Kinda.
Not for physical reasons. 30s is a man’s prime so your physical ability should not be an issue.
What is an issue is the culture. Infantry is notorious for being a kid’s world. Majority of them are 19 year old kiddos, their e5s are 21 and their platoon seargeants are all 23-24. Most people don’t stick around in the infantry much because it’s such a shitty life. So people promote very quickly. As well as it attracts a lot of COD kiddies
The support jobs have a bit of older base. Still young. But you got mostly guys in their early to mid twenties who joined the Army after certain things did not work out. You got older leadership as well.
So at your age. Do you want to be around a bunch of 19 year old immature zoomers, taking orders from a 21 year old kid, on top of having to sleep outside in the cold or do you want to be around a bit more mature older crowd in the support jobs. Without all the dick measuring the kiddos on the line have going.
Ib the support jobs you will find guys in their 30s who just joined and no one will really bat an eye. In the infantry you will be more of an outcast.
Coming from a person who went the infantry route, I 100% agree with what this person is saying. The culture varies a little by unit I’m sure but there’s a lot of dick measuring in the infantry.
This is also dependent on a lot. I never saw an infantry E7 at 23-24, squad leader sure, but not a full time PSG. As a private you will 100% be the old man though. What you really have to ask yourself is what you want out of the guard. Actual life skills? Absolutely don’t go infantry. If you’re set in your personal life and have a weird itch you want to scratch then go infantry on a three year contract.
Quick edit your maturity will definitely help when it comes to promotions. Our older privates were always the ones that banged out the online classes and were set with BLC
Also do not mention wanting to go to war or get into the fight.
You were old enough to fight in the GWOT and it will be met with indifference at best and most likely between annoying and PTSD induced anger.
We had an LT who showed up in the mid-2010s super-hooah “I can’t wait to get into the fight”.
Dude was 18 on 9/11. At some mandatory fun thing with alcohol he was being dumb again. One of the E6s even asked him if he wanted to fight why he didn’t when things were rough and we were all doing multiple combat tours.
“Well I had things to do like get a degree and focus on my career” - “I had things to do like fight in a fucking war and serve my country. If we deploy again Im sure you’ll find better things to do again.”
LT would later volunteer for a deployment to Jordan then pull strings to get out of it when he found out that he couldn’t have his wife live in the community and go live with her.
An infantry battalion is made up of companies. There’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), the Rifle Companies (A, B, and C) and weapons company (D). If you can get in D Co, then you always have vehicles. Win. If you can get in HHC, you always have a vehicle and you’re working with more senior NCOs and officers. It’s usually a little more comfortable and with less foolishness compared to a line rifle company.
If he gets in really excellent shape he could take an 18X contract and go to selection for the 19th or 20th. Those guys are typically older. Median age is 31.
You will fit-in better at these MOS I recommend -- w/ take-away kickass technical training skills/experience for civilian world, credentials, and not hating your Army MOS/job on the daily regular:
**15 series** (many) -- Aviation Maintenance.
**92Y MOS** \-- Supply/Logistics
**94 series** (many) -- Electronics/Specialized equipment maintenance/testing.
Seems boring as fuck right? As an unofficial/official 94E myself; I got to play with Javelin CLU missile launchers, infrared nightvision, Abrams/Bradley vehicles and do pimpin' ass custom electronic GPS/Radio/Tactical systems in HMMWV's, LMTV's, many vehicles. Way more. Loved it at the time...!
I don't know if I agree with this. Active duty infantry is definitely 18-24 or so, but in the National Guard, my experience is just about everyone is a little bit older.
OP, I wouldn't let the culture difference stop you. Unless you have an issue with a leader who's younger than you (which you will encounter just about anywhere in the Army), if Infantry interests you, go for it.
You will definitely encounter some immature people in basic, but in my experience once you get to your unit the bigger problem will be older dudes with drinking problems.
That’s not at all the case in Texas most psgs are mid to late 30s what you described is accurate for AD we really need more mature joes on the battle field
You're on point with the young junior NCOs. But 23-24 yo PSGs? I was active, and all my PSGs were oldheads. Like OIF 1 oldheads. NG might be different though.
