The fastest way to lose your freedom is to give it away. Freedom is a precious commodity and once you lose it you can never truly get it back. The most precious gift we have is “Time.” When you enlist in the armed forces, you give up your freedom for the rest of your life. Every year high school seniors enlist in the military for various reasons, but is that a good decision?
The military requires an eight year commitment contract. The contract is iron clad and heavily favors the military and their needs. Yes, a person is allowed to do that time in chunks. The military allows a person to start out with a three of four year contract, but the reality is the remaining part of the contract has to be served either in the reserves, national guard, inactive ready reserves or some other service connection. The military also can extend a person past their contract time and even call the back into service for any number of reasons. After entering into the military a person loses their freedom to choose what they want to do with their life, follow a passion, of move in a new direction. In the military your ability to make personal decisions is taken away. Being in the military is very similar to be locked up in a minimum security prison.
Time is something you can never get back. The “outside” world is moving at a fast pace, but in the military time stands still. Take for instance, a high school student joins the military for the educational benefit. First of all, there is no guarantee that the money promised in the quantity promised will be available when a person gets out of the miliary. The Veterans Administration and Congressional actions may cause a person to lose some or all of the education benefit. If a person enlist for four years, leaves the miliary, and starts college, now they are older, have more responsibility in the form of debt and family. The demand for their chosen career may no long exist or is flooded. By the time a person graduates college after serving in the military they are eight years behind their peers who started right out of high school.
An eighteen year old high school graduate have their whole life ahead of them. They have the freedom to do as they please, follow their passions and explore numerous opportunities. Life is new and fresh for a high school student. Sure times will be tough at first, but slowly the pieces will start to fall into place and their journey becomes smooth and exciting. So why would a high school graduate sign a contract that takes away their freedom and time?
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