What can the military offer my family and me?

I鈥檓 21 with a wife, daughter and one on the way I have been thinking about joining the military. I want to get the best contract I can get but don鈥檛 know what branch to go in or even what questions to ask the recruiter. Most important thing I need is health care for my family and housing. What other things should I ask the recruiter and what other benefits are their?What can the military offer my family and me?As the wife of a disabled veteran, I can say that if you want to choose the job you want instead of what the government wants you to have, your best bet is the Army. They are they ONLY branch that you can choose your specific job.



That being said, the service can offer you lots but as with anything there are pro's and cons. If you join you will get a top notch Education, not so bad pay( an E-1 with less than 4 months of service will get roughly 1178.10 per month) Keep in mind this pay does not include housing allowance which is a benefit that you get if you live off base, on base housing, medical, on base shopping (though it's not always cheaper), leadership skills and more.



The question you should ask yourself is not what they can do for you, but what are you willing to do for your country? Are you willing to give up your life for your country? Once you join they basically own you. I'm not saying this to scare you but to inform. It's not as simple as "I quit". Once you sign on the dotted line you MUST serve your time or pay the price.



Have you talked this over with your family? Specifically your wife? If so she needs to ask herself one question.....is she woman enough to handle it? Not all women are cut out to be military wives..and that's fine. But it does take a special kind of woman to endure what she will have to go through. Is she willing to stand beside you through thick and thin, when you are gone for weeks, months and even years on end? Can and is she willing to be both mom and daddy, while daddy is gone. Is she capable of handling all the bills and so forth?



Those are just some things to consider.



If you really want an honest chat with someone who won't BS you about the service...email my husband. He will be more than happy to talk to you about it. If you would like to talk to him shoot me and email and I'll give you his email address so you can contact him.



Joining is a very BIG descision...especially with the war going on. Being in the service is NOT easy. It's not an easy way to make money or get and education. But it is very, very rewarding.What can the military offer my family and me?
your welcome!

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What can the military offer my family and me?It is not the only service you can choose your job. Please do some research before you state such things.



As an actual USAF member AND a wife, I love your answer.

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Remember this. She started out by saying: "As the wife of a disabled veteran"...Scary!

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What can the military offer my family and me?You alone are not joining the military, your whole family is joining the military. So to join because of the benefits is not the right thing to do, because you will quickly become dishearten and so will your family. It takes a strong wife to be a military wife, not too many women can do it.

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What can the military offer my family and me?
Most branches of the US Military offer housing on base, where available, and if housing is not available, you are provided a housing allowance. Health care will be taken care of for you. However, you may enroll your family into Tricare, which offers many plans and is fairly inexpensive. Be aware that they may offer you several job choices, but if you fail the technical school for that job you chose, they could put you in any job you want.



Also, there is no guarentee that you will get stationed where you want, unless you go Guard or Reserve and serve in your home state, but the these options do not offer housing or health care options like the Active Component.



PS Join the US Air Force, they have a better quality of life for you and your family. Only branch of services that sends our officers off to do the fighting!!
If you're looking for a way to support your family... and that's all, I'd suggest you look for another option.



There are benefits to be gained by joining the military. Health care and inexpensive housing are a couple of them... You can find a little more on the "Benefits" Link below.



But there are also down-sides. There can be long separations. There can be periods when you cannot even communicate. There is, as has been pointed out, the chance that you might be killed. And, as has also been pointed out, you don't get paid a whole lot to start with either as an officer or as enlisted (See "Pay" link below)



If you have a bachelor's degree, or more, you can become an officer. That about doubles your starting pay. If you have a 2-year degree you can leave boot camp an E-3, which helps a little.. about $300 a month.



But you really need to think this though. Talk with a recruiter. Most of all, talk it over with your wife. There's a group of women whose husbands are in the Navy. It's called The Navy Wives' Club. A lot of them are wives of officers who've been through it. They help younger wives get through it as well. It might be advisable for your wife to see if she could talk with one or more of them. (See "Navy Wives" link below).



