Is the Military a Good Choice for my Son or Daughter
When your son or daughter first expresses their interest in joining the Military, it can be a tense moment and a little bit frightening. This is a big step for anyone to make, much less a young adult with very little life experience to help guide their decision making. You know your child well, but you may not know much about the Military. What you really want to know is “Will the Military be a good career for my child”?
Naturally a parent’s first reaction to their child joining the Military would be to express fear and concern. You know that your child will have to endure training that is physically and mentally challenging, and that they may be called upon to fight in battle. If you feel that your child is not up to these challenges now, do not rule out the Military as an option for your child yet. The Military has exemplary training that can go a long way in preparing your child for the tasks ahead of them.
Military training emphasizes following orders, discipline, planning and preparation, and working together as a cohesive Unit among other things. There is no room for disruptive behavior, extreme individualism, or opportunism in the Military. Some can be taught to overcome negative behaviors during their initial training, while others cannot adapt resulting in a discharge or an unpleasant term of service. If your child has problems with authority figures, then they will have a very tough time in training. Essentially, the biggest indicator of how your child will do in training is by assessing how well they handle stress. If your child breaks down because of a stressful situation, they will likely have difficulty adjusting to Military life.
Once a Service Member’s initial training is complete they are allowed more control over their personal lives, yet the Military is not a job you can leave at the front doorstep. A Military career defines who you are, not just the job you have. As a young unmarried member of the Military, it will be mandatory for your child to live in the Military barracks on-post. Service Members typically share their quarters and have very little personal space. If your child is a private person, they will have to adapt to this new lifestyle.
It goes without saying that deployment is a big concern for many parents. It would be unreasonable to say that you shouldn’t be concerned about this. The majority of Service Members, particularly the Army and Marines, will deploy at some point in their Military careers. Most Soldiers and Marines deploy multiple times with deployments ranging anywhere from six months to a year or more at a time. The degree of danger that your Soldier will be in depends largely on their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), the Unit they are a part of, and the location. Some Service Members spend their entire deployment safely on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) while others patrol outside the wire (outside the FOB) on a daily basis. Regardless of where your child ends up, the chances of them being killed or injured is slim. For example, when my Unit deployed to Iraq for 14 months in 2007 to 2008, they returned without losing a single Soldier. No parent with a deployed child can be worry free, but combat is not as deadly as it once was.
The Military can be a great opportunity for your child. It is not just a job, but a career. After being in the Military for 20 years, your child can retire. Think about it. This means that an 18 year old who joins the Military can retire at 38 years old. This allows them plenty of time to begin a second career if they choose or simply to indulge in a job that they love doing, even if that job doesn’t pay well. Promotions and pay raises are earned on a regular basis for those Service Members that apply themselves. Life insurance and health insurance are both covered in the Military as well. As your child gets older, marries, and has a family there are many benefits for their family as well. There are a variety of recreational organizations and activities available to Service Members and their families for free. It is true that a Military career can be tough, but as long as your child has strength of character, they will do well.
