Military

How much free time will I have in the military?

Discover Your Free Time Options in the Military

How much free time will I have in the military? So speaking from the army standpoint on active duty, it depends on kind of what's going on. So let's say a typical MOS that maybe doesn't have crazy schedules like MPs and cooks and those kind of individuals. If it's like Monday through Friday, you're not in the field, you're not on deployment, then you're typically doing 630 PT until 730, so doing physical fitness during those time frames. Between 730 and nine, you have an opportunity to go get breakfast and shower and everything. And then you're working from like nine o'clock until 435, somewhere around there on average. And then when you're off at five o'clock or 430, then you have your free time to do whatever you need to do in the evenings, whether that's, you know, going and hang out with friends, watching movies, whatever, until you have to be back for physical fitness the next day. You have the weekends off, you have holidays off, so you have that time to be free, right? And then if you're in the field, well, there's probably not a whole lot of free time. Maybe a little bit of time in the evenings, kind of sort of in like your field environment, but nothing crazy where you can go like catch a movie or anything like that, so it's a little bit restricted there. Also on deployments, if it's a combat deployment, very little free time in most environments. In some environments, you might have like some hours here and there, you can do some different things, and then it kind of depends. But if it's maybe a training deployment, then you might still have a kind of similar situation as if you're stateside in your regular unit, you might have some free time in the evenings to maybe check out local sites, to do some things with your friends on base and everything, because it's a little bit more relaxed. So those are kind of some examples of when you might be able to get some free time, at least for active duty army anyways.

Free time in the military depends on what kind of mission you're on or if you're stationed stateside. Typically Monday-Friday, you'll have PT 6:30-7:30, work 9:00 - 4:30/5:00, and then free time in the evenings. On deployment or in the field, there is generally less free time.

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Speaking from the army standpoint on active duty, the amount of free time you have in the military varies depending on circumstances. For a typical MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) that doesn't have demanding schedules like MPs and cooks, here is a general breakdown. On a Monday through Friday schedule, when you're not in the field or on deployment, your day typically starts with PT (physical fitness) from 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM. Between 7:30 AM and 9:00 AM, you have time for breakfast and showering. Then, you work from around 9:00 AM until approximately 4:35 PM. After work, usually by 5:00 PM or 4:30 PM, you have your evenings free to do whatever you need or want to do until it's time for PT the next day. You also have weekends and holidays off for additional free time.

However, if you're in the field for training exercises or on combat deployments, your free time will be limited. In the field, there may be some time in the evenings within the field environment but not enough to go out and watch a movie or engage in similar activities. During combat deployments, there is generally very little free time available, especially in high-intensity environments. Some deployments may offer limited hours here and there for personal activities, but it varies depending on the situation.

On training deployments that are not combat-focused, your free time might be similar to being stateside in your regular unit. You might have evenings to explore local sites or spend time with friends on base because the environment is more relaxed.

These examples provide an overview of when you could expect to have some free time while serving in the active duty army.

What's your favorite thing about running your YouTube Channel?

Army YouTuber finds fulfillment in helping viewers make life-changing decisions

What's your favorite thing about running your YouTube channel? I've always loved doing video for quite a long time. I found a passion for creating video content while I was in the army, while I was actually stationed in Korea, and I really enjoyed the process of building out the videos, editing the video, and as well as the reaction to like getting you know people in the comment section interacting with me. I really love like when I interact with people out in person where they find me you know out in a local area or something like that and they're like, oh man I watched a bunch of your videos it really helped me for joining the army. It really helped me get a good insight as to what to do, what it was gonna be like, and it really helped me make a decision as far as you know joining the army. A little bit stressful because some people tell me that you're the reason why I joined the army and I'm like whoa whoa whoa don't put that much stress on me. I mean sometimes the army is awesome, sometimes it's not awesome, and I don't want to be the person to be blamed for that, but that's one of the cool things I really like about the the channel and doing things is that the satisfaction I get out of it and people really enjoy the content and find it helpful and I like the process of creating it as well though.

I enjoy the process of creating videos, editing them and interacting with people in the comment section who find my videos helpful. It's satisfying to know that people are benefitting from my content.

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My favorite thing about running my YouTube channel is the passion I have for video creation, which I discovered while serving in the army, particularly during my time stationed in Korea. I enjoy every aspect of building and editing videos, as well as engaging with viewers through comments. It's incredibly rewarding when people approach me in person and share how my videos have helped them make decisions, such as joining the army. While it can be a bit overwhelming when someone says they joined because of me, as the army has its ups and downs, it brings me satisfaction knowing that my content is helpful and enjoyed by others. The process of creating videos is something I truly enjoy as well.

From NASCAR dreams to unexpected military experience

So I originally joined the military, in this case, the United States Army, because I wanted the experience. My original plan was to join the army, become a mechanic, spend four years in the army, get out and go to a trade school for automotive, and then hopefully become a NASCAR mechanic. Not working in the pit crew, but working in like the garage, rebuilding engines. Well, turned out I had a red green color blind, so I was eliminated from it. It'll be a mechanic. So didn't get to do that. So I became an ADA Mike instead. So nonetheless, I was still going to try to do four years, get the military experience, and then get out and go to a trade school or go to college. Four years, kind of one thing led to another, to another, and then eventually became almost 11 years, mostly because of the Iraq war going on and a lot of other kind of challenges that kind of just led it to be much longer than it originally anticipated to be. But originally, it was always meant to be a stepping stone. It was never my intent to spend 20 plus years and retire. It was supposed to be to get the experience, go to college afterwards, and have that military background.

I joined the army to get experience and go to college afterwards, ended up staying for 11 years due to war and other challenges.

