National Guard (need help deciding)

[Arn0t]

Ok guys with this post im going to be as serious as possible.

Im at that point in my life where i have a decision to make. im 17 and i have just began to think about joining the National Guard. My parents have already come up front and told me that they will support me in any decision and will sign the papers needed to let me join as an underage recruit (or whatever they call it, i have no clue). So here i am wondering wether or not to do it, because truly, its one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, decision of my life right now.

So im here asking fellow members of the community who are in ANY form of Armed Forces if they would give me insights/advice for this type of decision

Some Questions i have are:

1. Do you ever regret your decision?

2. If you could change anything about what you have done, what would it be

3. Whats the biggest advice you could give me in aiding my decision.

I still am pondering but i know this weekend im going into the recruiting office to talk to them about ALOT of things, but i want to make sure i get stuff i dont know about so i want to talk to you guys here first.

Thanks for all the advice you guys can give to me. It really means alot

Arn0t

 

[Ballzac]

I was thinking about this last year when I was 17 (except it was for Coast Guard). I gave it time, did research, talked to my neighbor who was in CG for about 20 years and took the ASVAB.

I decided after a while maybe it wasn't for me, but I am now intrested in going to school for Criminal Justice hopefully to persue a carrer in the 'security' field somewhere. I would say give it a while and possibly wait until you are 18 to make a decision, this also gives you time to do research and talk with people as I did. But good luck in any decision you end up making!

 

[Deja]

Well, I personally think the first thing you should consider is graduating high school. After that major life accomplishment is done, consider joining. Honestly, you have another year until you're 18 and out of HS... You could buckle down and hit the books hard, and maybe, perhaps, go to a college across the country from where you live now and never have to see your parents unless you wanted to.

 

[HomicidalPenguin]

As a Senior in high school, and on the lower end of the wealth scale, the military was an option I considered heavily. My father was Navy (medical discharge though), his father was as well I believe (I know he was in the military, but we don't have many records of him). I looked into it. I weighed the risks versus rewards of my decision and what I personally wanted to do with my life. It was still an option going into last summer, unfortunately an incident occurred which completely threw it out of the question (my father passed, I couldn't possibly put myself in harms way with my mother as she is). Look at it in depth. You said it could be the biggest decision of your life, but going into the military is, without a doubt, the biggest decision you will ever, ever make. I have a number of friends in the military, a few who have completed their tours of duty (one is in St. Louis right now, getting ready to come home), my uncle was also Army, when I ask any of them, they do not regret it for a second. The flip side should be apparent, and some of us have also felt the doubts coming with losing friends in the military. Whatever your decision may be, make sure you are 100% certain it is what you want. If there is even a small amount of uncertainty, go to college for a semester, or just take a while off. You can enlist at any time, but once you do, you're going.

 

[ManBearPig]

the only advice i have is dont procrastinate...ive wanted to join the military since iive gotten outa high school and here i am 19 going on 20 and still havent made the commitment :/

 

[Bas.B]

I am not in the armed forces myself, but I asked my brother, who is with the scouts and has served in Afghanistan, and he said:

1. No, it made me into who I am now, and I wouldn't have wanted to be different.

2. He would've completed a higher form of secondary education, so he could go on and go to the Military Acadamy right away.

3. Do what your heart tells you, don't let anyone tell you what to do.

Hope it helps

 

[e MpTy]

I was never in the Armed Forces so I can't say for sure you can't regret it,
when I was 18 I wanted to join the Canadain Army but after awhile forgot about it and now every day I think about "what if".

I woundered if I ever amount to something in the army, now I can never know because my vision is decreasing and now I can't pass the Medical Standard and denied to join.

 

[jetta]

I was very close to joining and just didn't do it. Basically i was promised a job they couldn't deliver by a recuiter. It happened to one of my best freinds as well but his situation was a bit worse than mine. He made it all the way to the phisical and final deal when they said, "Well we don't have the job we told you but we have this." He said no and they left him on the curb with no way home and he was about 2.5 hours from home. I actually went and picked him up. That being said, I have alot of freinds that are in the service though that i talk to on a regular basis. It really depends on what you want out of it. Some went into it for college, others for adventure, job experience for later in life (MP or some tech job) and some it was the best option to make a little money in the service or get a terrible job. I would say that my freinds are split about 50/50 as far as their experience goes in the service. Most say the don't regret joining, but they just couldn't wait to get out. But a few i know are making a career out of it. The guys that are making a career out of it are both in Intel. in the Army.

 

[Arn0t]

thanks for all the advice that has already been given to me by you guys. In the time reading these posts it has helped me in small parts of my decision. If anyone else has other suggestions please feel free to post them up. Im still trying to decide and i want to know some other people point of view