Tell Us About Your Military Job

I'm an naval aviator, one of the many women aviators that are now around the Oceana flight line. I was commissioned from USNA and was out in the fleet on the USS Eisenhower for their 6 month deployment Oct 95-March 96. Originally I wanted to be a Marine but figured that Marines really didn't want women so I decided to try to break into the boys club of naval aviation because, you know, they were so much more receptive to the idea of having babes around. The infamous "Tailhook" occurred while I was a senior at college which meant number 1) I missed it unfortunately (contrary to popular belief, many women had a great time) and 2) it would change the way my

career would develop I selected tactical fighters out of flight school and life has never been the same since. The Eisenhower cruise I joined was the first east coast deployment of a carrier with women on board. Millions were spent to purchase spraypaint to designate heads as "Female". Billions on actual toilet seats, an unheard of thing prior to women serving on ships. And I never heard the end of it. But after 8 years in the fighter community, it has been nothing but an overwhelmingly positive experience. As an officer and an aviator, I have a pampered lifestyle as any "black shoe" or enlisted person will tell you. But don't think that we haven't earned at least a little of what we get. We spend months away from home unbeknownst to the American public, as much as 9 months out of 12. Even when the ship is in port, we are training in Fallon or somewhere else for weeks at a time. Prior to our 6 month deployment we will spend no less than

4 months away from home in preparation for deployment. And it doesn't matter whether we are at war or not-- the Navy has deployed units 24/7/365. Most of my friends have missed at least one of their children's births because they were floating off the coast of Iraq, Afghanistan or some other place. In addition, every time I hear about a jet or helicopter that has crashed I am reminded of the very dangerous job that aviators perform from the carrier pilots returning from 9 hour missions over Afghanistan (yes, I've done it and it's painful) to the Apache drivers in Iraq that fly along at 50' and 100 knots while getting shot at from every direction (thank God I haven't done that).

A day in the life of a deployed carrier aviator depends on your rank. A junior officer (JO) will do about as much work as aviators are rumored to accomplish--not much. They are there to fly, be tactical, be the back bone of the ready room. A typical day is getting up at 1000, eating breakfast, working out, checking yourself in the mirror to ensure you're still lookin' good, eating lunch, flying, eating dinner, tracking down your lost laundry, checking that mirror again, going to the ship's store to purchase junk food, and finally staying up until 4am watching movies, eating all the junk food you can possibly stuff down your gullet recently purchased at the ship's store and playing Sega while making fun of other JOs. If you are middle management as a Department Head (usually at about 11-12 years as a commissioned officer), you will work 18 thankless hours a day, never have time to eat or workout but still manage to gain 30 pounds in 30 months, fly

only when you don't have paperwork and deflect heat from the front office directed towards the JO's because they are making too much noise at 4am. Squadron commanders have about 18 years under their belts. They spend 24 thankless hours a day wondering and worrying how some knuckle head JO is going to do something stupid and kill him/herself. Oh yeah, and yell at the JO's for making so much noise at 4 am.

What is it like to fly in a Navy jet? Depends on whether or not you're going to be landing at night. Landing on the boat during a beautiful sunny day is awesome. Like a sport, shooting hoops with your buds but on a much more grandiose scale. You launch off the front end, join up, do some tactical intercepts, maybe some dog fighting if you're lucky, then orbit overhead while you wait for the next launch to happen. Things happen in cycles on a boat. Launch at 1000, recover at 1015. Next launch at 1130, recover at 1145, etc. It's all about the proverbial ballet miracle that the flight deck crew performs flawlessly every day of flight ops. Night is no different, except for the fact that you are now wearing a blindfold. It's not fun. It's as un-fun as the day is fun. I'd rather be watching movies and playing Sega at 4am.

After 8 years, I wouldn't trade this job for anything, despite some of the bad days and long family separations. The men I have worked with over the years have evolved in the way you would hope Neanderthals would evolve. Seriously though, while we are kinder-gentler and annoyingly PC almost to a fault these days (except for chiefs and I wouldn't have it any other way) but I can still find someone that isn't afraid to tell it like it is (which is mostly that I'm doing something wrong again) and talk to me like "one of the boys". A better group of people never existed. Of course I'm biased. From the old timers, Vietnam fighter vets that run our simulator building to the 18 year old Plane Captain that shakes my hand when I walk up to a jet for a flight, you won't find a better group of people or a better place to be.

I wake up at 5am. As I am going to the unit, I think about how the last truck (915A3) treated me so good. I arrive around 7ish. It's "formally, formation first" - say that one fast. I'm assigned a truck for a mission...it's not the one I had the month before. Yes, I am in the Army National Guard. I love my weekends, with the exception of PT tests. Somehow, PT and I don't get along, however, I do pass. Driving to a destination in which I've never been really excites me. I have always been a traveler, thanks to the Army, and I guess I always will be. Upon returning to the unit, in my own little way I hate for the weekend drill to end. To drive gives me freedom! I have 11 years in (6 active) and I plan on staying in until they "kick" me out!

I am a 93F. What do I do? I am a meteorologist, so to speak. Yes, in the army we do meteorology, but its not the conventional thinking of what a meteorologist does. We do take weather reports like wind direction, humidity, temperature, and so on, but what we do not do is to make forecasts. No, we don't predict the weather. The air force and the navy do that, although we do help them.

So what good is what we do? According to the U.S. field artillery, pretty important. We give the weather reports for a specific time in a specific area. What happens is that the F.D.C. (fire direction control), tells us that they need a certain kind of MET report. Then they give us a specific time to collect the data. For those who don't know what the field artillery is, its where all the big guns are.

So maybe your thinking, why exactly does the field artillery need us? Because, if you're into weapons or hunt and such, then you probably know that temperature, and wind direction affect a projectile as its moving through the air. Making sense now? And when your talking about things like missiles and huge projectiles that go higher and farther than bullet rounds, you need to know the atmospheric conditions. The atmosphere changes the higher you go, and it can throw a round off target from 50 to 100 meters over or under. Also, if a nuclear missile is used the wind blows the radiation for miles, we also give the wind direction so the FDC can put that information out to the surrounding support.

The front lines get our information and and adjust their weapons off of our reports. But now we have more advanced weapons recently; weapons that fire farther and much higher. There's one of the latest that can fire a round from Oklahoma City to Dallas Texas. So our previous MET equipment is obsolete. To make up for it, the army has come out with new equipment for us that can measure to an altitude of above 500 meters which is what the new weapons fire. It relies more on satellites in some areas than did before, where we just tracked a balloon with up to four or more of the 24 satellites that we can use.

With this new equipment coming out its not only good for us as army meteorologists, but this new technology means that we will be having to use more equipment that regular civilian meteorologists use. That means that we could get better civilian MET jobs. Our job is one of the easier ones, Although you do have to do everything in a hurry, its pretty interesting and once you get through the bore of the training, it's pretty fun.

Surface Warfare Officer School, Division Officer Course in Newport, Rhode Island. Since my orders indicated that I would be reporting to the Engineering Department on USS NASSAU (LHA 4), I then attended Engineering Officer of the Watch School in Newport, Rhode Island. So far, everything sounds pretty normal, right? When I reported to my ship, they didn't need me in Engineering, so they made me the Assistant Navigator. That doesn't sound so bad either except my only navigation experience was gained in Luce Hall at the Academy. About a week or so after I arrived, the

Navigator left, with no replacement. Since I was not qualified, the Quartermaster Chief took over. About three months later, after the new Navigator arrived, they decided to move me to Deck Department. I was given Second Division, in charge of the well deck and vehicle storage areas. It was a blast, but I was quickly forgetting all my engineering knowledge. Just about the time I had forgotten engineering even existed, they gave me the Aft Engineering Plant (MP-2). I was one of six women stationed on that ship. All of us were officers since we were not fitted for enlisted female berthing. During deployment we had a couple nurses and flight surgeons on board too. Besides being shuffled around a bit while they fixed up an official female "wing" complete with a head, I had a great experience on that ship.

When it came time to transfer, I requested a smaller ship for a different experience. The detailer told me I'd be going to USS THORN (DD 988). However, they currently did not have any females on board and I'd be the first one. Apparently, they were not ready for a single female on board because when my orders came, I had about 6 months worth of schools and working for the squadron. When it came time to report to the squadron, a few "problems" arose. They would be embarking THORN and planned on bringing me along. The ship didn't seem to happy about this since they sent me to the squadron to delay my report date until the female XO arrived. The Commodore brought me along

anyway. Three fellow officers had to move out of their room to make space for me and a sign was quickly added to the head - one side said "males" and the other said "females". Not the first impression I wanted to make, but I usually adapt well. So as to not create any more unpleasantness, I tried to awake early to take my shower so the men would not have to wait. This usually meant getting up during the "mid-watch" - around 0300. Luckily, we were only there for a couple days and I disembarked with the squadron staff and did not return to the ship for another month. I finally did officially report to the ship, but the female XO was still not onboard. She, and two female Ensigns, did not arrive for another few weeks. Again, I got shuffled around a little bit. I was supposed to report as Navigator, but was not needed in that capacity. I was given the title of Weapons Officer, even though there was no official billet for a Weapons Officer. I actually became the Combat Systems Officer's assistant. Shortly after I arrived, the Combat Systems Officer took a few weeks leave - right before the scheduled Ammo Onload! Since the ship had also sent me to Legal Officer School, I took over that job. Eventually, duties and circumstances led me to be the full time Administration Officer, Public Affairs

CTT's perform a variety of specialized duties associated with processing of airborne, shipborne and land-based radar systems and associated signals. Operate Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) receiving, direction finding, recording and related computer equipment, sophisticated state-of-the-art radar electronic equipment, magnetic or digital recording devices, analysis terminals and associated peripheral equipment. Perform a variety of duties associated with computer equipment, video display terminals, computer interface consoles and non-morse communications systems.

