Expert: John L - 11/28/2011

Question
QUESTION: ok i just enlisted in the army as a 89b which is ammunition specialist i have been told this is a very safe job in the army cause ur not out on the front lines but anyway my basic training is in fort benning georgia and my ait is at fort lee my friend has the same job we are both active duty and he got sent to basic someplace else and his ait is at fort lee also so i thought fort benning was for infatry? why would i be sent their for basic? do i have to worry about being attached to a infantry group since iam being sent their? whats the risk of this job combat wise? is this a safe job? is their a special way they choose who goes where for basic? is fort benning a good location for basic training? i have been told iam lucky to go their for basic thats why i ask any info would be great ty.

ANSWER: Basic training can be anywhere, 5 bases do basic training. Ft benning trains infantry as well, but you will not train with infantry, they train by themselves.

No job in the Army is a safe job, you just do not have a direct combat action job, but you will train like you do have one.  there are no front lines on the war against terror, they can hit you aywhere, and you will be trained to be ready.

Your job will most likley put you with artillery, tanks, attack choppers or a ammo storage point.
But there could be others.

If your recruiter told you it was a safe job, he is a schmuck.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thats exactly wht i was told i said i want a job that is behind the line not on the frontlines something where iam least likely to get shot at and i told him i was considering the navy at the time also and he said that the army does have jobs such as cook and others that dont involve being put on the front lines he said u will work on base which is very safe and basicly hand out ammunition to all the soldeirs and he said that i should not go guard or even think about guard if i wanted to keep from going over seas cause your more likely to go over their in the guard then u are full active then i went into dep cause i thought that this was a safe job but now i have alot to think about u sound like a very honest guy so let me ask u one more thing that maybe u can verify for me cause i know the navy requires a waiver which is hard to get if you were already in dep but since i have had such a bad experiance with both my recruiter and the recruiting boss down here i think i really want to go navy cause i guess iam being lied to alot and i dont like lieing so heres what i would like to know is the following true? and is it correct i dont have to tell the navy recruiter i was in dep or the army?

The discharge must be characterized as an "Entry Level Separation," for "Performance and Conduct." An Entry Level Separation is not characterized. That means it's not "honorable," it's not "general," and it's not "Other than Honorable." It has no characterization at all.

So, how is this different from an active duty DEP Discharge (other than it's more complicated)? Well, an active duty discharge from the DEP is not really a "discharge," because it creates no military record. Recall that I said a person discharged from the active duty DEP can legally and morally state on any form that he/she has not served in the military. However, members of the Guard and Reserve, are entitled to drill pay, even if they haven't been to basic training, which means they were *IN* the military, and a military record is created, and filed at the National Military Personnel Records Center, in St. Louis.

That means, if you are ever asked if you have ever served in the military, you must (legally and morally) answer yes. This could possible affect future employment opportunities (some employers may put great weight on whether or not you "quit" the military, and other employers may not care, at all). It will also definately affect your eligibility to join any branch of the military in the future.

here is the link to military.com http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/dep_5.htm

Answer
Dep discharge is not anything, it does not show up on any record as a discharge, becuae while in DEP, you are not actually in the militray, just waiting to actually join.  You actually join when you leave for boot camp.  You only swore in to the Delayed entry program, you have no rights or benefits.  You never actually joined when it comes time for employmenty purpose.

Nowm the other military branches will know, and it will count against you.  keep in mind, the Navy is away from home more than the Army.  They are out to sea alot, and the dangers are different.

In a  nut shell, you are fine, but your recruiter lied his ass off to you and told you anything to get you to join so he can make a number.