SITREP /MEPS RENO.....

[phrozenone]

Rangers,


Heres the situation, went to MEPS on the 11th to SHIP to Ft. Benning as an 11x recruit. I didnt get to ship because MEPS never recieved my records (I was courtesy shipping from another state the other MEPS failed to send them dispute telling my recruiter they had done so several times). Long frustrating story short, I had to RENO the next day as a 13b (the only 11x slot was 6 months away, and 13B was the only other choice in combat arms). Ive spent the last couple days researching the MOS but I cant get a real feel for it yet, I was wondering if anyone here could give me some real world information on what they do and advice from here career wise. I am aware that 13B cant go to Regiment, but I am wanting to know basically all the things I need to pursue to become "high speed" as possible as a "gunbunny".

Im extremely disapointed with what happened at MEPS, but I have to suck it and drive on, (Ill reenlist after 3 years) . Good news, is that now I should have more free time to finish my Bachelors Degree.

I really appreciate any advice, thanks, my new ship date is 20111115

[goon175]

Quitting comes in many forms.

[IEDmagnet]

One of my troops from 'Stan (11C) went Regular Army when we redeployed stateside. He reclassed to 13B because the Guard screwed his paperwork up and didn't change his MOS after he graduated mortar maggot school. Guess what I'm getting at is he's reenlisting to go back to 11C because he hates being a gun bunny. Have fun, good luck.

[phrozenone]

@ Ranger Goon175, quitting does come in many forms..but this aint one of em sir...I may to have to adapt a little but my personal goals are still in tact. First things first I volunteer for Airborne, and Ranger School as soon I can. Possibly Air Assualt as well, and finish up the few semesters I have left in college. After the 3 year Active Duty contract, Ill renlist, more than likely as an 18x. Or Ill look into the Navy.

@ Ranger ZoneIV, I understand what you are saying , but when you leave your job behind, and your home behind to go SHIP to basic training and start your new career , you dont exactly expect to come back the very next day, know what I mean? So when they told me all of that and Im sitting in that MEPS office, I was pretty much making a survival decision because I didnt have anythign to come back to , and as much as I hated it, taking the next closest ship date was the only logical thing to do. As for 18x, that was also 6 months away. Right now Im staying with a relative until NOV. (I cant Imagine waiting another half year that would mark my two year anniversery of trying to join lol) As for now Im brainwashing the hell outta myself to love being a 13b.

@Army Veteran IED Magnet, thanks, Ill try!

[goon175]

I think you will see what we are talking about in very short order. Be the best soldier you can be, but it's gonna suck to be you when your guarding the gate to the FOB, watching "those guys" roll out every night around sunset to go do what you could have been doing.

[phrozenone]

Ranger goon175 know....I know...trust me...Ive just gotta let that go for now, and focus on other things that will help me inside and outiside of the military as well. I.E . my degree, and utilize this easy 3 years to gain some experience,save some money,see new places, have some fun and meet people , thats pretty much all I can do about it. In the end, should I choose to renenlist I just might find myself in a better off position to get to where I ultimately wanted to be. I didnt plan on accomplishing all of my goals in my first enlistment anyway, so its not a HUGE deal...just an inconvenience. But for now Ill do exactly what you mentioned and "be the best soldier I can be".

[IEDmagnet]

Partner, I don't think either of those Rangers or I said anything about it being easy. I can tell your from talking with my troop and seeing some of them on FOBs during my deployments, the word easy never crossed their minds. Different maybe, but not easy. On top of the normally mundane exercise of FOB security, he still humped long nights providing fire support for units in need. I point that out, as you say "I know I know" to someone who has BTDT, Ranger Goon isn't guessing, he knows.

I would venture to say that if you wander into this enlistment believing you will be sitting around with time to spare and that it will be easy, you may have a harder time than my young troop did adjusting to life not as a Grunt. Sure, you're probably not going to do the "high speed" stuff, you're probably going to spend a lot of time on your FOB close to the guns. But you will still work your fourth point off...and it's not going to be easy. Got any idea how much one of those 105 or 155 rounds weighs?

My suggestion would be to go into this expecting an ass beating, and be happy if you come out just a little sore. Also, if you want to be like the above listed Rangers, you need to utilize every moment you have to sharpen your mind and harden your muscles and endurance. But I'll let them handle that part and stay in my lane.