-- Operate sophisticated, state-of-the-art, electronic receivers, signal modifiers, magnetic recording devices and associated peripherals in the collection of airborne, shipborne and land-based radar signals;
-- Operate collection equipment as crewmembers onboard Navy land aircraft to provide tactical and strategic electronic intelligence (ELINT) to forward-deployed units in support of fleet operations;
-- Operate collection and analysis consoles as direct support augmentees on surface and subsurface and as permanently assigned personnel on surface collection platforms to provide ELINT support to forward deployed unit commanders;
-- Apply analytical knowledge and techniques in the formation of technical reports and briefs for operations departments at shore support facilities in continental United States, Hawaii, Japan, Spain, Great Britain and various remote sites throughout the world;
-- Perform state-of-the-art technical analysis of radar signals/systems to produce technical reports and briefs for local and national level agencies and provide naval and national database maintenance;
-- Create and maintain technical databases, files and technical documents associated with prescribed duties;
-- Routinely works with highly classified and technical material in support of national security.

I am Sgt in the United States Marine Corps and am an 0451 Air Delivery Specialist (Parachute Rigger). I have been a Marine since 22 May 1995. I have served in Air Delivery Platoons both in Camp LeJeune and Okinawa, Japan. Our mission is to provide the Aerial Delivery of supplies and equipment when ground re-supply is not possible. I pack parachutes and rig cargo to be airdropped. We can drop something as small as a box of MRE's to 5 Tons, bridge pieces, and Howitzers. You name it-we can rig it and drop it. I am also a qualified Static Line Jumpmaster and Pathfinder responsible for ensuring that each jumper's equipment and parachute are properly rigged/inspected. I also rig cargo to be lifted externally and can establish and control Helicopter Landing Sites and Drop Zones as a

What I don't understand is why there are not more of us, I came in the service as a 63H back then it was both wheel and track but in the 80's it changed to just track mechanic up until I made 1sg I worked every level of my CMF, I am not good looking and my typing skills were lacking but I was one hell of a wrench turner and I was good with people and my chain of command knew it.

female I thought I may of had toothpaste on my face but come to fine out that the soldiers were from a airborne unit and although they have females in there Bde none of them had ever seen a female csm I WAS SO PROUD). I am a good public speaker, and I have a great story to tell. The only problem is I want to get paid. As a mechanic to CSM I have seen and heard it all.

April 2000 I was milling around the hallways of my college, where I was in the second semester of my LPN training. I saw an Army Reserve recruiter, and I thought, "hey... I'll go talk to him, my entire family is in the Army, we could talk some Army talk."

Well, he asked what I was in school for, and I said, well, I'm working on my LPN. I hope to be an RN someday, so this is a stepping-stone. He basically let me know the Army has a program for health care MOS's to get 100% of thier tuition paid for while in civilian school.. it seemed like a decent idea... I always wanted to join the army, but wasn't sure if I was the "army type" You see, I was the rebel in the family... tattoos, piercings, green hair, dog collars, clunky shoes... that was me... the old me.. I guess that looking different was the only way I could stand out, but it got old.... being a 24-year-old punk kinda sounds lame....

Anyway, I talked it over with my father and my brother, and I decided to go for it..... Here we go.... BASIC COMBAT TRAINING! Ft. Sill, OK..I arrived at Ft. Sill on May 15th, and it was HOT.. I sat in reception for a week and a half, and then got shipped to basic.... CATTLE TRUCKS....

Basically, basic training was fun.. I was at the E 1/19 FA.... 1st platoon.. renegades..... I did my best, lost 35 lbs, and became a better person... no more "Big Shirley." And, I graduated.....my father (a retired colonel) came to my graduation, and I got to salute him after the ceremony... that was cool.... my family was so proud.. I wish my brother could have made it, but he's deployed to Sinai.... anyway, since my father is a SF Airborne Ranger, many of the people in my battery wanted to talk to him, because he's just a cool guy.... (but I'm biased) .

And now, I start back up at school pretty soon, to finish my LPN... and I drill one weekend a month with the 114th CSH... Ft. Snelling, MN.... It's neat, cause everyone in my section is either an LPN or an RN.. I get a lot of motivation from them to take my nursing career as far as I want to....

When I graduate, and get my license, I plan to go active duty, hopefully to Wuerzburg, Germany.... you see, I was born there.. and I think it would be really cool to work in the same hospital I was born.... If I can't get Germany, I'll take Ft. Carson, or Ft. Lewis.. cause I'm a mtn. biking, backpacking, skiing NUT!

And a little plug....... if you have inklings about being a nurse.... try the army to pay for it... it's a good deal...

was very idealistic because I had been in a very good college ROTC program where camaraderie was very tight. The same thing happened again at AIT, but I had fallen into a deep depression and I hated the whole thing. At AIT we learned religious garments and utensils, altar setup for chapel and field for all 5 main faith groups: office management, supply; basic human interaction/ listening skills; legal responsibility for protecting

privileged info, crises screening; counting and recording the offering and other chapel duties; setting up and using field equipment (like tents and stoves) how to do radio commo, load plan for equipment to place on the humvee, and how to protect the chaplain during a field service. My MOS was not officially identified until after the Vietnam War (I think) . It was just a job given to the worst trouble-maker in the unit. The commander would reassign the soldier to the chaplain so he could keep an eye on him.

Once I got to permanent party I felt like my job was very vague. it took a while to adjust to being without the high speed atmosphere of training and the security of class structure . The reason I liked my job was because we got to help people. But the routine duties were to run the office for the Chaplain, work at one of the chapels most Sundays (to set up the altar and count the offerings). The chaplain section had monthly meetings to coordinate religious services and programs to make sure we had enough personnel to cover each task, like holiday services, chapel services at post chapels while we deployed with our units to the field, benevolent programs, veteran funerals, memorial services and weddings and baptisms.

There was a tremendous shortage of personnel enlisted and commissioned. This caused the people we had to do a lot of extra pinch hitting and double duty. Going above and beyond the call of duty was SOP for us. Any personal conflicts that existed were shoved aside so the mission could continue. In my unit when we had no chaplain the co. commander called me chaplain. I said that was right because I was doing everything but marrying and burying people. And I was signed for all the equipment we used, a lot more than a private ought to have. So there were constant struggles just to keep others from swiping my stuff.

The main thing I was upset about with my job was that we were always the target for details (extra jobs that take you away from regular duties). The official MOS reg stated that 71M's cannot be assigned outside their MOS and are not to be assigned to details like Dfac duty, field KP, guard duty, range detail, and air/ train loading teams. My MOS was completely the object of scorn and ridicule because we had "cushy" jobs and we weren't considered mission essential. But I found that we were more like the medics or MP's where your rank is irrelevant to your high level of responsibility. Many NCOs and officers thought that with all the interfacing we did with top brass, that MOS should require a soldier in the rank of at least SGT when assigned at the battalion level. For example, during a very long vacancy without a chaplain to "protect" me I was given the daunting task of organizing 2 pre-deployment Family Support Group meetings ( on the same day) at the battalion level prior to heading out to the field for an FTX as well as finish printing and circulating the FSG newsletter in a 1 week period. Another time I went to do a command hospital visit with a soldier who had attempted with a weapon. Another part of the job was since you are not working directly under an NCO, you get mentored less and chances for promotion are lower since the squad leader and platoon sgt don't know your job performance and don't write your monthly counseling statements (written corrections and praise provide support for promotion or not). Heck, usually the chaplains don't write the counseling statements either.

I used to load my supplies on my HumVee with help I begged or stole from other sections. Field duties included driving for the chaplain and being his body guard. We visited soldiers to take prayer requests, do morale checks, investigate any complaints, make sure people were sleeping and eating and hand out religious reading material and artifacts (crosses and crucifixes) visit sick soldiers and help soldiers with family problems in the rear. Most of my time when we arrived in the field was setting up tents we lived and worked in.

I wished I had written back to the AIT school to let them know what they could have taught me to better prepare me for the job I encountered. I was not prepared for being the only one in my MOS and a very high profile one. I was on good terms with the battalion CO and XO , which wasn't good because it only made others more jealous of my cushy status. Many times I felt like I was married to the chaplain in a way because we were always together and I helped him with anything and everything. So if anyone wants a job description it is that you will do whatever it takes to provide religious support for soldiers under your battalion chaplain or that require assistance in your assigned chapel. In spite of what the school doctrine was about the 71M not being an assistant chaplain, my personal experience was that people depended a lot on us, and had I not been prepared in civilian life, I would have been frustrated by not being able to help more. So the training should be more focused on how to help people. The army has a very hard time recruiting 71m. That is not surprising because I think potential recruits feel they will be called goody goody or that they must be cleaner than others. the job requires someone with very high level of concern for well being of soldiers. Also the job is a good stepping stone for anyone who wants to later become a chaplain. therefore, I think that the army ought to have an equivalent to a PA or physicians assistant assigned in place of either the chaplain assistant or where battalions have no chaplain, especially now with the new policy that fighting units and deploying units get the chaplains first. TRADOC posts suffer shortages, as was my experience, as well as supporting units.

I am a Flight Medic on a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter (Air Ambulance) and I love my job. I have always loved to fly and this is the ultimate rush! I am in a wonderful unit where the women never feel they have to prove anything, but teamwork is a working term. Even though we resemble the show of "M*A*S*H" in how we get along, (we are all nuts!) when its time to fly, the teamwork shines. Our unit won the "Aviation Unit of the Year" award last year. Next year, I am going to further schooling to become the Crew Chief/Mechanic on the Black Hawk and then I am going to work toward my pilots license. I don't want to be a Warrant Officer, I just want to be able to fly the bird!

here till the day I came back from my first time I took leave. I excelled and received many awards for the accomplishments I made while doing tedious and important pay, personnel and administrative actions for the command. I was then promoted to work in the front office to be the Shipyard Commanders Yeoman. I have done many projects with upper management, CINPACFLT, CINLANTFLT, MIDPAC, SUBPAC, NAVSEA etc.... I enjoy this job because out in the civilian world it is the equivalent to a corporate secretary. I do more than just secretarial duties, I have my military commitments as well as my of-duty college classes. I'd say I'm taking advantage of what I have while I'm still young.

