Iceman's Answers: How do I know which branch is right for me?

Okay, let's start off with the most basic question of them all:

"Which branch do I join?"

There's no easy answer to this. Time and time again, potential recruits need to be reminded that joining the military is a decision that THEY must take, not their parents, friends, significant others, family, etc. By the time you turn 18, you can go right ahead and sign the line on the papers, raise your hand and take the oath. Your parents and friends aren't the ones who should be dictating to you the branch you'll serve in and what you should be doing.

Here's the issue: recruits are confused by the wide array of jobs available, and the different branches that offer these jobs. I've seen confusion between the Marines and the Army, and what exactly they do. The same goes for the Navy and Coast Guard, the Navy and the Air Force, etc.

It all depends on what you want to do. Each branch has it's own set of unique jobs. Let's take aviation, for example. The Navy and Marines usually fly off aircraft carriers. The Air Force is strictly land-based.
If you feel that becoming a fixed-wing pilot is your goal, then you've got 4 options: The Air Force, Navy Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Since there are a variety of fixed-wing type aircraft, let's streamline that a little further to a fighter pilot. Now, that list gets narrowed down to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. If you don't, for example, want to be a carrier pilot, then the Air Force is the way to go.

Of course, there will always be the motivation to join the branch that seems the best, regardless of what it can offer yo. What I mean by that, is joining, say the Marines over the Army, because everyone says the Marines are the best of the best, and the Army's full of kids who wanted to get their hands on guns, just to have a little fun. Not entirely true. The Marine Corps is an outstanding institution, older than the United States itself! But, that doesn't mean that you don't have half-wits or slackers joining it. The Army also has their fair share of slackers and soldiers who don't do their jobs right, but, is actually very similar to the Corps in terms of jobs and training.