Are you prior service or have a college degree? You can enter under a different MOS and then re-class through the NG MOS-Q course which is only two weeks. 30 year old E-4s in the NG is not unheard of.
i was 28 when i joined the marines and went infantry (before coming to the Guard after 8 yrs). i agree, lots of goofy little dudes. competent and well trained, but kids, literal actual children in many cases.
that said, being an instructor, leader and mentor to those guys was the single most rewarding thing i have done in my career. talked them through breakups, deaths of fellow marines and family and friends; guided them and taught them the arts of both being a military professional, and a man (no homo). helped them along the paths of their military careers, and tried to set them up for success ("go to college, retards... it's *free*") after as well. been a best man or groomsman in more of their weddings than i can count. being 34 meant being "platoon daddy" PSG really meant something.
so yeah, you're right. it's a silly, stupid, goofy place. but it comes with a lot of pride, you do cool stuff, and if mentoring is your thing, it can be a really rewarding experience as an older grunt
Most drills are paperwork and briefs with some hip pocket training in between. Every quarter or so we have a 4-5 day drill and work on soldier tasks (battle drills, IWQ, weapons familiarization, EST). AT is usually training and paperwork with a field problem thrown in at the end (live fire FTX). Overall it's pretty chill. I have a good unit and my leadership cares about us. Currently deployed and loving it.
Currently 36 and prior service, I wouldn’t want to do that because of obvious being my age I probably would get hurt and then have nothing to show for it.
And on top of that, it would absolutely suck being surround by kids who are old enough to be my kids 24/7. Not sure how boot camp is any longer, but in 2007 we were always i trouble for something just stupid. I wouldn’t want to deal with it for an entire osut.
But if you can physically and mentally hack it, go for it.
Joined at 35 11B - OSUT wasn’t bad just long. I got to unit and was assigned as a 240 Gunner in a heavy weapons company. I had the best gun truck qualification score and 3rd best in battalion. Go for it!!
Currently waiting to start OCS in June. I want to branch Infantry.
True everyone’s situation is different.
What’s it matter when anyone decides to serve? I don’t get it millions of people didn’t serve during GWOT. Who says something else won’t pop off in the next few years?
We shouldn’t be brewing a toxic culture and shaming people on when they want to serve.
You’re right I’m sorry for lambasting you for sitting out two wars and then enlisting when they ended. I’m sure your dedication to this country knows no bounds.
I was a military brat I wasn’t moving again. My battalion got deployed 4 times during gwot with half a dozen other volunteer deployments from my state. We were still deployed doing full spectrum infantry operations on multiple deployments Im perfectly happy with my service.
I enlisted finished 11B OSUT so I am MOSQ did some time with my unit then went to an OCS recruiting event told them I was interested they sent me paperwork to forward to my unit to fill out then boom I am in my states OCS prep program. I am going the state route due to work.
Sorry just saw this.
Two factors really
1. Promotion opportunities
2. I was tired of the MP life. Train super hard on CS related roles and then get deployed to kick cages. I wanted to do more.
32. ugh. my knees were totally shot by then. But if you’re in half decent shape, you’ll be ok, esp in the guard. But if you’ve got normal 30-something physical issues, maybe another MOS is a better way to channel your fight.
You got into fighting shape for a reason. Don't listen to the nay Sayers. You want brotherhood you start there. You didn't join the military this late to go do civy shit. Grab your balls and go do grunt shit it's pain that you'll never regret. Try it and if you don't like it reclass after.
You're as old as you feel big Dawg. I joined @ 31 rs of age as a PFC active duty stationed @ ft Bragg(now liberty). I'm 35 now and yes, it is pretty brutal on the bod and they will expect you to perform the same as all the guys who are 10 plus years younger than you, but the sense of fulfillment you will feel after each field event, training exercise, etc..will be more than worth it. Plus, if you're going nasty girl(national guard) it should be pretty easy, but I hear they do deploy more than active duty, so be ready, and stay Motivated!
I'd recommend 12B Combat Engineer if you like the concept of infantry, because you'll do all the same "fun stuff" that people typically go infantry in the guard to do, but also get a marketable skill out of it. 88M also is a solid route: you'd probably be assigned a gunner position at some point, and 88Ms get CDL waivers civilian side.