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I enlisted in the military, specifically the United States Army, because I wanted to gain experience. My initial plan was to join as a mechanic, spend four years in the army, and then attend trade school for automotive studies. My goal was to become a NASCAR mechanic, working behind the scenes in engine rebuilding rather than on the pit crew. However, my plans changed when I discovered that I was red-green color blind, which disqualified me from becoming a mechanic. Instead, I became an ADA Mike. Despite this setback, I still intended to serve for four years, gain military experience, and then pursue trade school or college. However, due to various factors such as the Iraq war and other challenges, my military service ended up lasting nearly 11 years. Originally, it was always meant to be a stepping stone for me. My intention was never to serve for over 20 years and retire; it was always about gaining valuable experience and using that military background as a foundation for my future endeavors in college.

Double deployment: Iraq's Tal Afar and Baghdad.

Where were you deployed? I was actually deployed to Iraq twice. The first time was the northern part of Iraq which is an area called Tal Afar which was kind of I guess southwest of Mosul. I was there for 12 months and then my second deployment was to Baghdad. I was on Camp Liberty at Bayop, the Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, deep in it, and that deployment was actually a 15-month deployment. So those are the two locations I was at was Tal Afar and Baghdad, Iraq.

I was deployed to Tal Afer and Baghdad, Iraq.

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I was deployed to Iraq twice. My first deployment was to Tal Afar, which is in the northern part of Iraq, southwest of Mosul. I spent 12 months there. My second deployment was to Baghdad, specifically Camp Liberty at Bayop, the Baghdad International Airport. It was a 15-month deployment. So, the two locations I was deployed to were Tal Afar and Baghdad in Iraq.

Can I take college classes while in the Army?

Balancing College Classes with Army Service: What to Expect

Can I take college classes while in the Army? Maybe. Some of that kind of depends on certain factors. Like if you are going to Reserves or National Guard, then obviously the chances are much more greater because you will only be doing drill on the weekends, twice two weeks of the year type of thing. So in between you can easily do a lot of college courses. Now if you're doing active duty, that's where it gets a little bit complicated because then that depends on the unit. There are some units that have a very high tempo where you may or may not be able to get in any kind of like online classes type of thing. You probably won't be able to do any in-person classes, but it depends. And then there are some units that maybe have a lower tempo and you might have opportunities to be able to get some like night classes in, maybe some online classes. Trying to do classes in person on active duty can be very difficult. It's not impossible. There are some units that might allow you to do so, but don't count on it because it's tricky and it really depends on the tempo of the unit and what's going on at that unit whether or not you're going to be able to do even in-person classes to take away from work to do that kind of a thing.

It depends on which branch of the Army you are in. If you are in the Reserves or National Guard, you probably have more opportunities to take college classes as you will only be doing drills and weekends. However, if you are active duty, it might be more difficult depending on the tempo of your unit and whether they would allow you to take classes in person or online.

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Taking college classes while in the Army is possible, but it depends on various factors. If you are in the Reserves or National Guard, there is a greater chance of being able to take college courses since you typically have drill obligations only on weekends and for a couple of weeks each year. This leaves more time in between to pursue college education. However, if you are on active duty, it becomes more complicated and depends on your unit's tempo. Some units have a high tempo that may make it challenging to participate in online or in-person classes. In-person classes can be particularly difficult to manage while on active duty, although there may be some units that allow it depending on the circumstances. It is important to note that the feasibility of taking college classes while in the Army varies based on the specific unit's tempo and availability for educational pursuits.

Do you use the strict habits of the military in other areas of your life? How?

Former Army Member Reveals Military Habit That Impacted His Life

Do you use the strict habits of the military in other areas of your life? How? Yeah, there's quite a few. The biggest one, easiest one to kind of explain is being early to everything. In the army, you always had to be 10 minutes prior, 15 minutes prior, sometimes 15 minutes prior to being 15 minutes prior. So then you're like 30 minutes prior to whatever you had going on. You had something going on at nine o'clock, then you got to be there probably like 830, 845 to make sure you're at the right place, right time. And I still continue to do that. Even if it's something as simple as I'm supposed to be meeting my buddy for lunch and he's just just to hang out, right? And we're supposed to meet up, let's say at noon for lunch. And I still show up probably 1145 waiting in the parking lot until that person shows up or other things that are very basic and simple. I'm always trying to be 15 minutes, 30 minutes early appointments. If I have some kind of doctor's appointments, kind of other appointments, I'm trying to be able to those things early. So that one has always stuck with me and there's several other things. That's the biggest one that being early is always a big thing for me. I'm always sticking to that.

I use the military habit of being early to everything in my life, whether it's meeting friends for lunch or a doctor's appointment.

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Using the strict habits of the military in other areas of my life? Absolutely. One of the main habits I've carried over is being early to everything. In the army, being 10 minutes prior, or even 15 minutes prior to being 15 minutes prior, was expected. This meant showing up around 30 minutes early to ensure I was at the right place at the right time. I still practice this habit in my daily life. Even for casual meetups with friends, like going to lunch, if we decide to meet at noon, I'll show up around 11:45 and wait in the parking lot until they arrive. It's become second nature for me now. I apply this habit to other appointments as well, whether it's a doctor's appointment or any other commitment. Being early has stuck with me as an important principle that I consistently follow.

Christopher Chaos answers your Military questions. See all the advice Christopher Chaos has and get answers to your own Military questions.

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I served almost 11 years on active duty in the US Army. I deployed twice to Iraq. During the day I am a military instructor on Fort Carson where I teach US Army soldiers and have done that for 10+ years. I also create Army related content on my YouTube channel with over 100K subscribers and more than 20 million views. 