Is the Military a Good Choice for your Son or Daughter
My parents had the answer for this question thirty years ago. You raise your children to be stable, confident and productive members of society and they will make the correct choice for their lives.
An educated young adult has a lot of options open to them. They can go to higher learning institutes, they can go to work right away, or they might choose to travel if they can afford it.
The military is a way to do all three at once.
EDUCATION
Each of the service academies offers top-notch degrees in competitive fields. No degrees in Basket Weaving, Physical Ed, or Liberal Arts. The commissioned graduates of the academies come out with degrees in Engineering, Hard Sciences or even History.
Even without going to the academies, many universities offer ROTC classes that give you military training and a chance at an active duty commission.
Perhaps your child isn't cut out for college or just doesn't want to go. Fine, because the services have a lot of training opportunities for enlisted personnel.
Perhaps your child wants to work on engines. The services are always training people to work on engines from small outboards up to train diesel engines. I worked on a steam turbine engine that generated over 70,000 shaft horse power! That's big by anyone's standards.
IMMEDIATE INCOME
Going active duty is also going right to work. New recruits start earning pay from the first day they report for training. The new trainee often goes on to advanced training of some sort after boot camp. Some trades take up to two years to complete. From Infantry School to Nuclear Engineering, the services have good schools for everyone.
In addition to your regular pay, many fields offer bonuses for joining the service and others offer more for completing training. A select few offer bonuses to stay in. Rates like Crypto, Special Forces and nuclear power are the highest.
I got $15,000 to extend only two years back in 1980. People in my same job are now getting over $100,000 to extend their service. If you sign up in a war zone, that bonus is tax free.
TRAVEL
So many people focus on going to Iraq or Afghanistan. In reality, about 80% of the military will never go to those areas in any year. Of those most will never face hostile fire. I probably spent two or three years total in warzones.
I was shot at once and missed by miles. Few countries can effectively attack an American carrier.
In twenty years I traveled the globe visiting seventeen countries on five continents. I have been to places many people save their whole lives to visit. I've been to many of them multiple times.
From tropical beaches, to ancient cities of Mexico, Asia, Europe or Pakistan, I've been there, bought postcards and took pictures.
Should a parent consider the service for their child? I hope I've settle many of your fears. I hope you go with your child to the recruiter and ask any other questions you have. There are risks associated with serving, but there are risks associated with everything you do.
Your child is ten times more likely to die in an auto accident than in combat right now; probably because the military people are well-trained professionals and 99% of cars on American highways are driven by untrained amateurs.
In the end, it's up to your child to make the decision for themselves. The military is an all volunteer force. All you can really do is trust you have raised them properly. If they do sign up, they will make you proud.
