How To Get Into The Military

Basic Requirements 
There are certain requirements you will have to meet in  order to enlist in any branch of the military. You must: 
- be between 17 and 34 years of age, and have a parent  or guardian’s permission if you are under 18 
- be a U.S. citizen 
- have a high school diploma or GED 
- be drug-free 
- have a clean arrest record 

It is important to be truthful with your recruiter  about any trouble you have had in the past with drugs  or with the law. Criminal history checks are conducted  on applicants.However, some kinds of problems can be  overcome, if they are really in the past, not current difficulties. 
Check with your recruiter. 

Working with Your Recruiter 
The recruiter is there to help you. In speaking with him  or her, you will have the opportunity to ask as many  questions as you want and to get a detailed picture of  what each branch has to offer if you shop around. All  recruiters will have brochures, videotapes, pamphlets,  and years of personal experience to offer as resources. 

Don’t be afraid to bring along a parent or a trusted  friend to help you ask questions. A professional military  recruiter won’t mind the extra set of eyes and ears. 
You can ask about the service and its benefits—  salaries and fringe benefits, postings, and educational  opportunities, including financial aid for college once  you get out. (See the table on pages 10–11 for the basic  salary for various grades of enlisted personnel in all the  services.) The recruiter will also ask about you: your  education, your physical and mental health, and all  sorts of in-depth questions about your goals, interests,  hobbies, and life experience. 
Pretest: Before you take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), you will be given a brief test  designed to give the recruiter an idea of how well you  will perform on the real test. This pretest covers math  and vocabulary. Although the ASVAB has eight different  subtests, it’s the math and verbal portions that  determine whether or not you pass the test. The other  sections are designed to discover what your aptitudes  are for different jobs. There is no limit to how many  times you can take this brief test in the recruiter’s office. 
Your recruiter will talk to you about the benefits  of enlisting: the pay, the travel, the experience, the  training. You and your recruiter can also start to discuss  the kinds of jobs available to you in the military. But  before that discussion can go very far, you will have to  be tested to see, first, if you can enlist, and second,  what specialties you qualify for. That’s where your trip  to the Military Entrance Processing Station comes in. 

Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) 
Your recruiter will schedule you for a trip to a MEPS in  your area—there is one in almost every state—for a day  of written and physical testing. You will travel as a  guest of Uncle Sam by plane, train, bus, or car, depending  on how far away you live from the nearest facility. 

MEPS schedules may vary a little from area to area, but  they all operate five days per week and are open a few 
Saturdays during the year. If for any reason you are  required to stay overnight for testing, then the military  will pay for your hotel room and meals. 
The MEPS is where all applicants for every branch  of the military begin the enlistment process. So, even if  the Marine Corps is your future employer, you can  expect to see staff wearing Navy blue, Army green, or 
Air Force blue.When you walk through the door, you  will check in at the control desk and be sent to the liaison  office for your branch of the service. 

Your MEPS Day at a Glance 
During your day at MEPS you will go through three  phases: 
- mental (aptitude) testing 
- medical exam 
- administrative procedures 
Your schedule may vary from the one outlined  here, depending on how much of the process you have  completed in advance. Some applicants, for example,  may have already taken the ASVAB at a Mobile Examining 
Team (MET) site near their hometown recruiting  station. 

Mental (Aptitude) Testing 
Your day at MEPS will most likely begin with the ASVAB, if you haven’t already taken it. Don’t underestimate the impact  the ASVAB will have on your entry into the military. 
Results of the ASVAB test and the physical and mental  exam you receive during the entrance process are used  to determine whether or not you can join the branch of  the military you prefer and which training programs  you are qualified to enter. 

Some MEPS are now conducting ASVAB testing  on computer. The computer version of the test takes  one hour and forty minutes to complete, as opposed to  over two hours for the paper-and-pencil version. The  computer ASVAB still consists of eight subtests, but it  works a little differently than the paper version. The  computer will give you the first question, and, if you get  this question right, it gives you another question on the  same subject—but this question is a bit harder than the  first one. The questions get harder as you progress,  and, after you answer a certain number correctly, the  computer skips to the next subtest. So, you could get  eight questions right, for example, and then the computer  might go to the next subtest instead of requiring  you to answer all 25 questions in that one subtest. 

Most MEPS do not have enough computers to  test everyone. If you notice that some applicants are  taken to a room with the computer testing and the  others are required to take the ASVAB with pencil and  paper, don’t worry. Either way, the information and  skills you need remain the same. 

Important Documents 
Throughout the enlistment process, you will have to present certain documents. Have the following available  to ensure you are prepared: 
- birth certificate or other proof of citizenship and date of birth 
- valid Social Security card or two other pieces of Social Security identification 
- high school diploma or GED certificate 
- letter or transcript documenting your midterm graduation from high school, if applicable 
- college transcript, if applicable, showing credits earned 
- parental or guardian consent form if you are under 18 years old 
- doctor’s letter if you have, or have a history of, special medical condition(s) 
- marriage certificate, if applicable 
- divorce papers, if applicable