Field Corpsman attached with USMC-R unit- 8404 NEC I had always wanted to join the military. After a 4 week FBI class in Hazardous devices at Redstone in Huntsville AL in 1995, I decided to check into joining a reserve unit. The Navy has a program where if you have a skill they need bad enough they will advance you in paygrade (usually E4 or E5) once you complete the prerequisites. It is called the APG program. There isn't any boot camp, only a 2 week AT designed to be a mini-boot camp. Seems as if most of the people in my class were over the age of 25 and mature. There were construction specialties, medical personnel, etc. That was in 1995 I joined. Been great ever since. I completed a field medic course so I can be assigned with the Marines. I have been to 29 Palms CA, New Orleans, Camp Pendelton and Norway for AT. And after hearing NO for so long when I inquire about jump school, I may have found a way to get a seat in a class. Have to thank my Chief for that. This solidifies my thought in that never take no for an answer. There is ALWAYS a way to get it done.

the Deployment listings/folders. I also assist on the ordering of equipment, and anything else, I can learn and do, to help out other sections in Customer Service. I was born with the sound of jets flying over head, and since then, I have loved planes. So the Air Force was my first choice. My goal is to wear Chief stripes on day. And I will. One day. TEAM MCCHORD......DEPEND ON US, COUNT ON ME.

I have a total of 15 years in, 14 of those were served in active duty. This was not my career of choice. I have learned many things while in the jobs from order the parts to build a Air to Air missile, to loading it on the airplane. I do not particularly like my job and although I have tried for many years to get out of it, I was unsuccessful due to no cross-training or when it did open up it was for something just as bad. This career field is a no where job and it does not treat women kindly. One day you may be treated like a rose petal and the next expected to lift a two ton truck. All in all, I have enjoyed my military experience and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a short adventure.

I could not ask for a better job. I love this job, it is very exciting and gives off an unbelievable rush. This job requires being away from home at least 2-3 times a month on TDY's, but the trips are worth it because there usually is some down time and you are usually not gone for more than 5-10 days at a time. This is not an easy job, but it is also not backbreaking. There can be a lot of pressure and stress when things don't seem to go your way. Attention to detail is a must when performing your duties, just as it is in many military professions, one wrong move can be fatal. I crossed-trained into this job, and I am sorry that it wasn't my first job. I can proudly say that I am a female in the military and I have combat flying time!

A Boom Operators flying day is very long and even though you may be on a cargo haul, there is no time for sleep. Not only does a Boom refuel aircraft in the air, but they also handle passengers, somewhat like a flight attendant (but we don't like to be called that), load cargo, we are another set of eyes for the pilots (we back them up). We basically have to know all of the systems on the aircraft just in case something goes wrong, we should be able to respond with the knowledge of what is going on. A typical day last anywhere between 10-16 hours, and by the time that day is over, you are pretty much exhausted, but it's worth it.

There are a lot of perks that come with this job. I have seen a lot of the world, and I'm not just talking about seeing bases. I have been to several countries and have had enough down time see the sights. I get to wear a flight suit, which is much easier to maintain than BDU's (no ironing). Incentive pay is always a plus, and having two officers take you to work everyday while you lay on your stomach and "pass gas" is a great way to earn your pay. I guess if you like to travel, this is a great job. I am happy to be serving my country and doing the job that I do.

Posted: 14 Jun 00
2T0X1 - Passenger and Household Goods and Ground Transportation Specialist, USAF

My job before I discharged in 95' had just recently combined with ground cargo transportation. But I had only worked in the Passenger and household goods aspect of TMO. We were the ones who brief you on what your weight allowances for household goods were and what you can and cannot pack. We then arranged for all of your stuff to be picked up by a carrier contracted with the government such as Bekins or Allied Moving companies. They come out and pack you and then move your stuff to your next duty station. There was a little bit more work in the behind the scenes of this but not much. My job also had a mobility position it would switch to during a deployment. I worked in the mobility APT, coordinating the chalks of passengers, creating manifests and ensuring that the troops were given all information necessary for their arrival tot he forward location. I ensured that the troops were sterilized until the time the plane was off the ground ensuring no leak of information even to friendly sources ( which can be a little tough when you have a hanger full of 1,000 Marines and they all know each other). I gave safety briefings and coordinated any briefings by Intel and also BIO-warfare if there was any sort of a risk for these encounters. All In all I would have to say the day to day job was OK pretty boring at times. I was always the first to volunteer for any exercise or deployment though. It just gave me I guess a little better feeling that I was really contributing something during my mobility job. For my efforts and the others of my APT crew paid of we won awards for our work in getting excellent marks for our ORI and it helped in my record to earn BTZ.

about basic electronics. When I first started, I was electronically illiterate. In the good old Army fashion I was trained in DC and AC circuits, learned about resistors, capacitors, and gates, light emitting diodes, and programming computers in hexadecimal etc., you name it. In March of 1999 I was then sent to Ft. Sill, OK, home of Field Artillery. Unbeknownst to me and my fellow classmates, the radar that were going to learn to repair is not the kind you see at airports or even the kind that is used to watch the weather. Firefinder radar does just that, it tracks artillery and mortar rounds. I spent eight months at Ft. Sill learning about microwave energy, light weight computer units and pages and pages of schematics! What I really learned was that my first four months in advanced individual training were useless. Ft. Sill was a true eye opener for me. The post has approximately 20,000 military personnel on it, and when I was there, 30 of them were female. I never felt I was at a disadvantage because I was a female, nor did I ever feel that I would have to prove myself to

"belong". After graduating from AIT I went directly to Ft. Benning, GA, for Airborne School. I had been told it would be the hardest training of my life, blah, blah, blah. Besides running everywhere all the time (to the chow hall, to the training sites, to the barracks) it wasn't too bad. Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, now that was hard! I am currently at Ft. Bragg, NC. There are only four 35M here at 82nd Airborne Division, and less than 100 of us Army-wide. Because the Radar I repair is for Field Artillery (strictly male) there will be no more females doing my job any more. I love being a female in the Army. I love doing my best and knowing that many men cannot out do me, in my job or in physical training. I love the fact that I do two jobs in the United States Army that most men can or will not do.

equipment, mobile lighting units, etc. "Jack of all trades, master of none" is the phrase by which we are sometimes referred to. My job can be extremely difficult for a female due to the amount of physical labor it requires and only about 1% of all AGE troops are female. I am the only female AGE troop in my flight and I like the job very much. I would recommend it to any female joining the Air Force.

I am currently serving as a firefighter in the Michigan Army National Guard. I joined the Guard to further my education of the science of firefighting. As a military firefighter I am trained to battle structure fire, wild land fires, chemical fires, and aircraft fires. If it can burn, I can put it out. I'll never regret the thirteen weeks I spent at Louis F. Garland Fire Academy at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Tx. It was physically and mentally challenging. What I learned at the academy will be with me for the rest of my career as a firefighter in the military and as a civilian.

I am the only female to successfully complete and become a Certified Diesel Engine Inspector. I graduated the school in September 1993 when there was a 67% failure rate. I have been a certified diesel inspector ever since. I am currently stationed at an Amphibious Base where I inspect engines aboard Patrol Coastals (9) and numerous other diesel powered vessels. I have been stationed at various commands. I was a Chief Engineer for a YTB at Naval Station Norfolk, Chief Engineer for TRB-7 at Subase, Pearl Harbor, HI, and I was the LCPO aboard USS Platte (AO-186) where I was responsible for emergency diesel power generation, small boats, steering, galley, scullery equipment, a/c, ship's refrigeration, and numerous other small equipment. I have served 19+ years and attained the rank of ENC(SW) in 1990, nine years after entering active duty.

My job is a lot different than I thought it would be. When I joined, I was told that I had a choice between this job and Aircraft Mechanic. Then the recruiter told me that I'd get an "A" School, an extra year because of the school, and the $30,000 college fund. So here I am. I have been in almost four years and am up for 2nd class for the third time. The thing is I am never on the floor to get the experience. For two deployments, (Seabees deploy for 7 months, homeport for seven months.) I have spent my time in an office. Thankfully I am VERY good there. It gave me good evals this time. But as for my test, I'm am facing males that are on the floor all the time, without office experience. It is hard to keep up with my peers under these conditions. I am determined, however, to excel and get my ranking.

My day begins with getting a vehicle loaded with gear and tools also a winter survival Kit along with a bag of clothes in case I spend the night in the field. I then drive anywhere from 2 hrs to 3 hrs to the missile site in question and try and figure out what went wrong with either the ECS system or power system. I usually have more than 1 site scattered out in different parts of the state. Each site take at least 30 mins to process on and then another 2 hrs to open it up. This is a very long process for security purposes. My team is usually me and one other person. If my day is not over by 14 hrs from the time I get to work that morning than I will spend the night the alert facility for 8 hrs and start again or come home depending on if the job is done and no other problem sites are in the immediate area. NCO, USAF

My job is to detect, decontaminate and destroy chemicals. We are the ones you call when Saddam hits you with blister agent. I decon your weapon, vehicle, and issue you a new BDO. I am out in the field 6 months out of 12, and have a love/ hate relationship with my job. I am in Army Reserves, so it takes time to get used to military life just one weekend a month. I also am considered a smoke unit, so we blow concealing smoke for friendly forces like airbourne who like to surprise the enemy.

