Joining the Army
Joining the ArmyThinking about serving in the United States Army? It's a big decision to make, with many steps involved. I'll try to cover all the information that one should know before signing on the dotted line. Do you meet the requirements?First of all, you need to pass the requirements to serve in the Army. The enlistment standards covers these subjects: Age, Citizenship, Education, Aptitude, Physical Fitness, Dependency Status, Moral Character, and Homosexual Conduct. To view the enlistment standards, you must have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Once you have Acrobat Reader, you can view the enlistment standards-19KB. The enlistment standards doesn't get specific regarding physical fitness. If you have any questions about the physical fitness standards, feel free to to ask me at the forum. If you want to see the actual document the Army uses for physical fitness standards, you can download the Medical Fitness Standards(660KB) at Fort Benning's website. Visit our Army Standards page to see the weight requirements, as well as the physical fitness test requirements. Enlisting with a GEDThe Army is not accepting people with a GED in most areas of the country, however, the Army reserves the right to waive certain disqualifications and allow enlistment if deemed in the best interest of the individual and the service. If you will only need a waiver for the GED, it is highly likely that you will be accepted. Please note that when the Army did accept a GED, they were required to score at least 50 on the ASVAB. There are some drawbacks to enlisting with a GED, such as not being eligible for bonuses. If you have 15 college credit hours under your belt, you will be eligible for bonuses. Also, upon reaching 30 college semester hours, no waiver is needed for the GED. What type of job do you want in the Army?In my opinion, it's best to start studying the different jobs available in the Army as soon as possible. Visit our branches & MOS page to view a complete list of military occupational specialties, broken down into their respective branch. It's also best if you can get an insider's perspective of an MOS you are interested in. You can probably find someone who has experience in an MOS you're interested in at the various Army discussion boards, such as military.com's forum. Can you enlist with a higher rank right away?The Army offers several opportunities to enlist in the Army with a higher rank right away, called advanced enlistment. Advanced enlistment is available for people with college credits, civilian experience, and members of the Army's delayed entry program. About.com has some information on advanced enlistment opportunities. If you are interested in how much each rank gets paid in the Army, visit our ranks page. Talk to an Army recruiterYour first meeting with an Army recruiter should just be an information gathering session. If you want to bring your parents or a friend, go right ahead and do so. You never know, they may ask some good questions for you that you otherwise might not have thought of. While an Army recruiter can provide you with a great deal of information, they can't read your mind. They will go over all the basic things you should know, but you definitely need to ask some questions as well. If you are unsure about something the recruiter talked about, ask for some more information. Recruiters like it when you ask questions. If you feel you have enough information about the Army after the first meeting, you'll probably want to arrange a date to take the ASVAB military test. This can be done in two ways....you can take the ASVAB while at the military entrance processing station, or at a local testing facility. I'll talk about the ASVAB in a later section. Have you decided the Army is for you?If you're ready to make the commitment and join the Army, it's time for the fun part.....filling out the paperwork. You'll have to go to your local recruiting station and your recruiter will have you sign a stack of papers. When you get to the medical papers, your recruiter will read down a list of medical questions. It's imperative that you answer these questions accurately! If you have a medical condition, your recruiter can tell you whether it will be a problem for your hopes to get in the Army. If you don't reveal a medical condition to your recruiter but decide to reveal it at the military entrance processing station, you could get disqualified. During the physical at MEPS, any major medical condition will more than likely be noticed when you are examined by the doctor. If you actually get through MEPS without revealing a medical condition and they find out later....you could be court-martialed for fraudulent enlistment. You can read more about fraudulent enlistment at About.com. Taking the ASVAB military testThe ASVAB is a very important test. If you fail to score at least a 31 on the test, you will not be allowed in the Army. There are some exceptions that will allow a score as low as 26, but don't count on it. The ASVAB can be taken at a military entrance processing station or a local testing facility. Visit Today's Military for a lot of good information on the ASVAB. Want to take a practice test? GoArmy.com will show you what the questions will be like for all sections of the test, which will help you prepare for the test!
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Going to the Military Entrance Processing StationMEPS is where the physicals are done, and it's also where you pick your MOS. When it's time to ship to basic training, you'll have to go back to MEPS for a another physical as well. Your recruiter will provide transportation to MEPS, which is usually a long car ride unless you are lucky enough to live near one. If you are taking the ASVAB at MEPS, you will usually be taken right to MEPS to take the test. After you're done, they will bus you to a nearby hotel to spend the night. You won't have to pay for the room or for dinner. You will have to wake up early the next day, so I recommend getting a good night's rest because a long day at MEPS awaits you. I thought I'd mention that their's not a good chance that you'll get a room to yourself, just to let you know. When you wake up in the morning, it's best to eat a big breakfast because it's going to be a long day at MEPS. The day at MEPS will consist of these tests: Drug and alcoholColor visionHearingBlood (similiar to donating blood)Doctor examinationEye examinationWeightJoint inspectionFingerprintingI may have forgotten a test or two because I'm basing this information on memory alone. If their are a lot of recruits at MEPS, there will be lots of waiting involved. Once you get done with the physical, it's time to pick your MOS. A MEPS counselor will assist you in selecting an MOS. Your recruiter can also help you choose your MOS, which is very helpful if he came to MEPS with you. Be sure to tell the counselor exactly what jobs you want, and don't pick a job based on which one has the bigger bonus. Bonuses are mainly offered because the Army is having a hard time filling that MOS, so keep that in mind. It's a huge benefit if you have already researched the different jobs and found some that you like. If you haven't done any research, it will be hard for you to know which jobs will be the best fit for you. If you are in that situation, look at several jobs involving things you are interested in doing, and talk to the counselor to try and get as much information as possible. Each MOS has it's own video describing it, so pay attention to them. After you have picked your MOS, you'll get some papers outlining your enlistment, such as your MOS and enlistment options. It should list what you will need to bring back to MEPS the day you ship to basic training. After that, you should be free to leave after you sign out. |
