Thinking of enlisting in Navy or Army after AOS process...questions

[gogojourney 1]

Hello.

I am new to Visa Journey but have read the threads for the past year or so. My wife, who is a US citizen, and I were married this past January. We are in the process of doing our Adjustment of Status currently. She and I have talked a bit about me joining the military, which was something I've considered all my life seeing I grew up in that environment back in Indonesia, and plus her dad served in the US Army during the Korean and Vietnam war. ..

A couple of questions though:

1. I am thinking of joining either the Navy or Army. Which service would be more lenient in admitting a Conditional Green Card holder?

2. I am currently 32 years old...would that age, plus my Associate's Degree i earned here in the U.S back in 2004, be a factor in which service would be able to possibly be better to enlist into?

3. Lastly, my wife is wondering about separation anxiety...is one service more prone to help married couples stay together during deployments or no?

Just wondering. Thank you for those immigrants here who are serving this country. It's something I would like to aspire to and do once I get my permanent residency...

[samename 28]

Hello,I am not sure if all branches allow conditional green card holders but most do. All in all ,you need to join the branch that suits you.However, your age does play a factor. Did you want to go active duty or reserves ? Talk to a recruiter that knows what he/she is doing . You will have to take the ASVAB and see what jobs you qualify for first.If you had your Bachelors and were already a citizen, i would say go the (commissioned / officer route).Your Associates as i understand may qualify you for a promotion in rank when you enlist with the Army.Anyways, its best to talk to a knowledgeable recruiter.I say this because I work for the military and was in the military as well ,some recruiters just see you as a number to make their mission.

As I remember from my Army days ,The military will place you and your spouse together at duty stations CONUS or OCONUS (stateside or overseas). On combat duty, of course you will not be together.Good luck with choosing a branch,do your homework and find a good recruiter.

Edited August 18, 2013 by samename

[gogojourney 1]

Thank you.From my research, I've believed that both the Army and Navy admits Conditional Green Card holders to enlist. I definitely would like to do Active Duty, because I believe that is the best route for me to go to finish my education while I serve this country as well. And I did got the idea that a college degree, even an AA like what I have will lead to being enlisted at a higher rank and paygrade than the lowest rank,E-1, I believe.

I've yet to contact the local recruiters here in my town of residency...I will do so when my AOS process picks up steam, which hopefully will be by the end of the month.

Thank you for the advice. I am leaning towards inquiring about the Navy based on the fact that my mother's fiance was a Sailor, and the opportunity to travel sounds interesting to me.

[samename 28]

Well, you will definitely travel in the Navy.After you go enlisted and get your citizenship become an officer, You'll see why later on. Best of luck!

[HollyGolightly 72]

Hello.

I am new to Visa Journey but have read the threads for the past year or so. My wife, who is a US citizen, and I were married this past January. We are in the process of doing our Adjustment of Status currently. She and I have talked a bit about me joining the military, which was something I've considered all my life seeing I grew up in that environment back in Indonesia, and plus her dad served in the US Army during the Korean and Vietnam war. ..

A couple of questions though:

1. I am thinking of joining either the Navy or Army. Which service would be more lenient in admitting a Conditional Green Card holder?

2. I am currently 32 years old...would that age, plus my Associate's Degree i earned here in the U.S back in 2004, be a factor in which service would be able to possibly be better to enlist into?

3. Lastly, my wife is wondering about separation anxiety...is one service more prone to help married couples stay together during deployments or no?

Just wondering. Thank you for those immigrants here who are serving this country. It's something I would like to aspire to and do once I get my permanent residency...

Hi gogo,

I too have been considering the possibility of enlisting in the Military as soon as I get my GC approved. I worked for the government in the Philippines as an attorney and would like to do federal work for the US and would like to "put my foot into the door" so to speak. Since the only federal jobs that would accept immigrants is the armed services, I did some research and found that they provided several opportunities for experience and further study if you qualify. But unlike you, I am considering the ANG and AR services so I can stay within my state and with my husband who happens to work in Colorado.

I just wanted to know how your plans of joining the armed services are getting along? Have you met with a recruiter yet?

