Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Military Why did you join the service?

Me, I would have been drafted, so I joined.

I never really thought I would do anything else. I signed 4 days after my 17th birthday. Had to get my Mom's permission. She was not happy.

Family tradition and I was heading to self destruction with guys I hung around with.

Joined the Corps at 17 and my parents were really happy to sign me.

Whole family was Army so I strayed a bit.

Best thing thing I did in my life

1st time.. tradition and I didn't want to go to college..

2nd time, was in college and the Guard, ran out of money, then the ROTC recruiter got me.

By the time made field grade and I realized it wasn't much fun anymore, I had 17 years in, so 5 more made sense.

I was being drafted so I enlisted to choose my duty station in Germany to avoid going to Vietnam

Both my grandparents served so it was always in the back of my head.

9/11 hit and I basically lost my job at the same time - seemed like the right thing to do. We were going to war, I figured I might do some good. Spent 4 years working a counter-terrorism mission, specifically as an E. European Islamic extremism SME. Don't know if I did any "good" but I did my job well above average.

9/11/2001, I was in basic 3/25/2002 - there was a line.

17 is young, I had a friend in basic that joined at 17.

Yes, but I think most of us early enlisters were men by 20. Now of course I thought I was a man at 17, but I was just a kid. I look at the average 20yr old today and wonder what the hell happened.

Received a greeting from Uncle SAM so i Joined 1970 twenty years later took a full time position in Army National guard no break in serv they put me out to pasture in 2013 with 43 years of service, I don't miss the BS but I do miss some of those I served with!




Always make Coffee Up-stream from the Latrine field manual 1892

I just wanted to be a Marine.

Parents wouldn't sign for me, so I signed up a few days after my 18th b-day when the recruiter made it to Sidney (his office was down in Billings).

Six weeks later I graduated high school, and was standing on the yellow footprints at MCRD San Diego on 30 May, 1979.

Family of twelve kids with no way to go to college without racking up significant debt. Joined in Nov 1976 before the Vietnam era GI bill expired.

Ran the scheme past my Scottish grandmother who said, "Join the service and get posted overseas and air the farts out of your pants. You'll come home a hero no matter what you did over there and no one will ever be the wiser."


So I did.

In the end, from enlistment to retirement, I covered 41 years and seven months of enlisted, officer, active, reserve and air national guard duty and had the time of my life.

Right or wrong I never served. I was a lottery for Vietnam. My dad was a B17 pilot with 35 missions. I asked him about joining and his only advice was " You are too smart for that". He wanted me to go to college.

Was drafted in October 1972, last draft call for Vietnam. Short version, no Student Status as that was cancelled, but got a delayed enlistement as long as I kept my grades up. Went in after college, trained as 91 B and 91 C, reduction in force kept me from continuing in other things I signed up for.

Came from military family, so it was just considered that was what I was obligated or expected to do..

Don't regret a bit of it.