Sojc, My son joined the Navy in January 2012. He had graduated from college but did not have the grades for officer school, so he enlisted. He was raised in a Christian home, church every Sunday, and went to private Christian schools from grades 1 - 12. He seemed to be doing well until he was in A school for Cryptology in Corry Station in P-Cola. I know he had been feeling lonely and was vulnerable. He does not make friends easily. He had just spent five months at the NAS waiting to attend his first course, and then taking his initial course at NAS. After he went to Corry he really seemed to change. I don't know all the details, but somehow he got involved with a "bad" girl who was supposedly living with and engaged to another sailor at the time. Evidently he was going to church but not really involved with a Christian support group. This girl is a persuasive talker and he became enamored with her. Plus, the rules about curfews and going off base were not being enforced at Corry at that time. He got orders to Hawaii and she apparently led him to believe she would not wait for him, that other guys were after her. She also claimed that her fiancé was abusing her (very questionable). To make this story shorter: when he came home on leave after A school, she flew into town a few days later. We met her once, at church and a couple of meals. I had a bad impression of her. We did not see them again for about 3 days. When I was frantically trying to locate him, he said he was okay, that he had married her two days earlier (it was Veterans Day). Needless to say, she has caused him much pain and turmoil in the 8 months they have been married and they are currently separated. I'm sure it is unlikely that your daughter will do anything like that. I didn't think my son would either, but he had led a sheltered life and did not stick by his morals when he should have.

The advice I would have for your daughter: take a hard look at college. She will have more options and go into the Navy with a higher rank if she has a degree. I met an impressive female sailor at one of our Navy Mom dinners a few months ago. She had dropped out of college to enter the Navy and she said that she regretted it. She was going to return to college after she got out of the Navy.

That said: I think there are a lot of opportunities for women in the Navy but it will not be easy. The two girls who were sworn in with my son were sent home from boot camp after two weeks. I had kept in touch with their families, and their mothers were devastated. If she needs the GI bill benefit to pay for her college expenses, it is a great deal.

I guess what I want to say also is that it appears that a person must be really strong and stand by his/her principles to keep a strong Christian faith in the military. There is a lot of drinking and I think even some drugs. I hear almost daily about sexual harassment allegations toward women in the military. I have a daughter as well, and I would not encourage her to enter the military (she doesn't want to anyway). Obviously since I do not know you, your daughter, or the reasons why she is weighing both options I cannot say what will be best for her. I think a person is less likely to enter college at an older age, but she can always join the military. My son was 24 (almost 25) when he joined.

I hope the above helps. I wish you all the best. Please let me know what you decide.