My son wants to go into the Military but not go to war.....?

Question

When my son turns 18 he wants to get into the military but not go to war...is there anything like that????

Don't yell at me about this, it's his thought and he is just trying to find out options. I agree, just forget it if your not willing to go all the way!!!

I think he wants to do this to try to learn how to grow up...mature???

Answer 1

This is totally unacceptable ,if he dont want go to war then dont enlist ..other wise join the coast guards.

Answer 2

Look I can relate to your son I was 19 when I joined and the thing I wanted to be was a ground pounding grunt. The Military is a good start I would say just look at all of your options I did 20yrs in the navy and I was very lucky that I NEVER had to be in combat situation I did 12yrs of sea duty but I had a good time doing that and I learned a trade as a Mechanic where I worked on Steam Plant to working Industrial Peumantic and Hydraulic systems such as Air Craft Elevators and Large Water tight doors and Hatches. I know work as Marine Machinist/Mechanic at the Naval ship yard and its a Federal job so really I would never what branch to join because they all have there good and bad points its just a matter of what one wants to do. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Coast Guard is not in the Department of Defense. It is either in the Department of the Interior or perhaps now, the Department of Homeland Security. That might be "safe" enough for him.

He can also join the US Public Health Service as a uniformed officer. Same pay and benefits as being in the military but all you have to do is take care of Coast Guard guys and Indians.
That is definitely "safe" enough for him.

He can join the Army, Navy or Air Force as a chaplain. He will not even get to carry a gun. And we all know how respectful the enemy is towards religious people. He will not have a thing to worry about.

Sounds like your son wants his cake and eat it too. I suggest he join the Salvation Army. He will get to wear a cute little uniform, be called by some rank and can tell people he serves his nation. Just about his speed.

Answer 4

I just want to remind everyone whos in here saying join the Reserves or National Guard that WE DO go to the sandbox. In Pennsylvania, the ARMY National Guard is MORE deployed than ANY other states National Guard units and some of our soldiers have been to the sandbox in the last 6 years 3 or 4 times which is more than I can say about active ARMY or Marines.

And as for the poster, your son has a chance of going to war no matter what branch he picks. Tell him, coming from a soldier, I rather have a quality soldier beside me than quantity.

Answer 5

He could join the TA.

At least then he would get a taste of military life and the option to decide whether he does want to sign up full time.

If he still wishes to go the full hog, then he needs to go to the local recruitment office and sit the assessment test, this will then give him options as to what careers within the military are available to him.,

He could also consider the RAF,

Answer 6

Well then tell him not to join the Military. The job of the military IS TO GO TO WAR!!!! That would be like being a plumber but not unclogging toilets and sinks. There are not many other jobs that plumbers perform. Tell him to join the Boy Scouts.

Answer 7

The Military exists for the purpose of prosecuting wars. They may have positions, such as recruiters, that typically stay on US soil, but lately, anyone who enlists is likely to go to either Iraq or Afghanistan. No guarantees, though. We have 2 million + in our military and only about 300,000 are in those conflicts. Mind you, they have to rotate in and out a lot, so a very large percentage of our forces will be engaged there at some point. I would avoid the coast guard, if he's not interested in conflict. They engage drug smugglers on a daily basis. If he has any special skills, he may be able to choose an assignment. For example, if he speaks Japanese, they may want him in Okinawa. If he just wants to join something that helps society without having to be shot at, he might try one of the federal internship programs. That would provide not only useful experience, but contacts that will give him a leg up in whatever career he eventually decides on. And he may even do some good. No guarantees, as not a lot of good comes out of Washington, but it's always possible.

Someone mentioned national guard. A good number of them are actually deployed to these conflicts. Since Vietnam, they are no longer guaranteed to remain stateside.

Answer 8

Ma'am,

The military profession is the profession of arms, whose members go to war when called to do so.

With all due respect, a desire to enter the military without the willingness to go to war is illogical. It's like wanting to enter the priesthood without the willingness to attend church, entering the legal profession without being willing to read, or entering the janitorial profession without being willing to clean things up.

It's THE basic function of the military profession. He needs to look elsewhere. The military needs grownups, not people looking for maturation opportunities.

MSgt, USAF (Retired)

Answer 9

Well looks like whe have a little grunt that whants to join the military but no go to war. Sorry man but we dont like cowards like that in the military, why not become a cop.

Answer 10

It's a bit like joining the navy and never wanting to go on a ship. by joining the Army you may be one of the lucky ones and never go to war, but that option is not yours once you join, it's pot luck, sorry (of course some MOS are "easier" than others: if you end up behind a desk somewhere, you have it relatively easy).

Answer 11

I think your son's view of the military is a little skewed. He cannot expect to take from the military (education, training, health care) and not expect to give something back; that "something" being service to his country, which may mean going off to war. So he either needs to accept that going to war is a part of being in the military OR he needs to find something else to do with his life. The military is NOT a job, its a lifestyle and its certainly one that not everyone is cut out for. I can certainly appreciate him not wanting to go to war; who does? But, its part and parcel with the military and he cannot expect to join and not have to go somewhere to war.

**Tuckholl** My husband is a full-time SSG in the PA National Guard and his unit was alerted last week for deployment to Iraq Fall of '09. So even in the Guard, there is no guarantee that you will not go to war.