My 2 cents worth.

Sounds like the kid want to go Army - Hooah! Combat Arms, double Hooah!
Sounds like the kid is college material so that's good too.

Now, these are the questions I would ask him:

• Does he plan to make it a career? 20+ years
• What is his plan if he gets injured and can no longer serve as a super Hooah Hooah Army guy?
• Does he plan to have a family? If so, at what age?
• Most importantly - what does he plan to do AFTER his service in the Army?

About the Army, the way I would describe it is like a two tiered pyramid. There's Enlisted from E1-E9 and Officer from O1-O10. The obvious statement about that is that there are a lot of spots at the bottom of the pyramid and very few at the top.

So what this means with respect to choosing your job and doing all the Hooah Hooah stuff, there are a lot more opportunities to do this as an Enlisted Man. It's still possible to do as an Officer but it's very competitive. That means good grades, top Physical Fitness, top evaluations and maybe a bit of luck too.

The son of the gunner on my first tank crew just completed his entry to the Army as a Cavalry Scout. He signed up as a Senior in HS and got exactly what he wanted - MOS 19D.

Contrast that with my kid's situation. I have a cadet at VMI who is pursuing an Army ROTC contract. There's no guarantee about branch (meaning Armor, Infantry, Aviation, etc.) and there's no guarantee about Active Duty, National Guard, etc.

The other side of the coin is things like Veteran's benefits, especially the GI Bill. So my tank crew gunner's kid will get the GI Bill and have his college paid for. Meanwhile, VMI is costing me $54,000+/yr in out of state tuition. The good news about that is that my kid is majoring in Engineering so even if the Army doesn't workout, she'll be employable. This ties back to my earlier question about - what is your plan AFTER the Army?

To make the case FOR college first, from what I've seen, it's easier for a smart kid to knock out college between age 18-22. Once you get into your late 20s or early 30s, they'll be better students but they'll also have more commitments that will make it harder to complete college. If they have kids, it will be very difficult. Once they start getting a taste of earning money, it will be very difficult to get them to finish college. I look at a couple of my cousins as examples. Because they did some college and got good paying jobs, they'll make $100K/yr. But, because they can't give up that pay to go get more education, they'll never make $200K/yr.

With respect to choosing a University. I'll put it like this. Joining a Corps of Cadets program like Virginia Tech, A&M, West Point, etc. means that college won't be much fun in the traditional sense. But, the life skills and personal management skills will be invaluable. The changes I've seen in my kid during the first two years at VMI have been incredible. While my oldest got radicalised against old white men (meaning me) as an Education major at Texas A&M, my youngest has become a delight to be around, very respectful and results oriented AFTER going through the Ratline at VMI. Don't get me wrong, $54K/yr is spendy but, it's been totally worth it. We're not talking about Baylor here

There is no wrong answer here. The only right answer is which path is going to be optimal for achieving this kids goals. Does he want that Ranger Tab more than he wants a degree in Petroleum Engineering (or whatever)? What if he becomes an Engineer making $200K/yr but never went to Airborne or Air Assault? Is that OK? Or, is he fine to work in the produce department at HEB making next to nothing but having had the personal satisfaction of knowing that he's an Airborne Ranger. Slight exaggeration in those two variable outcomes but that's exactly the kind of decision that will be set in motion by what this kid decides to do next year.

I hope this helps with the explanation. I'm sure others will chime in to say that I'm full of it or whatever. But this is my experience. Good Luck!

Being BMOC in High School doesn't mean squat outside of HS, college, military, or work force. If he is the kind of guy who is going to tell his squad leader to go eff himself, then he isn't the kind of guy the military needs. I think he will realize that at 18/19 years old he doesn't know **** about life and had better pay attention to his leaders and peers who have "been there and done that". I enlisted at 25 years old. I had zero problems following orders from people younger than me, both enlisted and officer because 1) my job was to follow orders and 2) they knew what to do. As a consequence of being more mature (debatable) I fast tracked from PFC to SGT in 2 years and made SSG in 5 years 2 months. All he has to do to gain a leg up on his peers is not be a problem case (warn him not to drink, as most problems involve alcohol and despite being underage, much like college, booze will be readily available) and show initiative. Then that kid will make rank quick as hell.

Enlisting isn't a bad thing, and the way you describe the parents reaction is that him enlisting is a waste of his life. Well its not. It can be great way for him to figure things for himself while earning a pay check, gaining life experiences and friends, and learning a lot about himself, all while not being a bum on moms couch. If he wants to be a trigger puller like you seem to hint at, then enlisted is the way to go. Enlisted does the fighting, hell get way more time on the line than being an officer and having minimal time in command of troops and bouncing back and forth to staff positions. In my time as enlisted as an Artilleryman, I never left the gun. That was 8 years of active duty and the entire time was me doing my job on a cannon as I progressed through the ranks or down range in Iraq being a rifleman in an Artillery Battery reorganized to a rifle company or time in Afghanistan commanding our FOBs only 155mm howitzer and firing counter fire at Taliban who launched rockets at us or firing to support Troops in Contact. Quite frankly, other than the smaller pay check I enjoyed my time as enlisted rather than be an officer. I cant stand being in an office and at a desk, so thankfully as a full civilian I don't do that either.