My job is quite interesting. In fact, my job is as fun as it is frustrating. In a war-time situation, I analyze the enemy. I learn everything they are capable of doing down to what type of food they are eating for breakfast. It is a fast paced job because answers are needed at the drop of a dime. Commanders rely on intelligence information to determine courses of actions for the blue forces (U.S.) My work environment consists of many maps. Huge and small. Every detail is important, so we must have every kind of map to plot it on. Analysts rely on facts, wit, and common sense to best analyze information that comes to our cell from every imaginable source. Some reliable, others not so. We have to first determine if the information is useful and reliable. Most than not, we will consider anything that comes our way, unless it is completely off course. We will then cross train each other for facts on this particular piece of information and then draw numerous conclusions based on what information we have in our hands to what we already know. Each analyst has a different view. That gives our cell an advantage because the enemy can be just as unpredictable as we can in a war. Once pieces of intelligence come together, the battle field becomes more clear to us on what is going to happen with in 24 to even 72 hours in advance. We take the proper means to let our blue forces know what is in front or behind them so the BEST MILITARY in the WORLD can win the war and bring our men and women in uniform home victorious....SIGNED, Spec, US Army Intelligence Analyst, Germany

Let me begin by saying that joining the U.S. Coast Guard was the best thing I have ever done. I love my job and my duty station, and I wouldn't change it for the world! After graduating basic training in Cape May, NJ, I got stationed in Chattanooga, TN at a Shoreside Support Detachment (SSD) for the CGC Ouachita, a 65' River tender. At first, I thought like everyone else..."where's the water in TN?" Once I adjusted to the different location (I'm from Texas), I learned that I had it pretty good. Among the 16 people on the base, including the Ouachita and SSD, I am the only female... so its like I have a bunch of brothers around, which is really helpful.

As a Fireman (a.k.a. engineer) at the SSD, my duties include loading/unloading the cutter with buoys, sinkers, chain, and other necessary items the crew will need for its patrol of the Tennessee River. I also maintain the grounds of the base.... yes, that means I'm equipped with my own 22" cutter..the John Deere lawnmower. Also, I am responsible for painting buoys when needed. During the winter season, I get to joyfully shovel snow off the pier so no one falls and breaks their neck.

I guess the funnest part of my job is when we get a call about a light on the river that is not functioning properly. We take our 21' small boat out and troubleshoot the light to see why its not working- more often than not, someone has stolen the battery or the solar panel. I guess they figured they needed it more than we did. After we figure out what was wrong with the light, we fill out a form and give it to the Officer-in-charge on the Ouachita.

Then there's the road trips. My normal work day is Monday through Friday, 0800-1600, but sometimes when the cutter is underway and they need something, I have to make a road trip to get them what they need. I actually enjoy doing this, believe it or not, and we usually get compensated for making these trips. Also, I have the great opportunity to attend college part time. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to further my education while being in the military active duty. Not many other military personnel have this opportunity.

I am currently waiting to go to MST (Marine Science Tech.) A School, hopefully in Oct 99 I'll leave. I am really looking forward to working at a Marine Safety Office, where I'll be inspecting barges & boats for their safety, doing pollution cases, and protecting the environment. I think that this is the best rate in the Coast Guard, and encourage all who are interested in the USCG to pursue this rate. By far, there are many other jobs in the Coast Guard... I have enjoyed mine, and hopefully all of you other military members are as happy with your job as I am mine.

I am a Medical Lab Tech in the Navy. I have decided not to reenlist so I will be leaving the Navy in a few months. I am glad that I joined the military - The training is invaluable. I've been to Illinois, California, Mexico, Boston,Virginia plus drove cross country from Calif to NYC. This is meaningful to me because my family is from the Carribean. I'm the first US citizen in my family. I would have never seen this much of the US if I had not joined the Navy.

My job as a Med Lab Tech is very interesting. I've always been drawn to science - even as a child. I perform various tests on blood and body fluids. The clinical lab is extremely important because doctors and nurses couldn't take care of their patients without the information provided to them by the lab.

In the Navy, you must first become an HM (hospital corpsman) to become a lab tech. What is interesting is that though most HM's are female, most lab techs are male.

My main job was beginning treatment of wounded soldiers and assessment of their wounds. Since I worked mostly in hospitals my main job was direct patient care and notifying the nurses when we noticed problems with a patient. I was also NCOIC of the Patient Movement Section which was responsible for transportation of patients to outside medical facilities and pick up from airfields from incoming MAC flights. My other responsibility while assigned to this section was drawing routine morning Labwork at Brook Army Medical Center. After transferring from Brook I was assigned to 15th Medical Battalion, 1st Calvary Division. At 15th Med I spent a lot of my time in the TOE room inventorying equipment and checking for outdated medical supplies. During the last 5 months (after my Son was born) I was assigned to run the orderly room until my discharge.

I am a USAF Combat Arms Instructor, currently in the rank of Staff Sergeant. I've have held my current job for the last 2.5 years or so; before this I was a vehicle operator, driving everything from base taxi to forklifts to tractor-trailers. I went over the six-year mark in August 98. Currently, I train base populous on various "small arms", including M-16 series rifles, M9 (9mm) Beretta pistol, M203 grenade launcher, MK19 automatic grenade launcher, shotgun, M60 machine gun, and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. I can also be qualified to teach the 81MM mortar and the .50 cal machine gun. "Regular" base personnel can only get trained on the M16 or the M9; security forces members (formerly security police) can receive training on all other weapons systems. I teach marksmanship fundamentals (that is, how to hit your target!), care and cleaning, and basic field maintenance.

I am also authorized and trained to perform a higher level of maintenance on the weapons than the field user is; i.e., tightening loose barrels or replacing those that have worn out; rebuilding and/or replacing weapons assemblies and groups, etc. I have to be able to troubleshoot each weapon when a problem is reported and be able to put it back into service. I suppose some would call it gunsmithing!

I proudly belong to a career field which was once known as the "Red Hats", because of our bright red ball caps identifying us as Combat Arms Instructors.

Sadly, our long-standing and proud tradition is being dissolved as we have been merged with the Security Forces career field. We are now considered a "shred-out" (thus the "B" on the end of 3P051) career field where we once stood independently. But, we know in our hearts who we are and where we came from, whether we are wearing the beret or our beloved red hats.

I have held three jobs in the military, medic, helicopter fueler, and munitions maintenance person, and the one I have enjoyed the most and done active duty, Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard is Munitions. In this field, I store, move, and make ready for use all kinds of explosive ordnance, ranging from 20mm bullets used by many of our aircraft, to chaff and flare, 25 pound practice bombs, AIM-9 and AIM-7 missiles, as well as a couple of the larger ones. I've built up live 500 pound MK-82 bombs, and worked with EOD to destroy old or damaged explosives ... and I love it!!! There is a special camaraderie among the Ammo troops, and I wouldn't change jobs for the world!

I just read the account of the gal who spent some time in Germany as an MPI investigator with a German Linguist identifier. She also performed duties as a Customs Inspector and had a wartime mission of EPW. She did a great job explaining her duties and what was meant by her job "title." As MPs, we are definitely "Multi Purpose." I too, am a 95B. But my duties have always been quite different from what she did.

On active duty in 1985-87, I was stationed at Ft Lewis, WA and was basically a cop. We patrolled the post daily and made traffic stops, apprehensions, helped MPI with investigations and kept the peace. With rotating shifts, we also stood for 8-12 hours a day as gate guards controlling access onto the post. The one thing I really liked about the job in general was being out with the people on a day to day basis. And something different happened every day. The thing that got a little tedious was when it was time to do the paperwork! (It was always hard to please the desk sergeant!)

just Reserves, right? Part time Army. We meet once and month and two weeks out of the year. After six months, we went to Annual Training at Camp Ripley, MN. I hadn't done any field exercises since basic training and we spent 2 weeks in the woods, living on MREs and sleeping on the ground! And at any moment at any time of the day, we could (and were) attacked in this "war!" Well, I learned a lot about another side of the MP mission - combat support. But it's rather fun and interesting and I've been doing it ever since.

control (BCC - we keep units and people where they are supposed to be), area security (we keep those units safe), DLO (defensive law & order) and EPW (managing and handling EPWs, POWs, civilian internees and stragglers). We now also have a fifth mission of countering/handling terrorism. In Germany we participated in Reforger using our area security and BCC missions - checkpoints, route reconnaissance, escort missions, etc. Also many of our missions have been "real world" which means that they aren't just training. In Panama and Guatemala, we helped make it possible for medical personnel to get to remote locations to give aid and treatment and teach locals how to prevent disease and stay healthy. In Alaska, our training mission turned real world when a plane carrying 18 individuals crashed. We protected the crash site until Federal Authorities could take over. Over five years our unit performed several missions in Japan which not only included controlling access and patrol duties, but also weighed heavily in the public relations area. (Many of our missions do that!) In Venezuela, we worked with the US Air Force and the Venezuelan military and traded training tactics.

foxhole fighting, urban or field terrain) and many annual trainings test us on those same missions. We like to tease that the two basic differences between the infantry and a combat support MP unit is that the MPs drive most of the time and have more weapons, but the infantry is sent into skirmishes first! A lot of field training exercises are what we call "lanes" training - we practice one or two elements of our mission at a time and at annual training combine them into one great war effort.

We did get called up to Desert Shield/Storm/Calm. Each platoon performed a different mission and so many of the stories that came from that time are different depending on where you were at the time. Our platoon went from Saudi Arabia into Iraq and then Kuwait and after the first initial "jumps" (when the unit picks up and moves), our unit ended up jumping over 30 times in and out of those three countries. We definitely don't stay put. We are very mobile, which is one reason why we are able to perform like we are "multi purpose." Every training exercise and every real world situation has helped us train better and wiser to excel our unit to one of the best in the military.

