Joining the Military

"82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team" by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

In many rural communities, joining the military not only presents an opportunity to serve, but a chance at a better life.

From one part of northwest Illinois to the next, anyone driving through this area near the Mississippi River can see many homes with not only American flags proudly flying but also flags of the various armed forces of the United States. I have seen homes with flags of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard, Coast Guard, and even the Seabees.

In accordance with tradition, these flags always fly just below the United States flag. It amazes me how many people from this area have been in the U.S. armed forces or are currently in the U.S. armed forces or know someone who are in the U.S. armed forces. I cannot guess the percentage, but it is pretty high.

In my view, small rural communities by percentage contribute more to the U.S. military than I remember when I lived in the Chicago area. I personally know some families in this rural community who are known as "military families." They have always had family members who had been in the armed forces going all the way back to the Civil War and even further back.

Their sons and daughters have served in the U.S. military, and for them it is a way of not only serving their country but also improving their lot in life where they were born and raised. I have mentioned before that in so many ways the small rural communities I live in and near are virtually static; people can rarely change their class or their occupation.

Social mobility is much more limited where I live, and options for social mobility or changing one's class sometimes is next to impossible. It is possible for someone to move to "the city" (i.e., Chicago in the case here), but then they usually have to sever their ties to their families, friends and everyone they knew.

College is becoming an option that is almost impossible to pursue. Tuition and other costs have become insanely expensive, and many here who have graduated high school cannot get into college at all because their grades and test scores are too low. If they barely finished high school, what are their chances of getting into college?

The Peace Corps might be an option, but even here I learned from those who have successfully fulfilled the program that many developing countries want young healthy people with college degrees in various fields needed in many Third World countries by their governments. Americorps is a possibility, and I have seen it advertised at a community college near where I live.

Going on a study program abroad is pretty much out of the question. If their families cannot afford college, how can they afford to send their kids to live in another country for five or six months?

Here, joining the U.S. military is considered a high honor. If any of the kids are accepted into any part of the military, and if they successfully complete their tour of duty and are honorably discharged, they are readily welcomed back into their rural communities. In addition to being able to join their closest American Legion post, they will have their names put onto a military monument in town, they will be able to participate in any holiday parades, and their military service will be prominently mentioned in the local newspapers.

The skills they learned in the armed forces will be sought after by local employers, and their skills and knowledge might enhance their reputation in the local community. The obvious risks are if they get into trouble and are dishonorably discharged (which only makes it worse for their families), or they are maimed or killed in war. We have had some of our nearest and dearest in the community killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families are now being honored no matter what their class or social standing.

The U.S. military is seen as an important way for those who volunteer to serve their country and hopefully have a better life when they return. Despite the risks, there are many here who are ready to join. 

Daniel Nardini spent 22 years as a newspaper correspondent for Lawndale News and The Fulton Journal. He has published six books, including his eyewitness account of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, The Day China Cried. He is listed as an Illinois author in the Illinois Center for the Book.

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