<p>My son's MOS is supposed to be one of the most highly selective, with not nearly enough recruits, & he's still telling me he may have to go to Iraq. Every Marine is trained to fight for a reason. Just keep that in mind.</p>
<p>What do your parents think of all this Limon?</p>
<p>Limon,
I'm glad you read the articles I posted -- I was a little afraid that you would feel angry because they are posted on anti-war sites, but I think they are well researched. I don't know if statistics would bear me out, but I have a feeling that soldiers who start out with a more cynical view of things and are prepared for the worst are probably less likely to have emotional problems later on. </p>
<p>As to my comment about romanticizing college, I just meant that I think you have a very positive view, probably imagining yourself in seminars with brilliant professors and stimulating discussion about the books you read -- which might happen, some of the time -- but no college is perfect. You need to look beyond the curriculum to other issues related to the campus environment and academic life to get a sense of where you should go. You need to keep in mind that the "great books" can be read at just about any college if you choose the right courses and major. </p>
<p>In any case I didn't meant to criticize your college choice, just to point out that I think you are a person who is really attracted to the idea of mental, physical, and intellectual discipline. With college, there is plenty of flexibility so it doesn't really matter if a kid makes the wrong choice -- you can always transfer. With the military, it is probably the most serious commitment you could make in your life -- and there is no going back on that. So it probably is NOT a good idea to sign up for the military if the prime reason is to get money to go to college. </p>
<p>I think from everything that you have said that you should do college first, military later, and consider the various ROTC programs. You should also look at various options for majors at different universities that offer ROTC - you may find that you will find specific programs within the humanities departments that offer the "Great Books" approach that you are looking for.</p>
<p>Limon, serving can be a tremendously worthwhile cause, but comes with big responsibility and great sacrifice. </p>
<p>I would recommend you going the route of ROTC, or as Tlaktan stated, enroll in a service academy and become commissioned as an officer. There can be much more potential for you in the future if you choose this method.</p>
<p>Limon, have you looked into VMI or the Citadel? I'm just curious, because they are both excellent military schools (though not academies). Oh, and about the academies, why don't you at least look into what they offer? They normally produce a few Rhodes Scholars every year, so there is a good bit of intellectual activity on campus; however, you would not likely find anywhere near the same environment as at St. John's. Anyways, good luck, and don't listen too much to calmom ;) .</p>
<p>Limon,</p>
<p>There are several websites that can help you out-- websites where current Marines take questions from people interested in joining, and where you can get straight info. PM me if you want me to send you the urls-- the CC admins don't like people posting links to other sites.</p>
<p>You should think LONG AND HARD about your options. Don't go ROTC if you don't really want to become an officer, or if you're not sure what the duties of an officer include. Don't go enlisted if you're not sure about that, either. Whatever you do, don't make any decisions without researching first. </p>
<p>Stay motivated, and explore all your options before signing anything. Good luck.</p>
<p>Uhm -- huh?</p>
<p>That officer/enlisted statement really perturbed me.. Hrm. Limon, PM me and I can give you some unbiased insight (the Director is a Lieutenant Colonel who served in Vietnam, and the SAIs I've served with are First Sergeants, so.. I've gotten both sides of the story, though Army.)</p>
<p>It's beginning to look like my best option is to wait on the military until after college.</p>
<p>Okay, now I am reassured. :). </p>
<p>btw, Huge swathes of my extended family are career soldiers and reservists, so I am not opposed to the idea. However, I too have seen what is involved--which is why I hoped you'd make a deliberate, well-researched decision based on probability. Some career decisions can be made out of fantasy, but not the military. Not in the US in 2005.</p>
<p>I'm with Carolyn, hoping you are a junior. Then you might get a chance to see how the Iran situation plays out before you make a committment.</p>
<p>I have an idea.. if you're in it for the discipline training, why don't you try for the SROTC program's 2 year program? You have two years to have initial contact with the SROTC program (i.e. two years to get a feel for the program), then you have to make the decision of receiving a commission (or not).</p>
<p>It's not a scholarship option, since you're not committing, but...</p>
<p>I have two sons at Thomas Aquinas College; one is graduating in May, the younger is a sophomore. We are not Catholic--choice of this school was based on its curriculum, style of teaching, academic rigor, preparation for <em>any</em> future career and school environment. It is a choice neither boy regrets. We were especially surprised to see Number Two choose TAC over full rides and substantial scholarships at Case, UC Berkeley, UCLA, RPI, etc. since he's a math guy and is looking at a PhD in that subject in the future. If you want more offline so we don't bore others, send a private email.</p>
<p>My son took time off from his university to join the Marine Reserves. He was disappointed in the lack of rigor - he said he actually lost muscle (he was a body-builder) and the runs weren't taxing. But the worst part was that after his technnical training, and despite top scores and awards, he ended up spending his weekends either on guard duty or cleaning the bathrooms. He felt he was wasting his time, using neither his brains nor his brawn. He should have accepted the officer-training offer they made, but he didn't want the increased time commitment. Limon, I suggest you go the officer-training route if you want to be challenged, either through the ROTC, VMI or the Citadel, or go to St. John's or Thomas Aquinas first, at least for a couple of years - you can get into the service academies up to age 23. Maybe you can get your liberal arts degree first? (I don't know the academies' rules.)
The good part of the Marine training - he learned how to iron and is more orderly. It didn't brainwash him, as our friends warned - his personality seemed unchanged.</p>
<p>Have you considered Valley Forge Military College? I like to think of this school as the military equivalent to Deep Springs. And this seems to be what your really looking for...</p>
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