If your son wanted to join the army ...?

I wouldnt be happy and i would find out why he wanted to join in the first place. he might have a different idea of what being in the army really means. i would want my son to live his life and although being killed in the middle east is not top of his list im sure he wants to experience ohter countries and learn some life skills. sit down with him and have a good chat. dont come across like you wana discourage him but you want to know why and that you'll support his decision. if you are worried as to what aprt of the army he is going to join, why dont you go and speak to someone about it and research that area of the army. good luck.

An adult so free to make up his own mind.

However, a teenager, is still not wise enough in the ways of the world to really understand what the army is like. For most young kids the army is all guns 'n glory. Believe me once you're there you'll soon realise there's nothing glorious about being dragged through the mud, called out of bed in the middle of the night, and do some heavy marching. Get 5 hour a sleep at night,...

The army considers you no more than a piece of meat, needed to serve 3-5 years. Anything more is good, anything less unfortunate. A dead son to you is a CASUALty to them. They have no shame in sending you out in hasardous situations dealing with volatile chemicals, depleted uranium shells or phosporus(can be very dangerous for skin burns) Do you really think they didn't know about such things as gulf war syndrome till 10 years after the facts. They just don't care.

As I said he's free to make up his mind but try to convince him otherwise.

Maybe try looking up some of the photo's the recruiter won't show him(shot up bodies, mained and handicapped veterans)

I'm sure he'll think twice by then

I served 7 months in Kosovo and 1 year in Iraq and I have to say that you should temper your decision with certain facts.

The Army has always and will always be dangerous regardless of world affairs. Find out what jobs he is interested in and then make an argument based on the relative safety of what he wants to do. There are no front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan but some jobs are still more inherently dangerous than others. Ask him what he hopes to get out of the experience besides shooting people. When I went in I had a clearly defined idea of what I wanted out of the experience and how I was going to get it.

Try and talk with some people who have been over there or are at least prior service. It is one of the biggest or is the biggest decision he will ever make and there are very few ways out of it and none of them pleasant. He probably wants to be a man right now and part of that is listening to all sides of the topic and making his own decision. Even if you are not able to steer him away from the Army right now (which it sounds like you want to) you may be able to sway his opinion on what he does in the Army. His desire to help his country in its time of need is admirable and he should be commended. Even if he ends up going Infantry remember that he is free to make his own decisions.

No, I would not discourage him in any way. It is a way of life, it prepares you for real life and gives you opportunities that you might not have had prior to enlistment. Not to mention that they get the feeling of serving thier country. Most military complain while in the military, but, are stronger, more productive people when they get out and they appreciate it. Besides the likelihood of him going to Iraq and getting killed are very low. It isn't like what the media makes it out to be. Policemen/Women have a greater risk of being killed at work each day...

I would encourage him to join the Air Force. My husband has been in for 14 years and loves it. We we're stationed at Pope AFB connected to Ft. Bragg (Army), and we heard from Army people and their dependents quite often that they wished they'd gone into the Air Force. The same benefits, pay, GI Bill, opportunities to travel, etc., but the AF generally stays out of harm's way. AKA the "Chair Force". Also, the food, lodging, and on-base facilities are usually better, and most of the deployments have just recently increased to only 4 months. We would run into Army wives on Bragg that hadn't seen their husband in almost a year, with an 11-month old baby that the father had never met.

My husband leaves in December to go to "the dirt" as we affectionately call it, ha ha (somewhere over in the desert hostile area) for 4 months. I'm hardly worried, but if he were in the Army I sure would be.

(long deployments seem to be the same with the Army, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard)

Tell him to talk to an AF recruiter-they'll say the same thing.

Having served in the "current conflict in Iraq" I would not discourage anyone from serving, and the second part of the question is idiotic. How can anyone be perpared to lose a child in war or otherwise.

I joined the Army during a war and my mom tried gently to talk me out of it. I spent a year in war-torn New Jersey and two years in tense Maryland, and never did get anywhere near a war. Now I'm a veteran and can honestly say that I did my part to serve my country.

It was a great experience and I'd do it all over again, even if I didn't want to stay in the Army for a career.

I understand your concern. Mine joined the Army last year. I put on a brave face, supported him in his decision, and then cried on my husband's shoulder when my son wasn't looking. He is my ONLY child, but he has to live his life for himself. I cannot protect him forever, no matter how much I may want to. There are times I still cry. He is currently serving in Korea, is getting ready to send papers in to request flight school and he has an excellent chance of being chosen. That just increases my fears. However, I have to let him grow up and be the man he is and wants to be. I just pray nightly and shed a few tears here and there and still support him and his decision. I also come down hard on the idiots here who talk bad about our service men/women.

To be honest, this question is too late, however, my son is now in Iraq, has been in Afghanistan and was severely injured in Bosnia. I supported his decision, and still support his decisions. No, I'm not prepared to bury him, no parent is ever prepared to bury a child. But the sad fact is that throughout history, our military has been used for everything from enforcing our rights to enforcing our beliefs and no matter what, I'll always support our fighting men and women.

by the time he got out of training and put in a unit. the afghan and Iraq conflict would not be worse then it is now. also they have to give at least a years notice to be called up for active duty. but what he wants is his family behind him all the way. you can get killed in this country in accidents happening in training exercises. so it would be no different to it happening here or over there then.