Military | Navy Recruitment

Support for Military Families is Essential

For as long as anyone can remember citizens of the United States have been going off to war leaving behind their family members for an undetermined amount of time. The stress that comes with leaving ones family is incredible and the stress felt by the family being left behind is equally as enormous. To have no control over your loved one as they go off to war is overwhelming to say the least and then to be left manning the ship so to speak is a big job. For those families that are left behind to fight the battle of life at home there are some helping hands available. In each community there are a number of resources cropping up to help those who have to maneuver life on their own.

These resources offer to the families of the military everything from moral and emotional support to help with the basics of every day life from car pooling and getting the children where they need to go to finding a way to pay the bills that mount up. Being a military family member who is left to work and wait for their soldier to return can be a full time job. This means that they need some extra hands and a little extra moral support to get through the rough times. It is extremely stressful wondering if your loved one will return home or become a casualty of war. The family left behind has to be as tough as the soldier shipping out because they are going to be pushed to their limits with emotions and day to day life. Thankfully the resources are becoming more available for the many families left to cope while their soldier is off protecting the country.

Filed Under: Family and Friends, Military Tagged With: Family, Military

The Decision to Serve

It takes a special kind of person to want to enlist in the armed forces. While most of the world is content to simply think of the military as a group of people who are “out there” fighting in the latest war, those few people who are brave enough to actually do so are truly cut out of a different sort of material from the rest of us. After all, we have long since abandoned the idea of having a forced conscription, either out of the general civilian population or out of the prison population. So we have an entirely volunteer military, and every single one of them has made a conscious decision to serve in the armed forces.

But since the military is the armed forces instead of the armed “forced,” one has got to wonder what can motivate a person to want to serve in such a potentially dangerous occupation. Now granted, there is going to be some degree of danger in any kind of job that anyone is ever going to do. Every day we all face the prospect of being maimed or killed, often through some kind of a completely random event. In a situation like the military, however, one is often literally marching (if not actually charging) right into harm’s way. While it is definitely admirable to do things of this nature, one has got to wonder why.

Most people who go into the military are not crazy in the slightest. Rather, they have decided that, while they might end up dying in the line of fire, it is worth the risk in order to do something great in life. Often they have goals that will require more education later in life, and the military will often help them to pay for that education. And this is not even mentioning how the military teaches discipline and leadership skills. It has to, in order to bring its people back home safely.

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: Armed forces, Conscription

Hurrying up to Wait

It has been said that the typical method that the military uses is composed primarily of “hurrying up to wait.” And while this is often the case, a lot of people never really think about why that is. After all, being ready is all about being early, and that often entails charging both on the battlefield, and toward it as well. The military has been known to make a grand entrance for as long as their have been armies marching around. After all, a lot of the purpose of an army is to be seen, and to put forward the silent question of, “do you really want to mess with all of this?” Part of that is the level of energy which can only be shown off in this manner.

There is a certain need for any armed force to put on a strong presence. Nobody is going to respect an army that looks to be in any way weak or vulnerable. While everybody has vulnerabilities, showing them off is terrible. This is why military personnel often do not sleep very much. After all, the enemy could attack at any given moment. And for the very same reason, they veritably leap out of bed, throw on their fatigues, grab their weapon (or the tools of their trade) and get into the fray. And if the fray just happens to have not begun yet, that is fine. They can wait.

The entire notion of hurrying up to wait even extends into the notion that a military force can appear to be in many places at the same time, simply through hurrying up to get from one potential engagement zone to another one. This can do more than just stop an enemy in a force on force battle. It can actually also act to demoralize them into believing that they do not have any chance of defeating this force at all. This is a very good thing.

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: Army, Military

Military Care Packages—How to Assemble Them and What to Include

: Image by Luodanli via Flickr

If you have a loved one in the military, you know how important it is for them to receive things from home. One of the things they will enjoy most are care packages.

Many companies provide this service for those who wish to send care packages. Some companies have pre-packaged ones, with different types of food and entertainment items already included, while other companies actually let you pick and choose each individual item you want to put into the care packages.

The care packages are ready to mail. All you do is supply the information on where to send them and who the recipient is. Some companies offer care packages that are holiday-themed. They can give you information on when the packages should be ordered so that they can be shipped to arrive on or near the holiday.