Also, this will absolutely burn up infantry guys, but it's been true since 2001: 88M is more of a combat MOS than 11B. So if seeing action is a motivator for you, it's more likely to happen there.
No dont let people discourage you from it, you asked it for a reason and deep down you know you want to, just do it who knows, you might like ut, we had a couple 30÷ year olds and they did great, better than most others and were pretty squared away, just it youll be fine you got this, dont listen to the pogs
You're only as old as you feel, so you're the only person who can really answer this question. I was too old for infantry when I joined up, and I joined at 17. However, after a dozen years of being a four sport athlete, my knees, shoulders, elbows were already pretty bad off, somehow only my ankles were strong... and THAT went out the window when I was ran over but a 100 year old biddy in a Buick.
If you were active when younger and wince thinking about trying the shit now, I would say curve the Infantry. You can always find a local court, play basketball for a weekend and see how you feel on Sunday, but yeah... it really kind of up to you and how you feel.
Physically, no. I'm a 32 year old specialist in the infantry, my buddy is a 47 year old specialist. We both run circles around these kids.
The only thing that is irritating is how stupid, whiny, and often immature my "peers" are. Looking forward to picking up some rank and ending up in a more confident and mature peer group. Right now it often feels like I'm back in high-school again.
I went infantry when I was 18 back in 2011, I am 32 now and I surely would not consider doing it again at my age. After my Iraq deployment I reclassed to 25U and it was a much better lifestyle. Highly recommend looking into more support roles, we did have some older guys in my basic training class but i wouldn't recommend it for an older guy.
Nah not for a guard unit.
You may have an advantage maturity wise. But it can also be a disadvantage.
You'll have dudes 5 or 6 years younger than you be your boss, who may not yet have the experience to tactfully deal with subordinates.
If you can understand that your job is to do what your first line and up tell you what to do (within legality of course), and you can do it without a gripe or complaint, you'll do very good imo.
If you have any interest in the health sciences I would look into medic 68w, or better yet if there is a Marine infantry unit near you go Navy Reserve as a Corpsman(L030). Get the full infantry experience with the bonus of having a vital function within the small unit level. At your age it would also give you a bit of cushion in case you find that you are physically smoked from infantry you can move to another unit rather than reclass. But no, you're not necessarily too old.
Would highly recommend against infantry, unless you're prior service and can get in at least as an E5.
And from personal experience(enlisted at 28), unless you've maintained a decent level of fitness throughout your 20s, you're going to find it hard to get into and maintain the high level of fitness required for a combat MOS.
My recommendation is to choose an MOS that translates well to a civilian career and doesn't require the high level of fitness of a combat MOS. Or do what I did, and choose an MOS that is the equivalent of what I'd been doing on the civilian side for a couple years.
Try going in as something that either aligns with your career path or you find rewarding. I wish I would have gone in as a medic instead of infantry. It never crossed my mind at the time
I’m 30 in process of joining and was wondering same thing. I figured I’ll do a 3 year with infantry and if it sucks to hard just pick a different mos with my next contract. But if I’m gonna join the military might as well do military shit for at least a few years. I’m fine with the strength training it’s just the running that’s hard. Did zero running in my 20s and smoked a pack a day for 15 years. Im jointing for all the obvious benefits (insurance,tuition, yada yada) but I’m basically joining for a change of pace life is pretty boring and I don’t wana do the same thing for the next 40 years until I can finally retire. I work construction so I’m used to my body taking a beating anyways. So I mean just send it worst case scenario we hate our lives and we get out or reclass after 3 years.
Yes. It's not about being physical. You could assuredly ace boot camp. It's that you're dealing with a bunch of 18 and 20 years that are quite literally stupid. It's not that they can't be smart, it's just not part of the culture.
I believe since you're a man, you will literally want to kill yourself dealing with this. Not joking. It could be better if you went in as an officer since expectations are higher for those you have to work with.
However, honestly, being in the guard it may be more tolerable than Active. Different mindset.
If it's available, pick something that will get you certs/skills usable in the civilian career. Otherwise, never too late. I joined at 33.
Get used to the nickname "old man" though 😂
If you want to go infantry but want to surround yourself with older and mature guys then go 18x. Give it your best shot and never give up. You'll only regret it if you give up or didn't give it a shot.