If he likes it he can stay enlisted, he can get out and pursue a commission and then come back in as an officer, or he just say screw it, and use his GI Bill and get a degree and move on with his life. The sky is the limit for him and he has nothing but time at this point. He has multiple options and courses to decide on. Wish him all the best

HotSausage said:

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In my 20 I was atlet too and decided to go to the Army. After year of military service I had so much problems with my health that I regretted going there! I had a problems with heart, with my stomach and even with my prostate, so now I have to viagra work and use many other pills for stabalize my health! Army cripples people!

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Wtf

There are many people I know who always intended to go to school after joining. There are many people I know who did not do that.

I'd knock college out and do ROTC.

All that said - it's not the parent's choice.

Looking at the situation I can give my insight into it. I was a military brat and grew up on Marine Corps bases and was going to be a Marine no matter what. I played football in High School and did all the things that you do in High School and debated the enlist or go to college. I originally went to college and got through my first year and decided at that point that College was not for me so I was off to the Marine Corps. For me that was the best decision of my life. While some will argue that I was indoctrinated into the Corps from birth being a 4th generation Marine I grew up after I enlisted. There is more things open to the enlisted ranks when it comes to duties and such because officer billets are limited. The people I was in the Corps with are still my friends and even though there are some that I had not seen in 30 years the second we get together it is like no time had passed. Combat Arms is where I was and I would not trade my time as a Grunt or in a line company for anything in the world. I will say though that when you do get out there is not a large job market for the skills that I was taught and learned in the infantry when you look at face value. The other types of skills you develop are what you have to look at when it comes to the value.

I did go back to A&M afterwards and finished my degree and now work for our great University. In the past I was in education and taught at the HS level for 12 years and have had countless conversations with students who have debated these issues. I have also been an adjunct and taught college students who are going to college on the GI Bill an option not open to officers.

Here is my advice that I gave all my students who came to me with these thoughts as every situation is different I told them that they have to make the decision that they will be happy with. I know mom and dad can put pressure on you but they are not the ones who will be living your life. If he is looking for leadership and the opportunity to be a leader when it comes right down to it in my book it is the NCO who are the real leaders especially in Marine Corps Infantry. While I had officers above me it was as a NCO that I had everyday interaction with my Marines.

I can only tell you what I did wrong. I was a very good student in high school, and SATs in the 97th percentile. But I had a late summer birthday, and was slow to develop physically. So I was always among the youngest and smallest in my class. Let's be honest, I was emotionally immature, too.

I did not want to go to college straight out of high school, but I didn't have the sense to present my parents an alternate plan, so off to college I went. I had an absolute blast at A&M in the Corps and the Band, but also ended up on Scho Pro. I eventually got my mind right, and finished with four semester of Distinguished Student. Wasted a lot of time and money doing so. I also had zero chance at leadership positions, due to crappy grades.

While I wouldn't trade my Aggie buddies for any other class, and am grateful to God for the wife I met while on my extended college career, I wish I could have done better.

I think that a short stint in the military would have done me a world of good. Coming to A&M a little older and more mature would have made a world of difference.

Coming from a different perspective (enlisted after college), I'll say this, enlisted is 10x more fun than the officer side but if he wants to make a career out of it (hard to tell before you sign up). Then go to college and become an officer. There's going to be ****ty enlisted and ****ty officers, he's going to hate the military and love it at all the same time. You'll make some of the best friends you've had, he's never going to regret it.

Every kid in the nation wants to be "special forces" but the reality is it has nothing to do with how physically fit you are or your asvab. It comes down to mental strength (the biggest and most over looked part) and whether the course instructors think you'll make a good addition to any of the teams and be an awesome team mate.

Good on him for wanting to be combat arms, and wanting action but as I've told other friends. Everyone wants to be a gangster until it's time to gangster ***** Don't go into a unit wanting to be billy badass, don't think your invincible, do your job and watch your brothers back on the left and right of you.

The parent factors it's natural for them to be scared, every parent should be worried or concerned about losing their kid in a future or current conflict. It's natural but it's not up to them, it's a volunteer force, he's willingly taking that risk by signing up.

Every recruiter in the world will promise him "his job of choice" forget that, you sign up for preferences but at the end of the day Uncle Sam will send you where you're needed not where you want to go.

champagnepapi said:

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I've seen what privates make and F&ck that ****!

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A PFC with dependents makes $3514 a month with free healthcare.

A PFC w/o dependents makes $1981 a month, with free healthcare, housing & food (barracks, DFAC).

It isn't much money compared the the average A&M graduate.

It is a ton of money compared to a HS graduate working at Pep Boys.

Thanks everyone for your responses and advice and again, for your service. Proud of our friend's son. He enlisted today in the United States Army. He wants to be a Ranger so he'll be entering Ranger Assesment Phase after high school graduation. Not sure what steps there are Before you get to RAP but he knows what's ahead and is in great physical shape and in a good place mentally.
"The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one's country" - Gen Patton

Just an update - our friend's son left for boot camp today. Proud of his decision and proud of his parents for respecting that decision. The army is getting a good one!