If you simply can’t bear the thought of letting someone else make up your care packages however, you can make your own. All you need is a good strong box, some metal containers (like those that hold cookies, popcorn, or other things), and some packing and mailing supplies.

Before assembling your care packages, ask your soldier if there are certain items that you cannot send. This way you won’t have to worry about him or her receiving things that could be considered contraband, subversive, or offensive. Once you have this information, then you can start collecting your things to put in the care packages.

Food is always a popular item, but don’t forget that your soldier will enjoy other things in his care packages. These can include things like playing cards, handheld games, and books, magazines, or other reading material. Make sure you tuck a few pictures in there, too.

When you get ready to pack your care packages, put as much as you can in the metal containers. You may want to group similar items together in one container, or you can simply mix them up.

Filed Under: Military

Soldiers Don’t Sleep Much

Whoever saiid that war is hell was probably someone who expected to be able to go to war, and still be able to get a good night’s sleep out of the deal. Any person who expects to be able to fight to that extend, and be able to sleep a fully refreshing eight hours, must have been told a story by their recruiter. It is pretty obvious to any new person going into the military that sleep is a precious luxury that they can enjoy a whole lot more of after they have retired and gone home. For the time that they are on active duty, sleeping just does not happen to the extent that a human body ideally desires, which is probably among the reasons why the military tends to recruit young people who can shrug it off.

While burning the candle at both ends is not a very healthy practice, it is a whole lot healthier to be conditioned to the lack of sleep from months or years of training, than it is to suddenly have a lack of sleep thrust upon you. As someone once said, a person performs as they train. So the unfortunate soldier just has to grin and bear it when their eyelids want to droop, and when the constant cycle of “hurry up and wait” carries on for hours and hours.

Really, it is a very good thing that the military keeps a watchful (if a wary) eye on the world. After all, a sleeping military would find it very hard to protect anyone, let alone go on an aggressive campaign of conquest or a preemptive strike. Since being alert as much as possible is pretty much what the military is all about, hibernating is just not an option. After all, the enemy is probably doing the same thing, and watching to see whose eyes are going to droop first. And drooping can have some seriously dire consequences.

Filed Under: Military, Navy Tagged With: Soldiers

From Military to Law Enforcement: Educational Opportunities to Launch a Career

To advance your career, it is important to look at the skills you have learned as well as the ones you want to learn. Finding opportunities along the line of what you are capable of is sometimes the best way to go, but this can depend on many factors. Anyone in the military learns many skills that could be used in the criminal justice field, for example. A good route for them to take is to earn a criminal justice degree online, because so many of these skills can be used in law enforcement. Law enforcement and security career opportunities are growing and can provide for a lucrative stepping stone in your career.

Most people previously in the military have physical and mental abilities sought after by recruiters in the law enforcement industry. By earning a criminal justice degree online, you can land any number of jobs, and not just as a police officer. Many other security jobs become available such as those in airport security and even computer forensics. You can also become a body guard or work for a private security firm.

Being a former military employee combined with getting a criminal justice degree online not only strengthens the chances of finding a job, but the opportunities that are growing make it favorable as well. From 2008 to 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that law enforcement career opportunities will grow by 10 percent. Degrees are even more important if you want a job with a federal agency, but more companies are focusing on stricter education requirements.

Educational needs have to be met, but in this field, you also need to possess certain psychological, personal, and physical traits, which the majority of military personnel do. If you also earn a criminal justice degree online, then you have an open book of career opportunities in a growing industry.

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: Coming into force, Criminal justice, Employment, Law

The Military’s Relationship With Society

Some people would say that the officers of the military (whether they be commissioned or non-commissioned) are the finest people in a society. After all, they have taken an oath that they will do whatever it takes to defend the world in which we live (our country, our culture and our very way of life), up to and including giving their very lives for the purpose of something which is greater than themselves. That is a pretty good argument for the notion that military folks are a special breed. And the fact that they keep themselves in good shape and are constantly striving to improve how well they can do their jobs (through acquiring new training, pushing themselves in their workouts and studying both the history or warfare and the tactics which win battles), they make their own argument for being pretty awesome on a daily basis.

The average military person gets up at roughly five in the morning, almost every day. At that point, they go through a good waking up workout, which is often followed by putting in some time on the rifle range, going through an obstacle course, and doing some boxing or wrestling with one of their buddies. If not for the fact that these people might get called up to go give their lives at any given moment, it would almost sound like being a professional athlete.