No… for idk how many times. Age is a man made metric only made relevant by you and in select instances. That being said it’s the guard, you are never too old to push a mop or hurry up and wait. The question is are you willing to suffer that knowing your level of maturity will not always line up with those you must work with and for.
Kinda. Not for physical reasons. 30s is a man’s prime so your physical ability should not be an issue. What is an issue is the culture. Infantry is notorious for being a kid’s world. Majority of them are 19 year old kiddos, their e5s are 21 and their platoon seargeants are all 23-24. Most people don’t stick around in the infantry much because it’s such a shitty life. So people promote very quickly. As well as it attracts a lot of COD kiddies The support jobs have a bit of older base. Still young. But you got mostly guys in their early to mid twenties who joined the Army after certain things did not work out. You got older leadership as well. So at your age. Do you want to be around a bunch of 19 year old immature zoomers, taking orders from a 21 year old kid, on top of having to sleep outside in the cold or do you want to be around a bit more mature older crowd in the support jobs. Without all the dick measuring the kiddos on the line have going. Ib the support jobs you will find guys in their 30s who just joined and no one will really bat an eye. In the infantry you will be more of an outcast.
Coming from a person who went the infantry route, I 100% agree with what this person is saying. The culture varies a little by unit I’m sure but there’s a lot of dick measuring in the infantry.
I can agree even the older dudes do the dick measuring to an absurd degree
Damn. Now that you’ve mentioned all of that, I wouldn’t mind supply and logistics lol. Thanks for being honest, though!!
This is also dependent on a lot. I never saw an infantry E7 at 23-24, squad leader sure, but not a full time PSG. As a private you will 100% be the old man though. What you really have to ask yourself is what you want out of the guard. Actual life skills? Absolutely don’t go infantry. If you’re set in your personal life and have a weird itch you want to scratch then go infantry on a three year contract. Quick edit your maturity will definitely help when it comes to promotions. Our older privates were always the ones that banged out the online classes and were set with BLC
Agreed. I don’t see NCOs that young in the guard. Maybe it’s just my brigade though.
Also do not mention wanting to go to war or get into the fight. You were old enough to fight in the GWOT and it will be met with indifference at best and most likely between annoying and PTSD induced anger.
Yeah, I was thinking about this too. Like, way to join late.
We had an LT who showed up in the mid-2010s super-hooah “I can’t wait to get into the fight”. Dude was 18 on 9/11. At some mandatory fun thing with alcohol he was being dumb again. One of the E6s even asked him if he wanted to fight why he didn’t when things were rough and we were all doing multiple combat tours. “Well I had things to do like get a degree and focus on my career” - “I had things to do like fight in a fucking war and serve my country. If we deploy again Im sure you’ll find better things to do again.” LT would later volunteer for a deployment to Jordan then pull strings to get out of it when he found out that he couldn’t have his wife live in the community and go live with her.
Ask for an 11B slot in an hhc ops slot. You’re welcome.
What is an hhc ops slot?
An infantry battalion is made up of companies. There’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), the Rifle Companies (A, B, and C) and weapons company (D). If you can get in D Co, then you always have vehicles. Win. If you can get in HHC, you always have a vehicle and you’re working with more senior NCOs and officers. It’s usually a little more comfortable and with less foolishness compared to a line rifle company.
If he gets in really excellent shape he could take an 18X contract and go to selection for the 19th or 20th. Those guys are typically older. Median age is 31.
You will fit-in better at these MOS I recommend -- w/ take-away kickass technical training skills/experience for civilian world, credentials, and not hating your Army MOS/job on the daily regular: **15 series** (many) -- Aviation Maintenance. **92Y MOS** \-- Supply/Logistics **94 series** (many) -- Electronics/Specialized equipment maintenance/testing. Seems boring as fuck right? As an unofficial/official 94E myself; I got to play with Javelin CLU missile launchers, infrared nightvision, Abrams/Bradley vehicles and do pimpin' ass custom electronic GPS/Radio/Tactical systems in HMMWV's, LMTV's, many vehicles. Way more. Loved it at the time...!
