my niece is talkin to recruiters....

[Captfish]

Go navy!!

[RedTop]

Doesn't matter which she picks, they will all ship her off to the same place (Afghanistan).

No..thats not correct.

I did 4 years Navy. It was a great expierance.

[Bucky73]

Betty, I started my military career in the Navy where I did 4 years and 3 of those were spent onboard the USS Nimitz as an AMS=Aviation Structural Mechanic. After leaving the Navy, I joined the Air National Guard and have been doing that for the last 13 years. IMO I would go Navy. I really enjoyed my time there and would do it all again tomorrow if I could. I found that in the Navy it seems that working in a certain "Rate" you learn to do a more wide RANGE of things...Being a AMS I did (obviously) structural work but I also did composites, tire and wheel, welding, painting A/C and NDI=Non-destructive Inspection. It seems that in the Air Guard/Air Force you learn one job REALLY well. In the Guard I am qualified to do NDI ONLY and working the in the Airframes shop or Paint facility is out of the question unless I want to quit NDI.

 I also went to more countries around the world by the time I was 19 than ALL of my high school classmates combined. 
As far as the Marines....One of my employees (apparently disgruntled) joined the Marines just last week and he is going in as a AE=Aircraft Electronics and his recruiter told him there was a 99% chance he would be going to Iraq/Afghanistan.

I guess it's all about what she feels comfortable with.

 



 

[A8balls]

Marines. Trust me.

[USRanger]

Do not trust him..

[aenigma]

 I also went to more countries around the world by the time I was 19 than ALL of my high school classmates combined.
 

Boy is this statement so true. When I went to my 5 year class reunion (MANY years ago), I had fellow classmates tell me that they would trade in their degree to see the countries I saw. By that time, I saw most of Europe, Northern Africa, Parts of the Middle East, South America, Caribbean, and a lot of the States. All that while in the Navy 

If you get the chance, watch the PBS show "Carrier" to get a feel of how things can be. 

For anyone who is interested in the Navy you can always talk to me and other Naval Vets plus checkout these sites to get information:

http://www.navyvets.com/
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/index.jsp
http://www.military.com

[Anodizer]

Betty, if I may...  Tell her to go to school for 4 years, get a bachelors degree in something (while in ROTC) and then try to be an officer..
If she's planning on making a career out of it and REALLY wants to "matter" (no offense to NCO's, I was one too), this is the way to go..
If she was especially good in school with a high GPA and did a lot of athletics, she could apply to Annapolis or Westpoint..
I'm not sure what academic level she is at, however in order to get in ROTC or any military academy, you usually have to have a pretty high GPA and be involved in sports as physical fitness is a requirement.. 

She could also go the path of a Warrant Officer (most pilots on the US Army go through WOFT or Warrant Officer Flight Training). 
However, she would have to score especially high on her entrance exam to be considered for this.

Either way she goes, tell her to consider or at least look in to being an officer..  The pay is better, the benefits are better, and it looks better on a resume.. 

Good luck to her!

[Sweet2th]

Then ring the bells right merrily throughout our Northern land,

Let the booming of the cannon give an echo strange and grand!

Let the notes of freedom's joyous songs bid every true heart thrill,

And the Stars and Stripes we love stream forth from every vale and hill.

Long, long ago we kept it as a day of jubilee,

When no cloud to mar the prospects of the nation could we see.

We spoke of the old war times as of a drama past—

That pleasant time is gone. We know our fathers' deeds at last.

Honor to ye brave men, from the battle wounded and gory!

Honor to ye brave men, whom the angel of death passed by!

Ages on ages hence shall others rehearse your story,

And pray that when duty calls like you they may live or die.






They are all a good choice. They all serve the same purpose of providing the blanket of freedom that we all sleep under at night.


Even krusty........

[BaldEagl]

My neices husband just retired from the Air Force as a Colonel.  He's probably 40.  He did spend about a year in Iraq right near the end of his service.

Also, with any military career, you can always be recalled even after you think you're done.

[nirvana]

What does she want to do and why does she want to join the military?  She needs to answer those 2 questions before picking a service.  They all have they ups and downs so it's not one of those things you just say "I'm going to do it!".  If she wants to get her hands dirty and be in the stuff go enlisted, if she has the grades and the want, I'd strongly advise going to an academy and be an officer.  I personally really enjoy the Coast Guard, however, it's a small force and as such you do multiple jobs whereas the Army has 200+ specialized jobs or something.  She'll also advance a lot faster in the Coast Guard than in other services, depending on the rating she chooses.  PM me if you want more information.

