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Proud to Serve
When Teens Enlist in the Military By Sue Marquette Poremba
Of course, joining the military is unlike any other adult rite of passage a teenager takes. Parents will need to adjust to not having their child home for long periods of time, particularly at the holidays. And, as Manuel says, "The most obvious negative is the likelihood of the service member being killed in combat operations. The fact of the matter is, the military suffers many injuries and deaths during training operations." No parent wants that knock on the door, giving them bad news, but if your child is joining the military, parents need to be mentally prepared for whatever happens.
Still, there are many positives that outweigh the negatives to military life. "It's a steady job that provides for my family," says Lloyd. "I'll retire at 37 with a medical plan and half pay that will allow me to do a lot of things I wanted to do."
"The military is excellent training ground," says Manuel. "There are many high-tech positions within the military that young men and women can serve in, and that includes free education and training in fields that they will be able to take with them when they return to the civilian workforce. Service members are given an opportunity to see how other parts of the world live, and in many cases, live in another culture."
For Davis, another part of the world was California. "When I enlisted, never in a million years would I have figured I would get the posting I wanted to California," she says. "My life long dream had been to go to California, and I actually got to do it."
Romig sees nothing but Army life being a positive experience for her daughter. "Sarah has gained so much self-confidence and poise," she says. "She can easily adapt to many different situations. It's also been a great lesson in dealing with people. The Army is all about living in close quarters with people from all stages and walks of life. Acceptance, respect and conflict resolution are part of each day's experience."
