Is it really worth going to the military?
Serve Your Country. If you feel a sense of patriotism or duty toward the American people, joining the military is a great option. Once you've served, you'll be filled with a sense of pride. There's nothing like walking around in your uniform and having someone thank you for your service.
Some observers point to quality of the talent pool as the main problem. The Army chief of staff has testified before Congress that only 23 percent of age-appropriate candidates are eligible to serve, the rest failing to qualify because of obesity, drug use or criminal records.
There are many advantages to enlisting early in the military, especially when it comes to meeting physical fitness and weight requirements. However, joining the military at 30 also provides several benefits as you'll be far more mature, disciplined, and mentally prepared.
Many military members put their lives on the line every day, which makes them some of the most underpaid people in America. But there are also other considerations, such as working with hazardous materials and in dangerous situations, being on call 24-7/365, and dealing with long term deployments and family separation.
To get out of the military, you need to be discharged.
Unlike many other positions, you cannot simply just quit the military once you are on active duty. You may choose to finish out a contract and then not renew, or you can get an early discharge if you do not want to wait or cannot wait for a contract to end.
- You want an education and have at least $100,000 just sitting around for you to use. ...
- You absolutely do not want to have a job that gives you any kind of vacation time. ...
- You get a scared feeling every time you even think about leaving your hometown.
There's a great argument that the Marine Corps has the hardest military training of anyone, and here's why. Of course, when you reach the top, you can find them becoming SEALs or a part of the Marine Raider Regiment (MRR), but the training of any Marine is some of the hardest military training in the world.
The hardest military branch to get into in terms of education requirements is the Air Force. The military branch with the toughest basic training is the Marine Corps. The hardest military branch for non-males because of exclusivity and male dominance is the Marine Corps. What is the smallest military branch?
According to nearly 38,000 troops whose surveys were analyzed, the top reasons for leaving the Army were related to their families. But even considering those factors, the Army's retention is strong — the service retained nearly 2,000 more troops than its fiscal 2021 retention goal.
If you are found trafficking, selling, or distributing narcotics, including marijuana. If you have three or more convictions related to driving while intoxicated, drugged, or impaired in the past five years before joining. If you are convicted for five or more misdemeanors.
What percentage of Americans join the military?
If you add their figures on veterans to the active personnel numbers mentioned above, 7.3 percent of all living Americans have served in the military at some point in their lives.
Each branch of the military has age limits to enlist in active duty: Air Force: 17 - 39. Army: 17 - 35. Coast Guard: 17 - 31.
Many potential candidates believe they are "too old" to serve if they don't join between ages 18-22. This could not be further from the truth. The age range for joining the military is quite large: 17 years old on the low end and up to 39 on the high end.
On average, however, the Air Force is the military branch that has the highest pay because, in the Air Force, there are more opportunities to be promoted to the next rank, which leads to many recruits becoming officers. This, in turn, increases the average salary a little bit compared to the other military branches.
Over 60 percent of 2016 enlistments came from neighborhoods with a median household income between $38,345 and $80,912. The quintiles below and above that band were underrepresented, with the poorest quintile providing 19 percent of the force and the richest Americans enlisting at a rate of 17 percent.
- Air Crew Officers. ...
- Aircraft Launch and Recovery Officers. ...
- Armored Assault Vehicle Officers. ...
- Artillery and Missile Officers. ...
- Command and Control Center Officers. ...
- Infantry Officers. ...
- Special Forces Officers. ...
- Military Officer Special and Tactical Operations Leaders.
The raise is based on the federal Employment Cost Index, which tracks wages and salaries of private sector workers annually. Figures used in the recent calculation of the index point to a 5.2% pay raise for troops in January 2024, which would be the largest since a 6.9% average military pay increase in 2002.
The United States military's equivalent to the county jail, in the sense of "holding area" or "place of brief incarceration for petty crimes" is known colloquially as the guardhouse or stockade by the United States Army and Air Force and brig by naval and marine forces.
Also known as desertion, it is no light matter and can lead to serious consequences. If AWOL for more than 30 days, a warrant for your arrest can be issued, resulting in a possible federal arrest and conviction.
