Steps Toward Choosing Your Enlistment

So you have seen our Military in Parades, you likely have a friend or relative who has served in the Armed Forces, but what do you really know about the Military?  Finding out all you can is key in deciding if and when you want to be a part of the worlds best Armed Forces.   One of the first steps is learning what each branch does, what their mission is, and how they are related to each other.  For example, the Marines are part of the U.S. Department of the Navy, but in ways also their own separate Service.

It can be confusing at first, but once you learn what each Service Branch does and what their mission is, it’s much easier to make informed enlistment choices. It’s also a good idea to find out where each service is stationed, what areas around the world each branch services.

Determining your eligibility for service in the U.S. Armed Forces can be a challenge, but it need not be impossible.  Knowing how the services are arranged is one of the first steps.  Each service has enlisted members.  Enlisted members are the go-to, hands on members of each service.  They are the “worker bees” and tend to perform most maintenance tasks.  To become an enlisted member of the Armed Forces you need at least a High school diploma.  Another member of all the Branches are Officers.  Officers are the bosses, and managers of the Military.  Almost all Officers are required to have a college degree at a minimum, and many higher- ranking Officers have a masters degree or higher.

As a minimum, Armed Forces Service requires that you be:
At least seventeen years old, if seventeen you must have parent’s permission and consent.
You must pass a military service physical.
You have to have a High School Diploma (some GED exceptions occur, but rarely).

As for other requirements, each service has different requirements.  Examine the service you want to join.  Talk to recruiters for each of the services you are interested in, but especially talk to the one you are most likely to join.  Find out about entrance requirements, taking the ASVAB is one that all branches require before enlistment.  Decide if you are read.

Finally, do NOT sign anything until you have talked it over with a relative, a parent, or a friend. Or all three.  Joining the military is not something to do lightly, but if you decide to become a member of the U.S. Armed Forces you can find yourself potentially with a lifelong rewarding career, and learn many valuable and marketable skills.