US Army, Infantry or MP..

[jcabin]

I can't make a final decision. Once I get out I will finish up college and go into law enforcement, im in college now as a CJ major. MP sounds fun and would reflect well for past job experience obviously, but Infantry just seems to be what the Army is all about. Anyone had either of these jobs? Any input, thanks all.

[TaePo]

I worked Intelligence which is also good for LEO or Fed jobs. So don't rule that out.

MP would be closest match for your goal. MP pull a lot of combat duties historically.

Infantry holds a certain cache, too.

These would be the order I would attempt.

I was in for four years and enjoyed my time. I was in Korea and though dangerous is nothing like Iraq or Afghanistan is now.

Also, be aware you can get stopped-lossed and not get out when your contract is up or even come retirement time. I had one friend have a fight on his hands just to retire.

That is, unfortunately, the price of war time service.

Good Luck and let us all know how things go for you.

("I was all I ever could have been.") ;-) When I served, it was the Be All You Can Be era!

[spabula]

When I enlisted I had the same vision of doing a tour and getting out and going to school..................... sometimes those ideas change once your in Either choice is great, i believe. I am not in, so I dont know how things are running right now. The one thing that does come to mind is that if you want to do any of the extra ciricular schools (hahaha) like airborne, ranger, pathfinder, sniper, or any of that... you will either need to be infantry for some and it will definately help for others. Unless things have changed. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

[Bmaninmifco]

I was once told many moons ago. Not only by my recruiter but also by my cousin if you see 11Bravo anywhere at MEPS run and don't look back.

Of course my cousin also said The Marines are the baddest of the bad their MP's have to be badder yet to take them down.

[Ten*K]

PLEASE READ IN ENTIRETY!

depending on your service entry exam, and depending on what your personal experiences may be, I would say try to get in the most technical field you can... hopefully something with a high security clearance.

then after 4 or 6 years, instead of getting out and becoming a beat cop in Podunk PA, you can ease into a Fed level LE job... MUCH nicer career move. once in at the Fed side, you can get into other jobs that are only available to people already in the loop

Why I say this:

In 1994, I smoked the ASVAB with a 136 ( poss. 140 max). My Marine recruiter kept pushing me to go into Intel or Avionics... to fields that both had a 6 year contract, but would have landed me a big $$$ job.

Like a gung-ho dumbass, I said no, I want the Infantry. So, off to boot camp I went, and then School of Infantry. Luckily, my Recruiter's CO was nice enough decide to let the Corps know about my brains (and spotless background), and I got plucked for Presidential Security. After going through another 8 weeks of training (now 6 months into my career), I got to Marine Barracks 8th & I... hallowed ground for the Corps. There I spent 9 months (supposed to have been 6, but thanks to a backlog in clearance checks from NCIS...) HAVING THE LIFE SUCKED FROM MY BODY standing(standing still, not moving, saluting everything, missing chow, can't take a piss, can't even scratch your balls) 8 hour on/8 hour off duty day after day FOREVER. Lotta guys lost it there. Between that and the super high grooming/inspection standards, it sucked.

but then, a hand reached down from the mountaintop (cafe, that is) and plucked me from my misery. Selected for Camp David... President's Security. High Speed, Low Drag, all that. We busted ass, trained harder than anywhere I'd been before or since, and I got to do some really cool shit. I mean REALLY COOL SHIT.

Then, after I maxxed the allowable tour, it was off to the Fleet Marines to rejoin the Grunts. Yay. It was arduous, often ridiculous, with long moments of spirit crushing boredom scattered with brief moments of heart stopping terror.

And then, my time was up. I got out, decided I wanted to be a Cop, went to the Police Academy, graduated, and worked myself to death trying to make ends meet, while stuck on rotating, part-time bullshit jobs... because I wasn't "connected". Then I floundered for 5 years trying to figure out what the hell I was meant to do, because I had no other training... no other experience.

I say all this, because you sound so much like I did 15 years ago. I found there was an alternate path that could have given me so much more if I'd have had the brains to look or the balls to ask.

To summarize, there's much more available than "joining the military and becoming a cop"... especially if you've already got the college. If you can manage to get a job in the Army that allows you time for school (which they pay for 100% while you're in), you could do 4-6 years, get your BA/BS at the same time, and get PRIME positioning for a much higher level LE career that is SO much better than wrestling fat smelly crazy people attacking you for arresting their fat stinking spouse for abuse for the 43rd time.

[DennisH82]

I signed up as an Infantryman 31 years ago and learned that Infantry skill don’t translate well into civilian life. The jokes were along the lines if you want to break a solid steel ball in half give it to an Infantryman, they can break anything. Being Infantry back in the day meant that you were not very qualified for much else in the Army. That is not rue of any Soldier today. Today’s Infantrymen and Military Police are well educated many with degrees. Not too many jobs out there looking for you to close and destroy your enemy. The greatest thing about being an Infantryman is that you are used to getting screwed over, making due with little support and are mission and goal oriented. We had recruiters from the Houston PD come down attempting to recruit Infantry into their police force for many reasons. Infantrymen are well suited to adapt to ever changing situations by nature of their training and environment. Military Police are just that and are taught additional skills that they need to perform their duties. They are highly sought out as well by police departments and with today’s blurring of combat roles; they serve in many of the same situations as Infantrymen.
This is all coming from an old Infantryman serving as a Civil Affairs First Sergeant in Iraq so take that with a grain of salt.

[jcabin]

This is alot to consider, thanks for your input and personal experience.

[ironcowboy]

I too am kinda at the same quandary, i recently joined the Marines, and ship out for basic in june, i scored a 93 (out of 99) on the ASVAB test, and my recruiter said i should do intelligence, but i really want to do force recon (which starts out as infantry) so i'm not completely sure of what to do...

[jcabin]

yeah i scored really high as well, was offered to do intel or med field. I want something more combat oriented though.

[bigbear]

I served almost three years in the US Army as an X-ray specialist. When I got out, I had several choices available to me. I was a civilian x-ray technicion for about a year, while I went through the police academy. The point I am trying to make is that if you take a technical MOS, you have more choices when you get out. Veteran's preferrance is the same either way, and it gives you more choices once you get out. Infantry, while noble and definately "highspeed, low drag," once you get out, your only real choice is police.

Either way, good luck to you, you honor us with your service.