Anonymous wrote:My brother lives with DH and I currently and we are expecting our first baby in July. Brother is fine to continue to live with us and helps out with rent and bills. He is now saying he will be in the way and wants to join to better himself.
I am a huge supporter of our troops but can't quite stand behind my brother joining up. I feel like this is the worst time with ISIS.
Does anyone have any advice for when he talks to recruitment or any tips we should know about? If he is adamant about this, I want to support him. I just think it's not his only option. He wants to go to pay for college and learn skills to get a better job than the food industry he currently works in. He hates authority though and complains every time his boss yells or makes him do something he doesn't want to do, hence the nerves I'm experiencing. I have a horrible feeling about this. We have no other family to help with his college tuition though.
OP, he sounds like a terrific young man with a lot of potential who just needs to grow up. ("Hating authority" is a huge sign of immaturity!) The Army could be the best (or worst) thing in the world for him. Good for him for wanting to better himself in some way; too many young men his age are content to play video games all day and work at some low-rent job.
Does he have a mentor that he trusts? Can you find him someone impartial to talk to him seriously about this? Ideally, a man fifteen to twenty-five years older who was once in your brother's shoes. (Ask around -- you'd be surprised at who has served. Maybe at your church? Job or your DH's workplace? Neighborhood list serve?) I agree, he needs to get a realistic picture of this before making a decision, although keep in mind that it is impossible to understand the situation completely before you do it.