Reply to Son says he is "considering a career in the military." Help me work through this.

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I have three military kids.  Two of them have been deployed to war zones.  Twice.  One of them was wounded.  I understand your fear all too well.

Your son is still young.  I wouldn't worry too much about it yet.  He has plenty of time to think about it and he may change his mine.  My kids have done it three different ways.  One went to college on an ROTC scholarship.  When he graduated he was commissioned a second lieutenant.  He is a combat engineer, career military officer who was just promoted to Captain.  He is married, living in Hawaii, and loving his life!  Another enlisted right out of high school.  He went to Basic Training/AIT, then Airborne School.  He served four years in the military with the 82nd Airborne Division.  He left the military after his enlistment period was over and then went to college.  He graduates in a few months. He loved his time in the Army and sometimes wishes he had stayed in.  My daughter joined the Air National Guard College First Program.  She went to BMT (Air Force version of Basic Training) for several months and then started college.  She serves one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer.  Other than that, she is just a typical college kid.  I think she will eventually go active duty.  She wants to be a nurse practitioner.

The benefits to all three - They graduated with no debt.  Many of the benefits of service stay with them for life.  (My son was able to purchase a home with zero down thanks to his VA loan, for example)  The Army paid for my son's Masters Degree.  They graduate from college with real life work experience.  Employers seem to really like that.  And the military really did help them decide what they wanted to do in college and beyond.

I understand the fear, especially now.  You have to let go and accept that once your son turns 18, his choices are his own.  People ask me all the time how I handled having two kids serving in Afghanistan at the same time.  Truthfully, I didn't handle it well at all.  It was horrible.  I worried constantly.  I didn't sleep.  And I was on medication.  But, I am very proud of their service.  And I am very proud of the amazing young adults they have become.   The military taught them self-discipline, an incredible work ethic, perseverance, leadership skills,.....  Their experiences in the military helped shape who they are today.  They are so much different than their peers.    Their world is bigger.  They are more mature.  They are very independent.  It's not the path I would have chosen for them.  But it wasn't my path to choose. [/quote]

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