[Baseplate]

Have fun in Korea

[CatFish Driver]

Coming from someone who briefly worked in the artillery world, if you want to be an 11X and are settling for 13B, you are going to be in for a rude awakening if you think you are going to be doing anything high speed. Only the 13Fs will ever get a slot at Ranger School. The only way you'll get Airborne is if you go to Italy or Bragg and your chances of going there are unpredictable. Who gives a shit about Air Assault. Heed the advice of the trigger pullers talking on here (and no, I'm not one of them) and get out of that contract. You should wait the 6 months and get the 11X you wanted in the first place. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. But if you want to be in a career field that you will never get to do your job because the collateral damage is too high and is dying a slow death, by all means, go be a 13B. Have fun hanging out guarding chow halls and ECPs while the Regiment is out doing work.

[phrozenone]

Rangers,


I really appreciate the feedback on this one. I guess Ill start off by saing I am keping my 13B , and theres practically a zero percent chance of me changing that. For one, not shipping on the day I was supposed put me in a really tight spot, which is the main reason. So I pretty much need to take this shot and be grateful, in this error I wasnt held back any longer than I currently am.

Secondly, as I said before I have goals such as paying off my student loans, and finishing college. Both which I wanted to accomplish during my first enlistment 11x or not. So while it may seem as though intially this may be a step backwards careerwise, for me personally it is a step forward, as I am glad I get to serve in the first place. And to clear things up, choosing 11x was just a stepping stone for other paths in the military, as is my new 13B contract. , which might not be super high speed, but at least Ill still gain some exposure, and continue to develop myself. For me its a marathon, not a race.

And speaking of 13B, Im glad I read some of the posts here because, I now see a big mistake I could have made was going in thinking it was going to be "easy" which was exactly how I felt. Thinking like that has failed me in the past. And luckily the feedback kinda woke me up to that. And while I cant lie, Im not as "super motivated" as when I going in 11x, Ill still do my best as a 13B, until its time for me not to be a 13B. I hope I made clear in this post exactly why, I cant wait for a new contract 11x, and why this new contract is an ok alternative for me.

-Hopefully Korea has hot women haha

[goon175]

Everyone has to do what they ultimately feel is the best for them. Be the best that you can be, and do not let the unmotivated drain you (it happens). Still hold yourself to the same standards that you would if still persuing RASP. Work for that 300 PT score, keep your 5 mile under 37 mins or so, keep your 12 mile ruck under 2:45, and do not put off getting that degree knocked out! You may never step foot in a Ranger battalion, but there are a lot of very cool jobs to do in the Army that do not involve a Ranger scroll. Good luck and don't be a douchebag!

[phrozenone]

Roger that, Ranger goon175, and thank you for your service. Ill still be lurking on the site till I leave but I probably wont post any more, until I finish basic and get my first duty station or something worth sharing happens. Thanks to you all for the words of wisdom. Im out.

[phrozenone]

Rangers,

Greetings, and nice to see this site for the first time on a long while. I'm writing because I stumbled on this post via Google search go fgure lol. I figured I'd better keep my promise.and give an update to anyone interested.

Anywho, I graduate basic an honor grad and graduated ait with high pt award scoring a 351. Got an airborne slot and now I'm here at my airborne unit as an airborne artilleryman. It's funny reading all the above posts and everyone here was right on the money about 13b life so far . We definitely do lots of
wwmaintenece and crew drills all day , and the suck factor is amplified cause were an airborne unit LOL. Right now I'm focusing on basic soldering and mos knowledge because I'm already the the pt stud , and try to learn as much as possible.

However there are.a.couple factors that inspire me, for one, our Battery commander is a Ranger and he likes
to send ppl to Ranger school. The next Ranger pt test is in
August and my goal is to score the highest on it the battalion, and possibly earn a slot as a pfc. I think I have a pretty decent chance at passing Ranger school because
of my previous rotc experience which gave me a little more experience in land nav, opord and patrolling than your average pfc. The other good news is that Sf recruiting is pretty close to us, and at some time I'm going to take a trip over there when I feel I'm ready. So basically that's an update on my situation this, far I really appreciate this site I believe it has definitely inspired me to get to where I am now. And who knows maybe ill be wearing the tab one day, thanks again for all your advice and inspiration.