I asked him which branch I should enlist in, and he told me, quite frankly, the Air Force. "Their boot camp is pretty weak."
I went through Army basic and AIT when I was 17. No way would I survive it today, 17 years later. Air Force I would take a shot at.
Whaddya expect? They're training wrench turners and jet jockeys. If you volunteer for one of the physical jobs like Force Protection or Pararescue, they'll train you up in tech school.
I can vouche for that. Spring training in high school football was tougher than USAF Basic. Even though I was in San Antonio, Tx in the middle of summer 100 + most days. I was very disappointed at the softness of physical activity.
If you want skills easier to fit the civilian world and a professional environment, go Air Force.
If you like being on ships, Navy.
If you want tough physical training and down in the dirt fighting, Army or Marines.
Coast Guard if you like little ships.
All branches will give you discipline and teamwork skills. What is your level of education and what would you like to do in the military are important questions to ask yourself. I have 2 nephews in the Marines and they love it. I have another nephew who served in the Navy and hated it.
I had the king of all easy boot camps. Navy for older reservists without prior service.
Seventeen days in Great Lakes Training Center. Nothing too demanding. If you could make your beds and march correctly, you were fine. If you were completely incapable of such things like me, you just got yelled at a bit. That was annoying at times, but the key fact is "17 days."