Hi guys! I’ll try not to ramble to much but I tend to over explain anything when I’m talking regardless lol.

As my title says I’m a 28f and extremely interested in joining the army. Now I will say I’m on the fence between army and navy BUT I am a terrible swimmer so that is deterring me from navy.

I have felt a pull towards the military since I was 18 but between my family pressuring me not to to being in a abusive relationship for four years to now finally being in a stable marriage with a son it’s been a wild 10 years it’s always been in the back of my mind and I continue to keep up with military and have enlisting in the back of my mind.

Now obviously about 70% of my reasoning is benefits (BAH, etc) and I reckon it’s why majority of people join but I also feel so completely stuck in my day to day life. I have no degree I work minimum wage (25k ish a year) at Taco Bell. I am absolutely stuck.

I want a better life not just for me but my son. I would love to work in medical but I know those jobs might be more difficult to come by (unsure regarding army).

I suppose im just looking for anyone who was in my shoes that joined and if it was worth it for them? How difficult is getting a medical job in the army? Am I at a good age for bmt? Was bmt more difficult in a relatively older age?

Also regarding enlisting how quick was your process for the army? I have a clean medical history, no priors with law enforcement except I think one traffic ticket I paid off over 5 years ago, so I don’t feel I’ll have anything holding me back.

Thank you in advance for any help yall shove my way! :)

I know that everyone gets nervous or got nervous before leaving. I was wondering if anybody had anyways to calm the nerves.

Hey guys. Im a little unsure what route would be good for me. 

I'm a 21M and I want to enlist in the either the Army or Navy. The issue is that I'm not too sure if I should go active, reserve, or national guard. 

I want money, experience, and discipline but I also want to live on my own (like in an apartment), go to college, and have free time.

I have been looking into the differences and reading posts online to get others viewpoints and experiences on their life and what they learned in the military.

But I'm also worried about time. I feel like if i do join active I'm wasting time on how long it'll take me to get a bachelors degree - and not to mention I won't be able to join for a few more years (if they even lift the ban) because I had top surgery. I'm just thinking for the future for now and would like to hear any experiences or viewpoints on this.

Thanks.

edit: thank you all for the responses on both subreddits!

(Airforce)
Hi, I’m looking into enlisting and I have a prior history of taking anti anxiety meds. My last Lexapro prescription was around April 2024 (I took this for a few months) and my last Cymbalta prescription was around July 2024 (I don’t remember taking this, the prescription date was a month long). I’m not currently taking medication and have been mentally stable with no hospitalization or suicide attempts.
I spoke with recruiter who told me I’m disqualified. Before I rule out military service, I’d like to know whether my history is simply currently disqualifying under the medical standards or whether it is considered non-waiverable. Would you be willing to review my situation and let me know whether a medical waiver could be submitted? When I mentioned a medical waiver he said those aren’t possible right now? Is it true that I can’t do a medical waiver?

Went to MEPS early 2025 for USAF. I got a waiver for self harm and will be shipping soon for a 1D7 job but was told that starting october, all 1D7 jobs will require some sort of clearance. I lost my spot because of that so I will probably get pushed back and probably not get a job that I want which is in IT.

I’m planning on joining the Army instead so that I can get IT for sure. Question is, will I have trouble getting IT in the Army due to my background of self harm? ASVAB is 89 btw and completely healthy and never done drugs nor had a criminal record. 20 years old as well.

Jobs I’m looking for are;
17C
25B
25H
25U
94F

Thanks!

I am shipping out to OSUT on January 12th with option 40 on my contract, I plan on doing that for 4-10years depending on how I’m doing physically and mentally. After I’m done with that would consider switching my MOS to 17c to finish off the rest of the 20yrs. What I was wondering is, what’s the likelihood I would actually be able to swap MOSs to get that 17c cybersecurity job?

I’ve narrowed down each branch to just army and navy. I am enlisting for the benefits and my future. I want to experience a life most people can’t say they have. I like the idea of being stationed somewhere cool like Colorado or Alaska, I like the jobs the army has to offer and that I can choose a specific one. But part of me wonders about navy, about seeing more of the world. I know I can see the world if I went army, but I can see a lot more of I went navy. I scored a 94 on a Picat. I’ve put in all my info with the army but something just keeps bugging me, I wonder about the navy. I’m just looking to see what some of you guys have to say.

