Pros and cons of joining the military

I am not in the US, but I avoided joining the Danish military at any cost.

I think your g/f's son should do the same, and he's got a bigger chance than I did.

 

I would think the pros and cons are pretty transparent. In today's global climate, who knows where the military will take you and at what cost. The different military branches seem to offer vastly different opportunities, too (though I'm farthest from an expert). I would recommend education first. Explore all types of aid available if needed. Nowhere did you mention what the son wants--is anyone asking him/listening to him? It sounds like he's going to be making some grown up decisions for himself pretty soon, which is why he should be encouraged to look at all options as objectively as possible. Also, let him know that although this is the beginning of his adult life, he still has a long road ahead of him and shouldn't feel the pressure of this being his only chance to determine a course through life. Have him read through some of the posts on FChat about life/career changes. Consider life/career counseling at school (and then do the opposite).

 

I guess the big question is what does he want to become ?
If he has nothing specific in mind the military may be a good choice. There are worse things to do than serving your country.
The military can build discipline and confidence. If he goes I would advise getting into a field where if he leaves the skills can be used in civilian life. IE Aircraft mechanic vs tank driver. The more selective the job, the better the peer group. When I was in, the infantry was made up of a lot of guys where it was because the Judge said " military or prison; choose ".
I heard that an average recruit can make $30k a year and possible education benefits to $40k. Not bad.
I thought of having my only son join by going through one of the Academies but there is always the possibility of war and cannot afford to make that choice.
Many retired Officers I've talked to said the Mideast crisis will be done by the time he would get out of the Academy. If enlisted, training is only 6 to 12 months so that possibility is real.
Airforce or Navy would be safer.

Its good that you care.

 

Ain't that the truth. I was a tank driver. Just before getting out of the Army, I got a form letter that included a section on civilian jobs that my training qualified me for. The only listing was "Tank Crewman". Hmmmm... To be fair, though, I did love being a tanker. I wouldn't have any other job in the military. In fact, the reason I got out of the National Guard was that Texas lost its tanks. (Four and a half years regular Army, 7 years Guard). If he goes in, he needs to understand that a fun job may not give him any marketable skills for the civilian world. Pretty much any job will teach him discipline, teamwork, dedication, etc.

 

What about an ROTC program at a University? I think that can offer the best of both worlds.

 

the biggest advantage that he'll see immediately is college benefits, 40k i believe, not a bad way to get your education paid for. however, the down sides are fairly obvious, there's a high chance he'll get deployed, most likely to iraq or afghanistan, anyways, i didn't go the military route, but hey, it wasn't for me. i think you can give him advice, but ultimately it's his decision to make.

 

Great advice. Research why we're really fighting these wars and then draw your own conclusions.

 

He can go ROTC, he can go Guard and enlist with a "College First" contract, but he has to enroll in college by a certain date after basic training and they won’t “ship him” until he’s done.

Active duty is an option, but the Guard offers all that and you can stay home, or if he needs to spread his wings he can go active. The best benefit? A guaranteed retirement and free healthcare….I don’t know of any corporation that can offer that…FWIW I have two MBA’s via GI Bill (an F-Car) and serve in the Guard…

-Chris

 

The US Navy paid my way through college and law school under the old GI Bill. My parents could not have afforded to pay for college or law school. If you want a career, I would suggest a Coast Guard Officer ... http://www.uscg.mil/top/careers.asp

 

Pro's and con's are both probably quite clear but here's what I can add (I was never in the US military in a soldier capacity)

-Recruiters are snakes.... worse than the slimiest of used car salesman. Any promises must be in writing or they mean nothing, also check the wording carefully. Things like "we guarantee you the opportunity...." means nothing, nor does "we will make every effort to...".

-Make sure to play the brances off each other just like you play car dealers off each other. I had been contacted by the Marines about signing up some time ago. I took the test they give you and I got a perfect score. The recruiter said he'd never seen that before and once I had that and had talked to different branches, the offers got better and better each day.

-I had read before that, on average, we have a major war about once every 10 years. Think about it... 2000 Iraq II, 1990 Iraq I, 1980 Panama, 1970 Vietnam, 1950 into 60 Korea, 1940 WWII. A few gaps in between but also minor conflicts in between too like Serbia/Yugoslavia, Somalia, Grenada, Iran, etc. These conflicts often last from 2 to 5 years. So if he did a commitment of 4 or 6 or whatever years then the likelihood of being shipped out is extremely high.

