What should i do? (serious answers please)

Question

alright my family is basically military my mom was in the AirForce my dad in the Army and their parents before them now my dad wants me to follow in his footsteps and become a special forces soldier just like he did and my brother did, but my mom wants me to join the air force. i plan on joining the military either way but i dont want to dissapoint them in any way, if i join the branch they dont want for me i know its my decision but i just dont know. theyre waiting for my reply on which branch i choose by next month ( delayed entry program im a junior in highschool) what should i do? and also please dont say join the navy or marines my parents would disown me (they already told me)

Answer 1

You've gotta do what you want to do. It's your life, make it what YOU want.

Answer 2

Chose which one that is RIGHT for you, they might dis-own you at first but after you have made it in what ever branch you chose they'll come around and be Proud.

Vet-USAF

Answer 3

Do whatever YOU want to do. Also I highly doubt that if you joined the Navy or Marines your parents could make an actual case to disown you.

Answer 4

you need to not be concerned about their feelings.  i know it is hard right now.  you don't even have to join any service.  do what your heart tells you.  you will not regret it.  Famous quote:  "Decide who you want to be, and then do what you must do."

Answer 5

Go into the Marines !  At first, both of them will think your crazy but once they see you at the graduation ceremony they will be proud of you.

Your choice and whatever your decision, I think your parents will be proud of you.  They know it's your life and you have to live it the way you want.

Best of luck!

Answer 6

If you want to go into Special Forces with the Army keep in mind you must be 21 yrs old to do so. If your a junior in HS I doubt you meet this one requirement. The thing you need to do is visit a recruiter from the Army and Air Force. Be ready to ask questions and don't be shy about any question you may have. Try to find which branch of service will best fulfill your interests and provide you with the long term growth you'll want professionally and personally. Both are great but I'm sort of bias as I'm in the Army. Good luck and try to make an informed decision before going to your parents again. I'm cetain which ever you choose they will be proud of you.

Answer 7

Join the branch that's right for you. Your parents SHOULD be proud of you for taking such a big step. If the Marines have the job you want and you can handle the training, do it! I wish you luck :]  

Answer 8

I'll make the same suggestion I make to anybody in such a situation... Go look in a mirror. See that guy? He's not going away. Parents, friends, loved ones, kibitizers like these folks here, they come and go. But every morning when you look in the mirror... that guy will be looking back at you. You have to do what makes him happy. You can't lie to him. You can't fool him. He knows when you've done your best and when you haven't. He knows when you've made a decision YOU think is best based on the best information you could gather.

If your parents are military, they won't care what branch you enter. They'll be proud that you've upheld the family tradition of serving your country. And, if they're disappointed in your choice... you don't make a choice for them. You make it for that guy in the mirror.

I enlisted in the Navy with a BA degree in 1960. People told me I was nuts for joining. Then they bashed me for enlisting rather than seeking an officer's billet. Then they gave me a hard time because of the specialty I chose -- or that chose me. Then they gave me a hard time for accepting an offer of OCS instead of extending for my E-6. Then they gave me a hard time about making the Navy a career.

I retired at 45. I got two more degrees on the GI Bill. I eased into another career based upon my military experience, my 20 years as an officer, my recent security clearance, and my education. I retired from that career 12 years later at age 60. I purchased my home with a VA-insured loan and paid it off in 10 years. This year I rented out the house to a family from a nearby Air Force base and moved into a VA retirement home -- for which I pay less than the income from the rental of the house. My other income? It's like getting paid $60K for waking up in the morning and going to the pool. The only expenses I have here are license, insurance and fuel for my car. Everything else is paid for. I still can travel just about anywhere in the world for free. I still can use the facilities at just about any base. Every morning I look at the guy in the mirror. He doesn't smile much anymore. He grins. :-D

If you're afraid you might make a bad choice... you probably are going to do so... several of them... in the course of your life. You're only human. General Patton said, “The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That's the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!”

And look in the mirror once in a while. The guy you see will change. He'll get older. He might get a few wrinkles. He might get some gray hair... and maybe lose a little of it. But he'll be with you for the duration. If he's smiling back at you... most of the time... you're doing ok.

ADDENDUM:

Don't select a service based on benefits as one poster suggested. Doesn't make any service which you choose, you'll be first and foremost a soldier -- especially if you go SF. You will be trained for combat. That's primarily what soldiers do. In combat soldiers die. There is no guarantee you won't be one of them. Dying for your country, or for what you believe is one thing. But being willing to die for a couple of bucks or a few benefits? The mercenary mind-set is something of a puzzle to me.

