Posted on Mar 25, 2015
SSgt Joe V.
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Hmmv
I know people join because family members present and past were in and it is a family tradition, and after 9/11 serving our country was a popular reason, but what are the off the wall reasons?

For instance - I failed out of college right out of high school, worked odd jobs for a year and was given an ultimatum by my dad - work construction with him, or go back to school. I went to buy sneakers instead, and ended up trying to introduce myself to an attractive young lady that ducked into the AF recruiters office before I had a chance to say hello. That was a Wednesday, and I signed up on Friday of that same week because of her walking into that office.

It all worked out and after six years as a TACP, there isn't a thing I can complain about...

So - what are the reasons?
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Responses: 10
BG David Fleming III
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The best reason I've heard for joining, was said from someone watching the towers fall on 9/11, feeling obligated to answer the call and serve the nation.
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CMSgt Attorney
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My family has a history of military service, so that influence was there from a young age. My hometown offered little opportunity after high school, and I had no desire to go to college at that point in my life. By joining the Air Force, I could do something meaningful, get out of my hometown, and it didn't require a college degree. Really wasn't a tough decision for me. One of the best decisions I ever made.
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SrA Munitions Maintenance Specialist
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Chief, these are the exact reasons I enlisted! All I can add onto your comment is that I had a wife and a son (8 mos) at the time, and becoming a father made me see my surroundings in a new way, because it wasn't just about myself anymore. I did not want my child growing up in a declining environment and I wanted to get him out of there. 6 years later, here I am...
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SFC Mark Merino
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I heard one of the people in my unit from 2/17 CAV, 101 ABN, say that he had been waiting his entire life to serve. His dad was with the 101st...grandpa was in the 101st...great-grandpa was in 1 ID. That's all I can remember, but it kept going.......
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