Is 23 to old to join the army?

[Stingray89]

How fare yee my fellow bass brethren? Anyway, I'm 21 right now and in college for firefighting and will be done with school and have an associates degree by next December. I was thinking about joining the army after I graduate but I will be 23 by then(I'm a late bloomer when it comes to life sometimes). My plan would be to graduate, join the army and become a medic. I figure if I have an associates degree in firefighting and coming out of the army as a trained medic it would greatly help me get a job as a firefighter/emt. But by then I'd be 27 or 28 when I get done with the army. So my question is does anyone think 23 is to old to join, or has anyone ever been in a similar posistion? Any advice or comments as always are welcome.

[warwick.hoy]

How do you feel about taking orders from people younger than you?

[Waterpilot]

I went into the USMC at 20 but no I don't think it's too old. The few extra years of life's expierences with probably benefit you as well.

Seems like you have a good plan too. Look into becoming an officer...

[jp58]

Depends man. You may be better off going Guard or Reserves right now when you are in school, and that would get you out a little bit earlier to boot.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by jp58

Depends man. You may be better off going Guard or Reserves right now when you are in school, and that would get you out a little bit earlier to boot.

i'd say that would be a plan.....besides a hitch in the regular army would keep you from applying to any fire departments,and by then you might be past your sell by date .....

[Big_Daddy]

I've met a nice Newfie who joined the Navy at the age of 43. And by 'met', I mean I watched him on Basic Up (a 'reality' show of recruits going through Basic in Canada. It's normally a reccomendation for potential applicants). I can tell you that he, for the most part, did better than the guys half his age.

I don't see 23 as too young to join the army. Not by a longshot. You're still young, your knees and back aren't bothering you.

[Pilgrim]

You're barely started. Take it from someone who's 60 and can look back and see 23 as a pretty raw age. Follow your heart and logic.

[Jeff K]

I hear ya', Pilgrim. I'm 60 also. When I went through boot camp (in '68), I was not quite 18. Most of us were in our late teens. We had one guy who was about 24. Because he was SOOOO old, we all called him "Pops"...

[bigpine]

I was 24 when I joined the Navy. Go for it, good luck!

[Jhengsman]

Think about getting a 4 year degree and check out the Army ROTC unit. They have a special ROTC Basic Training at Fort Knox with no service commitment after completing BCT. You can go on with ROTC and join a National Guard unit as a Cadet if you stay with the ROTC at which point the service commitment and the contract applies. Upon commissioning as a Second Lieutenant many stay in the Reserves/National Guard and many go active duty. After 10 years of war I don't know what the mix active versus reserves is currently.

Besides school and the ROTC classes in-between your Junior and Senior years you will go to ROTC advanced camp and if you have time and the Army has budget other training, jump school, air assault school, working as a Cadet with a reserve unit on their annual training etc is available.

[warwick.hoy]

According to Bill Cosby,...Medics are the first person the enemy shoots (if they are ignoring the Geneva Convention).

YouTube - Bill Cosby - Medic

[blueskid]

my father was 31 when he joined the army

[Jhengsman]

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

According to Bill Cosby,...Medics are the first person the enemy shoots (if they are ignoring the Geneva Convention).

That was true with Japan, Korea and the Viet Cong/NVA I don't think any of them had signed the Geneva or Haugue Conventions. Today's enemy???

[taquitos43]

What is your goal? To be a firefighter or a medic? If it's to be a firefighter, check into the Navy and the Air Force. Navy ships have firefighting crews so that would be experience. I believe the Air Force probably has firefighters to for their fields (I could be wrong about that though). If the goal is to be a medic, then the Army could fit the bill.

I was 22 when I went into the Army. That's where I decided that I wanted to be a firefighter. After I got out of the Army, I started college. I got on the Fire Department when I was 29 and haven't looked back. Those were 2 of the best decisions that I have made.

If you want to talk about this a little more, PM me if you want.

[cassanova]

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

According to Bill Cosby,...Medics are the first person the enemy shoots (if they are ignoring the Geneva Convention).

YouTube - Bill Cosby - Medic

From what I was told in the Marines, radiomen are usually the first to get shot at because of how vital it is to cut off communications. Next came the officers, so you don't have leader on the field of battle. After that came heavy machine gunners. Corpsmen and medics were on the list, but they were somewhere after the life expectancy of the heavy machine gunner.

[Gomeztool]

Ignore the Hollywood statistics being thrown around here.

Here's the answer to your question: The Army accepts recruits up to 42 y.o.

Navy 35, AF and USMC 27.

You have plenty of time.

[Staccato]

No, you'll find quite a few recruiters that would probably climb over several desks to sign you up. You might get a free cup of government coffee during their dance...

Of course, front line medic work is much different from aboard ship, at a miltary base, or brick & mortar hospital.

[cheezewiz]

Different times and different reasons, but my Dad signed up to serve in WW2 when he was 30.

[Gopherbassist]

That's certainly not too late. Please be sure to go on sick call for any repepetitive stress activities that your service requires, like marching, so that if it develops in to a problem later it's documented that your service caused it.