[Khal_Drogo 50]

The DoD sets the federal recruitment standards, so they will all generally have the same rules for immigrants. That being said, having a green card won't hurt or help your chances with either branch.

Your age in this case will not hurt you with either branch; the Army's age limit for active is 42, and the Navy's is 34.

As for your associate's...I don't mean to insult you, but it's not gonna count for much if anything apart from saving a few months on an out-of-the-gates promotion to E-3/E-4 (depending on branch). I mean, I work with people who have degrees in everything from cosmotology to physics, and they're not doing anything related to their degrees. What you do will depend on your ASVAB scores, physical fitness level, and medical restrictions if you have any. Find a job in each branch that interests you, and talk to your recruiter about it.

As for the staying together thing...for deployments, it's one of those things where you're gonna have to suck it up during the deployment, but both services provide marriage counseling services, spousal support programs for your wife and kids back home, and they'll give you phone cards, Internet cards, etc. for your deployed location (if they have connectivity) to keep in contact while you're gone. But remember; the military is not a cakewalk; it's not meant to be and it never was. There are going to be times when you join that you're gonna wanna tear every strand of hair out of your head, but there will also be times where it's gonna be the best thing you have ever done. If you join, make sure you're doing it for the right reasons, because once you're in, your priorities are going to change drastically and you will have to make some tough calls down the line.

Joining is the best thing I ever did, so just make sure to do your homework as thoroughly as possible.

[gogojourney 1]

I've researched the military enlistment topic for a while...it's just that now I'm really really seriously considering it. I want to serve because I would like to give back to this nation, and also to help me with continuing my schooling. I understand my AA degree won't mean too much there, and I'm willing to do any job I'm allowed to do, even if it is not related to the Mass Communication track I was doing back in school.

Thank you for the advice...I will look into this further. I know it won't be the easiest thing to do, but I believe serving the nation is the best thing I can do to help me grow more as a person, not to mention to help me appreciate being in this nation more.

[Khal_Drogo 50]

I've researched the military enlistment topic for a while...it's just that now I'm really really seriously considering it. I want to serve because I would like to give back to this nation, and also to help me with continuing my schooling. I understand my AA degree won't mean too much there, and I'm willing to do any job I'm allowed to do, even if it is not related to the Mass Communication track I was doing back in school.

Thank you for the advice...I will look into this further. I know it won't be the easiest thing to do, but I believe serving the nation is the best thing I can do to help me grow more as a person, not to mention to help me appreciate being in this nation more.

People usually hate me for saying this, but my advice is don't "be willing to do any job" you're allowed to do. Pick one you really are interested in or have a passion for and stick to that one. A lot of people who have been willing to do any job they're allowed have quickly experienced their willingness turn into bitterness when they're slogging it to work every day or deploying for up to a year at a time to do a job they have absolutely zero interest in doing. The military is by and far still very similar to a regular day job; a majority of us (well, not me, I'm a shift worker) wake up at 6:30 AM, punch in at 7:30 AM, work until 4:30 PM, then punch out and do it again Monday through Friday for years. Of course, whether work is opening and closing file cabinets or jumping out of planes all day is the biggest difference. So if you find something you enjoy doing, it will make your time a LOT more fulfilling and, trust me, just a lot more rewarding.

[hellINTIM 9]

First talk to the recruiter because as of now due to cutoff of military budget they won't let in everybody even you pass the asvab. Even you have associate degree they won't accept you right away. I know only infantry is the one always . Most of the recruiter targeting those fresh graduate in high school. Try navy or marine or Air Force. You have 50% to get in in the army. I'm just saying.

[gogojourney 1]

I won't be able to enter the USMC or USAF for active duty simply because of age....I always wanted to join AF when I was younger, but alas, time pass and now here I am on the young side of his 30's adjusting his immigration status and wanting to serve the country he truly considers home...

I've been looking at Navy ratings and Army MOS's that I can enter as a non citizen....I have a few jobs I want to look further into from those lists...we'll see. Hope I'm able to earn my Conditional PR status by the beginning of 2014...

thanks for the reply