Is your kid thinking about joining the military?

Joining the US military isn't a decision to be taken lightly. It has life-altering and life lasting ramifications. With only 7% of the US adult population ever serving in the armed forces, it is no wonder parents have a slew of questions regarding joining and the military its self. For a country that spends 5 times the amount on their military as their closest competitor, it's crazy how much the everyday American doesn't know about the military. Most parents and potential recruits rely on second-hand information or even use the movies as the basis for their decision-making. There is also the negative connotation that some military recruiters have which can lead to mistrust. I've spent over 16 years in the military and have had multiple deployments. I have parents ask me to speak to their kids who are thinking of joining and to validate what their recruiter has said to them. I find the kids decision has already been made by that point. They want the uniform and the befifiets. In this economy, the military has been a great opportunity for a benifieted career. Below are a few takeaways to help with decision-making and putting your mind at ease, if that is possible!

Active Duty vs Reserves/National Guard:

• Active duty is full-time service in the U.S. armed forces; reserve duty is part-time.

• Both types of service members may be deployed, but the chance is greater for those on active duty.

• Active-duty servicemembers earn full-time pay and full benefits. Reserve-duty service members earn part-time pay and partial benefits.

• National Guard is a state organization answering directly to the Governor.

• As a reservist, You will need to balance a civilian career and a military career.

Basic Requirements and Expectations

You must meet certain minimum requirements to join the military, whether full-time or part-time. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is at least 17, and if you’re not 18 yet, you need parental permission. You need a high school diploma or G.E.D., but the entrance is more difficult with a G.E.D.

You’ll need to achieve a minimum score, which varies by branch, on the Armed Forces Qualification Test and the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. Also, you must pass a military entrance medical exam and background check. Upon acceptance, you’ll attend basic training (also called “boot camp” or “recruit training”), which lasts eight to 13 weeks depending on your branch. You could then attend Officer Candidate School or advanced individual training if your job requires it.

Both active duty and reserves have maximum age restrictions for who can enlist, but these differ by branch, as do physical fitness requirements. For example, to join the Air Force you can’t be older than 39, and you must pass the Air Force Basic Military Training Fitness Test.

All service members must adhere to gender-specific, however, the Pentagon is working on a gender-neutral PT test, physical requirements related to weight, fitness, hair, nails, piercings, tattoos, and attire. In general, you must maintain a neat, professional, and natural appearance.

Contract

A typical active-duty service term lasts eight years: four years of active duty and four years of inactive duty. A typical reserve-duty service term lasts three to eight years, depending on your branch and job. You don’t need prior military experience to serve on active duty or to join the reserves. All initial military training is performed at training locations through the US and segregated by the branch of service. No matter the branch, military members, reserves, or active duty, will train together and be held to the same training requirements for graduation.

Active duty is considered a 24-7 job, but you can generally expect to have regular work hours and weekends off. Personal time off, which is known as “leave,” is a total of 30 days per year, accrued at a rate of 2.5 days per month, and must be approved by your command. You will also get time off, called “liberty,” of 24, 48, 72, or 96 hours for weekends and holidays. Sick time must be approved by medical personnel but is not counted against your leave time.

In the reserves and national guard, you will drill at least one weekend a month for unit training, plus a two-week field service exercise per year. Over the past few years, guardsmen and reservists have seen an increase in training demand leading to 3 and 4-day drills over the weekend, and 21-day Annual training has become an unfortunate norm.

Whether you sign up for active duty or the reserves, you’ll be legally bound to complete your minimum service requirement. Enlisting means giving up a great deal of control over your life. Read your contract before you sign it. Have someone you trust (who is not a recruiter) read it as well and discuss it with you. Make sure you understand the full scope of your commitment.

Career and Lifestyle

If you don’t know anything about the military, you might think active duty means putting yourself in the line of fire, while reserve/guardsmen duty means being next in line for combat if there aren’t enough active-duty service members to fill a need. It’s way more nuanced than that.

More than hundreds of jobs available to both active duty and reservists—and that’s just in the Army. There are jobs in mechanics and engineering, science and medicine, support and logistics, and many other areas besides ground forces. Each position has enlisted and officer routes.

When you join the military, you’ll speak with a service enlistment counselor to determine what your job specialty will be. Your preferences do matter somewhat, but ultimately your specialty will be based on what the service needs, which jobs are available, your Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test score, and the job’s physical requirements as compared with your physical ability.

For example, you could be a financial management technician in the Army as an enlisted soldier or a reservist/guardsman. As a reservist or guardsman, you could have a civilian career completely different from your army job. An example would be a reservist or guardsman with a civilian career as a teacher who may hold a position as an artillery officer. Whatever the military position, the requirements for that position are held to the same standard no matter if you're on active duty, reserve, or national guard orders.

On active duty, you may have a say in where you live, but ultimately the government will station you wherever it needs you, which could be in the United States or overseas. You will live on or near a military installation. You can expect to move every two to three years.

In the reserves or national guard, you may live where you would like, however, your unity may not always be down the road. The once-a-month time commitment may mean a great deal of travel to meet the drill requierments.

Individual Ready Reserves (IRR)

Members of the IRR can be called up to replace active-duty or reserve-duty soldiers. Some have completed active-duty service but still have a military commitment to fulfill. Others have fulfilled their obligation but remain by choice. Members of the IRR are not part of a drilling unit, and participating in annual training is optional.

Deployment

How often you get deployed, where you are deployed, and what you do during deployment depend on your military branch, your skills, and the military’s needs. Deployment often lasts 6 to 12 months. Conditions of deployment can make staying in touch with loved ones back home a challenge. Deployment does not necessarily mean going into combat.

Active-duty service members are first in line to deploy, but reservists may be deployed when the need is high. It’s more likely that they will be activated, which means filling in for active-duty service members who are deployed. Reservists may be called to serve at the scene of disasters in the United States. Due to the operational tempo of the military in the last 20 years, reserve component deployments have become the norm with a 3-5 year rotation.

Pay and Benefits

Pay as a reservist is per weekend drill plus annual two-week(ish) training, and increases based on rank and years of service. In 2021 pay starts at about $306 per month for someone with the lowest rank and least experience, based on typical service of one weekend a month and two weeks a year. During initial training and deployment, military service members are paid active duty rates.

Active-duty pay is salaried and also depends on rank and years of service. A level E-1 enlisted recruit, the level at which most people start, will earn a base pay of $1,650.30 per month in 2021. The base pay for the lowest level officer, 0-1 is almost $3,400 in 2021.

Active-duty service members are eligible for full benefits, including medical and dental care, education benefits, a housing and food allowance, and a retirement plan. Reserve-duty service members (excluding individual ready reservists) earn partial benefits.

Benefits for reservists include healthcare for themselves and their families through the TRICARE Reserve Select plan, where you are responsible for annual premiums, a deductible, and cost-sharing, educational assistance through the GI and post 9\11 bill with time in service, and eligibility for the military’s Blended Retirement System pension and thrift savings plan (TSP). Reservists/guardsmen who are activated or deployed become eligible for all active-duty pay and benefits during their time on orders.

The Bottom Line

Joining the military is a major decision. My decision to join has given me and my family amazing opportunities and I have traveled the world and experienced so many things I would not have as a civilian. I have also missed too many anniversaries to count and 2 child births. Joining has its ups and downs, like anything. The decision is yours to make and more importantly, yours to live with. Do I wish I knew more when I joined? Yes! Would I do it again? Yes!