The Army or the UFC

[MJS]

The UFC is a long ways away for this fellow. He plans to go to a mixed martial arts school for the first time this week, its more of a pipedream at this point. The Army doesn't know about his record yet, and he needs to get his GED first. This fellow is very immature, down to his last $100 he bought a speaker for his car stereo instead of food! And the reason he is "probably" going to join the Army (His words) is because of the $20,000 signing bonus, he wants to buy a new car with it.

All prayers for the young fellow are appreciated.

Well, like I said earlier, this kid needs to do some growing up first, get his priorities in order and he has to have the desire to help himself. Just going on what you've said so far, and with this post, I'm seeing him as quite a ways away from his goal.

 

[Archangel M]

Uhhh..if he was "bailed out" he wasnt really "in jail" he was in a holding center. Jail/Prison are where you get sent post sentencing...you dont get "bailed out" from there. He may have been released from charges on "time served".

Back to our regullary scheduled programing...

 

[Archangel M]

BTW: The military has had problems with gang members joining...white supremacists joining and people who commit murder/crimes while IN the service.

The "the military will straighten him out" thing is far from assured. What the military MAY do is provide him with supervision (if he has good leaders) that will babysit him out of trouble till he gets discharged.

 

[Marginal]

Isn't there a show about this? Bully Beatdown on MTV, where they set up guys that sound exactly like this (talk big, anger issues, etc) with a pro fighter to see how tough they really are? Sounds like they could have their next contestant...

That's all scripted. Doubt he'd learn much from that.

 

[punisher73]

Uhhh..if he was "bailed out" he wasnt really "in jail" he was in a holding center. Jail/Prison are where you get sent post sentencing...you dont get "bailed out" from there. He may have been released from charges on "time served".

Back to our regullary scheduled programing...

Depends on the area and the agency. The county I work for, when you get arrested you go to the county jail (houses around 600 inmates). They have an intake area for people who are unarraigned (haven't been to court and formally charged), once you get arraigned you go into general population.

Other agenices have "holding cells" that they hold their own prisoners until they go to court and then are taken to the county jail. But even then you can be arraigned and go to jail and then bond out of jail pending court. Jails hold both sentenced and unsentenced people.

 

[Nolerama]

Does the US Army take GED anymore? If they do, I imagine they're looking for a decent score.

I doubt the kid will last a month in a MMA gym. The last thing training partners want is some angry head case that will attempt to kill you in training, only to fail because his breathing is off due to anger and he gasses out and throws his gloves on the floor. I've seen it. It's funny and those guys never last long.

I'd suggest go the therapy route. What do his parents think about his decision-making? Are they able to help out with therapy costs? What is his overall support group like and how have they reached out to him, outside of superficial judging?

I was there. Thought about joining the military for the very same reasons. I ended up on a different path, and got over my anger issues with therapy, bowling, self reflection/improvement, family, and a good group of positive friends and intriguing mentors.

It's not easy, and I'm unsure he'll find that in the military (if they take him) or in a MMA gym.

Anyway, who knows? He might get bit by the Jits Bug and go home every training night happily exhausted with some new tech and an endorphin rush.

 

[Carol]

Does the US Army take GED anymore? If they do, I imagine they're looking for a decent score.

Only in rare cases and only if the candidate proves to be an especially strong candidate in other areas.

The branches of the armed services have seen that GED enlistees have a lot more issues than enlistees with a H.S. diploma. They don't want the trouble.

 

[Xinglu]

I would encourage this young man to join the Army. They would be far better equipped to make a better man out of him then the UFC. MMA would just give him the tools to hurt someone with his anger, the Army would instill ethical discipline and values.

 

[Joab]

Uhhh..if he was "bailed out" he wasnt really "in jail" he was in a holding center. Jail/Prison are where you get sent post sentencing...you dont get "bailed out" from there. He may have been released from charges on "time served".

Back to our regullary scheduled programing...

