Here at Lakeland High School, college is recommended to students, but the military is another good option after high school. LHS offers many choices to students to enlist in the military. 

I have spoken to two seniors at LHS as to why they joined, and what they will be doing. Junior student, Ricky Hainey stated “I wanted to do something important for my life, I didn’t want to sit around and wait. I wanted to get a jump start because the military offers a lot of benefits. Not many people serve in the military, only 1% of the American population serves so it is important that those who are interested take the opportunity.”

Hainey went on to explain what he will be doing, “I’m going to be a heavy equipment operator, with the Navy Seabees so we get deployed overseas to go build bases with the Marines. I’ll be leaving July 26th”

To the question of what he is looking forward to, Ricky said “I’m really looking forward to seeing new places, and learning new things and just the brotherhood of meeting new people. I’m going to miss home that’s for sure, but it’s only for a few years so it’ll be worth it overall and it’ll be fun, and I’m not too worried.”

Hainey’s last note is “Contact petty Officer Crow if you wanna join the Navy, let me know.”

Another senior, Hunter Schnider said “I wanted to join because of my respect for it and it’s just what I wanted to do. As of now, they’re training me to get my SEAL contract. After I go to Bootcamp, I’ll be going to the BUD/S for training instead of a school. I wanted to join so I could serve my country and protect my family.”

Schinder also stated, “I’m looking forward to the whole thing, training will be rigorous but I’m joining for the hard parts and the stuff that’s supposed to suck, so I’m excited about everything honestly.” 

Carrie Paquette, a college and career counselor here stated, “Typically 6-8 seniors each year join the various branches of the military, Whether you are interested in aeronautics, laboratory science, intelligence, law enforcement, health care, or something else, there are opportunities to train for nearly any career within one of the six branches of the U.S. military.”

There are many different benefits you can receive from the military “You’ll learn leadership, analytical, and logistical skills through your service that can benefit your career throughout your life. All military programs offer incentives in the way of signing bonuses, paid tuition costs, or the GI Bill to pay for college while or after you serve.”

“You can enlist full-time or join the Guard or Reserves so you can go to school while working on the base one weekend per month. You can also apply for the full-tuition ROTC scholarship to train to be an officer while you attend a 4-year college, or apply to one of the five military academies in the U.S. for an all-expenses-paid education along with military service. Students can talk to me about joining the military and they can talk to the recruiters.” Ms. Paquette recommends that you find out about each branch before you make a decision.