Why might an individual choose to enlist in military service rather than seek employment elsewhere? In the United States, no one has been drafted or forced into military service since 1973. In other countries, forced military service may occur, and the service members’ reasons for staying in the service may vary. Unlike forced military service, voluntary military service is a personal choice. There are a myriad of reasons why someone would engage in service before self in an institution that requires one to relinquish certain personal rights. To understand military personnel from the lens of a helping professional, it is imperative to understand what motivates a person to choose this career path as a way of life regardless if it is for short or long term.

As you investigate the motivating factors of joining, staying in, or separating from military service, consider how military culture can influence these decisions.

Post a description of one motivating factor for joining the military and one motivating factor for military personnel to remain in the service.

Explain how these factors motivate individuals to join and remain in military service.

Finally, describe one way military culture might influence a person’s decision to remain in or separate from the military.

Justify your response by citing references to the resources and the current literature.

Be sure to support your post with specific references to the resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.

Required Readings

Blaisure, K. R., Saathoff-Wells, T., Pereira, A., MacDermid Wadsworth, S., & Dombro, A. L. (2016). Serving military families (2nd ed.). New York: NY: Routledge.
Chapter 1, “An Introduction to Military Culture and Military Families”Review: “Chain of Command” (pp. 11-14)
Chapter 2, “An Overview of Military Personnel and Their Families” (pp. 23-47)