But it goes deeper than that. While the individual soldier is just another person who pushes him or herself beyond the normal level, the military itself (which is composed of millions of such individuals) is a human wall in our society. Their purpose is to keep people who would harm society out of it, and keep enemies who would like to come and hurt us occupied in the cause of defending themselves in a far off place. That is an interesting relationship to have with the rest of society, and it works well.

Filed Under: Family and Friends, Military Tagged With: Military

Tactics Used in Military Recruitment

Since America is currently at war, enlistment numbers are down for all branches of the military. It’s very hard to convince people, particularly high school students, that it is worth risking their lives to enlist in the military. Military recruiters use a number of strategies and tactics to try to convince people to join their ranks.

Military recruiters aim to make themselves part of a high school’s community. If they are trusted by the faculty and the students, they are more likely to be able to convince students that they are truly looking out for their best interests in convincing them to join the military. They do this by becoming friends with class leaders, such as athletes, student council members, and class officers. They also become friends with the faculty so that they may participate in more school activities.

Another part of military recruitment is playing up the positive aspects of the military. When recruiting in small towns, recruiters may tell students about all of the countries they can see as an enlisted member. It’s an extremely appealing prospect to someone who has never left their hometown. As the cost of college climbs, the tuition payment aspect of the military is used more and more as a selling point. The military will pay up to $250 per credit hour; students that dread student loans may listen to a recruiter if they talk about tuition reimbursement.

Recruiters also play on the heartstrings of students and potential service members. By talking about America and what an honor it is to serve their country, they inspire patriotic feelings in students and subtly encourage them to make the same dedication to their country.

As recruiters continue to miss their recruiting goals, high school students across the country can expect to see more aggressive recruitment tactics in use.

Filed Under: Military, Recruitment Tagged With: Military Recruitment

Rivalry Between the Military Branches

Anyone who is in any branch of the military knows that there is some fierce competition between all of the branches. While all branches work together to protect the country and fight for it overseas, they still have a friendly rivalry going on.

The Marines are often viewed as the toughest of the military branches. They have the most rigorous entry standards and the toughest basic training regimen. As a result, they really aren’t picked on or teased by any other branch. However, they are in the position of being able to goad any other branch of the military. Getting into the Marines requires an impressive display of both physical strength and mental prowess.

There is a definite rivalry between the Army and the other two branches, the Air Force and Navy. Many view the Army as secondary to the Marines. However, it tends to require more physical strength than the other two branches and they are very often sent on dangerous missions. As a result, they have a joking rivalry with the Air Force and Navy.

The Air Force and Navy both have advantages over the Army that they use to tease the Army. These two branches are the most technologically advanced of all the military branches. This is due to the majority of their operations being in the air and in the water, respectively. The increase in technology means that the Air Force and Navy tend to have stricter intelligence requirements for their various jobs. They also claim to have the most fun jobs since they involve so much technology.

It’s obvious that the rivalry between military branches is a good-natured way for service members to poke fun at the people serving alongside them. Every branch does a great job defending America and they all deserve to be honored for the job they do.

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: Air Force, Army, United States Marines

Talking to Your Family about Joining the Military

Joining the military is an honorable choice. It can still be difficult to tell your family about your decision, since they are likely to start worrying about you getting hurt. By telling them about your decision, why you made the choice you did, and what you hope to gain from the experience, you can help them understand your choice and respect it.

If at all possible, you should consider including your family in your decision. If you are dealing with your parents and siblings, this isn’t necessarily true. If they object to your decision, you don’t need to include them. However, if you are married and if you have children, it is absolutely essential to include your family in the decision-making process. Your choice will decide where they live, where they go to school, and how they spend the next four years of their lives.

It’s important to tell your family why you made the choice you made. There are lots of options to advance in life, and the military is one of many. Tell them why you decided that the military would help you in your career of choice. If you are joining the military to serve your country, tell them that; it is an honorable reason to make that decision.

Rather than focusing on the negative, as your family is likely to do, focus on what benefits you’ll gain from joining the military. You will get to travel the world, meet people from all different countries, gain work experience, and earn money towards college. Focusing on these upsides is a good way to give your family some perspective and show them the positives of you joining the military.

Making the decision to enlist in the military is a tough one. Don’t let your family make it an even tougher decision.

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: Family, Military, United States