I'm about to go talk to an Idaho Nat'l Guard recruiter about enlisting as a 19K.  Any armor guys here who can tell me how they like the job?  Do all M1's have depleted uranium armor?  If so, is it a health concern?

-kill-9

Kill-9,

Send me an email with whatever questions you want answered.  I've been a tanker (M60A3, M1, M1A1, M1A2) and cavalry scout for a long, LONG time.
If I can't answer your questions, I'll field them to one of my 19K's.

One of the reasons I enjoy it so much is that it's the BEST JOB in the US ARMY!  While not every M1 has DU Armor, the one's that do aren't a health hazard - in combat, quite the contrary!

I suppose you're signing up with the 116th AR BDE?  Good unit!

Good luck to you, and always remember the motto of the Armored Force: "Forge the Thunderbolt!"

As a former tanker myself, I'd personally recommend pursuing an MOS that might be of some value outside of the military.

Thanks Boomer, but I should give a little bit of context.  I'm a professional software developer.  My military service is strictly a patriotic "extracurricular" activity.  I spent 11 years in the Ohio Guard, mostly in combat MOS's, but got out when it was no longer fun.  I think you get the idea...

-kill-9

Being a tanker is hard, dirty work. Most of your time is spent maintaining or repairing the beast. Break a torsion bar or throw a track and the fun-factor drops precipitously. What's the shortest term the Guard will allow to hitch up for these days?

Being prior service, I'm given the option of signing up for a single year.

-kill-9

They still do the "Try 1", huh? In that case, I'd give it a year before jumping in with both feet for a long term commitment.

As boomer said it can be heavy work. Upside is there is nothing like shooting the big bullets. There is maint. and repair to do but a good crew will work together on this to ease the load. I can't compare driving anything to an M1.I would not trade my time in 60's or M1's for anything. I went through Fort Knox at 32 years old, so almost anyone can do it w/right attitude. Email me and we'll talk.