Answer 9

Going in to the military is a HUGE decision. You should not go into  the Air Force because your mom says and you should not go into the Army because your dad says. It is your life, choose whatever branch you want. By the way, I am sure your parents wont disown you. I am sure they would be proud to have a son in ANY branch. What ever branch you choose is your decision and they are all honorable branches. Good Luck!

********* Out of all of the branches, which would you choose to join? Regardless of what your parents think. *********

Answer 10

You need to decide exactly what you want to do with your life-- the type of field you want to get into, the type of training you want, etc. Once you narrow down a career field, choose the branch that best supports that. You will never make everyone happy, and you shouldn't have to. If you don't choose something YOU enjoy doing, you will be miserable, and in turn, feel resentment towards being forced into doing something that you didn't really want to do. Your parents may surprise you and be supportive of whatever you decide.  

Answer 11

this is YOUR decision and your decision only. You need to figure out what kind of job you would like. If you are an intelligent guy, go airforce. If you are very physically strong and hooah, go army. (Im not saying army guys are dumb, there are several high intellilect army jobs). Im just sayign the army can be more physical.  

Answer 12

You need to stand on your own two feet when it comes to this decision.  Stop living your life to please your parents, and start living your life for yourself.  If you want to go into a branch that they do not honor, then do so.  It is your LIFE.  In the long run, you will be a much happier person.

Answer 13

I think you should go to a college with Army and Air Force ROTC.  take a semster of each and then make a decision.  

You will have a better understanding of what each one does and how you fit in to the mission.  

I thought I knew more about the AF (my dad was a lifer) than I really did.  I had a little "adjustment" when I first came on AD.  

Just a thought.

Answer 14

OK so it's YOUR choice but you can't choose Marines or Navy cause they would disown you.Its ok your not ready to be a Marine yet anyway...i say go Air Force with your mommy since you can make your own choices in life

Answer 15

Recommend you talk to a recruiter from each branch, ask questions about sign-on bonuses for career paths you would be interested in, assuming you can test and qualify.  Our daughter just signed on with the Navy and will get a $16K sign-on bonus for her career field.  I've seen other sign-on bonuses averaging $4K to $6K -- and if you do well in the testing and qualify for a more highly specialized field you can get a higher bonus.  One area she considered was $100K for the sign-on bonus -- but it was a career field she did not want.

Also ask about college tuition, medical, if you stay in, what is retirement at 20 years; 25 years; 30 years, etc.  

THEN MAKE THE DECISION THAT WORKS BEST FOR "YOU."

Answer 16

Well, first off, establish that YOU want to be in the army at all. If you don't, and your parents would disown you, they are extremely awful parents. There are several careers that you could go down. Are you good at art? Good with numbers? Creative? Look through your characteristics and see if there was ever any one career that you thought you'd want to give a shot before committing your life to the army.

If you choose to go down another career path, and your parents "disown" you, don't try to say "Look this is my decision..." just wait until they talk to you. If they are mature (Which they should be if they were in the army, and grown adults) then they will eventually apologize.

There's other options too, if you'd like a career outside of the army, you could become a part of the reserve instead, rather then getting involved in a full-time military career, and still pursue your dreams, whatever they may be.

Remember to keep telling yourself that IT'S YOUR LIFE. IT IS NOT YOUR PARENTS CHOICE.

Now, if you're still going into the military, and not in the reserve for that matter, I could not tell you which to go for. Both are extremely dangerous, and if your mother and father follow the basic immutable laws of the universe, your father will get more angry if you don't join the army, whereas your mother would probably forgive you (Okay okay, they aren't immutable laws, but more than half the time they're right)

If you want to know more about the airforce, ask your mother, then do research on the internet to make sure what she's telling you is accurate. Do not ask for her life stories. Likewise with your father.

If you choose to go on a full career path, then remember, they actually CAN'T disown you. It's illegal until you're 18, at which point they can (Though probably won't) kick you out.

Likely, your parents will at first be confused that you disobeyed their wishes to join the army, once that subsides, it will likely turn into anger, then depression, and at the end it will be grudging acceptance.

So, do what you want to do. If your parents do get angry at you, just accept it, but don't apologize for it, since they will take every moment of vulnerability they can (if you start crying about them being so angry, they may lure you into a false sense of acceptance, then con you into the army)

If your parents are extremely angry and threaten to kick you out, talk to a teacher that you trust. It's likely better to just let your parents be angry, there's no way to really get around that.

So there you go, hope I didn't put you to sleep with my answer.

Good luck mate!