What a way to hijack a thread!
What service your son shoudl go to depends on what he wants to do and what sort of man he is already.
If he wants to fight, he should probably join the Army or Marines. They do the fighting. Twenty years ago I would not have recommended the conventional Army at the same level as the Marines; today I would. A young man does not need to be in the Marines, SF or paratroops to be with good peers and great leaders. Of course, in any of those elite forces he gets valuable bragging rights.
If he is more interested in something else, like saving money for college, or learning a trade, the Air Force is the best bet. It has the most technical fields (although few of them translate into a specific civilian job). There are a few gems in there though. A military trained air traffic controller can step right into an FAA job on leaving the service, and the FAA is hiring (Army, Navy and AF all have this specialty).
The Navy has some challenging jobs but it is also the least egalitarian, most feudal service. While the physical conditions (housing, food) of Army service are the worst, the navy can be an unpleasant place for a free man, unless he is an officer. In recent years the "travel" has become a lot of riding around in the ship with not so many visits to exotic ports. One good thing for the education minded, on the bigger ships (especially carriers) they have college classes... professors and everything.
If he wants to help his country and people there is one more service that deserves fair consideration: the Coast Guard. I was talking to a young man a while back that said his job -- rescue swimmer -- was the best job not only in the service, but the world. And he meant it. For that job, you need to be smart and strong.
But there are a lot of different jobs and with a smaller military, most of them make a real contribution to the safety and security of the nation.
Finally, a young man looking to "find himself" probably belongs on active duty (rather than in college burning mom and dad's money. The college will still be there in four years). But for some people the reserves or Guard are a better option. That lets you combine military service with civilian living.
My own background colours my own opinions, of course. As a college dropout, I joined the Army in the 1970s intending to do four years and go back to school. Somehow I wound up getting into it, and served 8 years active, 8 years reserve, and over 10 in the Guard. Along the way I finished the college degree, while getting a lot of training that doesn't apply well to civilian life. (I can disassemble a BAR, construct a 1/4 wave HF antenna, treat severe deceleration trauma, construct an anchor point in earth or snow for hoisting a vehicle up a cliff, and name all the pieces of a Madsen submachine gun... I can command a unit of up to battalion size in about six languages. None of which impresses dates).
As a mother, you will worry about risks. You know, it's a rough age for young men. The ones that are not facing IEDs in Anbar will be learning lessons about drunken driving and other youthful risk-taking behavior. At least in the service, like the Boy Scouts, there are some adult leaders.
And their moms worry about them, too. I was in my 40s in my last tour and my elderly mom was still worried sick the whole time. Sorry, Mom.
By the way, when he comes home from basic training -- whichever service he selects -- he will have much new vocabulary. You are STILL his mom and don't need to tolerate that!
Best of luck
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Sounds like you need to date a higher class of women! ;-)
"What a way to hijack a thread!"
I am so embarrassed. I didn't mean to do that.
I have been completely overwhelmed by the input from everyone who has replied with their thoughts and experiences in the military.
I am going to apologize to everyone who sent me a reply and thank all of them.
Thank you for your input. It was way more than I expected.
God bless you.