I (17M) want to join the Army and start the process this week when I turn 18. I have done lots of research into it and I’ve decided I want to be a 15T (Blackhawk Helicopter maintainer). I want this job in order to get my A&P (Aircraft mechanic license) while I’m in so I can be an aircraft mechanic with a major airline when I get out. I want to use the benefits to the fullest and set myself up with a good footing, house, license, car, etc. My entire family has told me stories and a plethora of reasons and practically begging me not to go. I have gotten texts from family friends telling me that I’m out of my mind. My parents however, took a different approach. They started to guilt trip me and throw in how they raised me for 17 years and I’m basically saying fuck them and all they’ve helped me with. They also call me dumb and stupid saying that this is the stupidest decision I could do.They bring up that they helped me get my license early and pay insurance on my car. And they were about to help me pay for some tires for my car which are currently bald and decided that I won’t be needing them since I’m going away. None of my family members have done any service nor attempted to join. I constantly tell them ( and it sounds selfish) that I am doing this for myself and not because a recruiter or anyone tells me to. I know what I am getting myself into and I understand it.
Please help me.
What are their reasons?
Joining the military at this time would be a death sentence for your future. You’re NTA for wanting to join but you will be ruining your life.
INFO: How long have you wanted to do Blackhawk maintenance and is there any civilian path to accomplish this or something similar?
They just want you to live, bro.
NTA but also they’re trying to protect you because military recruiting is predatory and they promise a lot of things the military doesn’t always deliver on, and veterans are usually treated like dirt beyond passing “thank you for your service” but any government assistance they’re trying to lure you in with will all the sudden get blocks and not work. It IS a scam and they ARE trying to protect you, but it doesn’t make you an asshole for making the decision to get scammed and risk your life for no reason. You’ll be 18 soon. You have the right to ruin your life/die in a battle for oil.
I don’t blame your family. The Army is dangerous no matter which job you choose because “you’re an infantry man/soldier first”. Same goes with the USMC. Just so you’re aware, you can do the same exact job in the Navy or Air Force. At least then you know it’s highly unlikely that you’ll end up with a rifle in your hand on the front lines of a conflict.
I’ll go one further and say that getting the job you want in the AF is a hell of a lot more likely that you getting it in the Army. If you’re dead set on this, you should try to find someone that can help make sure you don’t sign anything that is shady. There are thousands of stories where recruiters lie to people just to get them signed up. You’ll want everything in writing guaranteed. Don’t sign anything unless the job you want is guaranteed.
I’m curious as to their reasoning on how this is stupid or selfish.
It sounds like you have a reasonable plan in place (overall)- ALTHOUGH, and this is a pretty huge ALTHOUGH-
When you join up, you are in no way guaranteed a particular ‘track’ in your army career.
You might sign up planning to be a mechanic and get put wherever they need you at that moment, and might MIGHT be pretty far from where you were looking to go, career-wise.
Have you looked at local tech schools for helicopter maintenance/repair?
I have a friend who blasted through her aviation maintenance program in like 18 months, and is now (just a few years later) hired on at that same school as an instructor.
Army is pretty good at giving you the MOS you want. They are far behind recruitment goals and thus need someone basically everywhere. They “lock” it in.
However, make sure you know what the job is when you sign. I know someone who thought combat engineer was building stuff when it is more explosives.
However, with the current tensions, if they needed to put OP on frontlines, they 100% would cause no one is safe from that.
And OP needs to speak to someone in the military who is not a recruiter because they will manipulate everything to make military life seem more glorious than it is.
Source: Military parent who also did recruiting for a while.
ESH. They’re handing this extremely poorly. You are immature and making a decision that, frankly, no 17 or 18 year old should be allowed to make. And the reason they have kids making these decisions is because wiser people wouldn’t.
First of all, you may go in with a goal, but you have no idea where you’ll actually end up or what you’ll be doing. While Iraq and Afghanistan were before your time, they’re clear examples of that.
Second, looking around at the geopolitical climate, why anyone would want to sign up to steal Venezuelan oil or whatever the plan is with Greenland is beyond me.
Third, you say you can get the same education at a local community college, which is way less of a commitment with the added bonus of not being required to potentially kill someone because we’re covering up the Epstein files.
I am ex-army, but not USA. You are joining for the correct reasons, with definite career goals that will give you a job back in civilian life. You are not going combat arms but high skill, that are expensive to train and normally beyond working class kids to pay for themselves.
You, NTA. Your parents are TA here.
If your long term goal is A&P to work at a major airline, why are you choosing helicopters?
Air Force heavy aircraft maintenance would be much more applicable. There is a decent learning curve coming to/from rotor wing.
I worked on C-17s the last 8 years of my Air Force career, and I’ll tell you that we worked hand in hand with Boeing, and anyone worth their salt was able to get a job with them once they got out.
If you just like helicopters, then by all means, go for it. Do what you think you’re going to enjoy because the military sucks when you don’t like your job. I just wanted to throw out the AF option too because if you’re more worried about long term, the AF will set you up better.
Listen to this man. Airforce and Navy with a technical career are the way to go if you truly want to take advantage of the opportunities available. Airforce and Navy are also significantly less shitty living conditions and the food is better. Don’t listen to all these naysayers telling you you are making a mistake. If you aren’t intending to go to college and your family isn’t well off/rich, there is nothing wrong with joining the military. Just don’t be infantry and try to avoid combat jobs.
Just remember that recruiters lie. They’ll tell you exactly what you want to hear to get you to sign the papers and once you do, they ultimately decide what you do and where you go.
Every time I hear about a young person wanting to join the army, I remember a night when I was younger and spent hours reading through the comments on the video for Hero of War by Rise Against.
You’re selling your body. Your mind, and your soul. And the people buying those from you do not value you. Not the way they should. I don’t blame the people around you for trying to discourage this.
Nobody is AH here. You’re NTA because you’re planning your life, and what you want to do, and your parents are NTA because they see the state the world is in right now, and don’t want you hurt. No matter what you choose, somebody is going to be upset. Good luck.