 

the coast guard is the most positive of all the services. you can't beat it for a career. most interesting duty stations, north pole, south pole, hawaii, south pacific or stay close to home. added perk, nobody shooting at you unless you request law enforcement. when my younger brother got out of high school he asked me what he should do . i told him to go in and stay in. he did and he has since retired and using the skills he learned in the guard he has gone on to work for a watchdog company that oversees oil spill clean up companies. we gave the same advice to my nephew. he now works as a helicopter mech for the MD. state police and medi vac. coasties rule.

 

The cold hearted reality is that the purpose of the military is to kill the enemy. The military is not a vo-tech school for wayward youth who can't get their life together. The military always throws up the flashy ads with jet pilots and gung ho Marines repelling from a helicopter,.....but they never show what happens when a body gets blown up with a land mine or what happens when you get captured by the enemy and held captive and tortured for years.
The days of the "green army" versus the "red army" are long gone. Uniformed soldiers marching in step to John Phillip Souza music are as archaic as dinosaurs. The military may be built on tradition, but tradition won't protect you from an IED when your APC sticks out like a sore thumb on a highway filled with ragged Toyotas in a third world country. The future of the military lies with extreme intelligence operations to gather enough information BEFORE G.I. Joe is sent into the battlefield with a rifle and a bayonet. The rifles and bayonets don't seem to be doing much good within the past 50 years in places like Vietnam or Iraq.

 

Without getting into anything to personal for my own liking (as I am very bias)….

The branch is very important. Each has its own ups and downs. Each places it personal in differently levels of “possible engagements”. While yes all do have desk jobs here in the states. Those are not for the fully functional, usually.

As it has been said if he decides to go enlisted then a job that can be suited for the civilian world is crucial.

If going for the GI bill, READ THE FINE PRINT… there are restrictions on how to get the government to help pay for college and how much they are willing to help you.

Honestly the best advice that I feel could possible be given is read everything you can about all the benefits each branch offers, join the ROTC at whatever UC or JC he’s going to, and BEFORE he signs anything get all of the recruiters “promises” in writing signed by his CO’s, now called EO’s (again depending on the branch). The ROTC will give him a basic taste of what’s its like without completely removing him from the civilian world. On a side note if it’s an Army ROTC he will go Army, same if it’s a Navy etcetera etcetera (they beet into you that they are the best of all the branches). If financing is the big issue and the ROTC has convinced him this is something he wants to do then there is a delay entry program offered by every branch. Some call if the “college first” as mentioned earlier.

On a side note with a degree he could go officer, which is way better than enlisted.

I personally loved every minute. The camaraderie, the unmatched feeling of brotherhood, the adventure, the thrill are all things that cannot be found, with the same intensity level, in the civilian world. However life in the military, as you should know from your father’s experiences, is NOT for everyone.

Bowers
USMC

Just my .02

 

As Bowers said READ THE FINE PRINT! Some recruiters are honest, others are not.

I enlisted in the USAF for four years and enjoyed it. I think a lot of people choose the Air Force because it is the "safe option." He will probably be deployed, but isn't likely to wind up on the front lines.

 

I feel the best kept secret in the services is the Merchant Marine Academy.
Full ride in an excellent school, participation in athletic programs ( they are currently recruiting my sons Soccer team players ) and
ability to serve in any branch upon completion.
I'm doing work for a retired Coast Guard officer next week and he strongly recommends that branch/academy.
He also states that his service was protecting the US from the drug trade, immigration issues, and yes to a degree foreign interests. A very honorable way of serving.

If his grades to not up there ROTC may work. Or choose a challenging and safe opportunity as an enlisted, make him think about college while in and upon discharging.
The opportunities of an officer upon entry into civilian life are much better than for enlisteds.
20/20 hindsight.

In some countries only those that cant hack it enter the service.
In others, its the only way to the top.
Here it is what you make of it.

