Joining the Ranks of Army Moms
Yes…you read that right! I have joined the ranks of Army Moms and am excited to share about the process of having a daughter in the military! I come from a long line of soldiers in my family, including my Grandpa who served in the US Navy, my Dad who served in the US Marines and my husband who served in the US Army. Our daughter also has an Uncle who is currently serving in the US Navy. For years, whenever I’ve seen our members of the military in their uniforms or wearing hats or army rank pins that show what branch they’ve served in, I’ve made an effort to thank them for their service. I honestly never imagined one of our own children becoming one of those very soldiers, but I am proud that our daughter has made the decision to join the Army and make it possible for us to continue enjoying the freedoms and blessings we have in America.
Our oldest daughter learned about the Army from recruiters visiting her high school during her senior year and made the decision that she wanted to enlist in the Army. She didn’t feel ready for college yet, but wanted to be a part of something that made a difference. She expressed interest in joining the Army to her dad and myself and I was a little surprised because I never even considered our kids joining the military. I had been preparing them for college and this was was something I didn’t know very much about. After doing some research and learning more about the Army and the process, as well as why she wanted to join, I felt confident that she could do this and am very proud of her!
In the upcoming blog posts, I will be sharing about our experience with our daughter in the Army, as well as other Army Mom topics. There is a lot I’m learning about and will be sharing as I’m sure there are other Army Moms (or Dads) out there in the same boat as me – not really knowing much about the Army and process. A big thank you goes out to the Veterans and all of those actively serving in the military.
Here are few things you might not know that I have learned so far.
Preparing for ASVAB. The ASVAB is the written test that is taken to determine eligibility and what jobs are available. It is important to score as high as possible to get the most opportunities. We found that ASVAB flash cards were very beneficial for our daughter.
What is MOS? Military Occupational Specialty is the job your child will choose based on their ASVAB scores and availability.
What is DEP? DEP is the Delayed Entry Program (also known as Delayed Enlistment Program) and is what your child will be in until they leave for Basic Training.
What will my child be doing until they leave for basic training? Many recruiting stations encourage group physical training (PT) and have weekly meetings for PT and other things they will go over with them.
What is MEPS? MEPS is the Military Entrance and Processing Station. This is where your child will go to process into the military. I will go into more detail about this process in an upcoming post.
Packing for shipping out. What your child needs to take with her or him to basic training.
What happens when they leave for basic training? Shuttle, hotel, MEPS, airport, shuttle, reception battalion, first phone call, processing, second phone call, basic training.
I’m looking forward to sharing about being an Army Mom. I will go into each of these topics further in future blog posts.
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Congratulations to your daughter for joining the army! This is such a big and exciting step.
I never thought about the military for my kids but it sounds like such an exciting idea. It is good to know all these terms and what a person has to go through as they enlist.
Wow, she must be so excited. It’s really cool that you’re willing to learn so much about the process!
Congrats to your daughter! How awesome. My husband is in the Air Force. Right now I don’t think any of my kids will join the military.
My daughter’s boyfriend just left for basic training in July there really is a lot to learn before they ship out. Congrats to your daughter! You all must be proud of her for her decision to enlist.
Congratulations Shannon. I look forward to reading about your daughter’s experiences. She must be a very brave girl.
congratulations! hope your daughter has a very enriching experience! you must be so proud of her!
That’s great that you’re a proud army mom. Well done to your daughter.
Wow.. Such a brave girl. Can’t wait to see more of your posts about her.
Congrats to your daughter. I’m sure your blog will become quite the resource for other army parents. I imagine some families of army children are less familiar with the army in general, so this will be especially helpful for them.
Congratulations to her on this huge life decision. I think it’s the most noble of undertakings to serve our country. As a military brat, I know the life can be difficult, but I also know that there is no higher calling.
Congratulations to your daughter. That sounds like an exciting step for her as well as for your family. And congratulations on being an army mom too. You must be so proud.
Many thanks to your daughter for serving our country. I know you’re so proud of her. Congrats to you as well for joining the Army mom ranks!
So nice congratulations on being an army mom. You must be so proud and you should be.
Congratulations to your daughter, that is a big step and she’s quite a brave girl. Hope to hear more about her experience during training.
Hugs for you, but also congratulations to your daughter. I thank her for her service to the US <3
Congrats on your daughter joining the army! What a way to celebrate being a US Army Mom with a cute cupcake.
I would be so proud of her! She sounds confident and ready in her decision – but I’m sure it’s still hard to send her off!
Oh wow, this is quite a step! I bet you’re so proud of your daughter; she’d doing such an amazing thing for your country.
Congrats to your daughter! I can’t wait to read all your future posts about it.
Congrats this is awesome. I love that Army recruiters visited her high school, great way of spreading the word. I live in a military town and respect that people like your daughter and making it possible for us all to live in the US.
Military moms are tough people! The kids need very supportive and understanding parents! Good for you:) you’re in for a great ride! You should be – a proud parent!
omg shannon that’s amazing! kudos to you guys. you have to be so proud!!!!! good luck to your daughter, she will do amazing and will make our country proud.
Congratulations. I wish your daughter all the best. I’m not sure what my two boys will do after high school but at the moment, my oldest isn’t interested in the military. But he does have some minor health problems that might be frowned upon. My youngest is only 8 so he has a ways to go. It would make my heart proud if one of them decided to go to the military too.
It is so interesting to know about military life in America and the training they have there. We have military training for the young men here and it is compulsory too.
Congratulations and thank you! It’s such a rewarding job to keep civilians like us safe x We have full respect for people in the services (many of our family have served)
My sister was a Marine and she loved it! I have a couple of nephews who are in the military and their moms are so proud of them. I hope your daughter really loves being in the Army.
Interesting how the military training looks like in America. Glad your daughter loves joining the army, it such an honor in the family.
GOD BLESS!! You must be so proud…what an incredible journey! I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
Congratulations to your daughter on her new career – my son is in the Navy and adores it