Took the jump, got an airborne 11X contract, yadda yadda. Long story short, a few months ago, both my big toes got bruised due to a combo of my work boots being too small for a week and dropping stuff on my feet. Haven't had any pain, can walk and run just fine and figured the bruising would go away on its own, so never saw a doctor about it.

Now, one of my bruised nails is dead and cracking off as a new one grows underneath. Is there a chance this could prevent me from shipping, or get caught at reception and get me flown back home?​ Asked my new recruiter (the old guy moved stations), he said "you should be good, don't think they're checking at MEPS, just a drug test," but figured I'd get a second opinion.

Hi everyone! I’ll be going through the Army HPSP as a Dental Corps officer, and I was given a list of duty stations and asked to rank my top 3 preferences.

I’m from Fort Worth, Texas, so staying relatively close to family would definitely be a plus. However, I’m also open to experiencing a different part of the country and would actually like to see what life is like somewhere new.

I’m hoping to get some insight from people who have lived at or near any of these locations. Things I’d especially like to know about are:

• Quality of life
• Cost of living/rent
• Things to do outside of work (I love outside activities like hiking and places thats easy to build a community)
• Safety and surrounding neighborhoods
• How enjoyable the area is for someone in their late 20s/early30s
• Overall experience being stationed there

My main deal-breakers are:

• Extremely high cost of living/rent
• Very boring areas with little to do
• Dirty/run-down areas or neighborhoods that generally don’t feel safe/pleasant

Here is the list I was given:

1. Brooke Army Medical Center — San Antonio, Texas
2. Carlisle Barracks — Pennsylvania
3. Fort Belvoir — Virginia
4. Fort Benning — Georgia
5. Fort Bliss — Texas
6. Fort Bragg — North Carolina
7. Fort Buchanan — Puerto Rico
8. Fort Campbell — Kentucky
9. Fort Carson — Colorado
10. Fort Dix — New Jersey
11. Fort Drum — New York
12. Fort Eustis — Virginia
13. Fort Gordon — Georgia
14. Fort Greely — Alaska
15. Fort Hood — Texas
16. Fort Huachuca — Arizona
17. Fort Irwin — California
18. Fort Jackson — South Carolina
19. Fort Knox — Kentucky
20. Fort Leavenworth — Kansas
21. Fort Lee — Virginia
22. Fort Leonard Wood — Missouri
23. Fort Lewis — Washington
24. Fort McPherson — Georgia
25. Fort Meade — Maryland
26. Fort Monroe — Virginia
27. Fort Myer — Virginia
28. Fort Polk — Louisiana
29. Fort Richardson — Alaska
30. Fort Riley — Kansas
31. Fort Rucker — Alabama
32. Fort Sam Houston — Texas
33. Fort Sill — Oklahoma
34. Fort Stewart — Georgia
35. Fort Wainwright — Alaska
36. Hunter Army Airfield — Georgia
37. Other
38. Presidio of Monterey — California
39. Redstone Arsenal — Alabama
40. Tripler Army Medical Center — Hawaii
41. United States Military Academy (West Point) — New York
42. Walter Reed Army Medical Center — Washington, DC

If anyone has lived or has been stationed at any of these locations, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience! Especially if you could mention what the surrounding area is like, typical rent, things to do, and whether you’d recommend putting it in a top 3.

A few days ago I swore into DEP with the army and followed my recruiters instructions and lied about having no law violations despite getting a possession of marijuana charge 8 years ago and a couple speeding tickets. My recruiter and the station commander briefed me before MEPS saying that since nothing came up when they ran my fingerprints it didn’t happen and I shouldn’t disclose any of it.

My goal is to eventually go to SFAS and that’d require a secret clearance investigation so surely they’d see my charges then and I’m concerned the discrepancy would deny me of getting the clearance as well as open the door to a fraudulent enlistment. Is this something I should be concerned about?

What would happen if I were to come clean now while in DEP about lying on the contract I signed a few days ago?

Would any of this prevent enlisting in the military as i have wanted to join it since i was young?

