1. artillery officer
   ordnance specialist
2. paratrooper
   tail gunner

Paratroopers were important to the Normandy campaign in WWII. They parachuted into German-held territory the night before the D-Day offensive to aid the French resistance.

1. Army Rangers
   Air Force pararescue
2. Navy SEALs
   Navy fighter pilots

SEAL Team Six went on the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. If you want to be a Navy SEAL -- Team Six or otherwise -- you'll have to be in superior physical condition and not scare easily.

1. machinery management specialist
   postal clerk
2. signalman
   sonar technician

The word "sonar" compacts the phrase "sound navigation ranging." It locates items underwater using sound waves, and is often done from a submarine.

1. corpsman
   damage control specialist
2. engineman
   lithographer

"Corpsman" is essentially the military term for "medic." It's an enlisted-level job; physicians and surgeons have higher ranks.

1. chaplain
   mess cook
2. photographer's mate
   public affairs officer

We might have said "spiritual needs," if that weren't a dead giveaway. FYI: If you think we're making up the term "photographer's mate," not so! This essential means "photographer," but in Navy-speak, the word "mate" is usually attached to enlisted (non-officer) positions.

1. Navy diver
   military police officer
2. naval aviator
   Coast Guard rescue swimmer

The Navy's fighter pilots usually fly from aircraft carriers. The Navy actually saw a bump in recruitments after the release of "Top Gun," in which Tom Cruise played reckless pilot "Maverick."

1. artillery officer
   journalist
2. lawyer
   coroner

"JAG" stands for "Judge Advocate General (Corps)," the legal branch of the Army or Navy. The Air Force and Marines have versions of this, too.

1. advocate
   intelligence specialist
2. personnelman
   warrant officer

Personnelmen are like guidance counselors and HR specialists in one. They also provide advice on health and retirement benefits.

1. drill instructor
   artillery officer
2. rescue swimmer
   sniper

To be a drill instructor requires a bit of acting skill as well as military acumen. That is, it's probably hard not to crack a smile at times, or so show sympathy for the raw recruits under one's training -- but staying in character is important to the job.

1. corpsman
   information systems technician
2. intelligence analyst
   nurse

This is usually called "IT" in the civilian world. Information systems technicians run computer mainframes, telecommunications systems and more.

1. intelligence analyst
   drill instructor
2. Army Ranger
   Navy diver

This job is not a combat position, but physically and mentally demanding nonetheless. Gooding played Carl Brashear, the first African-American Navy diver.

1. chaplain
   gunner's mate
2. drill instructor
   operations specialist

A gunner's mate maintains ordnance and magazines. They also operate the Navy's missile launching systems.

1. attache
   chaplain
2. mess cook
   naval aviator

The term "attache" is best defined as "military diplomat." They are stationed at embassies, and have to be reasonably proficient in a foreign language.

1. damage controlman
   door gunner
2. mess cook
   commando

Nowadays, you'll more often see the term "culinary specialist" than "mess cook." But the latter is the longtime, fondly used term.

1. artillery officer
   cavalry scout
2. air traffic controller
   gunner's mate

"Cavalry" is an old-fashioned term, coming from the days when the army used horses. But there's still a Cavalry division in the Army (though made up of motor vehicles), and still a need for the cavalry scout.

1. Coast Guard rescue swimmer
   helicopter pilot
2. ordnance disposal specialist
   pararescue jumper

You want to say to their faces that there are no hardcore jobs in the Coast Guard? This job can require jumping from helicopters into churning waters to make a rescue.

1. drone pilot
   pararescue jumper
2. sniper
   warrant officer

When we say "a few decades," we're talking about true UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles. They really began to play a role in military work in the 1980s, and pilots operate them and view their surveillance footage from operations centers.

1. mess cook
   hull technician
2. gunner's mate
   torpedoman's mate

Hull technicians in the Navy do a lot of metalwork, keeping the ship's body in seaworthy condition. They also do a good bit of plumbing work -- flushable toilets are nearly as important as a waterproof hull!

