How many more years of college do you have left? I would suggest you also look at the ROTC programs at your school. I joined the National Guard, then joined Army ROTC and went on active duty when I graduated, and returned to the NG after three years.
A couple things to keep in mind:
1) Unlike any other branch of service, you can be called out for natural disasters in your community. Very gratifying to help and serve.
2) You can also be called to go other places, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc. Those places suck.
3) If you are an officer or senior NCO the "one weekend a month" thing is ancient history.
4) You get PX and commissary privledges and you can use the DOD resort system. I stayed at the Military hotel in Hawaii for my honeymoon for 1/3 the normal rate.
5) I had to delay getting married for over a year because I was deployed.
6) Basic and AIT suck. You will be a better person for it.
7) Don't do it for the money. Don't do it for some romantic notion or glory. War isn't glorious and doesn't pay all that well either.
8) Wearing a military uniform is one of the few cases were people are right to respect you for the clothes you wear. Wearing an American flag is cool.
9) Flying in a blacked out helicopter at night, then infiltrating the 'enemy' headquarters and 'killing' their scout platoon during the dead of night in training is a blast.
10) Having your helicopter shot at or having the engine quit while in flight is not fun at all.
11) Firing an M249 is awesome.
12) Carrying an M249 all day through the brush sucks.
__________________
|