In Your Opinion What Makes Someone Succeed in the Armed Forces?

Although I am still in high school, I am seriously considering enlisting as someone in the Army, or Marines to help difuse the cost of attending college/university. I do not feel that my academic success should be hindered by the fact my parents are not as wealthy as may other fortunate peoples', nor do I believe it is there sole responsibility to help me pay for a higher education.

I am a driven, self-motivated person who often keeps to themself, I often feel like when I talk I distrub more people than I intended on reaching, haha. I work well in teams, speak up when needed, but also know when to stay quiet. I pride myself on being fit and on my academic success in school.

Right now my main goal is to attend either a pre-vet, or pre-med school, and them enlist in a branch to help difuse the cost of actually attending medical school/gaining the training a would need to become a well-rounded doctor/veternarian. I either want to be an equine veternarian, or a neurologist.

*As of now, I'm just trying to seek out people who will give me the straight hard facts about being in the armed forces and sharing their personal stories if they would. I want to learn more, and why people decided to enlist. What drove you? and my most important question, do you feel like it made you a better, more rounded person? What is the one thing you would tell a person who is thinking about enlisting?

Go to college and enlist as an Officer....I've lived both lives and the Officer life is far better then that as an Enlisted soldier

Enter your Response to In Your Opinion What Makes Someone Succeed in the Armed Forces?.

If you want to be a leader, and you got good grades in high school try an ROTC program at a state school, if you want to follow and gain pre leadership experience, go enlisted. If you're only joining the military to gain a higher education then go here before enlisting. www.fafsa.ed.gov

the military will put an end to life as you know it, for many better, for many worse. It has made my life better, I grew up in a rich bubble, and decided to do something different then my life, even though i had the means not to. Now that I've experienced it (2 years in navy) I am planning on attending a military structured junior college for commissioning as an ARMY officer.

As long as you take care of the person next to you, you will succeed. If you want to join to do awesome things, then go enlisted. If you want to lead and get an education, then join an ROTC battalion at any university that has it.

Another route you could go is go enlisted, and get your education at the same time. After you get you'r degree, you can drop an officer packet(Green-to-Gold) for OCS. Some of the best officers Ive met all had prior enlisted time under their belt.

Hi. I'm also a junior in high school. I was in MCJROTC back in VA & here in Guam I'm in NJROTC (it suck). My dad's a retired Marine & my mom's currently in the U.S. Navy. My dad was enlisted & my mom is an officer. Officers, sometimes, get paid better in general. On the choice of service between Army & Marine Corps I suggest that you join the Unied States Marine Corps. Why? It's better. The Army is usually more concerned on being bigger, in service personal size, and meeting their anual quota. I heard it on History channel & from military personal. They don't always get the best. Don't get me wrong though, they have some pretty bad dudes. Such as Green Berets & Rangers. They also have some pretty sick technology, such as the land warrior system.
Now, the Marine Corps on the other hand is a completely different planet. Some say they're becoming another army, but I beg to differ. They are the smalllest branch but the best. They are always the "first to fight" anf the last to leave. They stay in some pretty shi*** places, so do Soldiers, but still. They also have WAY less tachnology than the U.S. Army which means they MUST learn to adapt and ue they're imagination and ingenuity, which means THEY ARE NOT STUPID! In WWII in Guadalcanal tey suurvived a month with no supplies, when the U.S. Navy abandoned them due to the Japanese destroying most o their fleet the night before.
Above all else it all depends on what you want to do. If you want too join The Few The Proud become a U.S. Marine. If you want to become the fewer become a USMC officer. If you want to be in charge of alot of Soldiers join the Army. You can also be a copper pilot at WO in the Army. If you are in battle and you're a Marine you should rather die then retreat. If you're a soldier, you should also feel the same, it's jut that more Soldiers have retreated than Marines. Maybe it's because they have more people.

Officer vs Enlisted
Officers as have said get paid more in general. If you are officer or enlisted, you may be qualified for hazard-duty pay depending on what you're doing. You wil also get more money while on deployment.
Also, that topic about school & why you should do wht you do. I think will join. And I've already decided that if I ever do see combat that I will not be fighting for the U.S. Government or its people. I will be fighting for the man or woman next to me, my family, myself, and the phisical land of the good 'ol USA! We can't lose that can we? No.
I once went to a day-long obstacle course and rappeling wall where SEALs train. With me were several fellow MCJROTC leaders. We all performed te obstacle course, I'l make a seperate topc for this. Anyway, at the end of it all there was a Marine tat asked us all what we wanted to do after high school & what branch we wanted to join, if any. We all gave our answers, I had the most.
He then said something I'll never forget. I'll paraphrase.
"I yu're going into the Marine Corps or any branch for the money & college yu're doing it all for the wrong reason." Basically he was saying that it ca't be for material things or even a future career. You have to be fully commited or you WILL FAIL! That's exactly as I feel. I mean Itoo want to go to college but I'll probably go enlisted first then try to become an officer and fly fighter jets, Blue Angels, then go to the moon. Anyways, I hope you make a wise decision and the best one for you, yourself. Don't let anyone tell you what to do & what you want or the you can't do something, Ive learned that.

Currently working in a joint environment, I am glad I chose Army. The leadership the Army provides is beyond what any other branch has.