For anyone over 30 years of age

Raist said:
I would have re-enlisted in the Army when the opportunity came. I would be retiring this year at 38 years old with full medical and dental benefits, a pension, life insurance, military store discounts, and no worries about job security. :(

This is similar to the "If you could go back and tell your 10-year-old self one thing..."
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I take it you were in the US military ?

Ex-British forces are usually left to rot when they leave. The Ministry of Defence is notorious for not giving a toss about them.

As for if I were 20 again, I would probably have went to Spain when my mate did. he still lives there.

Alternatively, I would liked to have joined the RAF but couldn't because my eyesight was bad at the time.
 
Von Smallhausen said:
I take it you were in the US military ?
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Yes.

Von Smallhausen said:
Ex-British forces are usually left to rot when they leave. The Ministry of Defence is notorious for not giving a toss about them.
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Even for retirees? I'm a 6-year veteran and I don't get squat. Hit the 20-year mark, though, and you're styling pretty well.

Von Smallhausen said:
Alternatively, I would liked to have joined the RAF but couldn't because my eyesight was bad at the time.
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Such a shame. Our pilots are required to have 20/20 vision, but folks can still get into other jobs in the Air Force with less than perfect sight.

Military was a great experience and even now I wish I had never left.
 
Raist said:
Such a shame. Our pilots are required to have 20/20 vision, but folks can still get into other jobs in the Air Force with less than perfect sight.

Military was a great experience and even now I wish I had never left.
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It was a weapons technician I fancied which is basically an armourer / technician for aircraft weapons systems. My eyesight wasn't even good enough to get in period.

A lad I used to hang about with joined the RAF and he said that exchange visits and excercises with the USAF were superb given the hospitality of the Americans and the vast array of toys that they had.

He also said that he was like a kid in a toy shop at whatever the US military calls our equivalent to the NAAFI. PX or PK club ?
 
I'd have sorted my education out then instead of having to start a degree course in my forties.
I also wish I'd travelled a bit more and put more thought into what I actually wanted in life, rather than just trying to earn money and buy stuff.
 
I'd have picked a course at Uni I was actually interested in rather than something that sounded respectable and all grown up. Then, and this is quite radical, i would have actually studied at it rather than lying in bed and getting up in time to watch the lunchtime editions of Neighbours and Home & Away.
 
If you're going to say that you would have bought x houses, then you may as well say that you would have stuck £20,000 on the result of a horse race (which you know the result of) the day you go back.

And then hope nothing you have done differently affects that race.
 
I don't think I'd have done much differently, maybe bought a house in the mid 90s. But if I'd done that I wouldn't have lived abroad for 5 years so it's all swings and roundabouts. As malc30 points out it's your life experience that turns you into the person you are. I think 30something is the wrong age to ask this question - come back to me in 20 years. ;)
 
Life hasn't always been favourable to me but I am content with who and where I am, so I guess I wouldn't change anything,

My only advice would be to never conform to other peoples expectations, discover who you are and follow the path of your choosing.
 
Kaiju said:
If you were 20 again, what would you have done differently with your life?
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If I were 20 again, I would do the one thing on my mind that was bugging me that I had to do before I was 30. Incidentally, I haven't yet done it, and it's still bugging me.
 
Von Smallhausen said:
It was a weapons technician I fancied which is basically an armourer / technician for aircraft weapons systems. My eyesight wasn't even good enough to get in period.
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How thick are your glasses now? :eek:

Von Smallhausen said:
A lad I used to hang about with joined the RAF and he said that exchange visits and excercises with the USAF were superb given the hospitality of the Americans and the vast array of toys that they had.
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That's nice to hear. Foreign relations were (and are) very important to us.

Von Smallhausen said:
He also said that he was like a kid in a toy shop at whatever the US military calls our equivalent to the NAAFI. PX or PK club ?
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Your NAAFI would be the equivalant of our AAFES (Army/Air Force Exchange Service) which houses most all the stores. PX or BX = Post Exchange or Base Exchange (depending on the branch), which is a general merchandise store. Class 6 was where the liquor was purchased. The Commissary is general grocery shopping. Then there are NCO Clubs for non-officers to hang out and party.

We're going slightly off topic, but thank you for the memories. :)
 
Raist said:
Your NAAFI would be the equivalant of our AAFES (Army/Air Force Exchange Service)
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no it isn't!

quite far from it - unless things have changed drastically in the past few years

The NAAFI would be a bar with a couple of pool tables, some arcade games, a TV room, maybe a small shop and generally staffed by a fat hippocrocopig looking girl who's absolutely guaranteed to give you an STD fo some sort.

Your AAFES is like a giant supermarket with loads of stalls, big sportshall sized hanger with pool tables, plasma screens etc... I even bought a laptop from an AAFES
 
dowie said:
no it isn't!

quite far from it - unless things have changed drastically in the past few years

The NAAFI would be a bar with a couple of pool tables, some arcade games, a TV room, maybe a small shop and generally staffed by a fat hippocrocopig looking girl who's absolutely guaranteed to give you an STD fo some sort.

Your AAFES is like a giant supermarket with loads of stalls, big sportshall sized hanger with pool tables, plasma screens etc... I even bought a laptop from an AAFES
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I'm sorry. I was under the impression, obviously wrongly, that NAAFI was the mother organisation that provides the goods and services to military members, much as our AAFES. Stores and clubs fall under their direction.
 
I hope this isn't the case now, a plasma screen is no substitute for a bullet proof vest.

I do have regrets about things that happened to me out of my control so far in my 20's (I'm 26 now), but nothing really major that I did have control of.
 
malef!c said:
To be honest - I screwed up a lot in me early 20s, got better towards mid 20s when my family life started on the up and up.

Learnt a lot, and I mean shed loads, from my late teens / early 20s - respect and laws were the biggest 2 things I learnt about ;)

Looking back I do cringe at some of the stuff I did, but would I change it - never :)
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Mee to. 34 now...and have everything I want apart from enough money to retire:rolleyes:
What i have learned in the last 10-15 years is that you have to do what you like doing...what your intereested in and not what you are told what is best for you! Do your own thing and enjoy it.
 
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