And as far as your son goes, people with some prior military service as Enlisteds who go to college afterwards have a MUCH easier time of it, and tent to get MUCH better grades than those who did not.
First, they can get a whole bunch of credits just for the military training and schools they have gone to, eliminating the need to take those classes over, and secondly, their time-management and study habits blow away those of the kids who did NOT first serve. Saves money in the short AND long run.
Trust me, I went to college BEFORE joining up...I'd have reversed that in a heartbeat if I'd known then what I know now.