Reasons Not to Enlist in the Military
I am a military veteran, one in a long line in my family that includes two of my children. Despite that, I would not advise enlisting to any young person for a variety of reasons including exposure to sexual assault, increased risk of suicide and government neglect of negative health effects from serving.
Despite what military recruiters tell you, the service is not a jobs program, and your military training is often not transferrable in the civilian world. My daughter spent a year at Ft. Sam Houston in Texas completing the Army school for radiological techs learning how to take X-rays and then worked in a military hospital for several years but when she got out of the army, she didn't meet the state requirements to work in a civilian hospital without additional training. Of course, there are also many military jobs that just don't translate into the civilian world. I was a mortar gunner. No one needs fire missions down at the mall.
There are plenty of other reasons not to sign up, particularly for women. Sexual harassment and assault are just facts of military life. Reporting the assault may result in reprisals.
One out of three people who enlist do not finish their service with an honorable discharge. The usual pattern for that segment of enlistees is a general discharge for some sort of misconduct, health issues, weight issues or incompatibility with military life. For those who don't complete their enlistment, all of the wonderful benefits described by their recruiters are no longer attainable, including the educational benefits.
Why YOU Shouldn’t Join the Military | Quaker House
Prevalence of Sexual Assault in the Military | RAND
9 Reasons Not To Join The United States Military | by The Wise Sloth | Medium
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