I am a member of the United States Navy Reserves. I thoroughly enjoy my weekends. I joined the Navy Reserves through the Advanced Pay Grade option, where one must be 26 to 36 years of age and have applicable experience in the civilian sector to come into the Navy as an E-4 (sometimes higher). I saw an ad on my mailboxes that read "No Boot Camp, must be 26-36 years old, and military spouses welcome." That was the ticket for me since I had been searching for a way to pay for my first year of college. After being out of school for 13 years, having children, following an active duty submariner around the world, and working my butt off at jobs I would like to forget, it was my turn. So for one weekend a month, I put on my uniform and salute the flag just like my husband does every day. I have learned to face fear straight in the eye and yell "You can't scare me, I have kids! I enjoyed the full two weeks of military bearing, uniform standards, seamanship, shipboard fire fighting, damage control (I once had to put my butt in a hole to stop the ship from sinking), weapons familiarization (my personal favorite), and CBR Training. I just returned from my two week AT in Guam, which was a blast. I enjoyed the 18 hour days and the tent city. Most of all I got to know a lot of different people from all over the world. I don't know if I will ever see the ocean from the middle, but if given the opportunity, I'm there. Life is too short to just sit around on dry land. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I am a 37 year old SGT in the United States Army. I came into the Army in 1991 with the hopes that one day I would be the best Military Policewoman the Army had ever had. My first duty station Sierra Army Depot in Herlong California. Wow, California! Yes, well it was a physical security sight 60 miles from everywhere and in NORTHERN California. Cold cold in the winter and Hot hot in the summer. Well, that was ok because I was there with my family in great housing. This is where I found out that MP stands for Multi-Purpose. Being that I joined the Army late in life (29 years young) I was put in charge of the Administrative section for the Company. What? I'm an MP. Well, quite the learning experience. It helped me to learn the admin. side of the house that was needed as my career excelled. About a year later I saw a bunch of manuals on my desk. I asked the First Sergeant what they were for. He replied, "Well, you did so well with admin. now I want you to take over the Motorpool." MP again! This was definitely a learning experience. I spent 5 years at Sierra and never got to be an MP in the true sense.

In May of 1995 I went to Korea for a year alone. Chun Chon, Korea. Camp Page. 55th Military Police Company. What an experience. If you ever want to see the other side, this is it. The food is fantastic. The place is beautiful and there is so much to do and see. Finally got to be the MP I always wanted to be. After I was there for 6 months I received notice that I would get K9 school in route to Hawaii. Wow! K9 school and Hawaii. What a dream.

In May of 1996 I was enroute to K9 School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. What a dream, to be able to work with and play with dogs every day and get paid for it. I was in heaven. I was not only going to be a MP but I would have a partner that would never talk back and protect me without hesitation. The school was 10 1/2 weeks long and the best weeks in my career. After graduation I was on my way to Hawaii where I would be reunited with my family.

September 1996, I got off the plane in Honolulu, Hawaii. What a sight. Weather was perfect and the scenery cannot be described in words. I was to be stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. 25th Infantry Division. This Division has more history than you can read about in one year. How proud I was to be part of this Division. Got to my Company and was introduced to my partner Marko. A 70 pound Belgian Malinois. He was beautiful. A narcotics/patrol dog. Outstanding! I was not only working a dog, but a narcotics dog. I was so proud to be here and in this section.

My family arrived in October and my daughter finally felt at home for the first time. Hawaii lets you fit in, no matter who or what you are.

Here it is 1999 and still in Hawaii. I have reenlisted for here and plan to stay here. I still work with my partner Marko. We patrol the base for burglars, prowlers, and basically wrong doers. We work the road and sniff out

narcotics in vehicles entering the base. We also keep the barracks free of drugs. We go to the field and train for outer security, LP/OP and search and rescue missions. We work with the pilots to show them how to escape and evade from the dogs of the enemy. We have explosive dogs that train to find mines in the field. This can be a little nerve racking if you have a spirited dog though. Ha Ha. My favorite mission is when we go to the schools and show the children, (Elementary through High School) what our dogs can do. It makes me

feel good to see how proud my daughter is when we go to her school and she says, "That's my mom" I laugh when she tells me that she tells her friends, "Don't mess with me, my mom wears combat boots." The profession that I have picked gives me more satisfaction than anything I could ever imagine. Yes, there are downsides, long hours, physical training every morning, road marches, heavy ruck sacks, but where else can you carry a weapon, enforce the law and be with a dog every day. Where else can you enforce the law and be

with children all the time.

My daughter asked once what I would do if she joined the military? I told her that every high school graduate should have to do at least a two year tour. They would be adults on their own but would be given stability and a head start on knowing and living in the world. Where else can you work and get housing and food along with your paycheck. You can also get college. What a deal. Oh boy, sounding like a recruiter, sorry.

Well, I haven't been allot of places, but the places I have been to were memorable. Experiences I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world. Some bad and most good. What a world we live in where women can lead and be led equally among men. I LOVE IT!

I have to say, looking over the various jobs that our women in the military are doing, just goes to say that we can defend our country as well as the grunt or your person in the office shuffling papers. We all have a place in the armed services. With my job, being a Multiple Launch Rocket Repairer, females are few and far between. If you do find a female, 75% of them are not doing the job they were trained for. They end up getting pregnant and put in the offices shuffling papers. 9/10 they end up staying there and not returning to their MOS. I love the job I do. I have stayed in the same MOS and have been the only female most of the time. At my duty stations, you may see 10 female Mikes, but only 1-3 may be doing the job. I feel like if the females are going to sign up for an MOS, see to it through it's fullest intent. Wait until you can reenlist to change your MOS if you are fully satisfied with your job. Don't hold open a position if you are not going to do the mission. You only hold it up for the next person in line for it.

I am an AD (soon to be AMT, due to rating consolidation) in the Coast Guard, and I love my job. My job involves the repair and maintenance of Sikorsky HH60J "Jayhawk" helicopters, including the engines, every mechanical component, the airframe itself, and the electrical systems. The airframe and electrical work is pretty new to me, but we receive OJT from co-workers, and had to complete a computer-based training. Previously, I have worked on the American Eurocopter HH65A "Dolphin" helicopter, a.k.a. "Tupperwolf." I have always had a knack for being a mechanic, and I love to fly, so it's a good job.

I also am a Flight Mechanic when we do our SAR and LE patrols. That involves hoisting the Rescue Swimmer and survivors, radio comms, lookout, cargo slinging, and being in charge of the in-flight meals and entertainment (ha-ha) for the crew. (For longer patrols over endless expanses of ocean, we sometimes connect a discman into the ICS for some tunes to fly by.) Search and Rescue is my favorite mission that we do in the Coast Guard, and is is also the most personally rewarding. "Always Ready" and "So Others May Live" are two proud mottoes of the Coast Guard. We also assist the Aids-To-Navigation teams, the pollution response teams (i.e. the Exxon Valdez disaster), the Fish & Wildlife rangers, and a myriad of other things.

I am one of only 8 enlisted women at my airstation, and currently there are no female officers at the unit, out of a total of over 350 people. I'm used to it though, and it isn't a big deal to me. All the people I've worked with in the Coast Guard have been very professional. The only trouble I've ever experienced so far has been with women, unfortunately there are a few out there who use their gender to get out of doing their jobs, or to get people into trouble. I try to make sure that doesn't happen on MY watch. I love being able to serve the people of my country, and am very proud of being part of our great Nation's smallest armed service. Take care of each other out there.

I was a 98C in the US Army. This MOS can be with or without a language trailer. I was fortunate and gained 2 language trailers. The job requires the passing of a test called an ARCAT. This test measures your ability to figure out basic code and patterns. Getting a good score on this qualifies you to become a 98C. The sister MOS to this is a 98G, a voice operator. Being a 98-series MOS requires a security clearance. This clearance is obtained through a series of personal interviews with yourself, your family and those who know you. Your background is thoroughly checked, including financial records.

If a language trailer is desired, there are any number of languages to learn. Usually the selection is based on the projected needs of the Army, but frequently there is a choice among at least a few. The languages are separated into 4 categories. The fourth category consists generally of those languages using characters, except Russian which is in the third category. Most, if not all, Basic classes are taught at the Defense Language Institute on the Presidio of Monterey in California. Both languages I received, Polish and Vietnamese, were 47-week courses. Classes are approximately 8 hours a day/5 days a week. All aspects of the language are taught, as well as classes in geography, history, and culture. There is even a section on the slang vocabulary of the language. Both classes involve field trips to local areas rich in each respective culture. The Polish class goes to the Polish section of Palo Alto and the Vietnamese class travels to Lion's Plaza in San Jose.

The places that you can be assigned are limited by the language you speak, so if variety is what you want, languages may not help that. For example, when I was a Polish linguist, my option was Fort Meade, Maryland. There were very few other places to go. As a Vietnamese linguist, my options were Fort Meade and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. I chose Hawaii,...big surprise!

I'm a Commander (O-5) in the U.S. Navy, presently serving as a Battalion Officer at the U.S. Naval Academy. As it states in my annual fitness report, my duties are the "Training of midshipmen and developing them morally, mentally and physically to serve as commissioned officers in the Navy or Marine Corps." We have 4,000 midshipmen here from all over the U.S., plus some foreign exchange midshipmen; about 17% of the Brigade of Midshipmen is female. This is one of the best jobs I have ever held; these midshipmen are bright, articulate and a pleasure to work with, on the whole. Women today are not barred from serving in combat ships or aircraft; only submarines and SEALs are still closed to them. It's exciting to listen to young women, especially the First Class (the seniors), enthusiastically debate the merits of "going Navy Air versus Marine Air." Women here are expected to excel in academics, professional military knowledge and athletics. Fully 48% of the women midshipmen are varsity athletes, and the fledgling USNA women's rugby team (only 3 seasons old) has vaulted to #3 in the U.S. Their motto: "Trample the weak, hurdle the dead, play Navy women's rugby."

I have over 21 years of service as a naval officer, specializing in the area of Fleet Support, meaning I work at Naval Stations and shore activities in direct support of deploying Fleet units. I have served ashore my full career, as women were prohibited from serving at sea or in combatant units for many years. I've seen a lot of changes over the last 2 decades!

A pleasure to read the job descriptions of the many talented enlisted and officer women!

I was a nuclear reactor operator in the Navy. I went to electronics technician a-school for 28 weeks. There I learned the basics of electronics and electronic repair. Next I went to nuclear power school for 24 weeks. There I learned the basics of operating a nuclear reactor. Both these schools were in Orlando, Fl. My next school was in Charleston, SC. We call it "prototype". It is where all "nukes" go to learn hands-on how to operate a nuclear reactor and stand watch. The entire pipeline was the most difficult schooling I have ever had to go to. I was one of the two females in my class, which was very difficult. Once I qualified, though, it was the one of the best learning experiences of my life. I am a stronger and better person because of my training. Because I did well at all my schools, I was able to stay at Charleston and train students for a year (normally, you stay for two years, but I got an officer program). Every experience I have had in the Navy has helped me become the person I am today. I hope the same is true for all the women in the military, regardless of what job they do!

