<p>im posting this in the parent portal because i feel like you parents would have more knowledge on this subject… but i was just wondering if enlisted men in the air force are generally more “safe” in iraq as opposed to other branches of the military (army, marines, national guard, etc.), because i was thinking of going into the ROTC air force program</p>
<p>i mean im going to be a senior this year and still have 4 more years left for college so hopefully the situation in iraq will have somewhat subsided by then but you never know</p>
<p>If you’re planning on going in the military remember that you will need to do military duty which might include going into war zones. Even if we’re done in Iraq before you’d be sent there, we could be in another military action.</p>
<p>Given that, there are FAR fewer fatalities among USAF enlisted personnel in Iraq than for Army and Marines. It’s a small number. Given that, there are USAF special forces and other members that do end up in potential harms way. It really depends on what you end up doing.</p>
<p>A freind of my D’s, a college grad, went into the USAF as enlisted after college - he couldn’t go in as an officer because they didn’t want him as one with his particular non-technical degree (history major I think). He’d like to go serve in Iraq but so far hasn’t been able to get out of the USA. </p>
<p>So, military duty can sometimes be hazardous even in peacetime depending on what you do (and it can also be essentially a very safe 8-5 type job) and a hostile action could take place at anytime, but in answer to your question, there are very few USAF casualties in Iraq.</p>
<p>theres the link if you want to read it… i know its from 2 years ago but its still interesting, i wonder if thats still the case now?</p>
<p>also, if i do ROTC am i at freedom to choose which job i want in the USAF? for example, if i wanted to stay behind the lines as a air traffic controller, etc. would that job be guaranteed to me?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t count on any guarantees and if one of your goals is to always stay behind the lines you shouldn’t join the military. Even if you’re behind the lines as an ATC but in the war theatre, you could always have an RPG or mortar land on you. You might also trip and fall down the stairs of the tower.</p>
<p>Take a look at real stats and make an informed choice.</p>
<p>My goal isn’t to always stay behind the lines, i just wanted to see if it was an option… of course with any military service theres some risk at hand</p>
<p>also, do you think you can provide me with a link that has some of these stats</p>
<p>My friend enlisted in the Air Force. They then transfered him into the Army without his consent. Just something to think about. When you sign those papers for ROTC and agree to commit to the military after college the US Military owns you. </p>
<p><strong><em>I dont know if they can do what happened to my friend if your in ROTC because you start out at a higher rank.</em></strong>**</p>
<p>There is no guarantee of a “safe” job. B-52 mechanics can get deployed to guard Iraqi contractors, run convoys, etc. Now, unless you are security forces, or some such AFSC (job code), you will not be kicking in doors and doing searches.</p>
<p>OK, I AM an officer in the USAF, and I HAVE been in Iraq (both flying sorties over that gosh-foresaken place and on the ground). Let me provide you some of my experiences.</p>
<p>First, yes, the causualty rates for the AF and Navy are a LOT lower in the current conflict than our Army and Marine brothers. A fact of life in this ground-centric conflict. Second, there are quite a few AF and Navy personnel currently on the ground in Iraq (beyond the men and women at the Air Bases in Iraq). AF and Navy personnel are helping out in some of the support roles, particularily in convoy support. But these numbers are a small percentage of those compared to the Army and Marines, it’s just a nature of the roles the differnet services are mandated for.<br>
Where are we seeing the majority of our casualities (which, thankfully, have been dropping dramatically these past few months)? Quite frankly, the majority are where we’d expect them to be: with the men an women patrolling the most dangerous zones. Patrolling neighborhoods house-to-house is inherantly more dangerous than the current convoy patrol on the major highways.</p>
<p>So, to answer your questions: YES, the AF personnel are facing less risk than our Army brothers. No, joining the AF will not garunatee that you won’t be somewhere in Iraq wearing body armor and carrying a rifle. And lastly, going through ROTC while in college will earn you a commission as an OFFICER, which is a LOT different than being an ENLISTED member. </p>
No. My S is an Air Force ROTC cadet. Branch selection is the term used for being assigned to a job in the Air Force, and it is based on “order of merit”. Those with high GPA’s, good recommendations from their military science professor, and higher rankings earned during summer field training will be higher in the order of merit, and will be more likely to get one of their top choices of AF jobs.</p>
<p>As Bullet said, when ROTC cadets graduate, they are commissioned as officers. The chance that an Air Force Officer would be patrolling the streets of Baghdad are very slim. They typically have a different job description.</p>
<p>Most Air Force ROTC scholarships are awarded to those who will be pursuing a technical major. However, they do reserve some scholarships for non-technical majors. Those who have the best stats, extracurriculars, recommendations, etc. are the ones most likely to receive the scholarships which don’t restrict your choice of major.</p>
<p>The Army offers ROTC scholarships without regard to your major. My other S received an Army ROTC scholarship and he starts college this fall. He’s majoring in film production. They really don’t care what you major in.</p>
<p>Hey, Bullet, my AFROTC son got a pilot slot (he graduates college next year), so he hopefully will be joining your ranks!</p>
<p>IMHO don’t do it! You are already saying hopefully Iraq will be over. Let’s play your premise! Do you realize that you automatically owe 5 yrs after graduation (2018 is the earliest you can leave) When you graduate if they send you to a specialty school, you can owe more time…pilots owe an additional 8 from UPT grad, and it takes 1 yr to grad…that means 2022!</p>
<p>Nobody predicted Kosovo, Haiti, Gulf II, all of that happened in @ a 13 yr time period…exactly the amt of time it would take you to pay back your scholarship</p>
<p>NOTHING COMES FREE…Think long and hard about it!</p>
<p>BTW I have loved every second of this life as a wife, and if I was allowed to re-live it Iwould do it all again in a heartbeat!</p>
<p>AIM HIGH! ABOVE ALL! AIR FORCE(slogans in case you didn’t know)</p>
<p>(I’ll go with some assumptions here, no offense nycexsteve)
IF you are thinking about joining the military but trying to avoid deployment/combat, you NEED to rethink your plans. By joining the military you ARE volunteering to be ready for deployment, perhaps even to go into combat, if your commanders order you to do so. This is a deadly serious profession you are considering.</p>
<p>Now that is not saying you will be sent into a dangerous area, but the possibility exists. The military does a lot to provide for the safety of its personnel. I spoke with a Colonel in charge of convoys for part of Iraq who personally ensured that every driver had a (very high quality and expensive) knife as part of gear. He also equipped his convoy with tools to remove up-armored humvee doors in seconds, rather than the standard “few minutes.” He did that to make sure his crews could escape from any fires caused by an IED attack. We like to take care of our brothers and sisters in arms, because some of us have high-risk jobs to do.</p>
<p>So, what are your priorities and motivations? Are you considering the military for your benefit only? Would you be willing to risk your life, and the lives of those around? IF you are looking for a paid education and job only, please look elsewhere. If you are looking to serve, you found a good place! It is not foolish (IMO) to look for both. I definitely appreciate the fact that my education is being funded by the USAF, but I realize that I signed up to serve as needed, anywhere, at the USAF’s discretion. Are you comfortable with that reality? If so, “we’re looking for a few good men.” (oops, wrong service slogan!) ;)</p>