'What I needed to do'
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'What I needed to do'

Milwaukee, WI
I grew up a tail-end baby boomer, as the country was being run by the World War II generation and..
546 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'The person I am today'

Folsom, CA
In 1984, I had flunked out of college, was working a minimum-wage job, was dating a girl, and felt like..
532 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'The Army taught me respect'

Trout Lake, MI
I chose the Army because of my ancestors, who served from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam. The Army taught me..
622 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I did my best to be all I could be'

Burlington, MA
First of all, I did not choose the Army, I was drafted in 1968. My father fought the Japanese in..
738 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

An uncle's sacrifice

Mitchell, SD
While at San Diego State University in 1965, I failed the hearing test for advanced Air Force ROTC. Upon graduating..
669 views
Life experience, education and a way to purchase a home
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

Life experience, education and a way to purchase a home

Dunedin, FL
I'm sad to say that doing my patriotic duty was not my reason for going in the Army. During my..
614 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'My honor and privilege'

Deland, FL
I chose the U.S. Army to expeditiously fulfill my military obligation to our country. I had been drafted but used..
603 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

An honor and a privilege

St. Cloud, FL
I am the youngest of seven brothers. All my older brothers served in the Army, beginning with World War II..
467 views
Like father, like son
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

Like father, like son

Waukesha, WI
My uncle served in the Army during the 1930s. My father was a World War II veteran. All my buddies..
577 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

An Army guarantee

Philadelphia, PA
I planned to join the Navy after high school because my father served in World War II and during the..
739 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I wouldn't trade that experience for anything'

Abrams, WI
I was drafted into the Army in April 1970 and served 14 months in Vietnam as an infantryman. Even though..
502 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

Money for college, and Sunday duty

La Plata, MD
There are many reasons I chose to join Army Reserve: 1) to get out of my hometown; 2) to earn..
502 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I loved my time in the Army'

Auburn, WA
I went into the Army in 1967 right out of high school. I chose the service because I wanted someone..
702 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I knew this was right for me'

Staten Island, NY
My father, William Lawrence Gallagher, served in North Africa during World War II. My great-great-grandfather, Nathaniel Augustus Conklin, was a..
612 views
'Suppose I volunteer for the draft today?'
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'Suppose I volunteer for the draft today?'

Cumming, GA
As a recent high school graduate in the fall of 1957, I knew that the United States government expected every..
558 views
'I wanted to be part of something bigger'
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I wanted to be part of something bigger'

Land O' Lakes, FL
I grew up on the streets of Baltimore. The area where I lived did not offer much opportunity for success...
914 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'The heck with it, I'm joining the Army'

Milford, CT
As a male high school senior in 1967, the Selective Service draft was always on my mind. And as a..
592 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

A knock at the door

Montgomery, AL
My father, William Glen Cornwell, got his Army commission as a second lieutenant in 1937 from Iowa State College and..
787 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

The real cost of war

Saco, ME
I did not exactly choose the Army. It chose me in 1968. However, I did choose to honor my citizenship..
655 views
In the footsteps of family
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

In the footsteps of family

Chapel Hill, NC
My ancestor, David Chamberlain, served in George Washington’s army. I wanted to honor his service and that of my grandfathers,..
765 views
Grateful to have served
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

Grateful to have served

Bath, NC
Necessity. My plan had been to go to nursing school at the C&O Hospital on a scholarship upon graduation, but..
567 views
'I feel fortunate to have had the privilege of serving'
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I feel fortunate to have had the privilege of serving'

Levittown, NY
I always wanted to serve, but life events put that desire on the back burner until I was too old..
568 views
'One of the best decisions I ever made'
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'One of the best decisions I ever made'

Kingsport, TN
I had finished my second year in college and couldn’t find any summer work to help pay to continue. My..
567 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

Forging his own path, in the Army

Worthington, OH
Dad was a Marine, Mom was a Navy nurse. Rather than make one of them mad, I joined the Army...
628 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I knew that was what I wanted to do'

Caroline, WI
I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin that was under the SAC B-52 low-level routes. It was a..
731 views
'Take me ... I've seen it all!'
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'Take me ... I've seen it all!'

Plattsmouth, NE
In 1971, I was floundering during my second year at Wayne State College in Nebraska. I was madly in love..
625 views
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I carried on what others had done'

Kelso, WA
I served in the Army and Army National Guard from 1986 to 1992. Someone from our family served – Army..
572 views
'I wanted to do something now'
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

'I wanted to do something now'

Brownsburg, IN
I joined the Army later than most. I was 26, a single mother of two boys, working as a nurse..
712 views
Carrying forward a legacy
WHY I CHOSE THE ARMY

Carrying forward a legacy

Clarkston, MI
Service to our country is ingrained in my family's history. From the Revolutionary War to present conflicts, members of my..
608 views