The branch is U.S. Air Force my career field is 3A0X1 Information Management Apprentice. Which to sum it up is everything! Typing, filing, computer information and ordering pubs and forms.

My job is to search, find and kill underwater-subjects. In the Coast Artillery in Sweden it's the Mine Warfare Officers that command the mobile and non-mobile "mine-platoons", the Navy is responsible for the "non-controllable" (automatic) mines and the Coast Artillery is responsible "controllable" mines (people at land fire them). And it's also Mine Warfare Officers who work with the boats and the sonars of the Coast Artillery.

I'm a 2nd Lt in the "minewarfare branch", there were 6 of us at the Academy. One now works as a MineDiver-instructor, two are instructors at Amphibious Mine-platoons, one is a Combat Boat instructor and one was borrowed to be an instructor at the Amphibious Missile-platoon (just giving some examples of what kind of work that's available after graduation). I am assigned to a Submarine Defence-company. The company consists of a Recon-platoon, an Intelligence-platoon and a FastPatrolBoat-platoon. I work at a FastPatrolBoat. I am responsible for sonar, communication and ground-defence of the boat. What I do in combat is normally this: I find the object at the sonar, I decide what it is and then fire to kill.

I must admit that I enjoy doing just that (but I suspect it won't be as fun when a live enemy shoots back), you have to think fast and make quick decisions, because if you get a contact you won't have it for long, sometimes just a few seconds (the enemy has a brain to), and the Swedish argepillago provides the worst imaginable conditions for this kind of work.

I recently did something fun. During an exercise I joined the "enemy" to get experience, and followed a mini-sub with a crew of 3 men. They even let me drive it, it was difficult but really fun. That's the beauty of this work, all the experience I've gotten and all the different things I've done, all the things I've learned about myself and all the things I've done that I didn't think I could (sometimes you surprise yourself).

I've done so many different things during my time (4 years) in the Armed Forces but here is a few moments during winter warfare training: I wake up because someone is shaking my shoulder. -It's your turn now and it's ******cold out there. I feel dizzy and look at my watch. I've been sleeping almost two hours, (well that must be the longest sleep I've had so far during these days). Still dizzy I climb out of my sleeping-bag and start to dress. I put on everything I have, I hate when I'm freezing (well I survived swimming in the frozen lake didn't I ?), I grab my AK 5 and I crawl out from the tent where I've been sleeping with the rest of the group. The cold hit me in the face, I look at my mini-thermometer, it stands at -20 degrees Celsius. My "war-buddy" crawls after me, now we just have to "survive" these two hours, (I'll survive, I think, I'll just listen to his bragging about his conscript-time as a sabotage-diver, which usually is quite entertaining). It's an ice-cold night with bright moonshine, it's so beautiful and peaceful, we are so small out here in the middle of nowhere sitting in the snow under a spruce trying to guard our sleeping comrades. It's one hour left when there is movement in the tent and another cadet come and tells us that there are new orders from the base. The platoon shall move to a new location and be there at 0600. This means we shall get the tents that we put up three hours earlier down, and pack the sleigh again.

-You two he says (he is the cadet who for the moment is commanding the section), grab your things and get away a.s.a.p. to get get the tank mines, we'll catch up with you at this point. (the tank-mines are only for practice so we re-use them). Sh*t, I think, lucky me, my rucksack is already heavy as h*ll with my formerly wet -now frozen clothes, and a tank-mine is also heavy as h*ll. At least, this time it won't be me dragging that sleigh, but I don't say anything of that.

I just smile and manage to say something fun to my war-buddy, because that's what keeps you going when you should feel miserable. We take some of our clothes of to avoid perspiration during the ski (but you get really cold before you start moving), grab our things and ski off for the tank-mines and new tasks. Maybe some ambush or maybe a "fun firefight",

I think while I'm skiing and skiing, just trying to forget that screaming need I have for sleep. Just skiing and skiing, trying to forget that heavy rucksack that's killing my shoulders and hips, just one more, to that three over there, and next, and next, and next...well this exercise have to end someday, right?

Well I survived, you always do, and once more I had fought and won ...a victory over my self. That's what it's really all about.

My job requires me to be on my toes. I work with bombs, missiles, chaff and flare. Dangerous stuff only when you don't know what your doing. I currently work on F/A -18 fighter attack aircraft. Ordnance crew is always the first on the line and also the last to leave at the end of the day. It's fast paced and a very demanding work schedule. At times we load bombs ranging from 25 lbs. ( blue death) to the heavies, 1000 pounders ( Aim-7). Other times were loading missiles like the Aim-9 (sidewinder) onto aircraft. I find my job fun and exciting. That's why I do it.

The most dangerous part of it all isn't the bombs or missiles. It's being on the flightline with all the other shops. Everyone runs around making sure everything is good to go for the "birds" to go out. You have to know everything that's going on around you at all times, if not someone could easily get hurt or worse...KILLED.

I am a First Lieutenant in the Air Force serving as an F-15E Maintenance Officer. I am an Air Force Brat. My father and one uncle are still in. I never imagined I would enjoy my job as much as I do. The high I get from seeing technicians in my flight work together to get an airplane in the air, the excitement of seeing a Strike Eagle break ground with a tail of flames behind it, and the sense of closure and accomplishment to see the airplane come back with its weapons stations empty ... mission success.

We regularly work long and productive hours, supporting the Test and Evaluation Squadron, The USAF Weapons School, Red Flag, Green Flag, The Thunderbirds, Air Warrior and the USAF Aggressors. A complex mission in developing Air Superiority in our pilots and our airplanes.

My job, specifically, is to lead 127 maintenance personnel in ten different disciplines who maintain 11 F-15E aircraft worth over $715 million. I organize and direct production and coordinate with outside agencies to fulfill those plans. Review and analyze daily aircraft flying recaps, maintenance reports and group quality assurance assessments to identify negative trends and implement corrective actions.

I loved my job when I was in the Air Force, just couldn't stand the military way of life. But I got experience doing the type of work I received a bachelor's degree for. I earned a BS in Environmental Health, and not having any direction in my life, I joined the Air Force. I was selected for technical school training as a BES technician. Little did I know when I was selected, how much it would help me. I learned the basic book knowledge industrial hygiene and environmental protection in college, but the Air Force put me to work. I gained valuable experience that utilized my education and I was able to rise through the ranks fairly quickly (Senior Airman below the zone, Staff Sgt in 4 years). I got to work with various folks on the base, doing workplace evaluations to identify, evaluate, and recommend controls for health hazards such as ventilation, respirators, and administrative controls. Because I had the background and the wherewithal, my supervisor placed me in positions of responsibility and authority that usually reserved for higher ranking persons at other bases. I also did lots of work in the environmental field such as managing the base drinking water program, sampling and analyzing hazardous waste, and recommending measures for controlling waste streams. I won numerous airmen and NCO of the quarter awards at the Group and Wing level. I won NCO of the Year at the Group level and actually won Wing NCO of the Quarter when I was 9 months pregnant. Like I said, my work was truly enjoyable and fulfilling, even though I couldn't stand what was happening to the Air Force I had joined. So I quit, and I am now working for the State Of Arkansas as an Environmental Specialist. Which I never would have gotten if I never got the experience I gained from the Air Force.

I'm an Aviation Maintenance Administrationman Second Class (AZ2). I was a part of one of the first group of women to be stationed aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. I was in a F-14A squadron,VF-32 (swordsmen) to be exact. I loved the experience and want all women to know it is hard on everyone including our male counterparts, but it is definitely worth it if not for the experience itself maybe just to be able to tell sea stories. I had lots of fun on the MED cruise and think everyone in the Navy should do it at least once. That is if your rating permits of course.

As I write this, I have just changed out of Command in the Army Reserves and I count my blessings as I do so. For starters, the Reserves are a different animal, vilified by the ranks of the Active Component. I can say that because I used to be a part of the Active component. I guess you can say I saw it from both sides. As I scanned the pages of this web site, I didn't see anything on the Reserves and so here is my contribution.

In the Army Reserves, true to Public Relations motto "Be all you can be", it's pretty much true. I am the living example. I got off Active Duty as an Air Defense Officer, a Patriot officer and having gone back home, there were not any Air Defense officer positions in the Reserves. I picked a slot in the nearest reserve unit to my home - a Petroleum Pipeline company. I had absolutely no experience in that field and spent the next few months OJTing. You see, it's not pertinent that one be MOS qualified in the Reserve initially - you technically have a year (or two or three) to get qualified.

That unit was in sad shape. I had an engineer officer as a commander who had single-handedly broken every EEO rule in the book. He also made it an unofficial company policy to party in the field (complete with alcohol). He even would bring large coolers enough for all of the party animals in the unit to the Firing Range even at the expense of training. (Which in the Reserves there is precious little time for) And really, there was very little anyone could do to him. I came into the unit near the end of his command. Before I knew it, I was changing into command and had my work cut out for me. In my two years as a commander, what is only suppose to be one weekend a month and two weeks in the year became all of my free time devoted to cramming supposively Active duty work into the precious little time the Reserves and Civilian life affords. And even worse, during the two weeks in the summer, it seems that the troops wait until that time to cut loose and expose me to all of the human problems that normally I wouldn't have to deal with in just one weekend a month. I have dealt with attempted mutiny, insubordination, dereliction of duty, bloody fist fights - all in the span of 2 weeks in a year. The final touch - contrary to popular belief, you can't realistically give anyone an Article 15 in the Reserve. There isn't the time or the money to do so. BS you say? It's true - I know because I've tried. It is a travesty, a dirty little secret that the reserve harbor because they don't know what else to do. And it has given many a commander in the Reserves to get away with such actions.

I had been in that unit for nearly three years and still, I'm not qualified in the field. Amazingly enough, compared to my chain of command, I am the resident source of information even though I feel I have so much more to learn. I brought my Active duty experience and still there is so much more to the job. There aren't enough hours in the day being Part time military to try and stay Full time military proficient even though the demands are there.

