Five Tips for Joining Today’s Military

In December of 1992, with my parents’ permission, I enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard on the delayed entry program at the age of 17. The following summer, while the rest of my highschool classmates were enjoying their summer between junior and senior year, I was sweating in the hot Georgia sun at the U.S. Army Infantry training station located at Ft. Benning. My next 6 years were spent attending my weekend drills and two week annual training sessions every summer with my National Guard unit at the Salem, IL armory.

After my 6 year contract in the National Guard was up I found myself newly married with a baby and facing financial catastrophe. I decided my only option was to Join the Active duty Army. I changed my military job from infantry to military police and spent the next 5 years with the famed 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, KY. I spent 6 months deployed to Kosovo in 2001 and was honorably discharged in spring of 2004.

With my combined military experience of 11 years, I have compiled a small list of five helpful tips for those thinking about joining today’s armed forces.

Pick the Right Branch of Service

Today’s military offers several branches of service including: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. This first (and possibly most important) decision you will have to make is choosing which branch of service you want. Eliminating certain branches may be a no brainer. For example, if you don’t like boats or the water then the Navy or Coast Guard will probably not be a good fit for you. If you are more technically inclined, the Air Force has many jobs in these fields. If you are more of a doer and want to be on the front lines of the war on terror then the Army or Marines would be a good selection. Keep in mind that each branch has it’s own set of criteria for qualification for acceptance, some being more difficult than others.

Pick the Right Job

Each branch of service offers numerous occupational specialties in various fields which are called an MOS or Military Occupational Speciality. Essentially every type of civilian job you can think of has it’s counter part in the military ranging from doctors and lawyers to police officers and truck drivers. Of course there are a lot of jobs you won’t find anywhere else such as field artillery and driving a massive 65 ton main battle tank. Whatever job you decide on make sure that you think about two major criteria: 1.) Will I enjoy this job? 2.) What are my prospects of using this experience in the civilian world when my enlistment is up? Clearly there is not much use for driving a tank in the civilian world however, your love for the most powerful instrument of ground warfare may out way those considerations.