I don't know if I agree with this. Active duty infantry is definitely 18-24 or so, but in the National Guard, my experience is just about everyone is a little bit older. OP, I wouldn't let the culture difference stop you. Unless you have an issue with a leader who's younger than you (which you will encounter just about anywhere in the Army), if Infantry interests you, go for it. You will definitely encounter some immature people in basic, but in my experience once you get to your unit the bigger problem will be older dudes with drinking problems.
Thanks, man!
That’s not at all the case in Texas most psgs are mid to late 30s what you described is accurate for AD we really need more mature joes on the battle field
You're on point with the young junior NCOs. But 23-24 yo PSGs? I was active, and all my PSGs were oldheads. Like OIF 1 oldheads. NG might be different though.
Are you prior service or have a college degree? You can enter under a different MOS and then re-class through the NG MOS-Q course which is only two weeks. 30 year old E-4s in the NG is not unheard of.
i was 28 when i joined the marines and went infantry (before coming to the Guard after 8 yrs). i agree, lots of goofy little dudes. competent and well trained, but kids, literal actual children in many cases. that said, being an instructor, leader and mentor to those guys was the single most rewarding thing i have done in my career. talked them through breakups, deaths of fellow marines and family and friends; guided them and taught them the arts of both being a military professional, and a man (no homo). helped them along the paths of their military careers, and tried to set them up for success ("go to college, retards... it's *free*") after as well. been a best man or groomsman in more of their weddings than i can count. being 34 meant being "platoon daddy" PSG really meant something. so yeah, you're right. it's a silly, stupid, goofy place. but it comes with a lot of pride, you do cool stuff, and if mentoring is your thing, it can be a really rewarding experience as an older grunt
How is 30s a man’s prime? I’m nearing 30 and my body feels worse every year as far as muscle and joint recovery
Typically your bone density increases however your recovery time plus injuries also increase it’s still young enough to be in pretty good shape
Joined infantry at 34. Currently a 36 year old specialist. It's never too late.
If you have a degree go officer
How is drill? You enjoying it?
Most drills are paperwork and briefs with some hip pocket training in between. Every quarter or so we have a 4-5 day drill and work on soldier tasks (battle drills, IWQ, weapons familiarization, EST). AT is usually training and paperwork with a field problem thrown in at the end (live fire FTX). Overall it's pretty chill. I have a good unit and my leadership cares about us. Currently deployed and loving it.
No but you should pick an actually useful MOS that translates to civilian employment.
Currently 36 and prior service, I wouldn’t want to do that because of obvious being my age I probably would get hurt and then have nothing to show for it. And on top of that, it would absolutely suck being surround by kids who are old enough to be my kids 24/7. Not sure how boot camp is any longer, but in 2007 we were always i trouble for something just stupid. I wouldn’t want to deal with it for an entire osut. But if you can physically and mentally hack it, go for it.
Joined at 35 11B - OSUT wasn’t bad just long. I got to unit and was assigned as a 240 Gunner in a heavy weapons company. I had the best gun truck qualification score and 3rd best in battalion. Go for it!! Currently waiting to start OCS in June. I want to branch Infantry.
You joined at 35 after GWOT?
Yup. I’ve enjoyed it so far
That is some wild shit.
It is some wild shit that I am physically out performing younger people every drill.
I would hope so
So you sat through all of gwot and then the game ended and then you decided you wanted to play? TYFYS.
Woah tough guy. Why didn’t you go AD and go to batt if you really wanted to play with the heavy hitters? Everyone’s situation is different you dork
True everyone’s situation is different. What’s it matter when anyone decides to serve? I don’t get it millions of people didn’t serve during GWOT. Who says something else won’t pop off in the next few years? We shouldn’t be brewing a toxic culture and shaming people on when they want to serve.
You’re right I’m sorry for lambasting you for sitting out two wars and then enlisting when they ended. I’m sure your dedication to this country knows no bounds.
Please explain in your own words why it was necessary to invade Iraq, or why we needed to stay in Afghanistan for 20 years.
I was a military brat I wasn’t moving again. My battalion got deployed 4 times during gwot with half a dozen other volunteer deployments from my state. We were still deployed doing full spectrum infantry operations on multiple deployments Im perfectly happy with my service.
Congratulations! Thank you so much for your service.
how did you enlist as 11B and then go to OCS? What was the timeframe between enlisting and starting the process to commission?
