Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReelDeel33
I'm a young adult, and have been considering the military for a while. I've always known that if I joined I'd want to join as an officer, so I've been able to put off actually enlisting while I work on my degree. Now that graduation is within reach my thoughts about enlisting are getting more intense. My girlfriend, who i've been dating about 2 years, is in the same boat. Since i'm a pilot I'm interested in the air force. She was more interested in the marines. We had a pretty serious talk about enlisting and I guess we're both hesitant because we feel that the stress and distance that comes with a military career could probably end even the strongest relationships. So we're serious about each other and like the thoughts of settling down and being a family. We also like the thoughts of serving our country. Now we're wondering if it's gonna be one or the other.
I was wondering if anyone reading this has actually served in the military, and if so were you in a relationship? Did it last? And if it did last, how much was it affected/changed?
Hey RD,
Here's my thoughts:
1. If your girlfriend is hot and you want to be with her forever, I'd forget about the military and get a job at the local university, where hopefully she'll be able to get a job too. If she's not hot, just do what you want, because it sounds like she's more interested in Marines than you anyway.
2. If you want to stay together and assuming you marry and want to stay married, I'd think long and hard about both of you joining the service, regardless of branches. The military, even the Air Force
, is a hard life, that demands a lot of your time and commitment. As newly-weds, it will be extremely difficult to devote the time and energy needed to cultivate a long-lasting relationship, while serving your country. If you were both to join, it wouldn't be just twice as hard, it would be almost impossible to maintain any sort of real relationship with your spouse. If she were in another branch of service, you might as well kiss it off, especially if she joins the Marines. I mean, after all....have you seen their dress uniforms?
3. However, if you're both serious about being together as well as serving your country, you might consider: the National Guard; the Air Force Reserve; the Air National Guard; the Navy Reserve; the Marine Reserves; or the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Any of these organizations would allow you to build a life together, while at the same time, serve your country. But be advised, there will be periods of active duty when the both of you will be apart, but once you're married for a while, you'll see the beauty of this.
4. Again, let me caution you about letting her mess with the Marines, because once she does, you won't stand a chance.
Best of luck in your quest.
JJ