You know what the world’s most powerful Air Force is? The US Air Force. Know the second most powerful? The US Navy. Pretty crazy if you think about it.
I'd highly reccomend Air Force.. I started in the Navy with every intention of 20 & done but changed my mind after mu initial enlistment and extension were up. Had I went Air Force, I probably would've stuck that out for the duration. Quality of living in the AF (Langley anyhow) smoked Ft. Eustis, Little Creek, Yorktown Weps Station, and NOB Norfolk.
This was going to be my recommendation, my cousin had 25 years in the AF and was a PJ. He had multiple deployments and loved it. Said the good far out weighed the bad. He wanted to retire at 20 years but loved it to much so stuck around another 5. He is now in charge of security at a nuclear power plant.
So far within my Army career, I’ve gotten a radio electrician federal/state certification and a Security Plus certification. I will be getting a Network Plus certification in the near future. I went in with an associate in Electronics Engineering. Choose your career path wisely and get the most out of it so you’re set up quite nicely for civilian life. The government take take take from you. You need to take what you can get in return. This is what I tell everybody.
Did the same. My Dad used to say, "It took me eighteen years to raise that boy, and the Marine Corps screwed him up in four." semper fi
My Dad didn’t know till it was too late. He told me a story about him and his best friend deciding about the Air Force. Both of them joined the USAAF, the Army Air Corps in WWII. In 1947 when it became the USAF, they were given a choice. Stay in the Army or join the Air Force. His friend Clark wanted to stay Army. My Dad told him hell no, he worked on planes, he wasn’t joining the damned infantry. They both became career AF.
Gotta be realistic too. What type of person is he? Smart? Quick to catch on? Go getter? Athletic? Does he like being Athletic? Mature? If he’s going the Army, take a look at the Army’s new PT test? Say goodbye to all the profile soldiers. My experience with Airmen from all the joint schools I’ve been too is that a lot of them want to transfer over to Army for more career progression. They state to me that Air Force career progression is very competitive. Who cares about living conditions. The most important question is “What does he want to get out of the military and what does he want to do when he get out?” Rather he does 4 years or 20 years. Door kickers don’t make much money after getting out in 4 years. However. He can have the best of both worlds like I chose for myself in AIT by submitting a Ranger packet as a 25U. I get all the Commo training, civilian certifications, and what not that will send me north of 6 figures per year. All while working in a small man team with all the cool gear. Life is rough and he better prepare himself. Knowledge and education is power.
I was Weapons as well! I loaded F-4's at George AFB and F-15's at Bitburg AB before the base got shut down. I spent 5 years on active duty, and those were some of the best years of my life so far. I learned a lot about myself, about life and got a chance to see a lot the world. The discipline I gained prepping for Load Barn and ICTs translated well to college (paid for with my GI Bill), law school and my civilian career as a lawyer. I'm very thankful for my AF experience.
I totally agree here. Weapons was a great field to be in. The stakes for mistakes are high, and the discipline to focus on getting the job done right is a skill that transfers to any civilian career field.