Also, it's actually somewhat difficult to get a billet over in the Middle East in the Coast Guard.  That isn't to say it won't ever happen but as of right now that's a pretty exclusive position to get, and if she does it's patrolling waterways for the most part.

[betty]

What does she want to do and why does she want to join the military?  She needs to answer those 2 questions before picking a service.  They all have they ups and downs so it's not one of those things you just say "I'm going to do it!".  If she wants to get her hands dirty and be in the stuff go enlisted, if she has the grades and the want, I'd strongly advise going to an academy and be an officer.  I personally really enjoy the Coast Guard, however, it's a small force and as such you do multiple jobs whereas the Army has 200+ specialized jobs or something.  She'll also advance a lot faster in the Coast Guard than in other services, depending on the rating she chooses.  PM me if you want more information.

Also, it's actually somewhat difficult to get a billet over in the Middle East in the Coast Guard.  That isn't to say it won't ever happen but as of right now that's a pretty exclusive position to get, and if she does it's patrolling waterways for the most part.

Well...to my understanding to what she had told me last night, she said she wants financial security, a job that means something, and wants to join the military so they will help her with college and along with doing so she will be doing something to try to make a difference. All she knows is she wants to help people, she has a great GPA, she's a great student so GPA will NOT be a problem for her. She has the National Guard recruiters comin out today, Navy and Marines will be there friday, she has yet to make an appointment with the Air Force recruiters that i know of. I want to thank all of yall for your advise and I hope that it helps her when it comes to making a decision when the time comes. She is NOT the kind of girl that will just jump in feet first without putting thought into it. And I'm proud that she is putting some thought into it and taking her time to choose. My daughter is gonna be 13 on July 21st. She is watching my niece Amber go through this and is admiring her, she was also talking to me about if this was a good choice for her to do when the time comes. My daughter is very much mature for her age and is starting to think of her future as she will be driving in a few years. I am glad that my niece is setting a positive example even for my kids as far as what they should do to prepare for a life of being an adult. Whatever she chooses I'm sure she will not regret it at all after weighing her pro's and con's to the situation. At least she wants to go to college and make a good future for herself. My niece Amber has had her life planned out since she was like 13 years old, she wants to go to college, get her degree in whatever she decides, work on her career for 10 years THEN maybe have a child..and ONLY 1 kid is all she wants. hehe

[Yenny]

Getting an ROTC scholarship is pretty easy. 2,3, and 4 years scholarships. If she has the GPA, and played some sport in High School and some kinda of leadership in college she got a pretty good chance of getting a full ride. There are a lot more oppertunity as an officer then as an enlisted. I work as an LT for an army rotc batalion. There are a lot of route to get a secure job in the military career that many people don't know about (such as helo pilots etc). There's a route to it that many people don't know about. Anywho, get w/ me offline on PM and I'll send ya some info on it.

[rpm]

[Maverick]

Deciding what she wqants is the key to the question. It's really tough at that point in life to make a life long decision but that is what it amounts to.

If she wants to go career then Officer is the way to go as long as she wants higher education. They will often pay for advanced degrees in certain career fields for those who are promising.

Over all, even though I am a bit biased towards the Army, for a woman I recommend the Air Force. They have better living conditions on base and do what they can to foster higher education including sponsoring college classes right on base. The Air Force is technically oriented (as is the Navy) and offers many civilian cross over fields of work. There is also more gender neutral positions in the Air Force than the Army & Marines. Note I am NOT dissing the jarheads, well OK that time I did, just for women both the Army and Marines are not as diverse in career fields for them.

If she can make the first 2 years of college ROTC will also help pay the next 2 years. Note that you do not "try" being an Officer. You are commissioned and you ARE an Officer provided you complete the requirements.

If she wants to go medical there are certainly jobs out there in all of the services. Later on she will need a degree and certification to be a nurse in the civilian world but she could work anywhere in that case. She needs to find out how she could get the degree if she decides to go enlisted then later try for nurse. She will see dead bodies in any part of the medical area. There are worse things to see than dead people.

[Terror]

Air Force....