Which of the Armed Forces would you prefer?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

If you were forced through military service to join one of the armed forces would you choose?

Army?
Air Force?
Navy?

[dunes]

I served in the Navy for 6 years and am really apprecitive of all I got out of them.

[Sonic]

Navy. No question about it.

[anthonyvop]

Army

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I think the RAF has always seemed has always appeared more glamorous than the Army, especially now with toys like the Typhoon to look at!

But the Royal Navy has all the history. Is there anything that looks more powerful than an aircraft carrier?

[gloomyDAY]

You forgot the best one: Marine Corps.

[Jag_Warrior]

I almost went into the Navy's Nuclear Power Program out of high school. Not a bad deal: great training, great education in a (then) growing field and you ended up as an officer with a Bachelors of Science upon completion. But my family convinced me that being in a tin can under the ocean, and taking orders about when to eat, sleep and sh## probably didn't suit my personality, so I passed at the last minute. Still, I wonder what may have been if I had gone that route.

Other than that, I've always had a great fascination with the Air Force. Not that I could have been a pilot, but the fighter jockeys from past wars always intrigued me.

[CarlMetro]

Is there anything that looks more powerful than an aircraft carrier?

A torpedo?

For me it would be the RAF, but only if I could become a pilot. Being the bog cleaner doesn't really interest me..... :dozey:

[Mark in Oshawa]

Air Force for sure....I grew up reading the stories of the fighter pilots of the RAF and the Battle of Britain, but when I realized a) they don't fly Spitfires no more, and b) at 6'2" 200 lbs I wasn't going to fit in any fighter the Canadian Armed Forces bought, I realized if I joined the Air Force, I would likely be in support somewhere or flying a Herc.....

Never bit the bullet and joined up tho...

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Navy is the best of both worlds :p

http://www.armedforces.co.uk/navy/listings/navycvfb.jpg

[Mark in Oshawa]

Navy is the best of both worlds :p

http://www.armedforces.co.uk/navy/listings/navycvfb.jpg

That is of course assuming the put on a carrier. The only way to almost guarntee that is to be a pilot. Any other trade in the Navy and you could be serving on a tincan looking for Russky's in the North Sea!!

[anthonyvop]

When it comes down to it the Army runs the show. That is where I liked to be. Running the show

[gloomyDAY]

When it comes down to it the Army runs the show. That is where I liked to be. Running the showI guess Marines just sit on their ass and twiddle their thumbs. Maybe we should get rid of Recon, I mean, not as if they were literally the first troops to cut through Iraq and make it past Baghdad.

[slorydn1]

You forgot the best one: Marine Corps.

That was probably intentional :p :

Navy all the way. That said, my Dad, young brother, and two of my son's were/are Army, and I can't for the life of me figure THAT one out :D

[Easy Drifter]

At my age and health it would have to be where I can sit down.
No more tree drops.

[gadjo_dilo]

If you were forced through military service to join one of the armed forces would you choose?

Army?
Air Force?
Navy?
I was forced to satisfy a military service and I chose to apply for a medical exoneration.

[Mark]

The army is where you are most likely to be shot at while walking slowing towards machine gun emplacements.

Navy you are likely to drown or be burned to death in an enclosed space.

Airforce you are quite likely to be bombed, but they are also most likely to be away from the front line, unless you are a pilot, of course.

[Eki]

Air Force for sure....I grew up reading the stories of the fighter pilots of the RAF and the Battle of Britain, but when I realized a) they don't fly Spitfires no more, and b) at 6'2" 200 lbs I wasn't going to fit in any fighter the Canadian Armed Forces bought, I realized if I joined the Air Force, I would likely be in support somewhere or flying a Herc.....

Never bit the bullet and joined up tho...
I had a similar problem. Plus my eye-sight wasn't probably good enough. So, when they asked where I'd like to serve, I answered "whatever". The next I knew I found myself 400 km north-east in field artillery in a small town I had to look up on a map.

[Daniel]

Air Force. I did originally intend to join but it just didn't happen.

[janneppi]

At my age and health it would have to be where I can sit down.
No more tree drops.
That's a tank crew job for you then. You need some space to carry the important stuff, like your ass. My most important piece of equipment in military exercises was my pillow, never went anywhere without it. :D Or without a coffee maker, or cardboard plates.

