Posted on 01/19/2015 11:04:04 PM PST by MacMattico
A while back I brought up that my daughter had mentioned she was researching and thinking about joining the military. About 80% of the people that responded said "not in this environment". Which I completely understand. She brought it up again tonight. I asked her why. She is a very intelligent girl and would probably get in to many colleges with scholarship money. Before when she brought it up, she didn't say why, just that she was looking. Today was different. She told me how much of her high school has turned anti-military and talk about today's soldiers and marines as killers. I had noticed she had not been hanging out with a few close friends and it's because they had a huge argument about the military and guns. Our family has had many Marines over the years (all men) and she has been taught about guns and fired many. She said it was personal in that she feels her family is being put down as well when the military is. Her closes ally in school is a wonderful social studies teacher who is obviously conservative which shocked the class. She said she knows it's only going to get worse in a liberal college environment. All the talk in school she says is about "service" which means "community organizing", "voter drives" and the annual "sit in a cardboard box over night eating pizza pretending you understand the homeless". She said service to the country is never discussed, and that's the type of service she's interested in. In class they were asked who was Patriotic. She and a few boys raised their hands. They were laughed at and told how imperialistic and warmongering they were. My daughter says she really wants to make a difference and serve where it counts.
Congratulations on the successful upbringing of a great American citizen, whatever she decides to do!
Hillsdale College.
Liberty University.
Two great conservative choices for a degree. Let her plink with firearms and get her ccw and not have to take orders from the growing # of lesbians and gays in the military, or take orders she morally objects to, in addition they are crushing out real Christians there now, so NO WAY is this a viable option anymore.
She is fortunate to have an adult in hs on her side. No guarantee she’ll have one over her in the military. They can’t protect them as well if someone targets her to harass.
As a former Zoomie, I ask, why not the Air Force?
Today’s Air Force is a “high-tech” environment. They need MINDS, not fodder, to operate today’s equipment.
Although, from personal experience, I would suggest college FIRST, with ROTC, then a commissioned future in the Air Force.
Any Air Force ROTC Program is fine, but my personal suggestion is to take a close look at Purdue. They have a LONG history of turning out fine Air Force officers, including women. I know several, including nephews, that have gone through it, and have good careers now.
What about going to college with ROTC and joining after college, as an officer? She’d have a lot more clout as an officer, more of a chance to make decisions instead of being a grunt, and she might have more personal safety. (I hate to bring it up but you know that rape is an issue in the military now.) She’d also be a bit older and possibly better able to fend for herself.
The young woman you describe may not be asking for permission, she may be preparing you.
I could only suggest to look to the Bible as a guide.
I (nowadays, after my conversion), always look to the Bible as my guide first when considering “big decisions” such as this.
Of course, Scripture, applied to the situation, many times will guide me in a DIFFERENT direction than I first thought was “best”.
I went “delayed entry” and a year later active duty under President Jimmy Carter who I did not have a high opinion of, but he was the duly elected leader. I don’t feel that the current person was duly elected or even eligible, making him quite a bit different. This is a man who ha backed Muslims to the hilt, let homosexuals and soon transgenders serve openly, forced chaplains to perform gay marriages, traded terrorists for Bowe Bergdahl, cut military pay & benefits and laid-off many good people. I wouldn’t join if I were 17 again, is all I can say.
Has she looked at the military academies?
Likely we need her most here at home.
Have her study hard the ASVAB test books. Worth their weight in gold.
“Has she looked at the military academies?”
Academy is a tough route to go, with a VERY limited admission. IMHO, ROTC is by far the better way to go, especially if you are looking at a technical, or science program.
“Have her study hard the ASVAB test books. Worth their weight in gold.”
I’ll second that. My ASVAB score opened up pretty much any job I wanted, and I got the weird job I wanted.
Hindsight says I should have went something like Personnel, and I’d likely still be in.
Sounded like the young lady has good grades. Several guys from my very small high school won acceptance to one or the other military academy in my four years there, so it can’t be that hard. Also, I was asked to attend while an enlisted man in the Army but turned it down because I would’ve had to attend a year of preparatory school before hand and at the time didn’t want to tie myself down for 10 years. Big mistake, but what can you do?
I got a nephew that just graduated Penn State through ROTC Air Force, got his commission as an officer a few months ago.
Due to cuts to active personnel, he is being told that he most likely will not get a spot to serve.
Kid is an engineer to boot and is now as a result of that news is headed to either Wharton or Harvard for an MBA.
Of course if he was an Indonesian communist homosexual the Air Force would probably have given him command of a fighter squadron.
My daughter entered at 17 and just got out after 8. Don’t. Just don’t. Not until the communists, Liberals and Muslims are purged from military leadership. You would be sending her to be a tool of the left if you do.
It is bad in there. Real bad.
I joined in the 70s and was called a “war monger” by some in my high school. No big deal, who cares what those idiots think or feel as it was my life. The same with your daughter.
I enlisted first as I did not have enough money to go straight to college. I took as many classes as I could while I was active duty (the Air Force has a tuition assistance program) and then used my GI Bill plus a job to finish after my first tour. I also joined AFROTC so when I earned my college degree I earned my commission. My two brothers and my sister did the exact same thing, enlisted then officer. That GI Bill helped us all. Even my nephew did it.
Jobs are hard to find and good jobs even harder. If she enlists, and even if she doesn’t make it a career she will be ahead in many ways. If she gets into a technical field she will have to have a security clearance and that alone will get her a good job in the civilian world. In many areas of our Country contractors have thousands of jobs requiring security clearances and they would rather hire someone right out of the military than pay the tens of thousands of dollars to have a clearance run from scratch.
With all the homosexuals and other things she may have to lay low and keep her mouth shut to survive the PC climate but it would be worth it in the end (IMHO). Those security clearances are more often than not a ticket to a great paying job.
Yep
And folks I know say Air Force social engineering is worse even than navy
Pity
Summary for a college ROTC commissioning path to an officer:
1. Four summer camps of military training.
2. Eight semesters (fall and spring) of ROTC training during the class years.
3. Last four semesters of ROTC are paid by government in exchange for a six year enlistment and active duty upon graduation. Depending on her job in the service branch, it can be four years’ active duty, one year in drilling reserves, and one year in non-drilling reserves. Some profession choices, due to the training involved, require six years on active duty.
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