9781422241332

Total Active Duty Personnel (as of August 2017) Service Total personnel

Army Navy Air Force 452,064 Marine Corps 178,213 275,296 258,095 Coast Guard 33,228

37.8 13.9 22.9 22.6 2.9

13.2 6.2 15 11.6

Percentage of total force Percentage female

14 On the one hand, there are real benefits to joining the military, including the following: • Job training The military offers thousands of specialized jobs in a wide variety of fields. You don’t have to be in the infantry. The majority of military jobs have direct civilian counter- parts, and most of these are noncombat occupations. Of course, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. That’s because, according to the military, all positions are potentially combat positions. However, the current ratio of combat to noncombat troops (also called the “tooth to tail ratio”) is roughly about 1:3. • Educational benefits The U.S. armed forces offer excellent educational benefits. After your tour of enlistment is over, a program called the Montgomery GI Bill provides financial sup- port for you to continue your education. The amount that the U.S. government will provide to offset education costs depends on a number of factors, including the length of your en- listment, the type of education or training you’re getting, whether or not you have depen- dents, and whether you are attending full time or part time. But generally speaking, support ranges in the neighborhood of $1,000 to $2,000 per month. • Fringe benefits As a member of the military, you get free medical and dental care, free gym and exercise facilities, free on-base housing (if available), and 30 days of vacation with pay. • Travel Moving on is a way of life in the military. You might be sent somewhere in the United States or perhaps anywhere around the world. A popular U.S. Navy recruiting slogan re- mains, “Join the navy—see the world.” • Career In the military, you earn a steady paycheck from the moment you sign up. If you join at age 18, you can serve a full 20 years and retire at age 38! • Sense of purpose As a member of the U.S. armed forces, you are part of an organization that is important in the world. You’re not working just to make money and acquire more consumer junk. Ideally, you’re helping to defend the national security of the United States.

Introduction  •

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