re: 16yo Son wants to be a medic in army or marines

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The military does more for a young man than just give him a trade. He will grow tf up and he will make life long friends. If it’s something he wants to do, encourage him to do his homework, and before he signs anything, make sure someone close to you that is familiar with the process is making sure he gets the most benefits possible.

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25 years on, I'm still very good friends with several of the dudes I served with. Even the larger core group of friends who worked together back in the day, still stay in touch. We were all trained in a technology field. Now? Most of us are VPs, Directors, one COO, and Principal Engineers at major companies. We've got a couple successful entrepreneurs, too. We didn't pay for school. Didn't pay for the experience. Had an incredibly fun time while serving, even when deployed. And it was Air Force, so not exactly like we were out marching at 5am or any stupid shite like that.

The military is no different than any other private or public enterprise. You get out of it what you put into it. You aren't always going to agree with leadership or the mission, but you have to appreciate the larger picture and the opportunities your service will provide in the future.

All that said, unless your son is gung ho about serving his country and willing to die for it, he should steer clear of Army and Marines, imo. There's a difference between those who serve in order to set themselves up for the future and those who are there to willingly kill or be killed. The Army, and especially the Marines, who certainly have my utmost respect, are different breeds of people. Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard are typically further removed from the front lines, aren't trained in the arts of TRUE warfare, and are treated more as 'employees' than as cannon fodder.