What is the pros and cons of each branch of military? And what's the best option for a man who wants a family?

Question

My boyfriend initially wanted to be a part of the Marines (really badly) when we first met. He is now planning on joining the ROTC Air Force program to get through college. He decided that he wanted to have a family and didn't know if being a Marine was a good idea. Any help? he wants to serve his country but what's the safest way and best way where he can stay with his future family?

Answer 1

Well; my husband is Army, my father retired Navy and my sister and her husband are both Air Force and I've got cousins and uncles who are/were in the Marine's.

Army:
You'll get a lot of options job wise in the Army and promotions are quicker than in some branches. They do have a lot of programs to help with the families when your soldier is deployed and they have a program called "stabilization" where you can be stationed at the same Post for up to 7 years. That way the family can lay down some roots in the community, the spouse can develop a good career, the kids can spend time building more solid relationships with friends and if they are in HS they can finish their HS career with the same friends they started out with. It also helps the Unit the soldier is serving with because they are serving with mostly the same people and they develop better unit cohesion. Drawbacks are that they deploy the longest (the Army has moved deployments to 15 months now with talk of moving to 18 months).

Navy: He'll have a lot of job opportunities and if he likes to travel and likes the water he could see a lot of the world. They don't deploy as long as the Army; 6 months is usually their longest (although sometimes for a few months more in rare cases). Also, they have something called "shore duty" and that means they aren't assigned to a ship and won't be going anywhere for the duration of that "shore duty" time. Basically they're working a "normal" job and coming home every night. My dad was in the Navy for over 25 years and he only ever served on a ship for three years. He spent the rest of the time coming home every night. Same with my SIL's dad who was also retired Navy. So, just because you're Navy doesn't necessarily mean you'll be on a ship.

Marine's: They are part of the Navy, so their deployments are usually shorter since they have to have schedule deployments around the Navy's schedule. They have nice dress uniforms and promotions are usually faster than in some other branches.

Air Force is by far the best branch as far as quality of life. Their deployments aren't very long (typically 4-6 months, unless you're in a field like Combat MP or something similar). They are the most technologically immersed branch of the services which can be beneficial in the civilian world. If you're looking for the most "family friendly" branch, this is probably it.

Good luck! Thank your husband for his decision to join.

Answer 2

All military families have it rough. Your boyfriend needs to weigh the options of marriage and kids before joining any branch of the military, while, yes, thank you for serving our country!, it is incredibly difficult for a spouse and children. The away time that a soldier has from his family can cause friction in the marriage. The wife takes on two roles and HAS to fulfill all of the responsibilities of both parents, it can be a stressful time. Children are uprooted every time there is a new assignment, they grow up too fast and have to suck it up based on their parents decisions. So if in fact your boyfriend wants to join the military it is wonderful but he should do military first and then set up for a family when he knows what military life is like, his unselfish act is very admirable! Military families do survive it is just harder!

Answer 3

if you have the choice and want to start a family then you have to go to the Air Force..they have the best of everyhting, least likely of getting killed, least likely to deploy for long terms...as for the 1st answerer saying the Navy does not deploy, she does not know what she is saying...the Navy is the most deployed of the services, and the Marines are not being sent to Iraq as she claims...this does not mean that Marines are not in Iraq, but they are not sent there out of boot camp.....your best bet is not to join at all, because once you are in, you are IN>>>then you will become one of these negative individuals who is now anti military because they were tricked into joining and were promised the world and have received nothing according to you....Good luck...Semper Fi

Answer 4

Coast Guard

Answer 5

Air Force is least likely to separate you from family for long periods.
My father was career Air Force and recommended I go Army due to very slow promotion in AF compared to Army.

Marines are also a good choice, but due to the nature of their service they are at higher risk of separation from their family.

Navy is hardest of the services as Navy personnel assigned to sea duty may be away from their families for a year at a time. Ex sister-in-law was married to career Navy. He spent 10yrs of their 20yr marriage at sea.

If he is going into the Reserves than he will want to look at the rate of advancement in rank and how often the unit he would be joining has been activated. Rank in the service is the major difference in paygrade & the activation record for the unit will give some idea of the risk of separation from his family.

Answer 6

don't join. family ALWAYS takes second fiddle to the military and it's obligations.

EVERY branch deploys and EVERY Branch faces dangers.

it takes a very strong person to be married to a servicemember. and not everyone can handle it.

Answer 7

MARINES

all the way he'll have the best time of his life and will become a much better person by going through it

Answer 8

i would say the navy.
The Army and the Marines are sending most of their people out to fight in iraq. The airforce is sending out alot of people for technical and communications jobs to go over in iraq. In the navy he could be with the family alot. He would be out of danger because there are no battles at sea with the iraqi's. (They're in the desert) If he went out to sea he wwould only be gone a few months and his life would not be at risk.

Answer 9

AIR FORCE

ANYTIME YOU CAN GET THROUGH COLLEGE, GRAB IT.

YOU WILL HAVE TO GO THRU COLLEGE BEFORE YOU ARE SENT ANYWHERE, THAT COULD BE DOWN THE ROAD FOUR YEARS...

MARINES ARE TOUGH AND THEY GO IN FIRST. THEY GET THE BRUNT OF THE BATTLE.

AIR FORCE HAS THE BEST FOOD TOO.