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Proud to Serve
When Teens Enlist in the Military By Sue Marquette Poremba
Beckie Romig believes her mother's death was a factor in her daughter's decision to join the Army. "Sarah and my mother were extremely close, and I' m sure my mom's death sort of pushed Sarah toward the final decision to get away," says Romig of State College, Pa. "At the time, I was pretty much numb and was trusting that this would be, in the long run, a good decision."
For her part, Sarah Romig believes her decision to enter the military right out of high school caught her family by surprise. "I didn't think about it for a long time, but they supported me the whole time," she says. Romig graduated from high school after September 11, 2001, yet she and dozens of her classmates and thousands of her peers decided to skip the "safe" route of going to college or entering into a trade. Instead, they joined the military, despite the looming threat of war.
"The military offers a viable alternative to young people," says Steve Manuel, who joined the Marine Corps at age 17 and spent 28 years on active duty. "The military is an excellent training ground. It's an education that goes far beyond a college degree."
For high school students entering the Navy, for example, the recruiter acts as a mentor for enlistees and their parents. "You want everyone aware of what is going on," says *Lloyd, a former recruiter who asked that his full name not be used. "When a recruit arrives at the recruit training center, they immediately get a phone call home to let Mom and Dad know that they're OK. Parents probably won't hear much from them for quite a while after that. Then comes the hair cut. A urinalysis for drug use is given almost immediately, and then an initial issue of toiletries and physicals and all the paperwork that tells the Navy you exist. Then the training starts."
