How many of you are ex-military?

Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum

Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

DanHalen

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
246
Reaction score
73
Location
Flair Country - Wooooooooo!
I'm always curious about other peoples background especially if they're ex-military.

What branch were you in?

Did you go to engineering school before or after the military?

Did the military help you with your studies?

How did you come to the conclusion you wanted to be an engineer?

After I got out of the Navy I went back to school on the GI Bill. The transition from the military to the civilian world was difficult for me. It took about 5 years to readjust to where I could sleep well at night (depression, anxiety, and PTSD). When I was in college I saw many kids who were there because their parents wanted them to be there. They were whiny brats that wanted to stay out all night and that use to piss me off. These little $hits have everything given to them and I'm having to bust my @$$ to get what I have.

My professors seemed to enjoy group projects and I hated those very much. I was always paired up against my will with some phucktard that wanted to wait until the night before an assignment was due to work on the group project. Most group projects wouldn't be due for several weeks but I'm the type that will have it done by the weekend and have a week or two to groom the project/report. That doesn't sit well with some of the procrastinators and slackers. The military in me pushes me to get it done ASAFP! No matter how hard I try to relax, procrastinate, and take it slow I can't.

When I got out of the Navy I worked as a treatment plant operator and had the pleasure/misfortune (depending on how you look at it) dealing with a civil engineer. He was a graduate of a big state university, quick to tell you how much smarter he is than you, and an arrogant prick. He had zero people skills, at least 112 years old, and should have retired back in the 70's. My plant was failing permit requirements miserably due to dilapidated equipment. He was hired to help determine what the reason was that we were failing our permit requirements (that was the town's decision not mine). His solution was to wash down the weirs on our clarifier in the middle of January where temperatures was -10 degrees F with 3 feet of snow on the ground. The yard hydrant had a block of ice the size of a Volkswagen - yeah like I'm going to be able to wash anything down with that. The weirs were clean anyway and he was obviously grasping for some kind of answer. I reported my findings to my supervisor and it wasn't long after that the engineer was let go. I knew that guy had to be making at least 4x more than me and I knew that I could do his job better than he could. That's why I decided to go back to school.

Without the training and discipline I got in the military I'm not sure that I would have made it through school. It's tough and almost everyone I went to school with said it was difficult, so I know it just wasn't me. I didn't particularly enjoy college all that much and felt like I had to whore myself out to those little gods known as professors to get decent grades. I was able to get out of some of the liberal studies classes (thank God!) but still had a few. If you didn't give a liberal slant toward your papers then your grade would take a huge hit. I try to look at things as facts, black and white, and base my opinion from that. I learned quickly that doesn't sit well with some professors. It's behind me now and thank goodness it's over.

I'm grateful to have been able to serve and don't regret the decision to leave. My command pushed hard to get me to reenlist but I'd had enough and was tired of the 16+ hour workdays 7 days a week for months on end while at sea nearly 10 months out of the year. It wasn't for me but it's helped me in many ways and hurt in others. I have deep emotional issues that will never heal and also service connected disability. My neighbor has a son that is 17 and wants to join the Army. He's always asking me about the military and should he/shouldn't he join. My answer is this, "I have memories that I wouldn't take for a millions dollars and wouldn't give you a nickel to relive one minute."

 
US Army after High School - 11B

Reserves / National Guard in College

Got talked to going into OCS in 1996, got my butter bar in 1996

Commissioned 12Bravo but ended up in a construction battalion (National Guard) I wanted to blow shit up...

Got out in January 2001 - Yes Im a POS, got out just before 9/11... Wasnt a real rosy picture for being a NG Officer back then. wars change the ability to get a promotion and such.

Compared to what the guys/gals are doing in the military the past decade I didnt really do all that much, I would enlist again, been a great experience...

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was commissioned in the Marines after finishing a BS Chemical Engineering program.


That's awesome! Congrats on the commission. Are you able to use your Chemical Engineering degree in your job or are you primarily tasked with infantry? The Navy offered me a commission either in the Civil Engineering Corps or Nuclear Engineering after I graduated. I asked them why were they offering now and not when I was on active duty begging for the opportunity. I never got a straight answer and wasn't interested in leaving my wife and newborn son to go on deployments. Thank you for your service Freon. Semper Fi.

PS: I was in the gator Navy and we took the Marines where the conflicts were.

 
US Army after High School - 11B

Reserves / National Guard in College

Got talked to going into OCS in 1996, got my butter bar in 1996

Commissioned 12Bravo but ended up in a construction battalion (National Guard) I wanted to blow shit up...

Got out in January 2001 - Yes Im a POS, got out just before 9/11... Wasnt a real rosy picture for being a NG Officer back then. wars change the ability to get a promotion and such.

Copared to what the guys/gals are doing in the military the past decade I didnt really do all that much, I would enlist again, been a great experience...

I got out right before 9/11 as well. I called my old reserve unit and updated my contact information because I knew I was about to be reactivated. Never heard back from them.

 
I was commissioned in the Marines after finishing a BS Chemical Engineering program.


That's awesome! Congrats on the commission. Are you able to use your Chemical Engineering degree in your job or are you primarily tasked with infantry? The Navy offered me a commission either in the Civil Engineering Corps or Nuclear Engineering after I graduated. I asked them why were they offering now and not when I was on active duty begging for the opportunity. I never got a straight answer and wasn't interested in leaving my wife and newborn son to go on deployments. Thank you for your service Freon. Semper Fi.

PS: I was in the gator Navy and we took the Marines where the conflicts were.
I was an Infantry Officer. But went to NPS and got a MSEE also.

 
Not active military, but I worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and deployed to Afghanistan twice totaling about 2 years overseas.

Now I work for the VA.

 
Navy 94-98, USS Teddy Roosevelt, worked for the Air Boss in Primary Flight Control. Deployed to the Med/Persian Gulf twice and travelled everywhere. Had a great experience, but got out and went back to school on the GI Bill. Most of my buddies never used it, and I just never understood that.

Now some of the guys I was in with are making Chief and retiring. One guy from bootcamp went on to OCS, stayed in the reserves and is up to O-5 now.

 
nanytu5y.jpg
 
Back
Top