Medical Exam 
Next is the medical exam. All of the doctors you will  see at this point are civilians. You will see them at least  three times during the day. During the first visit, you  and the medical staff will thoroughly pore over your  medical prescreening form, your medical history form,  and all of the medical records you have been told by  your recruiter to bring along. This meeting will be  one-on-one. 
After this meeting, you will move on to the  examining room. You’ll strip down to your underwear  and perform a series of about 20 exercises that  will let the medical staff see how your limbs and joints  work. You may be with a group of other applicants of  the same sex during this examination or you may be  alone with the doctor. 
Your third meeting with the doctor will be where  you receive a routine physical. Among the procedures  you can expect are: 
- blood pressure evaluation 
- pulse rate evaluation 
- heart and lung check 
- evaluation of blood and urine samples 
- eye exam 
- hearing exam 
- height-proportional-to-weight check 
- chest X-ray 
- HIV test 
Female applicants will be given a pelvic/rectal  examination. Another woman will be present during  this procedure, but otherwise this exam will be conducted  in private. 
After these checks, you will find out whether your  physical condition is adequate. If the medical staff  uncovers a problem that will keep you from joining the  service, they will discuss the matter with you. In some  cases the doctor may tell you that you are being disqualified  at the moment, but that you can come back  at a later date to try again. For example, if you are overweight,  you could lose a few pounds and then come  back to the MEPS for another try. 
If the doctor wants to have a medical specialist  examine you for some reason, you may have to stay  overnight, or the doctor may schedule an appointment  for a later date—at the military’s expense, of course. 
Unless you do need to see a specialist, the medical  exam should take no more than three hours. 

Paper Work 
The rest of your day will be taken up with administrative  concerns. First you will meet with the guidance  counselor for your branch of the service. He or she  will take the results of your physical test, your ASVAB  scores, and all the other information you have provided  and enter this information into a computer system. 
The computer will show which military jobs are  best suited to you. Then you can begin asking questions  about your career options. Before you leave the room  you will know: 
- for which jobs you are qualified 
- which jobs suit your personality, abilities, and  interests 
- which jobs are available 
- when that training is available 
You will also be able to decide whether you prefer  to enter the military on this very day or to go in  under the Delayed Entry Program. Some applicants  raise their right hand during swearing-in ceremonies at  the end of the processing day, while others prefer to go  home and decide what they want to do. 
Either way, it’s critical that you ask as many  questions as possible during this visit with the counselor. 
Take your time, and be sure you know what you  want before you go any further in the process. Be  aware, though, that the seats in the popular training  programs go fast. The earlier you make your decision,  the more likely you will have a chance to get what you  really want. 

Delayed Entry Programs 
Delayed Entry Programs allow you to enlist with your  chosen branch of the military and report for duty up to 
365 days later. This is a popular program for students  who are still in high school or for those who have other  obligations that prevent them from leaving for Basic Training right away. 

Basic Training 
Everything you have done has been leading up to this  moment—the day you leave for Basic Training. You will  report back to the MEPS to prepare to leave for Basic 
Training. If you have been in the Delayed Entry Program,  you will get a last-minute mini-physical to make  sure your condition is still up to par. You will also be  asked about any changes that might affect your eligibility  since the last time you were at MEPS. If you have  been arrested or had any medical problems, now is the  time to speak up. 

Your orders and records will be completed at MEPS, and then you are on your way to Basic, by  plane, bus, or car—it will all be at military expense. 
Where you train will depend on the branch of service. 

The Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard each have only  one training facility. The Marines have two, and the Army has quite a few because where the Army sends  you will depend on the specialized training you signed  up for at MEPS. 

The First Few Days 
No matter which branch of service you join, the first  few days of Basic Training are pretty much the same. 
You will spend time at an intake facility, where you  will be assigned to a basic training unit and undergo a  quick-paced introduction to your branch of the service. 
Your days will include: 
- orientation briefings 
- uniform distribution 
- records processing 
- I.D. card preparation 
- barracks upkeep training 
- drill and ceremony instruction 
- physical training (PT) 

The Following Weeks 
From the intake facility, you will go to your Basic Training  site. You can expect your training day to start  around 5 a.m. and officially end around 9 p.m. Most Saturdays and Sundays are light training days. You  won’t have much free time, and your ability to travel  away from your unit on weekends will be very limited,  if you get this privilege at all. In most cases you will not  be eligible to take leave (vacation time) until after Basic Training, although exceptions can sometimes be made  in case of family emergency. 
The subjects you learn in Basic Training include: 
- military courtesy 
- military regulations 
- military rules of conduct 
- hygiene and sanitation 
- organization and mission 
- handling and care of weapons 
- tactics and training related specifically to  your service 
While you are in Basic Training, you can expect  plenty of physical training. Physical fitness is critical for  trainees, and your drill instructor will keep tabs on  your progress throughout Basic Training by giving you  tests periodically. Your best bet is to start a running and  weight-lifting program the instant you make your decision  to join the military. Recruits in all branches of the  service run mile after mile, perform hundreds of sit-ups  and push-ups, and become closely acquainted with  obstacle courses. These courses differ in appearance  from facility to facility, but they all require the same  things: plenty of upper body strength and overall  endurance, as well as the will to succeed. 

ENLISTMENT DURATIONS BY BRANCH 
Branch of Service - Terms of Enlistment 
Army 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 years 
Navy 3, 4, 5, or 6 years 
Air Force 4 or 8 years 
Marine Corps 3, 4, or 5 years 
Coast Guard 4 or 6 years 

Lifetime Opportunities 
Basic Training, no matter which branch of the service  you choose, is a time in your life that you will never  forget. No one is promising you it will be pleasant, but  during this time you will forge friendships you will  keep for the rest of your life. And the opportunities  you will have during and after your military service  will be unparalleled. You may choose a lifetime career  in the military, or you may use it as a springboard to a  rewarding career in the private sector. Either way, your  future starts now and this book is designed to prepare  you for it.