He was actually in prison for ten days, awaiting his trial. They do that in Delaware, put people in prison if the charges are serious enough. He is still in trouble, and if he breaks his restraining order he will be right back in.

 

[Joab]

BTW: The military has had problems with gang members joining...white supremacists joining and people who commit murder/crimes while IN the service.

The "the military will straighten him out" thing is far from assured. What the military MAY do is provide him with supervision (if he has good leaders) that will babysit him out of trouble till he gets discharged.

Yeah, I'm having my doubts about the military option. He told me that he would probably join the Army because of his anger problem "with my anger problem the Army or the UFC" to quote the young fellow, but he told another worker that he wanted to join the Army for the $20,000 signing bonus.

 

[Joab]

Does the US Army take GED anymore? If they do, I imagine they're looking for a decent score.

Well, my understanding is that they do take GED's, I think the recruiter told him he had to pass his GED. His reading comprehension is not good by hos own admission, he failed some of the tests reuired for the company we work for, he had to take notes and use the notes to pass, he's a good worker, but his reading skills arn't that good.

I doubt the kid will last a month in a MMA gym. The last thing training partners want is some angry head case that will attempt to kill you in training, only to fail because his breathing is off due to anger and he gasses out and throws his gloves on the floor. I've seen it. It's funny and those guys never last long.

Hard to say, he is in good shape, he works out a lot. It's not like he constantly blows up.

I'd suggest go the therapy route. What do his parents think about his decision-making? Are they able to help out with therapy costs? What is his overall support group like and how have they reached out to him, outside of superficial judging?

I don't hear anything about his parents from him. He was living with his Uncle, but his Uncle works for the prison he was incarcerated in and he can't have a jailbird living with him. His Grandfather bailed him out after ten days of incarceration. Hopefully the judge will make him take anger management.

I was there. Thought about joining the military for the very same reasons. I ended up on a different path, and got over my anger issues with therapy, bowling, self reflection/improvement, family, and a good group of positive friends and intriguing mentors.

One of the guys at work is his age and steers him in right directions. He helped him get his job back after he blew up on an assistant manager and quit. This was good, as keeping a job is required for him to stay out of jail.

It's not easy, and I'm unsure he'll find that in the military (if they take him) or in a MMA gym.

Anyway, who knows? He might get bit by the Jits Bug and go home every training night happily exhausted with some new tech and an endorphin rush.

Only time will tell. The young fellow has issues, but I think there is hope for him.

 

[Carol]

Only time will tell. The young fellow has issues, but I think there is hope for him.

The fact that he's thinking about doing something with his life, even if its unrealistic, is a positive thing. I just hope something motivates him to make the changes he needs to turn his life around, and that no additional people get hurt in the process.

 

[Joab]

The fact that he's thinking about doing something with his life, even if its unrealistic, is a positive thing. I just hope something motivates him to make the changes he needs to turn his life around, and that no additional people get hurt in the process.

Well, he never physically hurt his girlfriend, only threatened too and broke all her car's windows before that. She had cheated on him which gave rise to his ire. It turned out it was far more than one, more like ten. Her mother called the business he works at and told them he tried to kill her, which wasn't true, he threatened to kill her. That was harsh, her mother never liked him. At any rate, any of you who believe in the power of prayer please pray for him.

 

[Xinglu]

What is good about the Army, is that if your NCOIC or OIC notice you're anger problems, you get orders to see a therapist for anger management. They have amazing programs for soldiers with these issues and the wonderful thing about the military, such issues rarely go unnoticed or ignored.

 

[Tez3]

What is good about the Army, is that if your NCOIC or OIC notice you're anger problems, you get orders to see a therapist for anger management. They have amazing programs for soldiers with these issues and the wonderful thing about the military, such issues rarely go unnoticed or ignored.

Here you'll get taken round the back of the guardroom and smacked, sorts things out. It is the army after all not a creche!

