What was your primary Occupational Specialty in the Military? What was the most significant skill you learned and was this useful in your civilian life?

Like many veterans on this site, I had several PMOSs assigned to me. In the Navy, it was Boatswain’s Mate and Aviation Ordnanceman. In the Army, I was a Guided Missile Technician, Infantryman, and Infantry Instructor. I learned a lot from each of these, except the Army missile tech, which I never worked in. The Navy taught me essential military skills and something about becoming a small unit leader. 18 months supporting the war from an aircraft carrier offshore whetted my desire to become more personally involved in Vietnam. Working with ordnance that others would use in combat was not enough for me.

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