I'm not certain this is the best forum to get a lot of unbiased, helpful advice... at least based on the first two posts. But I spent a quarter of a century in the Navy, and if it's a career you want, and if your family can live with it, it's an awesome experience.What can the military offer my family and me?
These are all great answers I think you also need to ask your self and your wife if you can endure military life. The benifits are great but it is not an easy life. The devorce rate is very high in the mil. It takes a special person to be a miliary spouse. That said I wouldn't trade being a navy wife for anything. Though we have had some very hard times I love this life. Meeting new people seeing new places and helping others. One thing I don't think people know about military spouses is that bacause jobs are harder to get we tend to volunteer alot. It is like being part of a family. Sometimes it is a disfunctional family but no matter where we have been we always had "family". My husband will retire in5 years and I will be sad to leave this life behind.
job experience, leadership skills, traveling, bonds with other military families that only those of us in military families can understand.... opportunities to further your education...



also ask yourself this... what can you bring to the military.. its a trade.... they can give you something.. but you have to give them the very best of you and your family.. without unconditional support it will be a longggggggggggggg journey..... I'm biased, but I'd go MARINES.. SEMPER FI !!!
The military can offer you a steady income, health care for you and your family, housing for nothing or very little money, pay for your college education, and allow you to get discount at numerous places. Also, most branches get you a cash bonus after you finish you on site basic training.
I do not know about other branches in the military, but with the army you get free health care for you and you family. You will get free Dental, and you family will have very very cheap dental co-pays. You will get BAH (basic housing allowance) that covers your rent, and utilities, or if you live on base you will be provided with a home. You get a Montgomery GI bill that pays for you to go to collage, and if you do not use it you wife or children can. Plus every thing on base is cheaper, and tax free. You also will get a yearly clothing allowance, that will pay for all new uniforms(and most of the time you will have money left over from that.) Do not listen to all these rejects saying that you will go to war and die. A lot of it depends on the job you have. If you are a paper pusher than you will most likely never even have to go off base while in Iraq, if you had to go. Like I said I do not know about the other branches, but the army has a lot to offer.
a chance to travel.
Ok, once you get through boot camp they will have you fill out paper work to get your family health insurance. Once you get a duty station, they will offer you free housing or a housing allowance (called BAH, it's based off of avg rent for the area).

As to what service:

Army- will kiss your *** to get you in, BUT they deploy for 18 months at a time. Nice signing bonuses.

Marines- You gotta earn respect, but only deploy for 6 or 7 months (Do not go grunt, you will be deployed 3 out of your 4 years)

Air Force- If you can get in, go for it. But considered pricks of the military. Don't offer as many signing incentives.

Coast Guard- Hard as anything to get into nowadays.

Good luck!
The military offers a lot, including good pay, good lodging for you and your family, and education now and later. Join the Navy, that way you won't be a foot soldier in Bagdad (I think anyway). Of course all branches of the service are necessary and let your patriotism and personal interests (very seasick, can't swim, Navy not good) dictate where you go. Talk to your recruiter. God bless you and your family. You may be safer there living in your neighborhood or driving on your freeway (or going into the hospital with apendicitis for that matter).
housing allowance, insuarance, cheaper groceries, better schools, travel, and a chance to go to war
There are alot of benefits to joining the military. The most important in my family is that my young sons have a HERO to look up to and mimic in their daily lives. The structure and discipline most marines have reflets that upon their family and their kids paths in life.



Other benefits?: free healthcare for life if you stay in 20 years or for the duration of your tour, dental, GREAT retirement plan, free housing on base, or a nice housing allowance for off base, free utilities on base, a steady paycheck, many, many extra curricular activities for your wife and kids on base, a GI bill to get paid to go to college after you get out, a HUGE support system for you and your family. many, many more.



Oh, forget what people say about hte war, its not going to go on forever, you have a better chance of dying in a car crash than dying in Iraq.



BTW, My advice is to go into the marines, if you going to go, you might as well be the best!! Go for a quick promoting job, my husbands job is an 0622, he gets promoted quickly and with promotion, comes more money.



good luck
Housing (BAH or base housing) and medical is what you will get for you and your familiy. Medical is free for you and at very low cost to your family (sometimes free). You will also get money for college. Just explain to your recruiter what your family situation is like and they will tell you what you can claim for dependants. Plus, you get job training.
Seriously don't do it. Go to school, get a higher education--don't join the military when you have a wife and daughter. That would be so messed up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A pine box and a new flag.

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Friday must be "cowards day" at Yahoo.
Dude, you have a family. Don't join the military, because you're never going to see them, and there's a possibility that you might end up KIA. Plus the military doesn't even pay you all that much at the base level, you're better off looking elsewhere to support your family.