should i allow my son to join the army reserves?

Question

my son has just turned 17 a junior in high school he wants to join the army reseves should i let him join now or make him wait till hes 18

Answer 1

Why wouldn't you let him join and make his own life decisions? If this is what he really wants to do, then why not. If you feel that this is all he talks about, then why make him waite. All he will do during the summertime is go to basic training and come right back. He will not deploy and will not be able to deploy until he attends his job training after his senior year in high school. Even then he will be going straight to his first duty assignment and do his weekend drills. He will know 3-6 months before he gets deployed anywhere.

SSG Schramm
US Army 15 years
OIF 2003

Answer 2

He will need a plan what happens when he deploys, and for practical purposes when he goes to Basic training. Yes, I think you can join the reserves. Air Force reserves deploy shorter periods 6 months Army reserves is still deploying 12-15 months.

Answer 3

Why is it so bad to let your son join the Army Reserves now? He still has to wait until he is 18 to even go to basic.

Your son wants to do this, and the chances are he will do it as soon as he turns 18. Would you rather him be mad at you until he turns 18 and joins anyway?

If you make him wait, he is more likely to do it out of spite rather than because he wants to go in.

Answer 4

You shouldn't stop him, but you should make sure he's making a very well researched & reasoned decision based on what he needs to get out of the military.

A lot of kids really want in the military & they'll jump at a program like we have in the guard/reserve that lets them sign up while still in high school to attend basic over the summer & get paid their whole senior year before going back for job training. That's a great option that's out there, but they really need to make sure it's right for them.

Honestly? The education benefits kick in as soon as he signs, but that doesn't mean much till he graduates. The college first option is something you need to make sure is in the contract. That makes him non-deployable for the first two years so he can focus uninterupted on his education while serving locally with his unit. If he enlists now, then he's using up that time before he gets to college. You'll want to look at SMP for down the road too.

If education is the main motivator, the guard actually provides better benefits cause the state contributes on top of what the feds give. Just make sure all the information has been considered & no one rushes into anything. Do feel free to participate in the process & ask lots of questions so you know what's going on.

Answer 5

whoa.. WAIT a minute before reading all these posts! These people have no idea what you are actually talking about! If he signs up now, he will STILL finish school before going to train!!! It just means that his Inactive Reserve time starts early and his 8 year commitment ends sooner!

When you enlist, you serve 8 years... 2-6 years depending on the length of your enlistment, and then the rest of the 8 years is on the Inactive Reserve (IRR)- you are basically the last group called up before the draft. If he signs up now he will join the DEP- Delayed Entry Program- and he will not go to Basic until finishing school. DEP time counts towards the IRR!

Anyways, as a Reservist he won't be gone much anyways! Unless his unit is activated for a deployment tour, he only spends a grand total of about 30 days a year on duty, after finishing his training!

But for heaven's sake, let him do it now- it will help him in the long run if he doesn't like it.

Answer 6

He is still a Junior, so there is no rush. If you want to make sure that he knows that he is ready for this great commitment, get him into something that requires a great deal of dedication, and hard work.

As stated by another, the Army will still be there.

But don't let him see that You aren't letting him go, let him see that it's a better idea to wait. That way, he has this extra time to compare the different branches of service so that He can decide what to do.

Answer 7

If he is just a junior I would talk him in to waiting. Just let him know that once he signs the papers, he will be off to boot camp once he graduates. Let him know you respect his decision but there is no need to jump the gun. The Army isn't going anywhere. They will still be there once he graduates. If he still wants to his Senior year he can sign up then. If he was a Senior right now at 17 I could see you signing just so he could head to boot camp right after graduation. Being a junior there is no need to sign up. If it were my son I would tell him to lets wait until next year. If you are sure you still want to join. We can take the appropriate steps then. Tell him, you never know, you may want to be a Marine. This will give you more time to think about it. Best of Luck!

Answer 8

I waited a year after I joined the active Army. Working on my own for a year before making that commitment was a good decision for me. Some 18 year olds who do come in the Military are well adjusted, most are not. You and he will have to decide if he is mature enough to commit to that much self-discipline.

Answer 9

I am a college student and if my mom tried to stop me, I would not appreciate it as much. Instead what I like my parents to do is tell me the plus and the minus of both sides and let me make the decision, i.e you can explain to your son that the benefit is a service to the country, a lifelong training that you will carry and our private sector especially loves people with military backgrounds because of their training. I would then explain the dangers, but pls let him make the decision.

I know that you are a mother, and like my mom you are probably allways worried, but if joining the reserves is his passion then let him pursue it.

P.S- I think it is very noble that your son wants to join the reserves, I wish I had the courage to join. You might allways be worried about him, but you will also be a very proud mom knowing that your son is serving the country

Answer 10

Let him join when he's 18, at which point he'll be old enough to sign himself in.

People should enlist when they've got a little more life and work experience than junior high.