Still, I leave the job with a sense of fulfillment. Gone were the drunken field parties which made all of the party animals leave. In their place came or remained the soldiers who had the integrity to maintain the military standard and because of them, the unit turned around 180 degrees. I think I'll try staff for a little while. But later, if the time is right and the opportunity comes up, command may not be a bad thing to do. Maybe something in a different field. Who knows?

"My job in the military is a 92R3P.....U.S. Army Parachute Rigger"
Posted: 19 Jan 98

After Basic Training, a Parachute Rigger begins their training at Fort Benning Georgia where you will attend "Jump School." It is three weeks of intense training and mental and physical agility. This training is then put to the test by exiting an aircraft while in flight five times. Once a parachute rigger graduates from "jump school," the training continues at Fort Lee, Virginia, where they will learn the three basic areas of knowledge one must have to become a parachute rigger. These three basic areas are "pack," "ariel delivery," and "maintenance." A rigger can find themselves working in any one of these areas or all three depending on where their assignment takes them. This training does not include other areas of expertise which include JAI (Joint Air Inspection), RAM AIR (the packing of the MC4 and MC6 HALO chute), and Sling Load Training. These are additional schools and training which will benefit a rigger in performing their duties, again, depending on where assigned. The first phase of training is "Pack." This trains the parachute rigger to be able to pack a T-10 B/C, the MC1-1B/C parachute, and the T-10 reserve. The rigger is tested two ways. The first way is by packing the parachute in an allotted time. The second way is the rigger will actually jump the parachute he or she packed. The rigger then moves into the second phase of training which is Ariel Delivery. Here the rigger learns the basics for the rigging of equipment to be airdropped. In today's inventory, almost every piece of equipment needed on a dropzone can be dropped. Of course there are limitations. Every piece of equipment that can be dropped has it's own manual. The rigger's job is not to necessarily know everything, but rather know where to find the information to accomplish the mission when it comes to ariel delivery. This to is tested by another jump and dropping the piece of equipment. During this phase of training, the rigger also learns how to pack the G-11, G-12, and G-14, which are used for ariel delivery. This training also consists of knowing the necessary equipment used during ariel delivery.

The rigger will then go into their last phase of training which is maintenance. Maintenance consists of the rigger knowing how to repair all types of parachutes and equipment. To include using and maintenance of all types of sewing machines and several types of stitches. It is actually the hardest part of the rigger field, and the most unglamorous. I love the rigger field and will probably retire from the Army as a rigger.

My History... I entered the army in 1986 as a 54E..(Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Specialist). I went to basic training and AIT at Fort McClellan, Alabama. From there I went to "Jump School' at Fort Benning, Georgia and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. While in the 82nd, I was assigned to the 21st Chemical Company. I obtained the rank of E-4 and then made the decision to get out of the Army in 1989. From there I applied and was accepted by the Fayetteville Police Department, attended the academy, and worked in Patrol Division until 1993. While in the police department, I attended school and became an EMT-I and worked part-time with Cumberland County Ambulance. While in the police department I was awarded a life-saving award for saving three people from a burning building. During my break in service, I stayed in the reserves in the 824th QM Co. From there I was sent to rigger school at Fort Lee and made the decision to come back into the army. In 1993, I enlisted as a rigger and was again assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I was assigned to USASOC, the 528th SOSB. While in 528th I was attached to the 7th Special Forces Group rigger section for 6 months. While there, I was able to attend the SERE course and was recommended for promotion to E-5. After leaving 7th Special Forces Group, I returned to 528th and became the battalion S-3 Air and was promoted to the rank of E-5. I attended Jumpmaster school at the 82nd Airborne Divisions Advanced Airborne School. After a year as the S-3 Air, I moved down to the Rigger Platoon and took over the maintenance section, and was recommended for promotion to the rank of E-6. While in the rigger section I attended BNCOC, RAM-AIR, and the JAI course. In 1996 I was PCSd to TEXCOM. TEXCOM is located in Texas, but I was assigned to the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate also located on Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. I am currently assigned there as a project NCO. My job is to develop a way to airdrop new equipment. I work in the "heavy drop" section and deal with all types of unusual equipment. While in the directorate, my short-term goals are to attend Military Freefall school, and Pathfinder school. I am married to an infantryman, who was also at Fort Bragg, but is now serving a tour in Korea. We have three beautiful daughters. My husband and I both have college degrees, and my long term goal is to get accepted to Law School.

Being in the military as a woman is not easy. Any female soldiers I get, I tell them to hold themselves above the standards, hold themselves as a professional, and hold themselves as a woman. The old saying of "working twice as hard for half of the credit" holds true more times then not. Yet, you see so many women in toady's military excelling, going above and beyond, and showing that the only limitations out there are at times the ones society has placed on us. I am proud to be a soldier, I am good at what I do, and I am prouder yet, of being a woman...

I was a Supply Truck operator. The job is as easily described as it sounds. I operated various supply trucks. Everything from a duce and a half to a Hemmet. As well, I was responsible for maintaining various maintenance checks and reports on these trucks.

Training History: I went active June 17 1991 and was shipped to Fort Knox Kentucky. C-1- 46th Inf. where we learned military history, dress codes, military etiquette, as well as weapons training, and basic frontline Infantry Tactics. Two of my drill sergeants were also 88m's so I was able to learn a little bit about the Job before AIT. My AIT was at Fort Leonard wood Missouri (Fort Lost in The Woods). I Entered B-CEP, which lasted two weeks, and learned a great deal more about the job. We then Began our 88m Training in earnest. We were at Bravo company for two months and then graduated. I Was assigned to Spearhead in Germany, 5th core 535th Combat Engineers, Support Platoon. Support Platoons role was to send anywhere from 1 Driver to a whole squad to platoons who needed an extra helping hand. I Also participated in an FTX (Field Training Exercise). Which consisted of Camping In the countryside and studying and practicing Infantry Tactics.We also had on the job training where we learned more about Driving our trucks. I'm sad to say I Was discharged after a year of service due to medical problems. But I'm not sorry I did my duty.

I am a Mobile Air Movements Officer (MAMS O) at 1 Air Movements Squadron in Winnipeg, Canada. An Air-Logistics Transportation Officer by trade, employment as a MAMS O is one of the most coveted jobs in the Canadian Air Force. There are only seven positions for Captains between two units in the entire Canadian Forces. When we are at home, we operate the military airport; this consists of processing freight and passengers on incoming and outgoing aircraft of all sorts. But we are also deployable and are on six hours notice to move at all times. So far I have only been on one deployment (to Thule, Greenland), but I'm hoping for more travel time. On a deployment the MAMS team is responsible for airlift support operations at a deployed airfield. Round the clock work pushing pallets that weigh in excess of 10 000lbs on and off the aircraft!

AFSC: T2A571 B-1B/B-2 Aircraft Maintenance Master Instructor. I am presently an instructor at Sheppard AFB, TX. I teach the new airman about the B-1B, B-2, and KC-10 aircraft systems. I also teach the maintenance on the aircraft. We are better known as "Crew Chiefs". I not only have the responsibility to train the Air Force's finest maintainers, but also to mold and shape our future Air Force leaders. It is a very exciting and gratifying job. I will regret the day that I must leave to fulfill another Air Force position!!

I am a MN2 (Mineman second class petty officer E-5) stationed at Mobile Mine Assembly Unit Eight, Naval Magazine, Guam. I am also the mother of the most precious two year old girl you could ever imagine. My day begins at 0430, at which time I wake up and get the goo out of my eyes. I report to the gym at 0500 for morning PT, which lasts until 0600. Muster at the command is at 0700, and don't be late!! (And watch out for the caribou on the way in) The daily routine at MOMAU changes drastically from week to week, so any scenario I give is not what happens ALL the time. Our mission is to provide a stock pile of ready-for-issue under water mines for our fleet and for the Air Force. We maintain, build, inspect, and prepare weapons for shipment. Our normal daily job is to maintenance our weapon stock pile. Once a quarter, we simulate a wartime scenario, and spend two weeks practicing building up weapons for shipment as we would really do if a war were to break out. We spend a great deal of time training and getting qualified in different areas. And, every now and then we take some time, like we are doing now, and put a little focus on the command itself, i.e., painting, etc... Life is good here, our day ends around 1500 which means we usually get out of the command around 1600.

I'm up at 0530 and put on my duty uniform, a blue missilier "bag" similar to a flight suit. I pack up my tech order bag and my survival bag (parka, long underwear, extra boots and socks, etc) along with enough food and snacks to last through my 24 hour alert. I drive to the vehicle barn and pick up my truck. After a thorough inspection of what works and doesn't and ensuring there are no explosives I head over to the squadron pre departure briefing. We go over what can be expected for the day in terms of maintenance on the missiles and inside the Launch Control Center. Then it's on to the next pre-departure briefing where we get weather info, driving conditions and other critical information that will assist us in making decisions throughout the alert. Next it's heading out to the missile alert facility, a long 2 hour drive through some very desolate country. My crew partner and I arrive at the site and are granted entry by the security police on duty. We receive further briefings particular to our site and missiles, then it's down the elevator to the Launch Control Center. We check the equipment to make sure it's working properly then into the Launch Control Center we go. We accept the alert from the off going crew and we're now responsible for the nuclear missiles assigned to us. We perform numerous inspections and spend hours studying the weapon system. We study war time scenarios then we take turns "in the rack" since we will be on duty for 24 hours (at least). We look forward to the call from our "topside cop" who lets us know when our relief crew has arrived the next day. We're always anxious to get home. Hopefully we've enjoyed a quite alert, but sometimes there's a lot of stuff happening and we stay very busy. My crew partner (also a woman) and I both know that what we do is not always popular, but we take our job very seriously and we are very good at what we do (and we hope we never have to prove it). Most people aren't even aware that we are still on alert (the only nuke crews who are on continuous alert) or even that the US still maintains the most powerful ICBM force in the world. No matter what the AF asks me to do, I'm glad to be able to serve and will do so for as long as they'll let me.

