I have a grandson that will be 18 Monday.?

He may be determined to join the army. You might want him to consider the navy. In my opinion, the navy is the safest of all the armed forces. He can also apply to an air force academy (highly desirable by many). By the time he graduates, the war might be over.

I'm with you. It's senseless to die in a war in which the majority of the American public does not believe. This is Bush's agenda and not the American peoples. See polls to prove this.

I joined the Army, despite my family's wishes, when I was 18. If your grandson is at all like I was it'll be impossible to dissuade him. The best thing you can do now is to keep your relationship with him in good shape. Avoid taking on a nagging or very concerned tone with him, as it won't do any good. I suggest getting interested/feigning interest. Ask him what job he wants to do in the Army. There were something like 212 available when I joined. If he wants to be a tanker that's good, because our tanks are really safe against anything except serious military hardware of the sort the Iraqis and Afghanis don't have. I myself worked on Army watercraft and that was like the Jimmy Buffet Army: drinking beers on the beach in Puerto Rico and Panama. Hey beer is less of a threat than improvised explosive devices, right?

~It sounds to me like there could be 2 different reasons for wanting to leave and join the military. One could be that he is very prideful of his country. If this is the case, You need to show him some way he can help his country out by being @ home. Maybe try suggesting that he try the Reserves first, become a Police Officer or even join the Fire Dept. Show him that he can make a difference with out ever even leaving the country.

The other reason that he may want to leave is to get away from home and everyone. Sometimes kids start to feel that the only way that they can break away from life as they no it but still be able to support themselves is through the Military. If this the case you need to show him alternative ways of freedom. Suggest going away to school or something of that sort. Show him how much freedom he can still have but by doing something else that doesn't involve leaving the country and his family that loves him so dear. Last I would like to suggest that it is MOST important to let him know how much you all care for him and what he means to you. Explaine to him the pain that you would be in if you were to ever loose him. Let him know the impact he makes on your lives and everyone else's lives. Show him that he is IMPORTANT, RESPECTED & NEEDED. After that all you can do is hope for him to make the "right desiscion". Best of Luck!!

I Joined the Army when i was 17, at the very start of the Iraq war. I'm still in now and not been deployed to Iraq or anywhere. I would highly reccomend your grandson joining up. And more than likly the time it takes him to join and go through training iraq will have calmed down dramatically.

well first of all, the more u shout at him about the army the more determined he will be to join... what u could try to suggest for him to do is to join the teritorial army ( or if in the us the reserves). he will get a taste of military life in these and u can tell him that it would help him see if he would still like to join.... if he is just joining to shoot a gun and to wear a uniform then tell him that he is joining for the wrong reasons and he will end up getting hurt.... Military life is very hard ( nothing like what u see on tv), u have to work for respect, u have to follow orders 24/7, and u may have to kill for ur comrades/ country, and there is alot harder men have broken down because they have had to kill or be killed.... ur grandson has to be 110% sure he wants to do this because this will be 3yrs or more of his life that he will never get back....

Hope this helps

God bless and guide u and ur grandson

I don't think you will have any luck changing his mind. Just wish him luck and let him know that you love him and believe in him He is fighting for our country and you should be very proud. If you keep harping at him, he will sign up to go. kids at this age will do things that nobody approves of and this is his way of showing his loved ones that he is an adult and he can make his own decisions. Maybe he will back down at the last minute and decide not to go, but if he doesn't, let him know that you support him. Good Luck and He will have a safe return. Besides he is not going straight to the war, he has to train first and maybe by the time he is ready they will not need him to go

It sounds like he wants some action. But tell him there are other ways to serve his country. Ask him if he's thought about joining a different branch of the service, perhaps the Navy (I'm a little partial there :) ).

Until I left the submarine service in 1999, my mother was always worried about me. She would cry every time my leave would end. It's very natural. Perhaps you could mention the submarine service--it is exciting and the chances of anything happening to him are remote. But realize that he's going to make his own decisions and you'll have to accept them and support him.

The United States armed forces is the best thing that has ever happened to this country. It is a mans duty to serve and defend his country. You should be extremely proud of your son for him making such a noble decision at the coming-of-18. Do not ask him to do otherwise.

I actually respect your grandson for wanting to go into the army. Thats a huge decision and hes willing to step up to the plate to defend his country. Good Luck

i don't think it's right to attempt to change his mind. all thats going to happen is he's going to get pissed off and join for sure, and there could possibly be some bitterness between him and anyone telling him not to do it. your grandson is an adult now, and he has the right to join, whether or not you believe the war in Iraq is unjustified or anything like that. i myself want to join and i hear it from my family and co-workers that its not the right thing to do. my brother was in the marines and in iraq twice, he told me to just not listen to them because it's my decision and if it's what i want to do then do it. so thats going to be his mentality. voice your concerns to him but don't guilt him into not joining because if he doesn't he WILL be bitter towards his family.

Fear is a powerful emotion. You cannot pass your fears onto him in a healthy way and expect his head to be cleared of them just because you want it that way. He is on a journey that can be his only. Stand behind him, support, love and be proud of him for wanting to serve his country. To say now is a bad time means that it is really the right time for him. Something makes him want to do this. You have to let him go. Send your prayers and love with him.