Family guy wants to join military i need advice from actual people in the military?

I am 23 years old, my wife is 21 and i have 2 kids of age 2 an a half, and 1 an a half (both boys :) I always wanted to be a marine or an army soldier since i was young, everytime i see a soldier on the street i get this proud feeling inside thats unexplainable. my father is also a vietnam war vet that currently holds a great job working on a navy base as a saftey specialist. its just seems that people in the military always have good jobs later in life and good medical and dental coverage for the family. i have been with my wife for 6 years coming up on feb.19th, so are relationship is really strong. i have been the only one working and paying bills for the majority of the time so when i work 12+ hour days she is with the kids, so she is an independent person pretty much.im also a GED holder but i want to know if this would be a good career choice for people in a family that barley get by?also how is the housing?good coverage for my family?how are the schools for kids? what its like?

Family guy wants to join military i need advice from actual people in the military?
sounds like my family! we were married for 3 years, had a daughter that was 1%26amp;1/2 at the time. had a house and we both worked. my hubbys job as a journeyman kept laying him off due to the business being slow. one day he came home and threw the idea of being in the navy at me. i wasnt happy to say the least. but we talked about it for a few months and i supported him 100%. it just took some information and knowledge on my part to agree with everything. being in the military was something my hubby has always wanted to do, and this was his oppotunity. we've been in the navy now for 3 years. we've gone through 4 deployments all at least 4+ months at a time, schools, etc... the money is not great, i'll be honest with you there. but on the upside, awesome medical coverage under Tricare. Base housing isnt bad. really depends where youre stationed at. we are in texas so where we live is fairly new and nice. you will get BAH, which covers you rent, and utilities. (some places are making you pay for your own electric costs now...fyi). Your wife sounds like she is independant, which is very good. you will be gone a lot, so you know she will be able to take care of things while your gone.


as for schools, they go to regular public or private schools (here anyway).


go to a recruiter and take your test and see what job you can qualify for. take small steps into this, it is a drastic life change, make sure that you know what your doing by asking a ton of questions!!!


overall, we made the right choice by joining. it has only strenthened our marriage and family. we are more happy now than we ever have been. we have an overwhelming respect for one another and appreciation.


sounds like your family would do very well. good luck to you.
Reply:The military CAN be a good career for someone like you. The risks are there, however, that you could be put into a combat position, with the commensurate risk of getting killed or maimed. There is also the possibility that,e ven without combat, you could be separated frfom your family for extended periods.


Negatives aside, there are many many positives. You and your family are covered by excellent medical coverage. If you qualify for on-base housing, it is usually quite good (and at no cost to you) - if you aren't able to get on-base housing, you are paid a housing allowance to help with costs in your own house or apartment. You receive clothing allowances, and would get a monthly allowance for food purchases. In most United States assignments, your children attend public schools. Overseas, there are U.S.-sponsored schools.


Go visit a recruiter to get more detailed information. No obligation.
Reply:well i have to say for your situation the military sounds perfect. i know you say your wife is independent, but is she willing to be a single mom for sometimes a year at a time? housing is usually decent on base (not sure about marines or army, and alot depends on the base too) but you always have the option of getting BAH and living off base. you will have full medical insurance for you and the family.....no charge for anything as long as you go to the doctor they assign you to. as far as dental is concerned you pay around $26 a month and it only covers basic exams and a percentage of everything else based on rank.....for instance i need a root canal and because my husband is an E5 its still gonna cost me about $300. there is daycare on base ....both a center and home providers if your wife chooses to work, or if she just needs dropin care from time to time for appointments etc. full time daycare is based on your rank + her income and in most cases works out to less than taking them off base (be forewarned if they are under 2 there is a waiting list alot of times) most US bases dont have a school on base (unless its a really big base then sometimes an elementary school) but overseas bases have great schools, with accredited US teachers teaching at them......they even have programs for spouses that get a teaching degree so they can automatically get a job on base if you PCS overseas. if your wife or one of your children has any medical condition that requires constant care you can enroll them in the exceptional family member program which basically ensures that you always are in a situation where their needs are met. you can email me if you have anymore questions....im a 6 year AF spouse and mother of 5
Reply:i think it would be great for you, but make sure your wife understands that you will be deployed long periods of time, she's not going to live near her family or friends, she might be in an entire different country and it will be just her and the kids til she can make some friends, the health insurance is excellent, sometimes the schools are good but many bases are in bad area's where the schools are not so good, good luck!
Reply:Well I believe I can say that I am an expert in this field, when I joined I had a wife and a child. I joined at the age of 22, I got fed up of having 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. I joined the Navy back in 1987 and I just retired in 2007. Yes there are times that you are away from the family, but at least you know you have a steady paycheck and great benefits for your family.
Reply:Only you can make that choice, but based on what your saying, I think it could be good for you. This life is different and can be challenging, but there are a lot of advantages to it. You need to really look into it before you decide though.
Reply:any service will take care of you. but my advice is the Air Force. out of all the services, it is proven that the USAF has more benefits for its soldiers than other services, will give you an allowance for housing and supplement, is the most family and education oriented service, has full coverage for family and dependants and many other benefits.





cmski82@yahoo.com if u would like me to answer u more in depth about the AF. (No im not a recruiter. i know how frustrating they can be!)

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