older enlistee

[Cathy]

My daughter is determined to join the Navy and I am so proud of her decision. It is also her 28th birthday. Has anyone else had a daughter or son who enlisted at an "older" age and how did they do?

[William]

Hi Cathy,

I am a prior Navy Recruiter, and I am currently a Navy ROTC Coordinator. I put a young lady who was almost 40 a couple of years ago and she is doing awesome. I call her a little firecracker. She is doing better then most young women half her age and that is just one example.

Good Luck

[Cathy]

Thanks William, that makes me feel better. She is quite determined to do this and that determination will get her through but it's nice to know others have done this. Cathy

[John and Yvonne Wagner]

Cathy,

Yvonne and I minister to servicemen and women in our home here in Virginia Beach, VA. Quite a few of the young women coming through our home are what you would call "older" and they seem to actually do better than some of the younger women. It all depends on her attitude. If she maintains a positive attitude she'll do great. Because she's older she will hopefully be a little more mature than the others and that will take her a long way. Because she is older the younger girls will also look to her for leadership.

[Cathy]

John, thanks for the encouragement. She does have a positive attitude at this point and the difficulty will be to maintain that as it gets rough. But we are a close family and will always be there for her. Cathy

[Tanya]

There were a few older men in my husbands DIV in bootcamp.. he was considered an "older guy" b/c he was 21 married and has a 2 yr old. But there was one that was in his mid 30's and one that was like late 20's as well as another one which I dont know the age. Conincidently. I talk to the wives of the other 2 "older" guys in his DIV. b/c were all married kids and all that. kinda funny.

[Cathy]

Tanya, it's nice to hear from people that maybe she won't be the only "older" person in bootcamp! Thanks for responding. Cathy

[Julie (Adam's Mom)]

Cathy, My son joined at 24, older than most. He is doing great!!! He is in A school now and has taken on extra responsibilities there, which he really enjoys. I really think that he is doing better with joining now than if he would have joined at 18. The other good part is that he had been out on his own for about a year before he left, so he wasn't as homesick as some recruits (or at least was better at covering up...LOL) Don't get me wrong, it was still hard on me (and him) when he left for boot camp. For him it was a good decision to join as I think it probably is for your daughter. Keep in touch. Julie

[Cathy]

Julie, you are right, it is a good decision for my daughter. I am most thankful that she is taking charge of her life and making decisions for herself and not just waiting for life to come to her. She would not have been ready for the military at 18. Thanks for the encouragement. Cathy

[Sherryl]

I joined the Navy when I was 28, way back in 1978, and at the time I was I was totally naieve about it all!! However, being older than the other recruits in my unit, I became sort of a "big sister" to many of them, and found that helping them over things like homesickness, fear, and other emotions made me a stronger person. It was the best decision I had made up to that time in my life, and I hope that your daughter enjoys learning about herself and the Navy!! Bravo Zulu!!

[Cathy]

Sherryl, that is the best news from someone who has personally experienced what Emily is soon to go through. Thank you so much for responding and I will keep everyone posted as to her progress in this journey. Cathy

[Barbara]

Hello - Our Son joined when he was 24 years old and had a young daughter, I also had my concerns. But he has been in for almost 10 years now and recently became a Chief Petty Officer. He married a young women he met in the Navy and now have 2 more children. It was the best decision he made, even though we miss not having him around on a daily basis we support him and we are so proud of him. Good Luck to you and your daughter and bless her for chosing to serve and protect us and our country.

[Cathy]

Barbara, and bless your son for his ten years of service. I go to my husband's Marine Corps reunions every year and there is nothing so awe inspiring than military families and I am proud to soon be one of them. Cathy