I'll try to make this the last post for a while so I don't flood this forum. I'm considering both the Combat Medic and Cavalry Scout positions. I'm finding both of them pretty much both equally appealing, so I'm checking around to get a tie-breaker. My question is, what exactly do the Cavalry Scouts do? What might make up a 'typical' day, and how hard is it to get in? What kind of training should I expect in AIT?

Thanks!

www.cavhooah.com/cavalry_scout.htm

The Breakfast Fox,
 
  I have done both. Do you have a set plan as far as whether you are going to do four years and then go to school, get a job, pursue a specific profession? If you can use it for life after the Army, go medic and milk them for all of the training that you can get while you are there. If you just want to do some cool stuff and live dirty, get eaten by mean bugs, lay in your own waste, carry your body weight in geen stuff on your back and get away from the cookie cutter world of the leg crunchies; go Cav. Follow the link posted by QUIB. Thanks QUIB, good link. IF YOU AIN'T CAV, YOU AIN'T SH*T!!! Or so the saying goes!

Thanks for the link and replies!

Ricksrifle, I'm about to finish my EMT-B certification. After that, I may either work as an EMT for 6 months to a year, or go straight into the military. The questions you ask are the ones that make this question so hard for me... if I want to have a good civilian job after serving, I would go Combat Medic. I think Combat Medic would be my second choice after reading about both positions.

However, if I wanted to go for the MOS that looked the best to me (Cav Scout), I would have to sacrifice my chance of getting a good civilian job after I get out. It's kind of tough to decide... either grab my first choice and figure things out after I serve, or take my second choice and have good prospects right afterwards.

Maybe foolishly, I'm leaning towards the Cavalry Scouts. This sounds like exactly what I'm looking for as an MOS.

I did 8 years as a 19D/CavScout.  No AIT for you!  No basic training either!  Expect about 14/15 weeks of OSUT training at Ft. Knox instead, basicly one longer basic training stop.  Quality of the job usually depends on the unit but things have changed somewhat and you know where you will be and all Scouts are basicly doing the same thing now.  Expect a lot of copnvoy security missions!

Don't be so sure about no civilian applications afterwards; I got picked up two days after ETS by a company for my reconnaissance skills and still spent many a day in camo out in "the field" LOL.  Fresh out of service I never made less than $40K and $50K+ was more average.  I have no college degree either.  I'm now inthe six digits for income and the basis was because of my military service.  I'm not bragging but just saying just because you choose a combat arms MOS does not mean you have no civilian options.

Scouts out!  Recon leads the way!  

Hey Fox!
 Glad to hear your thinking about joinin the cav! I did 3 years @ Ft Carson (3D ACR).  I dont regret a single minute of my life in Recon, sometimes it gets rough thoughhese
GOD SAVES AND CAV KILLS!!!RECON!!!hug.gif

SAPPERS

Everyone loves a good medic. You'll find yourself fairly well treated and respected by the others, especially if you pull your weight in areas outside of the medical field. At least, by the combat troops. I don't know what the REMF attitude is to them.

On the other hand, there's a certain esprit-de-corps which comes along with being a trooper. You also get to wear a less silly hat on occasion. One of three arguments in favour of my leaving my tank battalion to go to an Armoured Cav squadrion... :-P

Either is a good deal, if you ask me.

NTM

I just re enlisted into the national guard last week, I have prior service 11b on my dd 214, I hope to deploy so mos was obviously a big factor. The only other mos I considered was combat medic, I thought it would have been honorable to serve as a medic, also easier to rationalize from a religous perspective.
But 11b is where the action is and they also offered a bonus for re enlistment, so I opted for 11b, and reenlisted into a dismounted recon company in the 183rd armored cav unit in va. beach, in a sniper platoon. Which ironically is about as opposite a position  as medic. I guess the sniper element is what makes it 11b, amongst 19d's. ? maybe I'm not certain.
You also might post a question on the forums at

forums.military.com/eve

..................

Some great replies on here, thanks.

I was wondering if there was some way to compromise... like getting assigned to patrol with the Cav Scout as a Combat Medic. If I can't, I think I'll just go for Scout. The idea of being part of a reconnaissance group really appeals to me.  

talk to the recruiter about guaranteed duty stations as a medic, or ways that might increase the opportunity to be assigned to a certain unit, such as having an airborne contract, which might increase the likelyhood you are assigned to the 82nd ect., maybe they guarantee path finder or air assult, ect. I don't know, but there are lots of options for people to enlist into so the recruiter would know more.
I don't know how assignment to what unit goes when you are qualified, and that was 1 thing that I didn't care for about considering re enlisting into and re training for a medic mos.

You will enjoy either.  I am  91W pmos and 19D smos and currently deployed right now. If you like getting dirty and having fun, humping everything you got, playing with everthying from the from strykers - 113's if your unit still has them, all the weapons training you want and just about any school, go 19D. If you like taking care of others problems are good in tight situation, make quick decisions that others lives depend on and are interested in medicine, go 91W. If you are good medic in a good unit, your guys will take care of you if you take care of them. Before you jump in, you may want to think about what you want to do when you get out.

Whatever decision you make, it will be the right one.

Quoted: I was wondering if there was some way to compromise... like getting assigned to patrol with the Cav Scout as a Combat Medic.

It does happen, but don't expect it to be a regular gig.