Personnel Officer 0170 USMC
7THCOMMBN, III MEF, Okinawa, Japan
Camp Hansen (Northern Camp)
Submitted: 2 Mar 97

BACKGROUND - Responsible for ensuring pay and allowances are reported on all Marines currently assigned to my command. Additionally, responsible for movement of personnel during PCS/TDY and deployment (exercise as well as real world operations). Responsible for separating Marines and reenlisting Marines within my command. Lastly, responsible for manpower management.

FOR COMMENTS FORWARD E-MAIL TO: grimslea@mwr.kic.or.jp or
CWO3 ANNETTE B GRIMSLEY@HQCO 7THCOMMBN@III MEF@USMC.MIL

36P3--Military Personnel Officer, Submitted by a 1st Lt, USAF Posted 25 Oct 96:

Military personnel in the Air Force could very well be one of the most demanding career fields in the Air Force. As a young officer I am responsible for 25 personnel, who in turn handle the personnel affairs for more than 5,000 active duty personnel and over 20,000 retirees. We handle everything from in-processing new personnel to the base to processing orders for those retiring and separating the service. We ensure that all personnel going PCS (permanent change of station) have all the necessary paperwork to depart our base and get ready for their next assignment. Recently our busiest section has been the personnel Readiness area where we have sent personnel overseas to support all the various contingency deployments--we recently had several Randolph AFB members deployed in Dhraran, Saudi Arabia, when the bombing occurred. We were on standby just in case any of the deceased were from our base -- we were lucky. Recently one of our members returned and we were in charge of processing her purple heart award. We are constantly kept busy meeting up with the demands of our customers and still maintain combat readiness.

When I joined the Army I enlisted as a 31L which is a wire systems installer which was coined the "phrase cable dog." We are communications people. Climb telephone poles set up basic commo. The unit I was in gave us the opportunity to change MOS's, cable dogs were being phased out due to the secure systems coming in. Our unit was retrained to 31D or 31F. I chose the 31D. What we did then was set up secure commo systems from new multi million $$$ trucks. The phones were secure and highly mobile. We had a Node Center that was the central processor and control center, extension links called V3's which were capable of setting up 3 air shots, they shot to V1's who were cabled to RAU's. Rau's put out a marker whick allowed mobile units to access our system, talk to those inside our system securely.

I was in a V3 for close to 5 years. I loved it. We had to be fast setting up our shots, usually 2-3, and getting the distant ends worked in before the NC was ready for us.

This past year we had to undergo a new change to a 31R which is essentially the same. Our unit was changed from a Det. to a Company. This led to MTOE changes and equipment was reassigned. It was a mess. The job is still fun but not as challenging because there isn't as much to do.

The main purpose for us is to provide secure communications to many people. When RAU footprints (markers) overlap the mobile trucks jump from our system to others. In other words their carrier changes but not who they can talk to. Our unit was fortunate enough to go to Guatemala for 6 months for an exercise. We were sent to support the other units provide civilian assistance, medical, water, buildings, etc..

It was an experience. Not like those who have gone active but for me it was a great opportunity to be close to a community that I would never see stateside.

There are many jobs that an MP can do, so do not automatically think "COP". Although many MPs like to think they are just like civilian police (after all, that is one type of assignment you could have as an MP), all MPs will at sometime in their career be doing something that does not at all resemble civilian police work. Among other types of assignments, MPs are can be security for Nuclear/Chemical sites or Air Defense Artillery and Military Intelligence units, they can escort convoys and clear roads and control traffic points during combat, or be assigned to Enemy Prisoner of War Guard units, or work as Customs Inspectors (I'm sure I left out some jobs--we commonly called ourselves MPs meaning Multi-Purpose). Okay, so here's what I was and what I did:

I left active duty as a 95B2LV5GM--Military Police Investigator with German Linguist SQI (Skill Qualification Identifier), code also identifies me as a SGT or a SSG (E-5/E-6)

Ordinarily in normal conversation, I would say that I was a 95B, that would give people enough information to figure out that I was an MP. All the other information lets someone know my rank and that I have an ASI of V5, Investigator, and an SQI of L00GM, German Linguist.

After finish my basic training and AIT (Advanced Individual Training), I received orders to Germany and upon arrival at the 21st Replacement BN, was assigned to the 42d MP Group (Customs). At that time I didn't have any of my additional identifiers and I was a private, so my MOS was 95B10. I completed two tours with the 42d, one with the 294th MP Company as a Customs Inspector and one with the 193d MP Company as a Military Police Investigator for Blackmarket Activities. I will cover my duty positions at both units and the war-time missions for both units.

1. Military Police Customs Inspector: The 42d MP Gp's main mission was customs inspections of servicemember's household goods back to the United States. In an agreement with the US Customs Service and the Dept. of Agriculture, this program was set up to assist the soldier so that he/she might receive their personal items in a timely manner. When a soldier received orders to return to the US, he would usually visit the Transportation Office and arrange to ship belongings back to the US, because after 18 mos to 3 yrs (and sometimes longer) soldiers usually own more stuff than will fit in a suitcase. After arranging to ship belongings back to the US, the soldier must have a customs inspection. Usually at the time of making the shipping arrangements the soldier is given a pre-briefing and an appointment. The pre-briefing consists of informing the soldier of which items, absolutely cannot return to the US (and they sign a statement saying they won't ship any of those illegal items) and annotating any special circumstances/requirements for the shipment, i.e., firearms or motorcycles in the shipment. Then the soldier is given an inspection date, 3-5 days prior to the actual shipment being picked up. The actual inspection takes from as little as 10 or 15 minutes up to an hour, with most inspections taking probably 20 minutes or so. The inspector shows up at the soldier's residence/barracks during the scheduled time (usually a 4 hour period). The inspection consists of once again reviewing items that are not to be shipped back into the US, and if any illegal items are found they are seized (many items are not illegal to own but are illegal to ship and therefore will not be seized, but the soldier will be informed that they cannot be shipped). Then the items to be shipped are inspected. Most soldiers are your average law abiding citizens and therefore this process goes very quickly. Basically the inspector just has a quick look at the items, looking for things that aren't right, making sure nothing illegal (drugs, certain knives or firearms, etc) or illegal to ship (dirt, plants, certain food items, alcohol) are in the shipment. Then the customs paperwork is completed and the soldier is given a copy. We were then required to perform pack-out inspections on a minimum of 10% of the shipments. A pack-out inspection is a much more thorough inspection taking place the day of the shipment. Each day we would randomly pick at least 10% of the shipments and return to the soldier's residence. There we would inspect every item carefully and wait for the packers to show up and watch them pack all items and wait until the items were packed and crated.

By performing this service for the soldiers, their shipments did not need to be inspected by the US Customs Service upon entry into the US, thus drastically cutting down the time it took for the shipments to reach their destination at the soldier's next duty station/home. The US Customs Service did occasionally perform random checks to ensure we were doing our jobs, but they were random checks that did not impede the shipments for any great length of time. One of the options we did have as inspectors was to redline any shipment. Redlining a shipment meant that the servicemember did not have an inspection (on rare occasions, soldiers would fail to make a customs appointment) or that the soldier had insisted on shipping an illegal item, we were authorized to seize certain items that were illegal to own, but many items are not illegal to own, just illegal to ship, and therefore we could not seize those items.

2. Military Police Investigator: As an MP Investigator of blackmarket activities, I wore civilian clothes and worked closely with the ZollfahndungsAmt (German Customs Investigations Office). Our job was to investigate blackmarket activities. The US military has a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the host nations and the SOFA with Germany allowed soldiers to purchase many items tax-free, meaning no taxes were paid on the items to either the US or German governments. These items included cigarettes, alcohol, stereo, television and electronic equipment, coffee and gasoline. Many servicemembers sought to increase their income by purchasing these items and reselling them to Germans at a profit. In this case the servicemember made some money and the German saved some money, however the German Government did not receive taxes on these items. Unlike many other crimes, such as assault or robbery, blackmarketing is a victimless crime, meaning that usually no one will make a complaint (actually the German Gov't. was the victim). This makes it that much more difficult; we spent countless hour at the PX, Commissary, Class VI (alcohol) stores just watching and waiting. Once we identified a possible subject we would have to wait for them to transfer the items to the German, sometimes they did it right in front of the stores, but other times we would have to follow them to another location for the transfer. Once the items were transferred, we could then apprehend or detain the subjects and determine any possible violations. Remember things don't always appear as they seem, it is not illegal to give certain items to Germans and the subjects may all be US servicemembers legally entitled to the items. Once you've determined that a violation did take place, you now have to interview the subjects and write a report of the incident. Remember that as an investigator you are not God, you an unbiased investigator reporting the incidents. If the soldier is to be punished that will be up to his/her Unit Commander and the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA or JAG-Judge Advocate General). If the crime is particularly bad (not usually the case in blackmarketing), the Unit Commander may decide that the soldier should be court martialed, in that case the investigator may be called to testify at the court martial.

3. EPW and EPW Escort Guard Units: Our war-time mission in the 42d was as either an EPW Guard or an EPW Escort Guard Unit (Enemy Prisoner of War), depending on which company in the 42d you were assigned to, I served in both types of units. As an EPW Guard Company our job was to set up a EPW camp, where we would process incoming EPWs, classify them and assign them to various sections of our camp. We would work with interrogators, who would interview and interrogate the EPWs, but basically all we did was process them, search them, confiscate specific items, and place them in appropriate sections of the camp based on gender, rank and nationality. Because of the 42d's vital peace-time mission we did not spend a lot of time on our war-time mission, in fact, we didn't even have a war-time mission until 1985.

As an EPW Escort Guard Company our mission was a little more exciting (and dangerous, if we had gone to war). Our mission was to pick up EPWs from various units that had them and transport them to the EPW Camps for processing. We would receive information on where to pick up EPWs and then go pick them up, search them and transport them to a designated EPW Camp.

Tell Us About Your Military Job

List your specialty code and duty title. Describe your military job and tell us what you do.