Interesting to see where current military members come from

[buystoys]

I found this article very interesting.  I hadn't really realized that most of the northern bases were closed.  I wonder if we'll see a shift of more people applying to get the education benefit.

link

[NastyWoman]

Jan 13, 2020 14:35:09 GMT -5 buystoys said:

I found this article very interesting.  I hadn't really realized that most of the northern bases were closed.  I wonder if we'll see a shift of more people applying to get the education benefit.

link

I think that would be strongly influenced by the economic situation of families.  For instance, when DS2 was looking at college cost (pre 9/11) he came home one day with the "if I enlist the military will pay for my education". My answer was "we will pay for college like we did for your brother and if you want to enlist after graduation we won't try to talk you out of it". I just did want him to not be beholden to a situation out of his control (just look at the risk our current "leader" put the country in). If he wanted to go fight for his country it would have to be because he believed in the cause he would risk his life for.

He never did join but I have often wondered what my advice would have been if we had not been able to pay for his education, taking into account that I believe very, very few wars are actually justified? Take out loans? Join the military? I honestly don't know so no judgement from me on anyone who advised differently

[Deleted]

Jan 13, 2020 15:01:39 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Jan 13, 2020 14:35:09 GMT -5 buystoys said:

I found this article very interesting.  I hadn't really realized that most of the northern bases were closed.  I wonder if we'll see a shift of more people applying to get the education benefit.

link

I think that would be strongly influenced by the economic situation of families.  For instance, when DS2 was looking at college cost (pre 9/11) he came home one day with the "if I enlist the military will pay for my education". My answer was "we will pay for college like we did for your brother and if you want to enlist after graduation we won't try to talk you out of it". I just did want him to not be beholden to a situation out of his control (just look at the risk our current "leader" put the country in. If he wanted to go fight for his country it would have to be because he believed in the cause he would risk his life for.

He never did join but I have often wondered what my advice would have been if we had not been able to pay for his education, taking into account that I believe very, very few wars are actually justified? Take out loans? Join the military? I honestly don't know so no judgement from me on anyone who advised differently

I had the exact same conversation with my son about 2 years ago when he brought up joining the Air Force for the same reason (he was also on a kick to become a pilot at the time).  I told him if he wanted to I thought it would probably be good for him, but it wasn't something he NEEDED to do to get his college paid for.   He never brought it up again after that.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

Thanks buystoys. I found that article very interesting and was thinking about posting from it but there was so much I wanted to quote that I put it off.

[tractor]

I would have encouraged either one of my sons to join the military if they showed an interest, but neither one did.

This stems from my rather strong interest in joining when I was their age, but like some of you have said, I was strongly discouraged by my father, and for once I listened to his advice. It’s something I have always regretted.

[buystoys]

I see it in my own family.  My dad was in the Army.  My brother and BIL were both Air Force.  A nephew is in the Marines and my niece's husband is in the Army.  My other nephew is thinking about enlisting once he's completed college. 

[justme]

I considered it when I first started working after my MBA as a government contractor and several people I worked with (former military, now government workers for the military) mentioned that they knew people who got commissioned and went straight to law school where the military paid for the law school, housing, and you had a salary to boot. Then you only had a couple of years of your contract left after law school where you'd get training and such and then could leave. I was strongly considering it as law school as at one point my dream, but I was too skeptical of them doing that to even bother to talking to someone. Part of me wishes I'd find out if they still did contracts like that. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Not surprising.

Many military members retire in the states where there is a strong military presence in order to be able to take advantage of lifetime benefits they receive (mainly, FL and TX for the tax benefits).  About the time a parent is retiring from the military, their new adult child is looking for a life.  They’ve been raised in the style, so are not as blindsided by restrictions and it becomes a more viable option.  Additionally, wit( so many base closures in the 1990s, the military population has shifted.  Certain areas of the US lost more bases than others.  .

When I was working on my doctorate, I briefly considered it.  Had I been in another position, I very well might have bit the bullet.  But the vast majority of the costs of my education was already being paid by my employer, and staying in the military long enough to collect benefits would have meant retiring at nearly 70.  

[NastyWoman]

What really influenced me when I told my son that we would pay for college and he was free to join afterwards was a news report that I remembered from the first Gulf war (I have a self-selective very good memory). They showed a doctor who had gone the army route to get her degree and then the Gulf war happened and she was called up to serve in Iraq. She was more than a little upset that she had to leave her small child (children?) behind and stated flat out that she never expected to have to serve in a war zone. So, I told DS2 that if he wanted to serve that was up to him but it wouldn't be because he had to just so he could get his degree.

Again, I realize that he was lucky/privileged enough that this option was open to him. Not everyone has the financial means to offer this to their children.

[Anne_in_VA]

DH and most of the men in his family are former military. One of his nieces is former military too. They mostly settled where their last duty station was because of the proximity to retired services like the clinics, hospitals, Exchange and Commissaries. While I go to civilian doctors, DH goes to Navy docs, gets his meds at the base pharmacy and gets tests,pt and other health related stuff on base.

I shop at the Exchange and Commissary except for my Costco runs or when I just need a couple of things which I get at Foid Lion or Harris Teeter. DH will often stop to pick up items at the base Commissary because there is one at the facility he works at as a government contractor.