[Dave B]

Call me old fashioned but the thought of being carried through Wooton Bassett in a box just doesn't appeal to me.

[Daniel]

Call me old fashioned but the thought of being carried through Wooton Bassett in a box just doesn't appeal to me.
Ditto. Hence why I'm not unhappy at not having gone into the airforce.

[ShiftingGears]

Tough call. Whatever had the coolest toys to play with. (I'm a studying engineer)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Call me old fashioned but the thought of being carried through Wooton Bassett in a box just doesn't appeal to me.

I am quite sure the poor stiff in the box didn't think it appealed to him, but he unlike you or I felt what he was joining for was worth that risk. No one else in society goes to work knowing that their job might entail dying to support the society that you protect....Police have a simliar function but really don't face the same danger as a soldier in a combat situation.....

[Daniel]

I am quite sure the poor stiff in the box didn't think it appealed to him, but he unlike you or I felt what he was joining for was worth that risk. No one else in society goes to work knowing that their job might entail dying to support the society that you protect....Police have a simliar function but really don't face the same danger as a soldier in a combat situation.....
I think there's a certain wastefulness to it though. If I knew my life was going to do something I think I'd have a different attitude to it, but what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan is just a waste of young lives

[Brown, Jon Brow]

When it comes down to it the Army runs the show. That is where I liked to be. Running the show

Really?

For an island nation like the UK surely the Navy and Air Force is more importance than the Army.

And the Marines have harder training than the Army.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Really?

For an island nation like the UK surely the Navy and Air Force is more importance than the Army.

And the Marines have harder training than the Army.

In the US military, it is the Army.....as it is in Canada....

[Brown, Jon Brow]

In the US military, it is the Army.....as it is in Canada....

I always thought the Navy was more important. The US Navy has more fighter jets than most countries Air Forces and more Marines than most countries Armies have soldiers.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I always thought the Navy was more important. The US Navy has more fighter jets than most countries Air Forces and more Marines than most countries Armies have soldiers.

Strategically the US Navy actually is a bigger influence than the Army or Air Force, so I would agree BUT in the minds of many Americans, the Army is the Senior service. Britian, being a seafaring island nation of course will look to its Navy as being the senior service with the most prestige, but in the US, it is the Army. The force created from the regulars that George Washington cobbled together in 1776 is the oldest branch of the US Military.....

[slorydn1]

Strategically the US Navy actually is a bigger influence than the Army or Air Force, so I would agree BUT in the minds of many Americans, the Army is the Senior service. Britian, being a seafaring island nation of course will look to its Navy as being the senior service with the most prestige, but in the US, it is the Army. The force created from the regulars that George Washington cobbled together in 1776 is the oldest branch of the US Military.....

The Army may be the senior service, but when the President dials 911, he gets the US Navy. In less than 48 hours he can have an acre of sovereign US territory parked off someone's coast anywhere in the world conducting flight operations, and delivering Marines into the hot zone. It takes the Army MONTHS to get moving.

Our strong Navy came directly from our friends across the pond, because until World War II, the Royal Navy was second to none, and a lot of our naval traditions come straight from the Her Majesty's Navy

[dunes]

You forgot the best one: Marine Corps.


At the top of thier payroll check it clearly say Dept of the U. S. Navy.
bet some of you didn't know that.
as for being stuck on a tincan, its true you have to be careful what your assigned to and where the training is. The Navy has many different arms of service. Until recently [1080's] some where not even mentioned.

[anthonyvop]

I guess Marines just sit on their ass and twiddle their thumbs. Maybe we should get rid of Recon, I mean, not as if they were literally the first troops to cut through Iraq and make it past Baghdad.

The marines do an outstanding job. I mean them no disrespect.

But every in major military action by the United States the Top Commander has always been an Army General.

Pershing, Eisenhower, MaCarthur, Westmoreland, Schwarzkopf, Petraeus...All Army.

[anthonyvop]

Really?

For an island nation like the UK surely the Navy and Air Force is more importance than the Army.


But I am not in the UK. My opinion is based on my US Nationality.

[Hazell B]

I'd try for MI5 if the option was there.
Failing that (and I would :rolleyes: ) I guess I'd be an sailor of sorts. Getting seasick isn't as bad as getting shot in a scummy desert.

[dunes]

The marines do an outstanding job. I mean them no disrespect.

