Joining the military after high school is not many people’s choice for various reasons. According to the Data Quality Campaign, as of November 2023, 70,000 students enlist each year. There are many different reasons people join the military. 

Kasen Elton, 9, said, “Some of the main benefits are that they’ll pay for my college tuition. I know that in the Army, they have this promotional ranking, where you can get a bonus after you rank past E4. That is another reason I want to mainly enlist in the Army because of the bonuses and supporting systems.”

Tabitha Marriott, who teaches one of the new targeted seminar military prep classes, states the other benefits that come for after serving.

“Lifelong medical benefits, financial opportunities, and the school benefits/college credits you earn are outstanding. There are a lot of awesome things available to those that choose to serve.”

Family members in people’s lives are another factor that inspires others to serve.

“My older brother did the Marines, so I want to do it too. He graduated top of his class and picked up artillery. He did training for two to four months and then got deployed to Japan for one year,” Jackson Montgomery, 9, said.

“When I was younger, back when the Afghanistan war was going on and my uncle was in Afghanistan, he told me stories about it whenever he would come back from in between deployments,” said Elton.

Marriott has cousins who served in the Air Force, and also has a son who’s been serving in the Marines for three years and is currently serving now. 

“I’m proud of my son for doing something that he believed in. I’m excited for him to do the things that he wants to do. While I always want him close and safe, I want him to go have his adventure, his life, see the world, make a difference. That’s what he’s doing.”

Like Marriott, not all parents will fully settle with their decision. For Montgomery’s family, they already had a son enlist, so they have more trust. But Elton’s family isn’t all in.

“I have told my family. My grandpa and my dad all support me. However, my grandma and mom, like how all moms are, are trying to talk me out of it. I’ve made up my mind. They can’t really talk me out of it now.”

There are various support groups for members of loved ones who are serving in the military.

“I’m fortunate to have found groups of other MoM’s (Mother of Marines) that help with handling any concerns and help with understanding what our Marines are doing or going through. It’s really awesome that us moms form a support group for each other,” said Marriott.

Marriott explains her perspective of people serving in the military.

“The people that are in the military are just like you and me. They have lives just like everyone else. They have a uniform, they live on a base or near one, but they get up, go to work, come home, and change out of work clothes. The biggest difference is that those in the military chose to stand for the rest of us. If something happens, we are safer, so we have the freedoms that we have. It is a sacrifice. Whether they see combat or not. The fact that they are willing, they are making a difference in that way. It’s something to be proud of.”