Dad wants to me join the military..

Interesting responses. Only a few of them have the remotest clue what they're talking about, however.

My perspective is of being from a military family. My father was a career Naval officer and my brother served aboard a nuclear submarine, and while I can't tell you what it's like to be in the military, I can tell you all about what the military life is like. And don't believe the old cliche about career military people being war mongerers. My father wasn't a war mongerer by any stretch. He was a perfectly normal man who went to work every day and came home every night, just like everyone else. In fact, I didn't know any war mongerers in all the time I was growing up on Naval Air Stations.

There are positives and negatives about the military life, as there are with any job (or career, if you decide to go that route). The separations from your family suck, but in the Navy at least, the normal procedure is to alternate a tour of sea duty with a tour of shore duty, so that you're not gone all the time. And sometimes you get lucky. My father spent 30 years in Naval Aviation, including during the entire Viet Nam war, and never once in all that time did he set foot on a ship or in a war zone. That's somewhat unusual, but not unheard of.

The feeling of community that you get goes a long way toward making up for the separations. It's like an extended family. Everyone watches out for everyone. People always ask me about the numerous moves we had to make while growing up ... well, everyone we knew all did the same thing, so it wasn't any hardship for us. When we got to a new school, we'd look around and immediately see five or six other kids that we knew from a previous duty station. And everyone we knew went through the same thing, so everyone understood about being the "new kid".

And besides, most people would never otherwise get to live in Hawaii or Europe or Japan, not to mention all over the US.

It's certainly true that you have to be prepared to go to war, but most don't. Being a combat soldier in the Army isn't the only possibility, by far. There are dozens of Navy and Air Force bases all over the US and all over the world where you won't be in a war zone.

You can retire at half pay after 20 years, at which time you're still young enough to start a second career. There aren't many jobs where you can say that.

Bottom line is that military life, like most everything, is what you make of it. The good news is that it's voluntary, and no one can make you enlist. Just make sure your decision is an informed one. Get the basic info from the recruiters, sure, but don't fall for their pitch, necessarily. And like someone else said earlier, I'm certainly not trying to "sell" you. Talk to people who have been in the military, including the different branches. Most importantly, talk to people who know what the hell they're talking about and not those who have no idea.

Remember also that there are a zillion other possibilities besides being a foot soldier in Iraq/Afghanistan, and there's much more to your decision that just the possibility of going to war.

The military life is not necessarily a bad life. You could do a lot worse.

 

Kill a commie for your Mommie

 

Id say im not interested in the business of murder.

 

Don't do it love, save violence for the violent and be free to enjoy the simple luxuries this earth offers.

 

this made me laugh.

I joined because I love my country and would gladly give my life to defend it. That said I oppose the war over in the middle east, and was never deployed. 4 years goes by super fast, and when you get out theres money for college, not to mention decent money when you are in. You get the chance to travel when you regularly couldnt, and it helps build character. But in the end it is your decision. I made mine, and don't regret it.

 

be 4f