If you develop anxiety or depression while serving in the military, it may be grounds for a medical discharge or retirement. The outcome depends on factors including the severity of your symptoms and how they respond to treatment.
What is the #1 reason people join the military?
To serve your country
One of the most common reasons people join the military is because they feel drawn to serving their country. This sense of duty, or a “calling to service,” can arise from patriotic family values or the desire to do something meaningful.
Most first-term enlistments require a commitment to four years of active duty and two years of inactive (Individual Ready Reserve, or IRR). But the services also offer programs with two-, three- and six-year active-duty or reserve enlistments. It depends upon the service and the job you want.
There are several non-combat military positions available in a variety of fields, including intelligence, combat, science, engineering and aviation. These positions support the military and its operations without requiring the individual to participate in active warfare.
The Air Force is reported to be the “easiest” branch when it comes to physical challenges and difficulties. Next to the Coast Guard, Air Force members are among the least likely to see combat.
The Marine Corps is often first on the ground in combat situations.
Among active-duty service members and veterans, it is agreed that the easiest military branch to get into, in terms of basic training, is the Air Force because programs are more spread out..
The Air Assault School course is offered several times per year, taught by instructors referred to as Air Assault Sergeants. Open to men and women, the rigorous, fast-paced training is known as the 10 (or 11) toughest days in the Army.
Similar shares of men and women currently serve in the Army, which is the largest active-duty branch of the military, and in the Navy. But women are more likely than men to be in the Air Force; nearly one-third (31%) of military women are in the Air Force compared with 22% of men.
The courtesies form a strict and sometimes elaborate code of conduct. It is an extension and a formalization of courtesies practiced in a culture's everyday life. It is intended to reinforce discipline and the chain of command by defining how soldiers will treat their superiors and vice versa.
The number of young Americans wanting to enlist is near a record low, a deficit not seen in almost half a century. In 2022, for example, the US Army fell short of its recruitment target by 25 percent. Other notable down trends were recorded for the Navy and Air Force.
Why can't soldiers quit?
You can't just quit the Army once you are on active duty. You are contractually obligated to remain in service for the period to which you committed. But soldiers are discharged from duty early due to physical or psychological inability to perform duties, for drug abuse, misconduct, and other infractions.
Here's the real reason the military moves so much:
Teamwork creates emotional attachment. Being emotionally attached makes it a lot harder to lose a life on the battlefield. So, to prevent emotional attachment, the military invests over $4 billion every year into relocating troops and families.
The ideal height requirement for men in the military is between 60-80 inches / 152-203 cm. Anyone above or below this requirement is likely to get rejected. The height limits are standard, and anyone within this height range can get accepted as long as their weight corresponds to the correct weight limit.
This is why the U.S armed forces screen people for oral health problems. Having teeth in poor condition disqualifies someone from joining the military because it is a giant liability and has caused serious problems in the past.
Although services can accept applicant waivers with less stringent restrictions (e.g., the Air Force will consider waivers for recruits stable off medications for 15 months), ADHD diagnosis is consistently a common disqualifier for military service.
According to a study from the Department of Defense, 80% of Americans between the ages of 17 to 24 are unfit for military service. Reasons people have been deemed unfit are being overweight, drug use, or physical and mental health.
The average age of enlisted accessions is 19.3 years, ranging from 18.5 for the Marine Corps to 19.7 for the Army. Approximately 87 percent of new recruits are 18- to 24-year-olds, compared to about 36 percent of the comparable civilian population.
According to the Department of Defense, the number will only grow. Active-duty service members are having kids younger and more often, as the average age of a military child is not five years old. 3. Military children are twice as likely to join the military.
The first hour after the occurrence of a traumatic injury is considered the most critical for emergency stabilization of a casualty. This “Golden Hour” concept establishes a serviceable standard for the distribution of fixed medical resources supporting areas of operation.
Punishment depends on the severity of the offense and the discretion of the commanding officer, but often includes forfeiture of pay and confinement. For instance, being AWOL for less than three days can result in a maximum penalty of confinement for one month and forfeiture of two-thirds pay for one month.
Can felons join the military?
