The United States Army

 Do you desire a challenging career?  Do you like to travel all over the world?  If you do then the army is the career for you.  With over two hundred possible jobs ranging from infantryman to satellite technician you have plenty to choose from.  You get to travel all over the world and meet new people from different cultures.  You could go to Asia, Europe, Southwest Asia, and many other places around the world.  Being a soldier in the United States Army is the best career to have because you earn steady pay, benefit from all of the Army’s benefits, and discover in yourself a personal strength beyond your wildest dreams.

First of all, by earning a steady paycheck you start to build a financial security that you may never have thought possible.  Being in the Army you never have to worry whether or not you will have a paycheck.  The money you earn continues to flow into your financial institution much like the tides of the Pacific Ocean.  Before I joined the Army, I went from job to job in search of a good steady job.  The drawback was that I didn’t have any marketable skills.  That means that I could only land jobs that were temporary or seasonal.  I worked hard and diligently but I still ended up jobless and worried.

            I then decided to join the Army.  I went to Basic Combat Training in Fort Knox, KY.  I then attended what is called “Advanced Individual Training” in Maryland.  There I learned how to be a mechanic.  I then had a marketable skill; however, I didn’t need it for anything except for the Army.  I love my job and what I do.  I have been able to fix my credit, get things I never thought I could, and recently I bought a house.

            Next the benefits of being in the Army are so numerous that it is hard to mention all of them.  The first and best benefit of being a soldier is the medical care.  I get totally free medical care and my family gets free medical care if seen by a military care provider, or I pay 10% for a civilian doctor.  Another benefit of being in the army is the extra pay that is tax-free.  I get almost nine hundred dollars for housing, and I get almost three hundred dollars for food.  So in addition to the twenty two hundred dollar base pay, I get an extra twelve hundred dollars.

            Being a soldier I can go to Sea World with my family for free once per year.  I get discounts at numerous businesses.  The discount is usually only 10% but it is nice anyway.  At airports I get to go into the USO and sleep, eat, or relax while I wait for my flight.  One of the other great benefits of the Army is education.  The Army is the greatest for education with the amount of programs to increase a soldiers’ education.  I personally have undertaken several education programs and classes.  I took the combat lifesavers course, which is like an EMT course, twice.  I took field sanitation and numerous other classes.  I am also currently taking college courses free of charge thanks to Army education programs.

            Another one of the benefits is you get thirty days of vacation each year.  In civilian careers you have to have about twenty years at a job to earn thirty days of vacation.  In the army you get thirty days leave your first year.  You also have an opportunity to earn bonus monies.  For example, for certain Military Occupational Specialties you could receive up to an additional $14,000.00.  That alone is great but on top of that you could get specialty pay for parachuting, going Special Forces and so on.  For more information on this topic refer to the following website, www.goarmy.com/benefits.

The last thing I would like to talk to you about is the sense of pride you get from being a soldier.  When people ask me if I am in the Army, my chest puffs out and I proudly say yes sir or ma’am respectively.  To me the uniform I wear is not just an article of clothing; it is a statement of who I am and what I stand for.  I stand for the American way of life.  I have a few family members who protest the military.  I also have a couple that totally despise the military.  Though when they ask me why I do it, I can proudly say, “I do it for you and your children.” 

            Ever since I joined the Army I have felt like I can do anything.  When it comes to remembering things, I can quickly remember what I need to remember.  A persons self worth and self-esteem comes from their belief in their abilities to accomplish anything.  I have great self-esteem because I know that I can do anything.  Being a soldier can teach you about fellowship as well.  This is because the Army is such a large “brotherhood.”  As a soldier you look out for the person next to you and they do the same.

In closing, being a soldier in the United States Army is a win-win situation for you and your country.  You get to make good, steady money; enjoy all the benefits of Army life, and finally you get to look in the mirror each day with pride.  If I were to end this now you won’t know the greatest part.  Aside from the previously mentioned incentives, you get the opportunity to give a little back to America.  You can serve America proudly on foreign soils, maybe even influence some cultures.  I got to go overseas to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and meet the people of Iraq.  In my journey I discovered that the people there are very receptive to American troops.  The Iraqis will normally go out of their way to help an American soldier.  Is this just because they like us or because they make a living off of us?  I am not sure, but I like to believe that it is the former and not the latter.  You may ask yourself, why you would want to join the Army.  Well, to me the choice is clear.  Join the Army, make a strong living, better yourself with education, and acquire the sense of self that exists in us all.