What is the best militery force for me?

Question

I am 17 years old.. my 18th birthday is in early October.
Now I totally screwd myself in High School because I failed all my classes my junior year but over all I can still graduate if I pass 5 classes my senior year.

I am stronger than most girls but I am also a little over weight (about 60 LBS)

My brother is in the army RESERVES
My other brother is joining the army
My sister is going to join the marines in a couple of years

I was thinking about the Air Force
But which one would be the best for my situation reguarding;
Schollarships
Housing
Money

And all the other things.

Please help me decide, and Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

I don't know the weight requirements for the army and marines...but I think you are smart for thinking AF, because even if the army or marines took you...it would be very painful on your end!

Go AF or Navy. My wife and I were in the Navy, and it is nice because you do get to travel to different places...but it seems that you have to clean the ship a lot!

About your specific concerns: scholarships, housing, and money.

Scholarships: all are the same, except the army. In basic you sign up for the GI Bill. It is optional, but you want to do it. You pay $100 every month for a year...but when you go to college after the service, you get back $1000+ every month. The army pays for your college straight up, no strings attached. But with financial aid and the GI Bill, that turns out to be the better deal, I think.

Money: all get paid on the same pay scale, give or take. There are cases for special duty pay, etc. But in the end, you don't get paid much. But you don't have ANY bills either. No food, rent, medical, nothing. You could literally save every penny if you wanted. Smart to do that, but most military people blow all their money the first chance they get!

Housing: army and marines, I don't know. Sounds like you can ask your family. AF personnel live in barracks (or if married on base housing). Barracks life is just like dorm life at college, except you have to keep it clean, and follow certain rules. In the Navy you actually live on the ship (unless you are married, then you get off ship housing). Submariners get barracks also (I was on a sub), but that wouldn't apply to you being a woman. Living on a ship isn't too bad, but you don't have much room for personal belongings.

To make your choice in service, you should look at the specialty you can get. Radar operator, radio, gunners mate, weather, there is a school for every specialty. If you can get a school that you are happy with written into your contract, go to that service. What happens is you go to basic training, and then you go to the school. Usually they are fairly short events...no more than a few weeks. And after that you report to your first command.

What specialties are available to you depend in a large part on how you do on your ASVAB test. You don't want to go into the service without a specialty, which happens to a lot of kids because of their scores. In this case, you are pretty much the "chip and paint" person on a ship (do you enjoy painting and mopping?) or you get to clean all the grease spots off of the tarmac. Just put it this way...it is rough, and you get little training for stuff you might do in real life. It is possible to break out of that with permission, by getting on the job training at your command, but that is the hard way. Go to the service that gives you the best school.

Remember, don't believe anything the recruiters tell you...their job is to get you to sign up. Make sure you have your school written in your contract. If it isn't in the contract, it won't happen.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Answer 2

I spent 8 years in the Marine Corps bouncing between the reserves and temporary active duty. I have to say that there are more pleasant memories than negative ones. Boot camp was the hardest thing I have ever gone through but it was worth it. I had low self esteem, very little self respect and almost no self confindence in anything I did. It really picked me up and showed me that I can do whatever I set my mind to and I was bound and determined to graduate. It taught me a lot about myself and I would recommend it to anyone. Some may say that they had bad experiences and whatnot but I say the experience is what you make of it. Just don't be stupid like a lot of the fresh out of boot camp guys and gals do and run off and get married. And trust me.....your unit is not as a personal dating service. Men are worse gossips that women will ever be. I witnessed this with a couple of girls. OH and most recruiters lie......so no you don't have to cut your hair or buy a whole bunch of crap before you go to boot. I would invest in a good pair of mostly white running shoes though. The ones they issue are worthless. If you would like letters in bootcamp (if you choose the Marines) from someone whose been there just let me know.

Answer 3

Go Navy. They are constantly building new housing and advancement is faster than, say, the Air Force. Also, the Air Force is too specialized, so you would learn more in the Navy. Don't forget to enroll in the G.I. Bill, no matter what you do because that is college money for later. I'm using mine to help pay for a Masters Degree.

The ASVAB is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. It's a test to determine your strengths and weakness, and idenfies which jobs would better suit you.

Answer 4

The scholarships and pay are the same for all branches. Some jobs may get special pay depending on the location and what you are doing.

I grew up an Army brat, my first husband was in the Navy and my current husband is in the Airforce. As for housing, for years I heard the Airforce took the best care of their people. Frankly, what I have seen of the Airforce in the last year leads me to question that statement. I find them all to be about equal in how they treat members. Pretty much everything depends on the command you are assigned to and how the command treats their personnel.

First step is to take the Asvab and see what jobs you qualify for in each branch. You can then narrow your choices down based on what jobs are available to you. However, I will warn you it will be difficult to enlist being 60 lbs overweight. And finally, because some branches have fewer slots open in female dorms you may have to wait longer to be sent to training.

Answer 5

Air Force or Navy maybe out due to your grades. The Army has lots of options and that test that was previously mentioned will be the determining factor. Call the various recruiting branches and they will tell you what kind of grades you need to get into their service. Don't forget the Coast Guard. Good Luck!!!

Answer 6

Air Force is the toughest to get in, but the most rewarding. The next would be Marines then Army. If you think you have the skills to go into the Air Force I would try there.

Answer 7

You are not totally screwed. First, graduate. Then, decide military or more school. You may have trouble getting into a four-year college, but a community college will accept you, then you can go four-year later.

The branch of service really depends. It is more important that it matches up with what you want to do.

Answer 8

60 pounds overweight at 17? What, may I ask, is your ambition to join the Armed Forces.
Don't join for the money or scholarships - join if you want to serve your country.
Sounds like you need some discipline though.

Answer 9

You may be better off visiting a local miltary recruitment center. In my area, all the branches of the military are housed in single recruitment centers. They would probably be better suited to guide you inot the right path then anyone on Yahoo answers.

Answer 10

you should address this question to women who have served.... i know that many women get sexually assaulted and harassed in the military.
without trying to sound sexist i would say that maybe you should look for another alternative.... maybe junior college or a government job like the post office....

especially with the wars going on globally and the fact that women get treated unfairly in the military.... you should weigh your options and talk to more women out there!!!!