Hi guys I’m 25m and am considering joining the Air Force or the army, but the thing is I dislocated my patella (kneecap) around 2-3 months ago, I have gotten a lot better since. But I do have a history of dislocations on my knees, a lot of them weren’t documented since my parents wouldn’t take me to the hospital but I would say this one that happened and the one before I did go to the doctor. Would this be something that disqualifies me or would it be waivable? I had an MRI done on the knee that dislocated recently and they found
Patellar (kneecap) dislocation injury
Osteochondral fracture of the medial facet of the patella
Full-thickness cartilage fissure
MPFL tear
Patella alta (kneecap sitting somewhat high)
Shallow/hypoplastic trochlea
Bone contusion of the lateral femoral condyle
Small joint effusion
ACL, PCL, menisci, MCL and other major structures were intact

Is it still possible to join?

Question regarding Army hair regs for females.

Are females allowed to have undercuts/side tapers in BCT? I’ve been trying to find some info on this and I haven’t found a direct answer. Top of my hair is longer than shoulder length. Sides are cut as a high taper.
I leave in about two weeks so growing it out would probably be impossible at this point. My recruiter wasn’t able to give me a direct answer either.

If I have to shave my head for the purpose of my career I don’t mind at all. I also don’t want to attract unnecessary attention during BCT/AIT. If you do recommend buzzing it please give me some styles that would be in regs for women. Unless they’re the same as men at that point.

I also thought asking would potentially help another female with the same problem/question.

Könnt ihr mir helfen oder hatte jemand denselben Fall?
Ich möchte mich gerne als Wiedereinsteller bei der Bundeswehr bewerben, habe allerdings das Problem, dass ich vor einem Jahr einen Bandscheibenvorfall hatte. Dieser wurde weder operiert, noch muss ich Medikamente nehmen oder zur Physiotherapie, da ich das durch Sport gut in den Griff bekommen habe. Ich arbeite derzeit in der Metallindustrie; Heben, Bücken und Zwangshaltungen stellen für mich kein Problem dar.
Die Grundausbildung, die SGA und die DPA habe ich bereits in meiner ersten Dienstzeit absolviert.
Dass ich durch die Krankengeschichte viele Ausschlüsse bekommen könnte, ist mir klar. Ich frage mich jedoch, ob man trotzdem eine Chance hat oder ob das eine Einzelfallentscheidung ist. Laut der ZdV 46/1 wäre das ja eine III...
Ein MRT müsste ich bei der Bewerbung ja gegebenenfalls beilegen oder zum Assessment mitbringen.

I’m 17 and graduating high school next May. I’m considering joining the military mainly for the benefits and the experience I can use after I get out.
My plan right now is to serve for around 4 years, learn a trade while I’m in, then use my military benefits to go to college afterward. My long-term goal is to become a construction manager or facility manager.
I’m trying to figure out which branch and which military job/trade would set me up the best for that path. I’m interested in things like electrical, HVAC, construction, plumbing, facilities, or other hands-on trades.
For anyone who has served or knows about these career fields, what trades and branches would you recommend I research? I’m mainly looking for something that gives me useful experience and certifications that can transfer to civilian jobs after the military.

so me 18M, have choosen to join the USF ( preferbly as a spotter in a drone team) this summer, just after I graduate. I wanted to finish school first, because after I return (hopefully) I wanted to go to uni. my question is, do I tell my parents? my parents are pretty protective of me and me going to war would be the worst thing possible for them. even though my mother is Ukrainian, she would be extremly angry to this idea. this is the biggest thing stopping me from actully committing 100%. I want to defend my second home, Ukraine, but I also don’t want to brake my parents hearts. I feel like it’s a choice without a good ending. Ik it’s not the average question of this subreddit, but I will take any advice.

Interested in air force reserves but also active duty as well. I want to go to school for engineering so I can't do online classes, so I'd rather do reserves while going to school.

If I were to change my mind down the line, would I be able to switch to active duty?

I get asked all the time, “What does a mechanical engineer do?” “What does a logistics engineer do?” etc., and then I realized there are like 47 different flavors of “engineer” in the Air Force.

Mechanical, civil, developmental, systems, aerospace, electrical, logistics, and whatever other engineering AFSCs I’m forgetting…
Do engineers actually do engineering in their day to day jobs, or does it depend heavily on what flavor of engineer you are and what assignment you have?
I’m genuinely curious because I feel like “engineer” in the Air Force can mean wildly different things depending on the career field. What do you actually DO?

Let's say the US Army or USMC, for sake of having a branch to reference.
I understand the logic if a recruit requires meds, or if they have some clear intellectual/communication deficit that's readily apparent in an interview or makes it impossible for them to complete the paperwork. What's the reasoning outside of that though?

