Military

Interested in enrolling in the military?

Watch this informational video. Highlights of this video include job training opportunities available in the military, options for financing your college education through your military service, preparation for taking the ASVAB, and the role of your recruiter. After watching the video you should make contact with your local recruiter, ask ALL of your remaining questions, and begin practicing for the ASVAB.

2023-2024 Military Visits.docx

What are the requirements for entry into the military?

Must be a U.S. citizen or registered alien
Must be physically and morally fit and not have a felony record
Must possess a birth certificate
Aptitude, (tested by the ASVAB) varying with program and branch.
High school graduation for men and women in certain programs. However, because educational requirements continue to rise as military jobs become more technical and complex, high school graduates with some college background will be sought to fill the ranks of enlisted personnel.
Age requirements vary: Air Force, 17-39; Army, 17-35; Coast Guard, 17-39; Marine Corps, 17-28; Navy, 17-34. 17 year-old applicants require parental consent.
Joining the Military: What Parents Should Expect

What kind of training is available in the military?

The United States Armed Forces is the nation's single largest employer with approximately 1.4 million employees. The military offers over 2,000 enlisted job opportunities in 91 occupation areas and 61 officer occupation areas for both men and women. The military's primary focus is national defense; however, career options are not limited to combat.

Career opportunities include media and public affairs, health care, engineering, construction, electronics, mechanics, and combat specialties. The military can provide excellent opportunities to find areas in which you are interested for employment, earn money to pay for college, to learn a technical occupation which is in demand in the private employment sector, and to serve your country.

Officer training is provided through federal service academies which offer a 4-year college program leading to a bachelor’s degree in science, through the Reserves Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Officer Candidate School (OCS), and other programs. In order to be competitive for these programs, an individual needs to be working toward or already have acquired a four year college degree.

Browse Careers in the military

What are the opportunities to complete education?

All branches of the military provide a broad variety of educational opportunities while in the service. Although these vary from one branch to another, they include:

Opportunity to complete high school diploma
Opportunity to get a college education through classes scheduled on the base with some part of the tuition paid by the military
Opportunity for college degree through non-traditional means, such as work experience and individual study
Opportunity to complete a master’s degree or a doctor’s degree

Besides these programs which are available while you are in the service, the G.I. Bill becomes effective to pay for schooling after you leave the service.

What is the ROTC Program?

ROTC (Reserves Officer Training Corps) is a commissioning program that trains students in about 950 Army, 550 Air Force, and 60 Navy/Marine Corps units at participating colleges and universities. Trainees take 2 to 5 hours of military instruction a week in addition to regular college courses. After graduation, they serve as officers on active duty for a stipulated period of time. ROTC offers tuition and other benefits. ROTC scholarships are available on a competitive basis which pay for tuition and have allowances for subsistence, textbooks, supplies, laboratory and other incidental fees.

ROTC Programs

WHAT are SERVICE ACADEMIES?

For students who would like to experience a military environment while getting a first-class education, the four federal service academies offer an outstanding education and full four-year scholarships. Tuition, books, board and medical and dental care are all fully paid for all four years. Graduates of all four academies receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as officers in their respective Service branch. In all cases, there is a service obligation of a minimum of five years.

The competition to get in is fierce. Admissions criteria include:

High school academic performance
Standardized test scores (SAT or ACT)
Athletics and extracurricular activities
Leadership experience and community involvement
A congressional letter of recommendation (not required by the Coast Guard Academy)

Service Academy Websites

West Point

Naval Academy

Air Force Academy

US Coast Guard Academy

What is the ASVAB?

All new recruits take the ASVAB, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The results of the ASVAB are used to determine if a recruit qualifies for entry into a service, and if the recruit has the specific aptitude level for specific job training programs.

The ASVAB is actually a multi-aptitude test battery known as the Career Exploration Program. It is available at over 14,000 schools nationwide and is maintained by the Department of Defense. The ASVAB comprises ten individual tests: Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Mathematics Knowledge, Arithmetic Reasoning, General Science, Auto and Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension, Electronics Information, Numerical Operations, and Coding Speed. Not only do you receive scores on each of these individual tests, you also receive composite scores. Composite scores combine individual tests to yield Verbal, Math, and Academic Ability scores. Each ASVAB test area is timed, and the whole test takes about three hours.

There are a number of enlistment programs, which may include cash bonuses, guaranteed choice of job training and assignments, or college education payment programs. All special enlistment programs have certain qualification requirements, such as education or aptitude, and/or minimum enlistment periods.

St. Charles East High School offers the ASVAB in the Fall of each school year. See your counselor if interested in signing up. The test date for 2020-21 school year is TBD.