He's Packed and Ready...

[rparmfamily]

Ahh this whole post makes me teary-eyed!!! You should be proud of him, he's making a good choice and it sounds like it will serve him well to have the dicipline the military offers. My brother joined the AF after basically doing nothing after HS and I think it also helped shape him into the good man he is today. He didn't stay past 6 yrs or so but it made a very positive impact on him.

Whoever asked...normally enlistments are 4 yrs, though some jobs are 5 and 6yr enlistments, and in the case of the Navy, often those jobs earn bonuses because they are highly skilled jobs. DH went in under a 5 yr commitment, as he was aircrew. (they go thru a few years of school before getting out into the "real" Navy)

 

[PatsGirl]

DS left for the recruiters office to sign up for a four-year Fire/Rescue job that would have given him a 2-year Fire Science degree as well as EMT and Paramedic training. He called a few hours later to say he had signed for 6 years in a much more dangerous/active position (EOD) From what I understand they offered him an E-3 (about $200/month more) and a $16K bonus and he just couldn't say no. After I was done screaming at him I asked him why and he replies "I love robots and I really love to blow things up" ~~ truthfully, I was hoping for a "I want to serve my country...." but hey, what do you want from a boy/man who spends every waking hour playing Warcraft?

I was all for the AF for Fire Rescue but I'm more than a little apprehensive about EOD. Of course, this all assumes he makes it through some type of specialized boot camp for special forces, 10 months of engineering classes, and a high security clearance. Rate of washout is 70%. Don't know whether to hope that he makes it through school or hopes that he doesn't If he get washed out they'll assign him another position, maybe fire science or military police.

He will be stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Pensacola, FL which I've been told is the Taj Mahal of military bases

Thanks for helping me keep my chin up!