Shane Breneiser 4507655 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>So I just have some questions for anyone who has relative experience with my situation. Im 25 and want to enlist. I was in the process back in october/November but then my dad passed unexpected. I was talking with him about it and he was all for it saying I should leave asap. I don&#39;t feel like I&#39;ll be happy in life if I don&#39;t do it but at the same time I have to take care of my mother (my dad made all the money so him and my mom could spend as much time together) she says that if I feel like I need to do it I should but I can&#39;t get over feeling like it&#39;s selfish and just wrong to leave her right now. So I guess I&#39;m asking how the military would help me still be able to help support her while I still do what I want to do. Also any comments on enlisting later in life? I have a good job I&#39;m in my second year of a plumbing apprenticeship I&#39;m just not happy with civilian life you could say I guess. How can the military help me support my mother? How is it enlisting later on in life? 2019-04-02T12:40:43-04:00 Shane Breneiser 4507655 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>So I just have some questions for anyone who has relative experience with my situation. Im 25 and want to enlist. I was in the process back in october/November but then my dad passed unexpected. I was talking with him about it and he was all for it saying I should leave asap. I don&#39;t feel like I&#39;ll be happy in life if I don&#39;t do it but at the same time I have to take care of my mother (my dad made all the money so him and my mom could spend as much time together) she says that if I feel like I need to do it I should but I can&#39;t get over feeling like it&#39;s selfish and just wrong to leave her right now. So I guess I&#39;m asking how the military would help me still be able to help support her while I still do what I want to do. Also any comments on enlisting later in life? I have a good job I&#39;m in my second year of a plumbing apprenticeship I&#39;m just not happy with civilian life you could say I guess. How can the military help me support my mother? How is it enlisting later on in life? 2019-04-02T12:40:43-04:00 2019-04-02T12:40:43-04:00 1LT Vance Titus 4507684 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If enlisting is something you really want to do, go for it. Response by 1LT Vance Titus made Apr 2 at 2019 12:49 PM 2019-04-02T12:49:38-04:00 2019-04-02T12:49:38-04:00 MAJ Ken Landgren 4507782 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You need tp go to DEERs to get an application form. One of the rules is her having a low income level and you financially support her. It is not that hard to make the request. She will have access to the post hospital and get an ID card. I think this situation allows you to get BAH, I am not certain. Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Apr 2 at 2019 1:29 PM 2019-04-02T13:29:42-04:00 2019-04-02T13:29:42-04:00 LTC Eugene Chu 4507820 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Be careful about enlisting with severe family problems. Military does offer counselors and chaplains, but your primary focus will be duty performance. Basic training can be stressful due to temporary separation from family. Enlist...if you are confident that your situation will not be a distraction. Response by LTC Eugene Chu made Apr 2 at 2019 1:41 PM 2019-04-02T13:41:12-04:00 2019-04-02T13:41:12-04:00 SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member 4507847 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>What kind of support does your mother need? Does she just need financial support? Or does she also need help with medical issues or physically demanding tasks around the house? <br /><br />Do you want to go active duty or part-time with reserves or national guard? I would recommend active duty if you want the full immersion into military life. Reserves/national guard would be a better fit if you want to stay close to your mom and don&#39;t mind balancing a civilian job with your military duties. Regardless of the component you go into, be prepared for the possibility of being sent overseas for 12 months or more. <br /><br />The military can be a very good opportunity for you. On the other hand, I think family separation is one of the top reasons why service members choose to get out before doing their 20 years. Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 2 at 2019 1:46 PM 2019-04-02T13:46:48-04:00 2019-04-02T13:46:48-04:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 4507857 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Don&#39;t expect that jumping into the military life will make you any more happy than your civilian one. The challenges are bigger, the stress higher, and the loneliness from being away from loved ones is extended for months or even years on end. But at the same time, the rewards are wonderful. Personal growth and strength, travel and new experiences, opportunities for advancement and life experiences you would never get as a civilian. On top of that, it&#39;s great pay, especially for an entry level job, guaranteed a degree as long as you make the time to do the school work, and excellent benefits.<br />As for your mother, you can support her financially. When you initially start out, you&#39;ll probably make less than what you do as a plumber, but the promotions and income always continue to rise. If you are paying greater than 50% of your mother&#39;s support you can claim her as your dependent and then her health care will be covered as well. Unfortunately, no matter which branch you choose, the military will take you away for weeks or months at a time. So, if your mother needs physical care, it might not be a good choice for you.<br />As to enlistimg later in life, I find that people who join later usually bring a maturity that enables them to stand out among their peers and end up getting promoted ahead of their peers as well. Plus, there&#39;s a whole difference in professional approach to work. Many of the kids who enlist out of high school look at the military and their leaders as second parents to rebel against and the military as a prison sentence. It&#39;s not till they get out and meet the real job market that they learn to balance the benefits with the costs of service. You&#39;re in a better position to honestly weigh whether the benefits of service out weigh the costs of it. Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 2 at 2019 1:49 PM 2019-04-02T13:49:20-04:00 2019-04-02T13:49:20-04:00 MAJ Javier Rivera 4507871 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Few thing...<br /><br />Don’t worry about age. Your are 25 and that’s prime for military service. I know firsthand of folks who entered passed 30 and have done great. Regarding your mother. Like so other folks have stated: you enlist to serve, benefits are ancillary. Therefore, I suggest to take some time and think on it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with carrying for ones parents, to the contrary; it’s commendable if you ask me. Just figure out what kind of support she needs and if she can be by her self for long periods of time. Remember, you will be required to go away for extended periods of time on both training and operational reasons. Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Apr 2 at 2019 1:57 PM 2019-04-02T13:57:12-04:00 2019-04-02T13:57:12-04:00 SSG Brian G. 4507956 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It really depends on what you mean by supporting her. If you mean strictly financially that is fairly easy. You are going to enlist as something between an E-1 and an E-4 depending on schooling, ROTC in high school and other factors that your recruiter can and should tell you about. Depending on the E grade that you enlist as, will determine how much money you earn per month. <br /><br />Let&#39;s say you come in as most do, as an E-1. Going by the 2019 Military pay scale. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.militaryrates.com/military-pay-charts-e1_e5_2019">https://www.militaryrates.com/military-pay-charts-e1_e5_2019</a> <br /><br />An E-1 just coming in earns 1680.83 before taxes. You are going to be living in barracks all through basic and your AIT and unless you are married you will likely be living in some barracks or another until you either get married or hit E-5. You could and if your mother is in dire straights, probably should see about an allotment to be taken out of your pay towards paying her mortgage. <br /><br />This would provide for her, give you some peace of mind and mean that there was that much less that you could waste on &#39;dumb private&#39; escapades. <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/380/014/qrc/logo-militaryrates.gif?1554229581"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="https://www.militaryrates.com/military-pay-charts-e1_e5_2019">2019 Military Pay: Enlisted Pay Rates E-1 through E-5</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">The Fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, named for Arizona Sen. John S. McCain, authorizes a 2.6 percent military pay raise and increases the active duty forces by 15,600 service members.</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> Response by SSG Brian G. made Apr 2 at 2019 2:30 PM 2019-04-02T14:30:26-04:00 2019-04-02T14:30:26-04:00 CSM Darieus ZaGara 4508024 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Financially you can give your mother all the support you can afford. If she is not your legal defendant, generally medical disability, she would receive no benefits from the military. If she is legally your dependent, the military would be. A hard choice for you as you are required to be deployable, and will likely do so. As for late in life, you are young. We truly need more info, hope this helps. Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Apr 2 at 2019 2:57 PM 2019-04-02T14:57:52-04:00 2019-04-02T14:57:52-04:00 CSM Charles Hayden 4508485 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="1615875" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/1615875-shane-breneiser">Shane Breneiser</a> Please complete your apprenticeship and receive that Journeyman’s Card. <br /><br />That will give you a real Ace to hold for your working life. <br /><br />My father worked as a pipe-fitter when he was a young man. He quit for a more stable, higher paying job. That great job vanished after 10 years, from age 34 on, he tried to get a Pipe Fitter’s Card. No dice, he had not completed the training. <br /><br />With the card in hand, options are Open for you. Best wishes! Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Apr 2 at 2019 5:47 PM 2019-04-02T17:47:32-04:00 2019-04-02T17:47:32-04:00 SFC Casey O'Mally 4508517 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>My recommendation is this:. Join the Guard or Reserves for the shortest contract you can. Continue to plumb and finish your apprenticeship. If, after a couple years of part-time Soldiering, you decide it is the right fit for you, then you can go full time active duty. By that time you will hopefully picked up some rank, and your full time Army pay will (hopefully) be close to what your full-time plumbing pay was (but probably still a bit of a drop). Bit the benefits (free food, housing, health care) will probably make it worth your while.<br /><br />Don&#39;t give up that apprenticeship unless you are POSITIVE that it is not the life for you. There is nothing wrong with skilled trades.<br /><br />Finally, age isn&#39;t an issue right now. 10 years down the road you might be a bit long in the tooth to make a career, but you still have plenty of time right now. Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Apr 2 at 2019 5:59 PM 2019-04-02T17:59:13-04:00 2019-04-02T17:59:13-04:00 MSgt Private RallyPoint Member 4509658 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Finsh the apprenticeship. Go reserves or guard for now. If you like construction trades try air force CE, navy sea bees or the army civil engineering. They should allow you time to go to basic training and tech school while in the apprenticeship and it might even count as some time if you are training in the same field. Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 3 at 2019 6:58 AM 2019-04-03T06:58:16-04:00 2019-04-03T06:58:16-04:00 TSgt Chuck Mankin 4510242 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Another option is the National Guard they have plumbers there and you could get the best of both worlds. Yes you would have to go away to Basic and AIT but then you would be stationed at home. Depending on where you live the Air Guard is an option. (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.goang.com/how-to-join.html">https://www.goang.com/how-to-join.html</a>) If not the Army <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nationalguard.com/guard-experience/recruiter">https://www.nationalguard.com/guard-experience/recruiter</a>) usually has a place nearby. <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/380/326/qrc/join-l?1554302302"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="https://www.goang.com/how-to-join.html)">How to Join</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">Whether you&#39;ve served in the military before, or haven&#39;t thought about it until now, joining the Air National Guard isn&#39;t a decision to take lightly. If you do feel like you&#39;re ready to take the next step and join our elite team, this page will provide information to guide you.</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> Response by TSgt Chuck Mankin made Apr 3 at 2019 10:38 AM 2019-04-03T10:38:23-04:00 2019-04-03T10:38:23-04:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 4518315 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Just know that the army has dibs on you 24/7 when called to duty you must be ready to leave regardless of most family situations. Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2019 11:52 PM 2019-04-05T23:52:51-04:00 2019-04-05T23:52:51-04:00 2019-04-02T12:40:43-04:00