But every in major military action by the United States the Top Commander has always been an Army General.

Pershing, Eisenhower, MaCarthur, Westmoreland, Schwarzkopf, Petraeus...All Army.
I refer to the headings of sergeon general and admiral. True you'rs are noted and deserving but look at the US chain of command and see just how many are Navy trained and the others have served under multible branches of the military.

[anthonyvop]

I refer to the headings of sergeon general and admiral. True you'rs are noted and deserving but look at the US chain of command and see just how many are Navy trained and the others have served under multible branches of the military.
You do realize that the Surgeon General is not a branch of the military?

Sure any supreme commander has some naval and Air force knowledge but they all graduated from West Point. Not Annapolis or Colorado Springs.

[dunes]

You do realize that the Surgeon General is not a branch of the military?

Sure any supreme commander has some naval and Air force knowledge but they all graduated from West Point. Not Annapolis or Colorado Springs.
yes I am aware of that. I was merely saying it took more than just army training to be on the staff of decision makers.
west point like annapolis and coorado springs breeds leaders and all should be recognized as more than just enlisted military.
And yes its commonly known without west point so far you can't br there. However west point is not an army training center. its a political training center.

[anthonyvop]

However west point is not an army training center. its a political training center.

It is both.

[A.F.F.]

The army. Everything else is for pussies.

[Valve Bounce]

If you were forced through military service to join one of the armed forces would you choose?

Army?
Air Force?
Navy?

MASH!!

[gloomyDAY]

At the top of thier payroll check it clearly say Dept of the U. S. Navy.
bet some of you didn't know that.
as for being stuck on a tincan, its true you have to be careful what your assigned to and where the training is. The Navy has many different arms of service. Until recently [1080's] some where not even mentioned.Yes, and who does the Navy need for combat related misions? Marines. They are a potent force, so don't denigrate their service.


The marines do an outstanding job. I mean them no disrespect.

But every in major military action by the United States the Top Commander has always been an Army General.

Pershing, Eisenhower, MaCarthur, Westmoreland, Schwarzkopf, Petraeus...All Army. :up:

[airshifter]

Yes, and who does the Navy need for combat related misions? Marines. They are a potent force, so don't denigrate their service.

:up:

I think Swoops point was that officially the Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy.

And in reality, the US Navy, just like any other branch, has plenty of it's own history without involving the other branches. Though everyone has biases and preferences, all of them are very good at what they do. That includes the Coast Guard as well, even though they are not officially a branch of the US military.

[dunes]

As are are the Air National Gaurd.In respect to underappreciated protectors of our country.
Thank you Airshifter on helping me put my meaning into words others could understand.
Each arm of our forces are vital. Trained in areas that make them experts in thier own right.

[Mark in Oshawa]

lol...All I know is a friend of mine who is a retired Air Force man told me that never let anyone you like become a member of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children...and they don't call em Jarheads for nothing!!!

I can verify that. An old roommate of mine was a bouncer in a bar in London Ontario. It is right down the street from Canadian Forces Base London and the GM factory that made armoured cars that the Canadian Forces use and the USMC uses. So he always had military people in his bar. One Friday afternoon, a group of Marines start gettting rowdy. My buddy Jim, realizes the LAST thing he wants to do on a Friday afternoon is end up taking on some Marines. He hopes things cool off. They don't, they start hassling the waitress who wants to cut them off. Jim, also the bartender that day (it is a Friday afternoon and usually NOT busy til after supper)realizes he has an issue and is all set to phone the base to send over MP's. Since the Marines are on assignment to a Canadian base, the MP's would have jurisdiction. He has the phone in his hand, and a quiet group of Canadian Army guys come over and say, we'll handle our American friends. Well before you can say "Donnybrook" the 5 Marines and the 5 members of the Princess Pats ( Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry) are going at it on his beach volleyball court. Jim phones the MP's....3 minutes later, the Marines, who have had their butts kicked ( they were probably a lot more drunk than the Canucks) all the sudden find the PPCLI boys gone and the MP's working them over with Billy clubs......

Moral of the story? The USMC is a proud service, but they should stay away from Canadian Beer and the Canadian Army!!!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I'm too tall to be a miltary pilot :bigcry:

[Captain VXR]

RAF
Too many jokes about sailors and too spineless to be a soldier