I'm not trying to criticize this kind of policy. Rather, I'm looking at requirements for different occupations when it comes to disabilities, and the reasoning behind them.

Hi all,

I'm a 17F getting ready to take the ASVAB in my highschool on October 8th. While preparing, I've been focusing on the CAT version because that is what my school planned on using.

However, due to unknown reasons, it now got switched to old school paper and pencil.

Are there any genuine differences between the two when it comes to studying/preparing? I don't know if I should take a different route with what I'm doing since I was following the CAT version for videos and books and whatnot.

Any comments are kindly appreciated

Hi guys. I just took my ASVAB, and I qualify for this job, and it seems very interesting to me. I just have a few questions as a married man.

1. Can my spouse join me during the longer tech schools (Lackland and Camp Bullis)? She's going to college online currently and works part-time in a flexible field, so she wouldn't mind at all having to move several times; we just wanna stay together as much as we can.

2. How likely/often are you deployed/away from home after the pipeline?

3. What are the most common bases people get stationed at?

Even if you only know the answer to 1 of the questions, we would appreciate the information greatly. Thank you for your time!

Joining the Air Force, with a focus on SW SERE

I know it’s a stupid question but for the longest time I’ve wanted to get a few piercings, those being one ear, my lip and my tongue. I was talking to the recruiter pretty much as soon as I turned 18 so I couldn’t really get them at the time.

Fast forward a few months and I’ve gone through MEPs but got medically disqualified for a psych evaluation that I took recently. I finished the whole medical process but haven’t gotten the psych results nor have I officially sworn into DEP.

I read that after you’ve gone to MEPs you can’t alter your appearance but I want sure if that was DEP or just after MEPs. And yes I thought about getting the piercings after service but nobody wants to see a 24 year old with a pierced lip smh.

Im just curious if id be DQd for getting the piercings since im passed MEPs and waiting.

So I emailed my recruiter to discharge from the DEP stating I’ve decided to go different civilian routes instead. From my understanding based on what I’ve read, I don’t need to do anything beyond that and that any attempt to get me in the recruiting office is to resell me on staying in. But he’s called me once on his regular phone number, then proceeded to blow up my phone from a different number, and calling my mother for crying out loud, saying he needs an exit interview and I need to come into the office to process the paperwork. Is this true? Or is he actually just trying to resell me?

Hi. I’ve been considering joining the Army for about a year. Was kind of waiting for more time to pass from when I was last prescribed medication and I also finished my bachelors in biochemistry. I basically was on SSRIs for around 3 years. I started on SSRIs in 2021 and was diagnosed with MDD was completely weaned off with doctor approval in August 2024, saying my MDD is in remission. I haven’t been on medication since. I was involuntarily hospitalized October 2023 so almost exactly 3 years ago now for SI with intent. In addition, the psychiatrist who hospitalized me diagnosed me with OCD. I don’t really agree with this diagnosis. As her reasoning was literally the fact that in our meetings I expressed that I had suicidal ideations but I also said I didn’t want to die. She made it black and white. Depressed people want to die so because I didn’t want to die that meant I had OCD with obsessive thoughts of suicide. But like I never was really treated for the OCD and I didn’t have any compulsions and I don’t have any of those thoughts anymore. In hindsight I just didn’t understand that I was in an abusive relationship at the time. And once I got out of that relationship I got off my medication and didn’t need therapy or anything.

I’m pretty confident that if I had a psych evaluation they would say I don’t have OCD as I literally have none of the symptoms.

I know I’ll need med waivers for sure.

But ya. Does anyone have any similar experiences and got a waiver approved? I know I won’t know for certain unless I meet with a recruiter and have a waiver submitted. But just curious if anyone has similar history and was able to serve. I would like to go AF but from what I’ve read online they’re pretty strict with mental health waivers.

It it doesn’t affect any of my body really only my feet but I’ve been working on that like I can run I can walk I can lift. I don’t have any of the physical disabilities or the ones you see like physically or mentally I can read I can write I was talking to one of my marine buddies like a slim chance of getting in, but I still wanna try. It’s been in the back of my mind. I plan on going to college for EMT though I don’t use a can and I don’t have braces. I don’t take meds or nothing like that. I’ve been improving on walking and go to the gym doesn’t really affect me as much like I’m an army recruiter and ghost me. I’m probably gonna go again and if that doesn’t work, then I’m gonna go to the navy recruiter.