The Complete Guide to Becoming An Artillery and Missile Crew Member
What you'll really do, what you'll really earn, and whether you have what it takes to fire the big guns
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Real pay, real training, real day-to-day life. The honest guide to deciding if artillery and missile crew is your path.
About this book
You've seen the recruiting posters. You've heard the phrase 'king of battle.' But what does an artillery and missile crew member actually do on a Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the rain? This guide answers that question with specificity, not slogans. It walks you through the physical tasks, the equipment you'll operate, the people you'll work with, and the environments you'll find yourself in - from dusty training ranges to the cramped crew compartments of a self-propelled howitzer.
Written by a career counselor who has worked alongside these crews, this guide doesn't sugar-coat the hard parts. You'll learn the real entry-level pay versus the take-home after deductions, the difference between active duty and guard life, and the promotion timeline if you stay in. You'll also get an honest self-assessment of whether you have the temperament for this work - because not everyone does, and that's okay.
If you're the kind of person who wants to know exactly what you're signing up for before you sign, this guide is your first piece of intel. It gives you a clear path from 'considering' to 'decided' - whether your decision is yes, no, or 'I need to think about it more.'
Reader Reviews
Rebecca Sanchez
★★★★★This guide is solid but a bit dry in places. I appreciated the real numbers on pay - the take-home after BCT was eye-opening, and the day-in-the-life chapter really showed how much time is spent on maintenance and waiting, not just firing. I wish the training section had gone deeper into the ASVAB score requirements and what happens if you don't qualify for the MOS you want. Still, it convinced me I need to shadow a crew before I commit. Good baseline, but not the last thing I'll read.
Brian Nguyen
★★★★★I was on the fence about enlisting as a 13B and this book gave me exactly what I needed. The self-assessment checklist in Chapter 2 was brutal but fair - I realized I'm more of a loner than I thought, and this job is all about team cohesion. The pay table showed me the real trajectory, not just the recruiter's numbers. I also appreciated the honest look at the physical toll - my knees are already iffy, so that's something I'm taking seriously. If you're serious about this career, read this before you talk to a recruiter.