Posted on Dec 12, 2014
Did you join the armed forces later in life? How old were you when you joined and has it worked for you?
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Ok, I joined at 31 years old as a PV2. I'll get the PFC on January. I would say that the hardest part is being, at least, 10 years older than my peers. Because of my age, I always feel better speaking with E5-E7 because they are usually my age and they are more mature than people of my rank, not just because of the rank but the age too.
It is funny how the treatment of people that doesn't know me change so much when I'm using the PT uniform. As they don't know my rank, they think that I may be a NCO or even an Officer, always so much respect " Good morning, good afternoon, How is it going, Sir?" But when they see me in ACUs, they are like, "meh, is just a private". I don't take it bad, maybe is the Army culture.
Do you have any similar experience?
It is funny how the treatment of people that doesn't know me change so much when I'm using the PT uniform. As they don't know my rank, they think that I may be a NCO or even an Officer, always so much respect " Good morning, good afternoon, How is it going, Sir?" But when they see me in ACUs, they are like, "meh, is just a private". I don't take it bad, maybe is the Army culture.
Do you have any similar experience?
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Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 14
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Joined at age 40 years old - I owned a gym in civilian life and decided to join military to give back to this country that was so great to me. I have had the same experiences as yourself, just be there for the younger soldiers and a ear for the higher ranks and you will learn a lot . I took the road from E-1 when I came in even with a college degree so I could learn as much as I could along the way so I always remember what it felt like to be at that rank. You can make a difference!!
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
Wow! I'll definitely look forward to make that difference! Thanks for sharing your experience!
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I tried to join at 26 but I had an inguinal hernia that stopped me. Got it fixed and came in at 28. This has worked for me so far because it has given me a sense of purpose whereas when I was a civilian, I was just hoping to make it by. I'm am a self-professed introvert so I don't hang out with anyone unless I am invited. Everyone at my last unit wanted to party and drink all the time so I tried my best to avoid them. When I joined the military and got to my first unit, I always talked to SGT's with a sense of fear and now I just talk to them like I do anyone else. It makes no difference to me.
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
When I got to my first unit station, my wife had to stay in PR to fix some stuff before leaving the island for good. So I had to stay in the barracks for 2 weeks, I saw SGTs literally broke because of drinking or gambling problems. It's sad to see leaders that without the uniform are nothing. One day I accepted to have a few beers with them, because I was leaving and that was my last time with them, the craziest guy, the one who drank the most, and look like my age too, was an E6. That blew me away! Definitely, the rank doesn't give you knowledge or maturity.
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I enlisted at 25. Not quite like being 30 or 40, but old enough to set me apart from the "kids." The biggest thing that I've noticed about older "enlistees" is that because they feel more comfortable around people their age, they'll try to hang out with soldiers a few ranks above them. Just because you're the same age as the platoon sergeant doesn't mean you should try and be buddies with him. As a private, I carefully avoided making that mistake, as I was much closer in age to the SSGs. I believe that allowed me to be respected for who I was as a soldier instead of being regarded as a cocky nuisance. Having a little bit of life experience under your belt goes a long way, as long as you know when it's relevant, and when you're just another soldier.
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
You have a point there about not trying to be buddies with your PSG. But what can you do when is your platoon sergeant who feels more comfortable talking with you than with another 19 or 20 years old soldier. Believe me, I avoid making that mistake either but, whenever I have the opportunity, I always learn something from them. It is not about talking of how the Lakers beat the Spurs at the end of the game, I always pick a military topic to engage a conversation.
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