 

[Xinglu]

Here you'll get taken round the back of the guardroom and smacked, sorts things out. It is the army after all not a creche!

That was the way it was when I first signed up in the Army. Guys like this would get "wall to wall counseling" until they figured out that they can't act like that.

In todays' Army it's different. While this will happen it is rare and they are more apt to send you to psych. Having served during this change in philosophy I see the benefits of both.

 

[Tez3]

A friend of mine is a psyche nurse in the RAF, he also fights MMA. he did a tour in Iraq with his American counter parts and I'm afraid he wasn't impressed with the touchy feely sort of stuff they do. I think your culture as a whole though is far more into the therapy thing than we are. He was saying the American guys believe we all have issues whether you realise it or not and if you say you haven't you are in denial. It doesn't go down well with the average British squaddie though if you try the touchy feely route, gets you either thumped or they string you along lol!

 

[Xinglu]

I've gone on a lot of joint missions, and I greatly appreciate the mentality of the UK troopers.

I agree, American culture has become touchy. We as a society, IMHO, are over medicated and lack personal accountability. We have become a nation of excuses where nothing is our fault. Part of that is due to Pharmaceutical companies running our health industry, it is profit and sales driven and not about health. They want people taking their products so they pay doctors to prescribe. While the military doctors are immune to this, the soldiers are not, they grew up with this kind of medical system and educational system that encourages it.

For example, it used to be that if you were attacked at school and defended yourself, the attacker was punished, now the defender is punished equally. This teaches children that defending yourself is not okay. Then everyone is blamed citing some psychological issue. It's not my fault, because I have ADHD, Not my fault because I have (insert blank). That is what Americans grow up with.

Psychology has it's place and uses. However, IMHO it is abused here in America. I think the Military does a good job with it - you don't get sent to psych unless you are a problem that NCO's cannot solve via conventional methods. Furthermore, in some cases, like this young man, conventional methods might only serve to reenforce his idea that violence solves everything.

 

[Tez3]

I've gone on a lot of joint missions, and I greatly appreciate the mentality of the UK troopers.

I agree, American culture has become touchy. We as a society, IMHO, are over medicated and lack personal accountability. We have become a nation of excuses where nothing is our fault. Part of that is due to Pharmaceutical companies running our health industry, it is profit and sales driven and not about health. They want people taking their products so they pay doctors to prescribe. While the military doctors are immune to this, the soldiers are not, they grew up with this kind of medical system and educational system that encourages it.

For example, it used to be that if you were attacked at school and defended yourself, the attacker was punished, now the defender is punished equally. This teaches children that defending yourself is not okay. Then everyone is blamed citing some psychological issue. It's not my fault, because I have ADHD, Not my fault because I have (insert blank). That is what Americans grow up with.

Psychology has it's place and uses. However, IMHO it is abused here in America. I think the Military does a good job with it - you don't get sent to psych unless you are a problem that NCO's cannot solve via conventional methods. Furthermore, in some cases, like this young man, conventional methods might only serve to reenforce his idea that violence solves everything.[/quote]

You're right of course but the military won't be interested in what he believes so much as how he behaves while he's with them so I could forsee a load of problems when he left the military.


Mental illness and mental health problems still have a big stigma against them here so we do need to get a bit closer to the American way of accepting that if you have problems it's just as if you have physical ones and should see the appropriate medic to sort the problem out. The MOD here closed the only psychiatric hospital for military personnel a few years back just when mental health problems of personnel were being highlighted as getting to a serious stage.

 

[Xinglu]

You're right of course but the military won't be interested in what he believes so much as how he behaves while he's with them so I could forsee a load of problems when he left the military.

I think the idea here is that in his 6-20 years served he would work out those issues and become a better man, so that when he finally ETS'd he would not be a loose cannon. A lot can be done in that time frame. Worst case scenario for him, he acts out and hurts some one in the Army and ends up in the stockade.