Anyone been in the Air Force?

I want to become a pilot when I grow older, even though I haven't ridden in a plane ever. I figured I could go into the Air Force and get free education, but I was wondering something. If the Iraq War lasts until 2013, would I be shipped off to Iraq? I find it highly unlikely that the next President will keep the war going, but I just thought it might be nice to know if I would, seeing as how there aren't any Air Force TV commercials.

I was in the RAF.. as a engineer.. cant answer any more than that due to the fact i have no idea what the USAF is doing..

i doubt all will be peaceful by that time.
what if there's a new war?
we're not exactly living in times of peace.

i think unless you agree with the reasons behind a war or have a misguided complete trust in your government and the army then don't join, no matter what kind of free education or toaster or whatever they offer.

there's other ways to achieve your goal.
and plenty of other ways to fly.

i agree, i despise the way the service tries to recruit young people, promising college and other things, and totally disregarding the grim realities of being a service person!
However, if you were to choose, go air force all the way!

There's always a new war. How else would we test the new weapons?
Don't worry-- it takes dedication and in my intake with the RCAF, out of 105 applicants 22 were chosen for pilot training and, due to "ceased training" (flunked) and accidents, 5 of us actually got our wings.
I think that if you want to fly for the USAF the first step would be a degree in Aeronautics. You might also take a ride in an aerobatic aircraft to see if you have the stomach for flying.

Don't join the Air Force if you're not willing to go to a foreign nation to fight on behalf of your country.

Joining the military and then b****ing that you're getting shipped off to fight in a conflict is pretty silly.

By the way, very few people in the Air Force are pilots. There are very strict standards on size, physical abilities, eyesight, etc. You must become an officer, either through ROTC, an officer training school, or by going to college at the Air Force Academy. You need to be 18 to join the Air Force, you need to pass a pretty hard test called the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test with a pretty high score, and have to have at least 20/50 vision without glasses or contact lenses or laser eye surgery.

The majority of people who join the air force become something other than a pilot.

i would imagine you would need to be fit and healthy too!

That seems like a pretty silly reason to join something as hard and demanding as the air force. just so you can get a free education.

FWIW, I see USAF commercials every now and then. Lately they've featured either an F-22 and some radar operators or some C-17 airlift footage.

"Aim High. Air Force."

Yea, from his post it seems like he wants all the benefits without going to war

join the airforce be prepared to go fight simple as.

You maybe wana check that you know what your getting into, you ride a horse and fly a plane there is quite a big difference

Im only joking with you, but in all seriousness, there are much better ways to get into flying. Getting a degree is probably a good start then go for a commercial airline, the pay is probably alot better and the is the air hostesses

remember you FLY in a plane and RIDE a horse!

i don't like the idea of the military offering kids a free education,
seems like a bit of a cheat.
especially to the people that can't afford college.

Is that not the slogan to try and stop all these "friendly fire" incidents?

Very constructive comment. Good job.