| Larry is right. Military service is not for everybody. Basic training is a little rough but it is meant to be challenging, not cruel. The idea is for basic training is that it breaks you down to build you into a stronger person. Most Army training companies used to have 200 men in them. Back when I went through basic training we lost about 10 to 15% of our personnel for a variety of reasons, most of them medical. Where you get the really big attrition loss rates in elite training groups. When I went airborne for paratrooper training, we started off with a 400 man training company. Three weeks later less than 200 of us graduated and got our silver jump wings. So we had over a 50% loss rate in my class alone. Ranger training and Special Forces training loses are even higher. Only about 1 out of 4 guys will complete those training courses. When I went through Sniper Training we started off with about 30 people and gradually our number was weeded down to about 12 people who graduated. Most of the people who don't complete the training are, again, out because of medical reasons of some sort. If you can get through basic and advanced training, military duty can be interesting and fun. Make sure when you sign up you get the right job classification that you want from day one. I signed up for infantry expecting to be a rifleman but I was assigned to be an infantry mortarman. I eventually conned my way into a rifle platoon which is where I really wanted to be in the first place and stayed with rifles until I got out. So, the things that you need to be in the military are a physically fit body, a mentally fit mind, the ability to keep your mouth shut so you can listen and the ability to think your way through times of crisis. If you have those 4 things in place when you join up, you'll do good. But one thing, I would not join the military because of some perceived notion about family history. Make sure that it is something that you really want to do for a number of years or for even a whole career. |