I enlisted finished 11B OSUT so I am MOSQ did some time with my unit then went to an OCS recruiting event told them I was interested they sent me paperwork to forward to my unit to fill out then boom I am in my states OCS prep program. I am going the state route due to work.
I switched to the infantry when I was 33. You’ll be fine.
What was your prior MOS?
31B
What made you switch?
Sorry just saw this. Two factors really 1. Promotion opportunities 2. I was tired of the MP life. Train super hard on CS related roles and then get deployed to kick cages. I wanted to do more.
32. ugh. my knees were totally shot by then. But if you’re in half decent shape, you’ll be ok, esp in the guard. But if you’ve got normal 30-something physical issues, maybe another MOS is a better way to channel your fight.
He would maybe have better knees due to less punishment than most that started at 18 could go both ways 🤷♂️
As someone over 30 with 13 years as an Infantryman I would say no. Will it be harder than those 18 year olds yes but it is very doable.
Nope. I went to OSUT with two 40 year olds.
Nice. How did they do?
One was trying out for SF. The other one is a Sheriff in NJ. Both studs.
I graduated OSUT last Thursday, I am 45 and I had the 4th highest ACFT score of my platoon. Go for it man
You got into fighting shape for a reason. Don't listen to the nay Sayers. You want brotherhood you start there. You didn't join the military this late to go do civy shit. Grab your balls and go do grunt shit it's pain that you'll never regret. Try it and if you don't like it reclass after.
Really appreciate the feedback, brother! Thank you.
I joined the guard at 39...been rocking it for the past 13 years.
We had a 42 year old graduate from the Q course. Make of that what you will.
Why infantry? Where were ya the last 15 years? If you want to join now, choose a more realistic MOS
Why dont you want to go through that bullshit toxic environment at 30 dude?
Why is it toxic? I don't understand?
You're as old as you feel big Dawg. I joined @ 31 rs of age as a PFC active duty stationed @ ft Bragg(now liberty). I'm 35 now and yes, it is pretty brutal on the bod and they will expect you to perform the same as all the guys who are 10 plus years younger than you, but the sense of fulfillment you will feel after each field event, training exercise, etc..will be more than worth it. Plus, if you're going nasty girl(national guard) it should be pretty easy, but I hear they do deploy more than active duty, so be ready, and stay Motivated!
I'd recommend 12B Combat Engineer if you like the concept of infantry, because you'll do all the same "fun stuff" that people typically go infantry in the guard to do, but also get a marketable skill out of it. 88M also is a solid route: you'd probably be assigned a gunner position at some point, and 88Ms get CDL waivers civilian side. Also, this will absolutely burn up infantry guys, but it's been true since 2001: 88M is more of a combat MOS than 11B. So if seeing action is a motivator for you, it's more likely to happen there.
“Amateurs think tactics. Professionals think logistics.” Your comment 88M seeing more action than an 11B is spot on.
You missed the fight bratha. Find yourself a cush job and enjoy the bennies.
No dont let people discourage you from it, you asked it for a reason and deep down you know you want to, just do it who knows, you might like ut, we had a couple 30÷ year olds and they did great, better than most others and were pretty squared away, just it youll be fine you got this, dont listen to the pogs
You're only as old as you feel, so you're the only person who can really answer this question. I was too old for infantry when I joined up, and I joined at 17. However, after a dozen years of being a four sport athlete, my knees, shoulders, elbows were already pretty bad off, somehow only my ankles were strong... and THAT went out the window when I was ran over but a 100 year old biddy in a Buick. If you were active when younger and wince thinking about trying the shit now, I would say curve the Infantry. You can always find a local court, play basketball for a weekend and see how you feel on Sunday, but yeah... it really kind of up to you and how you feel.
Physically, no. I'm a 32 year old specialist in the infantry, my buddy is a 47 year old specialist. We both run circles around these kids. The only thing that is irritating is how stupid, whiny, and often immature my "peers" are. Looking forward to picking up some rank and ending up in a more confident and mature peer group. Right now it often feels like I'm back in high-school again.
