kill. I think they have had enough help from us to pull things together themselves. In other words, the "non-extreme" Iraqis aren't doing enough themselves or pulling their own weight. It's messed up to be sending our troops over there to die for a foreign, apathetic people. My friends that will end up in Iraq were in middle school when the war started, what part did they have in deciding to invade Iraq?

[Junket]

I always wondered what the point of the National Guard was, when they were sending so many of them to war.

NATIONAL GUARD.

Just read those two words and tell me how it makes sense to send them overseas to invade another country?

[Gigabitch]

Well, they have to go and protect our NATIONAL OIL.

[Charlie Boy II]

Mostly it isn't the iraqi's causing the problem. It's largely extremists flooding in from neigbhouring countries like Pakistan. If America leaves those foreign extremists will seize control and the iraqi's will be in a far worse position than they were under Sadam.

[vashti]

I think they already ARE under worse conditions than they were under Sadaam.

[Junket]

If America leaves those foreign extremists will seize control and the iraqi's will be in a far worse position than they were under Sadam.

Let's take a few steps back and say: If America invades the region Iraq will be in a far worse position than they are with Sadam.

I hold no love for the war, or the Iraqis.