What makes people WANT to join the military?

I am a student doing engineering. One of my uncle was in army. I always used to think that what made him join the army. And he said that its the pride. The pride of serving their motherland. After joining the army you become more civilized. Its truly a different way of leading a life. And moreover you get so much respect everywhere.

Well in my country the number one motivator is a secure government job, retirement pensions, canteen facilities and of course tons of scotch whiskey (the main reason) ha ha LOL

There are various reasons why a person enters the military. One of the main ones is schooling. You can get schooling while serving in the military and you can also use the GI bill to help pay for schooling after you disconnect with the military. Another reason is it is a secure job. You will find that in times when the economy is bad that more people enter the military. Some join to travel and see the world and of course there are those who want to serve their country. My husband who is a chaplain joined to serve his God. It was where he felt God was calling him to be.

I live in a highly military town and from what I have seen and heard from others ,the military recruiters offer big sign up bonuses for the kids if they sign up right out of school , also in my small one horse town that is the highest paying job there is here so for the kids .I think its all about the money and then next they can get an education through the armed services as well so those are two pretty valid reasons for these kids to want to go into the armed services ...I think

The reasons cannot be far fetched from i. Love of fatherland ii. Love of power and affluence iii. Parental influence iv. Love of uniforms. But whichever way, it is good for those that have the courage.Like me, iam in love with naval dresses.

Honestly, the chances of getting killed in the military are pretty low statistically. Even with the gulf war, the chances of even getting hurt is small. You probably won't even be stationed there. After 20 years, you can retire on partial salary. Sounds pretty sweet to me.

I think people join the military because they want to do some thing for our country and serve our country and protect our freedom here in the States as well as in other countries. They enjoy the life they have here in the states and want to make sure we continue to have freedom and live happily and do the things we want to do. They are very brave individuals. Some may join the military because they are not sure what they want to do as far as a career is concerned and also joining the military can help them get a good education.

I think the ones who join the military are those who are patriots, who loves their country very much, and are willing to die for their country. so they are special people because not a lot of people are willing to do that for their country.

I joined the military back in 1994 during peace time to get out of an abusive household and to get college money because we were pretty poor. I left the Marines in June 2001 - 3 months before 9/11 luckily because my husband is also active duty and we had one child at the time. He is in Iraq now. Neither of us were ever particularly patriotic and we are both against this war. I don't know what I would have done if we were both called up and we had to leave our 1-year-old behind. If my kids decide to join the military I will not give them my blessing unless they go in as an officer, especially if they are looking at a career out of it. I should have done that and I would have been a good/competent one. My husband is a Gunny and he would have made a great officer too but he only has like 3 years left.

good discussion,I joined the Canadian army when I was 18,it was peace time,My father was in ww2,so I was brought up with a heavy military background(he was a sgt.major)so I had no qualms about joining. when the idiots in the gov.integrated the servicesin 68,I took my honerable discharge,and went to Th U.S. and joined there,I knew that with my background,I would be sent to Viet Nam.I served 3 years,and came back to Canada after I was wounded enough that I was unable to continue.I have 3 Purple Hearts) I did this,not out of patriatism,so much,as to fight for our freedom against communism. I am still proud of all the service men that put their lives on the line for what they believe in. please remember,there were 40,000 Canadian volenteers of which 7,000 did not return. yes,there are many today,that will not join,many because thier parents teach them that military is bad. I am not a "war lover"but I am also not afraid to serve if needed. I honestly believe,there would be far less problems with the youth of today,if they served 18 months.then see if they could handle it enough to continue. this is my say. thank you.

The military offers alot of options for people that really don't have the resources to go to college and get a good high paying job. They give out signing bonuses, and completely pay for schooling. The problem is that you are signing your life away to the government and they can do anything to you that they want then. That's a big problem for me and it is why I will never join the military. I am no ones property but my own. Some people don't mind doing others bidding without knowing why, especially the people in washington who really don't know what their doing. But not me, I'd end up getting shot or something because I have to have a reason to do something. I want to know why we are invading this town or country not just "DO IT". But that's me

As with any country the ability to represent their land and fight for freedom and justice. Could you imagine a country without military, like having no police force. :)

My son wanted to join the army because it will pay for his college. I tried every argument in the book to tell him not to join, but he was stubbborn. He has been in South Korea for almost a year now. I worry about him all the time.

That is the nice decision for entering into the military.One of my friend also join in the mil of india. Just a strong motivation is enough to go to military.. If we gave the young guys defenetly enter into that and give big relief to our country

They get good perks and benefits which extends to their whole family. Its the main reason of joining military. I don't think people join military due to their love or regards towards own country.

A number of my aunts & uncles joined the military (Army, NAvy & Air Force) that did not have anything to do with my choice though. I just knew I wanted to join & I did at 19. I wanted to serve my country. It had nothing to do with the money, training, traveling, college or anything. I am proud to be an American & thought that I needed to do my part. I am glad & proud to have served. My daughters are proud that their Mommy was in the Army too.

My husband is a Marine and the reason why he joined the first time when he was 18 was that his parents gave him an ultimatum, he could get a job and go to college or join the military. So he joined the military. He got out four years later, got a full time job and went to school, but he decided that the Marines were better so we got married and he went back in. I think that he needed the structure to keep him sane. I also know a lot of them reenlist because of the close friends that they make as well as the fact that they have the chance to see the world.

I am waiting so much for the moment to serve in the army, the feeling I feel its love to homeland, you can't describe it here or in just a cuple of words. I think it's something you born with so there are some who gonna fight and even die for the country ( like me ) and there are some who prefer to be at home and far from the dangerous.

It's a family thing, and besides, bootcamp is fun.

most of the men in my family have served in the military, but only one or two are really "patriotic" Everyone else was just paying for college. Personally I have considered joining the coast guard but I would not join other branches of the military. I do feel that we all have a personal responsibilitie to serve our country. I would have no problem defending this country, I just have a problem with us invading other countries.