Is the navy and air force safer than the army?

[ringmastery]

Will draftees get to choose which branch of the military to serve?

[2Design]

1. navy would be safest if you are not a flyer

navy do not leave the boat.
Planes fly and get shot down.
the ground soldiers, they don't have a chance
Coast guard would probably be good. I haven't heard of any of them being in or near IRAQ

[PsN2Wind]

6. Nine months of "night check" on

an aircraft carrier, I believe, gives me the right to say you really don't know the danger of being aboard ship.

[DoNotRefill]

12. the Coasties...

ARE in the Persian gulf.

[Pepperbelly]

2. the Navy's definately the way to go ... my son joined in December and ...

is scheduled for boot camp in July. Sub School after that. Despite my candid recollections to him regarding the experience. Navy, that is ... not Sub School.

:D

[lastknowngood]

3. Then air force has it right they keep the enlisted men in the

rear and send the officers to die. Navy is fairly safe from the type of war now being waged however remember the Cole they will get back to it sooner or later.

[rfranklin]

4. When I was drafted, you went into the infantry and straight to Nam...

People who wanted to select the branch they served in had to enlist before they got drafted.

[Windy]

5. Air Force

I was in the Air Force. You stay on the base and maintain the planes as an enlisted man or woman in my case. Teh pilots take all the risk. Aerial refueling is a bit risky for the enlisted though. Their crew chiefs fly with them and the "boomers",those who do the refueling, are also enlisted.

[ewagner]

10. Same here

also Air Force....flew a desk.

Did get to take some trips on a tanker though....best time of my life....damn...I loved those greasy old KC135s.

Biggest danger was if I forgot to change shirts at noon so I'd look "fresh" for the brass.....

[reformed_military]

19. And us lowly loadmasters too...

We sit in the back watching for Anti-Aircraft Fire.

[rockymountaindem]

7. I'd pick the Navy personally

just because I like ships. No particular reason. Oh, and the Iraq thing doesn't exactly appeal to me because I hate hot weather. I' think I'd have done ok in the Battle of the Bulge though... it was -40 here in Toronto and I complained less than everyone.

[BlueCollar]

8. Navy...

draftees don't get to choose...

[avb7]

9. as far as choice goes....

the way I remember it during Viet Nam when the draft was still in place, the only service that did a large amount of drafting was the Army. The Marine Corps had a very limited draft and it did not last very long. Navy and Air Force, to the best of my recollection, did not use the draft at all. If you were drafted into the Army you basically rolled the dice as to your MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). You could be a cook, a truck driver or a "grunt", depending on what they needed at the time.If the Marine Corps got a hold of your ass you were almost assured of being an 0311, Basic Rifleman.If the draft laws are renewed join the Navy or the Air Force, it's a no brainer.

[doni_georgia]

13. Better yet, join the Naval Reserves or the Coast Guard Reserves

That would be my advice to a 20 year old if the draft was getting started up again.

[keithyboy]

11. Yes!!!

A nintendo war is always safer than face to face combat.

[napi21]

14. Pay attention to the poster above who was on a carrier.

You guys said you don't like heat. My son was attached to the Nimitz and it was in the Med and the Gulf during the first Gulf was. It's hot on the sand over there, bu it's just as bad or worse on the deck. Remember you got all those planes moving around, and launching and the recovery too. No shade, how exhaust, and moving around like a crazy man makes it pretty unbearable.

As far as I know, the best deal is the AF and a desk job if you can get it. The Pilots job is for the jocks and they love it!

[Redleg]

15. The safest job in the military is in the Pentagon.

You get to sit on your ass all day drinking coffee and sending orders to deploy other poor bastards to endure the hardships of combat.

[moondust]

16. Depends.

During the Vietnam draft you could enlist for 4 or more years in the navy or AF (provided they had openings) to avoid being drafted for 2 years in the army or (I think) marines. Most navy and AF jobs are safer.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

17. Usually, but tell that to those guys who died on the Cole

[lostnfound]

18. A friend who joined the Navy is being forceably assigned to Marines

to be a corpsman ? / battlefield medic.