After we had a guy almost die from substance abuse* in Afghanistan, they had the dogs come through all our tents AND workspaces. It was command wide across a number of dets and they got several people for spice.

I sometimes question the randomness aspect. I used to have a civilian job that required testing. I got got tested many times. I also shaved almost every day and had a high and tight haircut. The shipping manager had a scragly beard, dreadlocks, and listened to Bob Marley all day. He never seemed to get selected for drug testing.

*Huffing canned air and passed out. They later found spice in his effects. I don't mean a jar of cinnamon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_cannabis

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Not to turn this in to a drug test thread, but as a sometime manager of the Demand Reduction program, I can attest to the randomness. A directed inspection of the entire unit is different, under different rules.

The perception of getting popped when you come back from the overseas TDY or a week or two of leave is due to the nature of the program. If your SSN gets selected (randomly) but you're unavailable to test due to leave or TDY, then your number stays on the list until you are available.

Voila: "I just came back from Jamaica and they 'randomly' test me." Yeah, your name was pulled two weeks ago by a computer that has no clue who you are.

I ran the programs at the gate, selected the interval for which random car, which lane, etc. And yes, I made the Colonel who was late to a meeting with the General and "did I know who he was and who he worked for" get tested, too.

Civilians can be hit or miss. It depends on their specific billet. You'd think the higher up the more likely you'll be in a mandatory test billet. Not so. If your job requires it, yeah; otherwise, no. For example a bus driver might (safety issues), but his supervisor who doesn't drive the bus might not (no drive = no safety). Fair? Not really, but them's the rules.

That's more than fair -- if it doesn't affect safety, why is it any of their G-D business what recreational activities people are doing off the clock?

This from an ex-Navy guy, I saw a lot of good kids who wanted to become deck crew on an aircraft carrier. I reminded them that when they get out they will NEVER find a job for shooting aircraft off a carrier deck. The same holds true for the infantry. All those really exciting military jobs often do not translate into marketable skills on the outside.

He really needs to look at all the services and pick a job that will transfer to the civilian job market. The military has about the best technical schools available. They are on the cutting edge of electronic, etc. The fact that he has been in the service and completed their schools is a very big plus on his resume. With these schools behind him he can move on to college or the next level trade school when he gets out. The service will also help him with tuition.

This from an ex-Navy guy. While I agree fully with everything you say, it's his decision. If infantry or artillery or aviation is where he wants to serve, well then, here's two thumbs up from this quarter. Someone has to take up arms. Regrettably.

I know what you mean. I started out in nuc power finished that pipeline wound up starting over as a missile tech. Not a lot of places to shoot a C-3,C-4 missile in the Civilian world.

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86 300SDL. 250,xxx on #14 Head. One eye always on temp gauge.. Cruising towards 300K

Having raised 2 boys, 3 foreign exchange students and been involved with many teens what I see are kids that, in most instances, don't really know what they want to do. Most have limited job experience, think that the world is what they see on computers and social networks, have no idea what it takes to get along in the real world, can't manage money, can't check the oil and water in their car, and have very few defining traits and goals.

Now I am sure that every person on this board have 'wunder kinder' that are Phds at 17 but the average American 17 year old is battling to get out of high school. And when and if they graduate they are absolutely ill prepared to face the modern world. America now ranks behind Serbia in the educational quality of our students.

The military is a great place for these kids to learn to take care of themselves, to say yes and no sir, to make their beds, wash their clothes, work with others, manage their money, and learn a trade that will make then a useful member of society when the get out.

Look at what has happened to many of the infantry that come back from Afghanistan. Twenty five percent of the home less are Vietnam vets, and the numbers are rising with current vet. These guy are eaten up with PTSD. Just saw a tv program about the rising number of current vets that are in jail for murder. These kids are thrown into battle situations at an age went they don't have the mental ability to handle such trauma. The infantry just does not prepare these kids for life after the military.

I think a technical job could give valuable experience for civilian employement. I served in a heavy artillery battery and about the only civilian skill I learned was how to use a transit. There are intangibles learned that might be more valuable than vocational skills.