If you want to join the Army with a felony on your record, you are going to need a moral conduct waiver. The Army's “Moral Conduct Waivers” (also known as “Felony Waivers”) are not automatic. You must apply for a moral conduct waiver and doing so can take time.
Can You Just Walk Into an Army Recruiting Office? There's no question that making an appointment is the best route to go about things, but if you're looking to contact someone about joining the Army, feel free to stop by.
Your Ten-Week Introduction To The Army
Core Values: Learn Army values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. Physical Training: Begin physical and tactical military training.
The Army and Navy accept applicants up to age 35; the Air Force accepts recruits prior to their 28th birthday, and the Marine Corps age limit is 29.
E-1: $20,340. E-1 is the lowest enlisted rank in the US military: Airman Basic (Air Force), Private (Army/Marine Corps), Seaman Recruit (Navy). Service members usually hold this rank through basic training, and automatically promote to the next rank after six months of service.
If you want to travel, every branch of the service has overseas locations and the Navy is probably the most traveled branch of service. Other branches have permanent bases overseas in places like Europe, Japan, and Korea.
Among officers, however, Air Force promotes faster than Army and Marine Corps peers through 20 years' service, and even surpasses Navy's pace over a typical 24-year officer career, service promotion data show.
In particular, the psychological effects of military training alter the personality, emotional stability, and social function of the individual. These alterations can cause anxiety, insomnia, and other mental health conditions, which often lead to substance abuse.
serving on active duty died, at an overall annualized rate of 94.9 per 100,000 military personnel. Males accounted for more than 95% of these deaths, whites 78% of the deaths, and those aged 34 or less, 81% of the deaths. Deaths resulting from unintentional injury (e.g., motor vehicle, fall, etc.)
It's an ASSET that you've earned in service to our great nation: an asset that both you and your family has sacrificed for. In fact, it's a tremendous asset with significant value. For the average retiring officer (let's say an O5 with 20 years), the military pension amount is valued at well over a million dollars.
What is one downside of serving in the military?
Our results show that the compulsory military service has a strong and long-lasting negative effect on physical health. Moreover, people who are drafted into the armed forces are more likely to consume more alcohol and cigarettes even years after they are discharged.
U.S. Marines
Of course, when you reach the top, you can find them becoming SEALs or a part of the Marine Raider Regiment (MRR), but the training of any Marine is some of the hardest military training in the world. Even outside of Special Forces, Marines have to be ready for both land and sea combat.
Much like dogs, it is said that servicemen and women age at seven times the rate of civilians while on active duty.
The most common mental health problems among personnel and veterans are depression, anxiety and alcohol problems. Some people experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The primary mission of the Coast Guard is to protect domestic waterways. What is the safest military branch? The Space Force is the safest military branch in terms of man-to-man combat and machine-to-machine accidents.
The categories with the highest number of active-duty servicemember deaths were accidents, self-inflicted wounds, and illnesses or injuries. Table 1 summarizes all active-duty military deaths by category from 2006 through 2021.
The combat fatality rate fell from 55 to 12 percent between the start of World War II and the most recent conflicts, as did the KIA rate (52 to 5 percent). These were all numbers that confirmed historic studies looking at the big picture.
What Is the COLA Trap? For retirees who retired before 2022, that means a full 8.7% year-over-year increase in their retirement pay will be reflected in every 2023 check.
Here are the requirements to become an enlisted Soldier: Age: Between 17-35 years old. Medical, Moral, Physical: Medically and physically fit, and in good moral standing.
This study noted the overall average age at death for all 100% service-connected U.S. veterans is 67 years. When separated by gender, the average age at death for female 100% service-connected U.S. veterans is 63 years of age and the average age at death for male 100% service-connected U.S. veterans is 68 years of age.
Is serving in the military a sacrifice?
The importance of this sacrifice cannot be understated. The military life is unique in the fact that the whole family sacrifices for the member or members to serve their country.
Disrespect by acts includes neglecting the customary salute, or showing a marked disdain, indifference, insolence, impertinence, undue familiarity, or other rudeness in the presence of the superior officer.
Conscientious objectors are required to register. A conscientious objector is one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles. If you served on active duty and were discharged before your 26th birthday, you still have to register.
