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Look, I've been doing this job for eight years. In addition to that, I'm also stationed at Patrick AFB. The complaints you hear about mostly come from lazy, lower ranking airman. The reason for this is because they don't believe they should have to work their way to the top. Here's the real scoop on the SF world.

You'll go to Basic Training for 8.5 weeks. On the monday folling graduation, you'll board a bus and be transported across the base to your dorm room at Tech School (the police academy). The AF Security Forces Academy is the ONLY law enforcement school in the military recognized on a federal level. I can take my certification to the civilian law enforcement world and most states will recognize it. If you have an interest in civilian law enforcement after the military, you can walk into almost any state certified LE academy and be treated the same as any other law enforcement officer transferring from a dept. in CA to a dept. in FL. Instead of the normal 6 month academy for a FL certification, you can take your SF experience and FL will allow you to take a 2 week refresher course instead. No other branch's military cops are federally recognized.

When you get to your first base, you'll go through a 30 day training program that reinforces what you learned in tech school, as well as teaches you local policy specific to your base. Will you deploy? Yes! So what? Be glad that you've been given the oppurtunity to serve your country overseas.

At your first base after tech school, you'll work the flightline and guard planes a lot. This is because you have to learn the BASICS before you're going to get thrown in a patrol car by yourself and be expected to handle any situation that gets handed to you. You will, however, get the chance to ride in a patrol car and learn the law enforcement side early in your career. A lot depends on your base. Here at Patrick, I've got troops with one stripe on their sleeve who ride patrol by themselves and do a damn good job at it.

If you come in with a good attitude and are motivated to learn everything about the job, you won't be stuck on a flightline for very long. If you pass your evals with flying colors, you'll be given the oppurtunity to excel.

If your sole reasoning for joining the military is to go to work, do the minimum and then go home, then join a different career field. If you want a career you can tak pride in, one that allows you to make a difference in peoples' lives at home and abroad, then join Security Forces. Don't listen to these idiots who say you'll hate your life, deploy non-stop and be worthless. These are the lazy, fat and ignorant people who either A) have never been in the SF world and know only what they've been told or B) joined the SF world and hated it because they want to come to work, do the bare minimum, and expect everything to be handed to them. If you want to work law enforcement, go to sniper school, jump school, and all the other schools that everyone wants to go to, then be motivated and willing to learn and work hard.

You will most likely work 12 hour shifts. However, most bases are in a "panama" schedule. That basically means you only work 15 days a month, and have every other weekend off. I've worked 12 hour shifts for eight years. I've been a single parent for four of those years. I've deployed four times and loved every minute of it.

I deployed to Afghanistan for four months and recently returned. Our mission at this particular base kept us on base most of the time. In four months, a few of my troops and I managed to work with regular civilian folks back home via the internet and setup multi-million dollar programs that created a way for the American public to reach wounded troops in the battlefield, started one of the first schools for females in a particular region of the country, and replaced medical machines for a local Afghani hospital. On top of that, we joined the Army on convoys that delivered mattresses to an orphanage of kids who were previously sleeping on cardboard, and enough school supplies to last them all for three or more years.

This career field is what you make of it. You're going to have leaders you don't like anywhere you go. This career field is not for the lazy folks looking for a handout from the military. If you come into this career field, expect to work, but also expect to have to have the time of your life! You'll experience things, go places and meet people that you probably wouldn't have had the oppurtunity to had you not joined the SF world.

Don't listen to these idiots who didn't get their handout, or who were too lazy to put a little effort into making their careers successful. If you're not willing to go above and beyond, work longer hours and sacrifice more in the service of your country than the average person, then don't join SF. We don't want you. If you're up for the challenge, and are the type of person who is a natural go getter and sets the bar high, then w