Having spent 24 years in the Navy 1960/1984, I hesitate to recommend the Navy as it has gone PC off the charts as have all the services. I have one grandson that is a combat medic sargent in the army and another that is a junior in the Coast Guard academy,they both seem to like what they have chosen the political correctness notwithstading.
Congratulations to your son on his decision.
(1) What branch would have him with the DWI on his record; A. It depends upon the service. All services are in a draw down right now. In that case they may be more choosy when it comes to recruits. Simply Ask the recruiter.
(2) What branch would best suit his personality; and, if he had a choice, what speciality might be good for him.
A. Not sure that each service may lend itself to a particular personality type, however certain MOS/AFSC to indeed have certain mindsets i.e., Infantrymen have a different culture from the Military Intelligence troops.
I think the most important question would be what can the individual service offer me? It helps if your son has a particular interest in a career field.
I believe that the Army can and does offer more opportunity over the long run by virtue of being the biggest service. I was in the Air Force and Army.
Whichever service your son chooses he will have made a great step for himself.
Seriously, he really needs to think that aspect through.
What? Nobody’s recommending the Coast Guard?
I sent you at length FReep mail. Check that out. Details on what they are doing to we retired foks now. It ain’t what your son is going to like hearing.
It may be a good idea to discuss what he wants to do in the long term, for the rest of his life. Really think about that. Just give him a realistic assessment that what a recruiter promises may not be what he experiences in the branch he chooses. He may be told glorious stories about sitting in Nevada basically playing ‘video games’ by flying UAVs around the world but after basic, he is stuck as a cook depending on what ‘potential’ others see in him.
He needs to personally and independently assess those two before he speaks with recruiters. Then their sessions can be realistic and productive.
I recommend that before enlisting he mentally commits himself to maximum effort for one enlistment. This effort should integrate being a superb seaman with professional development (school, qualifications, etc.). In this fashion at the end of his first enlistment he will be poised to make the decision for a Naval career or transition to civilian employment (taking full advantage of the GI Bill).
Final thoughts; historically the Navy has been the most stable of services for retaining its personnel, and with the world on the verge of major financial meltdown being in one of the services will be very important.
Misdemeanors?
Whatever he decided, I recommend waiting until Obama goes down in flames. If he does.
The Navy and Air Force are currently in the process of reducing their manpower and most likely wouldn’t waive the DUI. A lot depends on how long ago the DUI occured. Now here comes my Bias. As a retired Army Officer, I feel his best opportunities are in the Army and I believe they will waive the DUI. It is important that he get into an MOS which is in a shortage status. His best opportunities for advancement will be in the Combat Arms Fields and from there, Ranger Training and Special Forces if he can qualify. The Army will be reducing “End-Strength” in the next few years, but these are the areas that wont be affected. It is important that after he completes his training and is semi-permanently stationed somewhere in CONUS (U.S.) that he continue his civilian education (Paid by the Army) and attain a College Degree and later a Graduate Degree. This coupled with military education can lead to a possible Commission as an Officer and/or quicker advancement as an enlisted man. I encourage him to sit down with an Army Recruiter and you can join him to discuss all of this. I failed to mention the Marine Corps for which I have a great respect, but given what you told us about your son, I believe the career opportunities are much better in the Army.
If going career, go Army, rank advancement quicker.
Without going into great detail I will say this, regardless of what service he joins, my advice is simple, these three things will guarantee success, 1. be where you are supposed to be 2. When you are suppose to be there 3. Doing what it is your suppose to do...simple to say, not so easy to do, if he accepts discipline as a reward and he will go far and fast. The advantages of a military career are vast, too many great things to mention here...Naturally I recommend the Army!
There is an armed forces aptitude test that could give him some insights If he likes ice hockey maybe he could volunteer for a base in the northern tier! Why not MInot?
Air Force or Navy in that order.
Generally, the DWI and minor traffic infractions can be waived at the time of enlistment(provided that’s all the involvement with the law that there has been).
Each service has its own needs and culture dictated by the type of work they do. They all have a continuing need intelligent, trainable citizens to fill their ranks. Most offer enlistment guarantees (and sometimes bonuses) for certain highly technical occupational fields involving computers, electronics, etc.
Personally, I’d say that being set on having a career in the military (20 or more years of service) at the onset is a mistake. Life inside the services is very different from what is depicted on TV and the web. It is work that can be very boring, it is sometimes extremely dangerous (in predictable and unpredictable ways), and it is usually performed in distant locations under difficult conditions.
Instead, I recommend he focus on what each service is offering for the initial enlistment in terms of in-service training, enlistment bonuses, GI Bill education benefits, additional schooling, etc. He also needs to understand how a person progresses in the career path(s) he is interested in and what are the typical assignment patterns during an initial enlistment.
The general pattern for the initial 4 year enlistment is recruit training followed by occupational field formal training at a service school (up to 18 months for these first two in cases involving very technical fields); this is followed by the first enlistment duty station/unit. (Permanent change of station (PCS) transfers cost money so they only happen every two to three years.) And that’s about it for the first enlistment.
Sometime in year three to four, he would be up for a new assignment, so the unit career planner (basically the retention specialist) would look over his service record and be able to advise him on what options the service is prepared to offer him if: 1) the service wants to retain him, 2) his service record qualifies him for reenlistment, and 3) he wants to continue in the service.
Keep in mind that about 60-70% of all enlistees have had all the United States (fill-in the chosen service name) they want after just one enlistment and leave to pursue other opportunities.
Air Force or Navy or Marines in that order if he wants to get into a technical field. Army or Marines if he wants to be a grunt.
From the looks of most responses, it appears that most people are suggesting that he go Navy. In all candor, I am ex-Navy (aviation) and loved my training, shipmates and assignments, but hated the Navy.
If he doesn’t know what he wants to do, I would suggest that you have him log on to military.com and monitor the traffic for all of the services for about 6 months before he makes a decision. I also noted that people only mentioned Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. He may also want to research the Coast Guard, as well. A lot of folks I know that were in the CG can’t recommend it highly enough.
Something else that you and your son should know: most jobs in the military today are technical in nature. There are relatively few “grunt” jobs left that involve digging in the dirt, although those who have done that mostly enjoyed it.
Before you son enlists, he will already have completed a battery of aptitude tests that will help whichever branch of service determine the type of job for which he is best suited.
Finally, beware of ANY recruiter that tries to tell your son that he is going to be a jet fighter pilot or anything else that logic suggests requires more than a HS diploma! Recruiters are like car salesmen and have a monthly quota they must meet and will tell your son anything he wants to hear as long as he signs on the dotted line. In the military, his written contract is the law and they will go strictly by that, NOT what the recruiter told him!! The only branch of the military of which I am aware that might (emphasis MIGHT!) allow him to fly (assuming he wants to and has the aptitude) is the Army and that would only be helicopters!
Last, but not least, tell your son thanks for wanting to enlist. His future brother and sister veterans appreciate his desire to serve and can’t wait to welcome him to one of the most exciting careers he could ever imagine!! As a serviceman, he will be challenged to do things he never thought possible and he will have responsiblities that no civilian employer would ever give him at his age. He’s gonna love it!!
If he goes navy, tell him to stay the hell off the flight deck... my hearing is shot and getting worse (what!!???!!)
No one seems to have mentioned the Coast Guard. Mostly US duty stations, and if he’s over six feet tall he can walk ashore if the boat sinks.
Coast Guard. He can make a BIG difference there.