1. bombardier
   avionics mechanic
2. pararescue service
   intelligence officer

This job is what the name implies: a cross between paratroopers and medics. The development of a highly controllable parachute in the mid-20th century made this job possible (it's hard to be helpful if you land three-quarters of a mile away from the patient).

1. information systems specialist
   intelligence specialist
2. gunner's mate
   Navy SEAL

"Espionage" has fallen out of use, because it has the negative connotation of sneakiness. Intelligence work, though it contains elements of spying, is much more than that: monitoring online "chatter," preparing briefings, and so on.

1. door gunner
   military police officer
2. mess cook
   warrant officer

This is one of the ultimate adrenalin junkie jobs: sitting in the open door of a helicopter and firing at targets on the ground. This job came of age in the Vietnam War, where it was, suffice it to say, not a popular assignment.

1. Army Ranger
   Navy SEAL
2. cryptanalyst
   torpedoman's mate

Theodore Roosevelt is credited with coining the Rangers' slogan, "Rangers lead the way." In his case, he was saying it in the sense of "Rangers, lead the way!"

1. aviation maintenance specialist
   boatswain's mate
2. culinary specialist
   cryptanalyst

Boatswain's mates are the utility infielders of these armed services. They are proficient at navigation, maintenance, crewing and other maritime work.

1. cryptanalyst
   nurse
2. loadmaster
   sniper

The current holder of the distance record for a sniper kill is an unnamed Canadian special forces soldier. He made his shot from a distance of 3,871 yards. That's more than two miles.

1. boatswain's mate
   dental technician
2. mineman
   torpedoman's mate

Want to scold a general or admiral and get away with it? Be a dental technician and get after them for not flossing enough!

1. bombardier
   drone pilot
2. military police officer
   warrant officer

"Bombardier" is still the correct term, though it sounds old-fashioned. These aircrew members are responsible for aiming bombs at ground targets.

1. cryptographer
   loadmaster
2. military policeman
   signalman

This job involves the loading and unloading of aircraft, but is far from a heavy-lifting grunt job. Loadmasters must make sure the plane can fly safely in terms of weight and load placement, plan to have the battle-essential equipment ready for quick unloading, and even plan airdrops.

1. chaplain
   journalist
2. mess cook
   military police officer

"Stars & Stripes" is the Army's newspaper. Famous former writers and editors include Andy Rooney of "60 Minutes" and cartoonist Bill Mauldin.

1. cryptanalyst
   military police officer
2. public affairs specialist
   health services technician

All the branches of the military have a public affairs department. The public affairs specialists coordinate with the media, getting reporters embedded with troops, granting (or denying) interview requests, and so on.

1. battle surgeons
   explosive ordnance disposal technicians
2. drill instructors
   yeomen

Honestly, we'd need frequent changes in underwear to do this job. But that's just us!

1. cryptanalyst
   military police officer
2. naval aviator
   commando

Clarke was part of the Enigma team at Bletchley Park. Cryptanalysts are code-breakers, or, increasingly, people who run the computers that break the codes.

1. commando
   gunner
2. paratrooper
   warrant officer

Commandos are elite soldiers, but they often work in front-line situations along with infantry. In other words, commandos don't necessarily do the kind of hostage-rescue or covert missions that other elite units might.

1. band conductor
   artillery officer
2. information systems specialist
   warrant officer

Music might seem like a pretty non-essential part of military life, but it has a long tradition. Fife players accompanied troops on the march in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Nowadays, you might get the chance to show off your skills at the annual Army-Navy game.

1. combat engineer
   Navy diver
2. rescue swimmer
   avionics mechanic

Engineering has always been key to the success of the U.S. Army. West Point was founded chiefly as an engineering school, and a number of its cadets still major in that field.

1. artillery officer
   drone pilot
2. nose gunner
   warrant officer

Artillery is the name for projectile weapons that aren't launched from aircraft. Artillery is one of the major branches of the U.S. Army, like Infantry and Intelligence.