 

You could not be more wrong. Read the citation for Roy Benavidez MOH. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Benavidez

 

I don't understand. How did the presence of rifles and bayonets allow the United States military to hold onto South Vietnam and prevent it from being taken over by the communists in 1975?

 

Go reread your history books. US combat troops were out by 1973. The NVA mounted a conventional invasion of the South Vietnam in 1975 and rolled into Saigon. Unlike the NVA Easter Offensive of 1972, there was no USAF to stop the invading force.

 

I am well versed on the history. But how does that nullify my original statement that rifles and bayonets aren't serving much useful purpose in the modern military? Everybody knows that the US could have vaporized every one of North Vietnams rifles, bayonets, tanks, and everything else with the push of a button. But with all the political ramifications, they tried to play "nice" war and ended up losing South Vietnam to the communists. The presence or absence of rifles and bayonets had nothing to do with it. The absence of a thermonuclear warhead over Hanoi had a lot to do with it. And that decision was political.

 

Another vote to go Air Force if he is going to do it. I am a SSgt. in the Air Force and have been in for 6. I have no regrets about ever doing it. I am a B-1b crew Chief ( Airplane Mechanic ) and it has given me tons of options for when I get out. I have been able to see the world just like they tell you about, and we really are as spoiled as everyone says we are. I have deployed three times in 6 years all to nice places and for 4 months at a time... ( Diego Garcia, Guam, and Singapore ) The benifits these days are great 40K for school after you get out ( you do have to serve 4 years to get it and get a good discharge ). Plus the Tuition assisatnce is now 100% while he's in. The schedule is also good, normal work hours for me 5 days a week 8 hours a day (except when deployed, then 12's ) One last thing...if he wants to be a pilot the V/A now pays 60% of his commercial license. The Air Force is a good deal, and will keep him safe.

Paul

 

I've been working in the 'Defense Industry' since I left college - as an Engineer. Defense contractors LOVE to recruit what we call "Prior E's" , prior-enlisted people. Their real-world experiences with military equipment, operations, procedures, and doctrine are important to designing the next plane/tank/warship/radio/satellite of tomorrow. All the heavy-hitting companies such as Loc-Mart, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, etc. shop for people that have a combined resume of Military service and a technical background. If your step-son is technically-inclined, I'd encourage it.

With a war on, however, the Military's focus is on its current needs regarding career 'placement'.....I suspect the greatest need right now is rifle-carriers. I could be wrong, though - there could very-well be force drain in all rates across the services.

In talking to Marines, Army, Air Force, and Navy personnel, the Air Force treats their people the best. The Navy is going very high-tech. There are many opportunities available to get skills training that the private-sector just can't offer. I would disagree with the statement that the Military isn't for wayward youth - I know many people who had it pretty rough growning up, and the Military presented a shining opportunity -as it still does- for people to turn their lives around in a positive direction. It always was a 'safety net' for people who wanted a greater purpose in life but never really had a plan after high school. Nothing wrong with that...some folks need guidance, discipline, structure, and bearing that the Military provides to 'figure things out'. Some people got that 'at home', and others didn't. Its a noble calling.

 

There are ways to use the military as a launching pad for a future career, but you have to be careful. In this enviornment I would probably encourage the ROTC program as all of the presidential candidates are 'promising' reduced troops in the hot zones. He will have 4 years to get his education together before he deploys and he will start in the military as a officer. If it were me I would be looking at a position with the navy and try to get into a submarine. The experience as a nuke tech in the navy can translate into a pretty comfortable lifestyle after the military commitment is over. He could also put his time in and retire from the military and collect a pension in his early 40's and consult afterward.

Of course this is all comming from someone who didn't spend a day in the military.

 

I think what most people are saying here is, if he does decide to join up he needs to leverage his position as much as possible. You say his father is of Arab decent? Does he speak Arabic? I would imagine that would be something to leverage. I had a good friend in college that dropped out after his second year to join the Navy in their counter intelligence. Once he tested out and got in the program they treated him quite well. Unfortunately I don't know where he is today but I would image that when he got out he would probably have had quite a few options. I also know someone who's a cryptologist for the Navy. If he were to get out today he could get a job with quite a few software companies.

I'd say try to get him into college, even if it's just junior college, and then make some decisions.

 

Pros: Discipline, self reliance, self confidence

Cons: Death