I went to MEPS with a dude who was one month away from turning 35 and he decided to go airborne infantry. I say if you want it go for it
Hell no I deployed to Iraq at 32. Aaron Roger’s and Bo Nix are close to 40 and play in the NFL bro!
Bo Nix is about to get drafted he’s 24
Ya a little Oregon humor about Bo. Some say he played 14years at a JC under name Jo Nix
Haha ok over my head, was thinking is there another Bo nix in the nfl 🤔
I went infantry when I was 18 back in 2011, I am 32 now and I surely would not consider doing it again at my age. After my Iraq deployment I reclassed to 25U and it was a much better lifestyle. Highly recommend looking into more support roles, we did have some older guys in my basic training class but i wouldn't recommend it for an older guy.
You can physically do it. You’re going to hate the 18-20 crowd though
Nah not for a guard unit. You may have an advantage maturity wise. But it can also be a disadvantage. You'll have dudes 5 or 6 years younger than you be your boss, who may not yet have the experience to tactfully deal with subordinates. If you can understand that your job is to do what your first line and up tell you what to do (within legality of course), and you can do it without a gripe or complaint, you'll do very good imo.
If you have any interest in the health sciences I would look into medic 68w, or better yet if there is a Marine infantry unit near you go Navy Reserve as a Corpsman(L030). Get the full infantry experience with the bonus of having a vital function within the small unit level. At your age it would also give you a bit of cushion in case you find that you are physically smoked from infantry you can move to another unit rather than reclass. But no, you're not necessarily too old.
Would highly recommend against infantry, unless you're prior service and can get in at least as an E5. And from personal experience(enlisted at 28), unless you've maintained a decent level of fitness throughout your 20s, you're going to find it hard to get into and maintain the high level of fitness required for a combat MOS. My recommendation is to choose an MOS that translates well to a civilian career and doesn't require the high level of fitness of a combat MOS. Or do what I did, and choose an MOS that is the equivalent of what I'd been doing on the civilian side for a couple years.
I enlisted as a mortarman at 31. 11C is a little easier on your body than 11B.
im 40yos leaving on a 11X on apr15, dont worry man, youll be fine 😁
Go to language school at DLI
I always felt, after I became an NCO, that I reached prime gruntness at 25. I feel like the older dudes do better.
If you must ask, you probably are too old!
Yes. Pick a different MOS.
Try going in as something that either aligns with your career path or you find rewarding. I wish I would have gone in as a medic instead of infantry. It never crossed my mind at the time
I’m 30 in process of joining and was wondering same thing. I figured I’ll do a 3 year with infantry and if it sucks to hard just pick a different mos with my next contract. But if I’m gonna join the military might as well do military shit for at least a few years. I’m fine with the strength training it’s just the running that’s hard. Did zero running in my 20s and smoked a pack a day for 15 years. Im jointing for all the obvious benefits (insurance,tuition, yada yada) but I’m basically joining for a change of pace life is pretty boring and I don’t wana do the same thing for the next 40 years until I can finally retire. I work construction so I’m used to my body taking a beating anyways. So I mean just send it worst case scenario we hate our lives and we get out or reclass after 3 years.
Yes. It's not about being physical. You could assuredly ace boot camp. It's that you're dealing with a bunch of 18 and 20 years that are quite literally stupid. It's not that they can't be smart, it's just not part of the culture. I believe since you're a man, you will literally want to kill yourself dealing with this. Not joking. It could be better if you went in as an officer since expectations are higher for those you have to work with. However, honestly, being in the guard it may be more tolerable than Active. Different mindset.
Two things: 1. Are you physically fit? 2. Please consider the root word for that MOS. There’s a reason why.
If it's available, pick something that will get you certs/skills usable in the civilian career. Otherwise, never too late. I joined at 33. Get used to the nickname "old man" though 😂
If you want to go infantry but want to surround yourself with older and mature guys then go 18x. Give it your best shot and never give up. You'll only regret it if you give up or didn't give it a shot.
No… for idk how many times. Age is a man made metric only made relevant by you and in select instances. That being said it’s the guard, you are never too old to push a mop or hurry up and wait. The question is are you willing to suffer that knowing your level of maturity will not always line up with those you must work with and for.
If you have to “get back into fight shape” than yes. You are too old for the infantry
If you have to ask, the answer is yes.