Military choices for my kid?

Three hots and a cot.

 

Former Navy here and I agree with that list.

Not as familiar with the officer side of things, but one word of advice:
Make sure she gets everything that is agreed to in writing BEFORE signing anything! They will tell you a lot of things to get you in the door, and once you are in the door, that is just not how things really work.

The recruiters also leeway in what additional incentives they can offer and they are only going to offer them if they think they need too. For instance, I got the regular GI Bill, but there was also an additional $30,000 Navy College Fund that I was unaware of until I was in boot camp. That was a long time ago and the incentives will be different now, but the principle remains the same.

If going in as a professional, I am sure the experience will be quite a bit different from my enlisted experience.

 

That's her current school

 

Make sure she gets her education first and then go in as an Officer. Much better quality of life throughout all the branches and on top there is better pay. I would never recommend an enlistment to my daughter. If she cant get her education first, Air Force is the way to go to earn her benefits.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

Go Navy, then go to the green side for some real training in great places around the world on Humanitarian missions with the Marines!

I’ve watched my Navy Corpsman do amazing things in tough situations. The surgeons are just as impressive!

 

She has zero desire to join the Marines or Coast Guard

 

I am THRILLED to hear that. Excellent school with great people.

Sending you a PM shortly.

 

Doesn't matter if you aren't 6 foot tall or more. That's a requirement for Coasties..... so you can wade back to shore if your dinghy sinks.

 

Air force then Navy. Not Army or Marines. I am in the Marines have been for 13 years. For the love of sweet baby Jesus Air Force or Navy. I know the Navy has a good program if you already have a nursing degree.

 

I went to med school on an Air Force Scholarship. I owed 4 years after residency and I really enjoyed my time on Active Duty. During those years, I met several people who switched from the Navy, Marines or Army into the AF. I think that it was rare to have someone switch out of the Air Force into the other services. All of them have excellent medical training in my opinion. Typically, people assume greater responsibility at an earlier time in their training than in civilian practice. These days, there are likely to be providers from several branches serving in the same hospitals.

The service Academies are fantastic if she wants a career in the military. One of my sons graduated in May from USAFA. It's a tough 4 years, truly a much different experience than going to a civilian college, but if her heart is set on serving her country, she might consider them. Most hospitals are now requiring a BS in Nursing, so 4 years is quickly becoming the standard. I am not sure if the Academies offer that degree specifically, however.

 

He was asking about the military.

 

Army veteran, here.

She needs to go commissioned, Air Force or a Navy land-based medical MOS.

I’ve been attached, long-term, to Air Force and Navy. Their quality of life is substantially better. Anything involving ground operations (Army and Marines) is going to be miserable for her and will place her amongst lower scoring personnel. As others mentioned, Coast Guard and AF Reserves are worth looking at, as well. The more specialized her medical skills/occupation, the better her assignments.

Huge props to her for having the courage and desire to step up.

 

This is one of my adopted from foster care kiddos. Shes come such a long way in personal growth and emotional development. She makes me cry all the fucking time when I really think about it.
Shes has done really well at NMMI and really likes structured settings.
So yeah I'm pretty fucking proud of her for just getting to this point and having the real desire to serve.

 

First, Kudos to you for doing such a great job and providing a fantastic life for your daughter.

if she is doing well as NMMI, wants to continue with the service route, get a degree and has an idea what she wants to do with it, look into the service academy’s. Air Force academy in Fort Collins, naval academy in Maryland, etc. shoot for the highest level of schooling she can get and then she would go in as an officer.

the education is incredible and she would have a blast with the structure, etc.

 

I am retired AF (24 years)...son and son-in-law both AF, wife is retired AF (24 years), I used to be a recruiter in the late 90s....seen a lot of questions and concerns and not much in that aspect has changed.

Ask away...if I don't know, I know someone that will know.

Air Force is the way to go though...not being biased, just being realistic and having been around long enough to see for myself and be deployed around others.

 

Can't say I agree with this...being an officer is not all that. I've seen some pretty stupid officers in my time that had zero business in a leadership/managerial position. There is also the individual to be taken into account here...take me for example, I'd MUCH rather be an enlisted troop getting the job done than some officer taking credit for getting it done....it's all about personal preference and what they want out of life and it's experiences. There is ZERO shame in being an enlisted member in any branch and to look down on the enlisted is a massive mistake in judgement. From the education front...it's not all about college education and some piece of paper you've bought. A lot of kids have zero clue about life or what they want to be...growing up and figuring out who you are and where you want to go in life and having the means to accomplish that is an education worth far more than any school can sell you.

 

I have to agree with this. I was only a guardsman, but over 6 years we had one platoon leader we were pretty sure we'd have to frag if the shit hit the fan, and one who while extremely competent, was so motivated to advance his carer that we were placed in some relatively unsafe situations. I served with NCO's I'd follow into hell, and have seen active duty NCO's who had taken advantage of the educational opportunities afforded by the service.

 

Wow. I will let others more informed to share with you about how the USCG is one of the branches of the United States Armed Forces, but you go on all with your bad self, dick.

 

As an officer, the difference is on the other end, whether she does a single enlistment term or chooses it as her career path. Should she choose a single term, she’ll have a degree, which opens more doors, post-enlistment. Should she choose it as a career path, her benefit package is substantially better, which means she could be completely retired, have no financial concerns and a great life, in only 20yrs. She’ll have better GS options, should she choose to continue to stay around the branches. “Officer” is a hell of lot more impressive to the average Human Resources Manager or business owner than any enlisted rank. An officer will have better lateral transfer options, should she decide to move to another branch. She’ll have a lot better experience as an officer, especially as a woman.

Without turning this into my thread, I was enlisted and had an enviable position of being around many officers and GS employees, due to my hard work and commitment to my service. I was offered a re-enlistment option, which I was accepted for, that would’ve been 4yrs ROTC with 2yrs on the backend of it. That would’ve allowed me the opportunity to transition into the ranks I worked with and would’ve given me all the benefits they enjoyed. Also, it would’ve put me over 10yrs. Seeing an officer friend fully-retire at 47yrs-old, knowing his income exceeded $100K/yr for many years, bringing in ~$70K/yr on retirement, have 2 full years of additional free education on top of the 6yrs of free education he already had, and have 100% free healthcare makes me realize the mistake I made by choosing to leave the military, in the interest of trying to preserve my family unit. I’m a structured person and I’ve struggled everyday with civilian life and the mediocrity of average people. I’m going to guess the OP’s daughter is of the same mentality as I and would suffer the same outcome, should she not pursue her career to the the fullest extent she’s capable of. By not pursuing everything I was capable of, I only let down myself. Toward the other end of life, it’s only me living with that regret and disappointment.

 

And, a bunch of badasses.

They’re under Department of Homeland Security and I thought(?) fell under the Navy.