An immigrant can serve in the US army?

[Tuhbehediyelik]

I'm from 🇹🇷

I have applied to Visa if they approve i plan on moving on to US and build a life there. My plan is getting into the army to fasten the process of citizenship and make some money then move on. What do you advice me and which state should i live in US. What is the first thing i should do when i arrive there?

[MrOracle]

Yes, you almost certainly can serve in the US Army, and it's actually quite a good path towards citizenship. I strongly recommend that you test first before you sign any contracts, and if you aren't able to or don't want to do anything but infantry, then only enlist for 3 years. Some jobs require longer enlistments, but those tend to be better jobs with more transferrable skills. For example, you could be a cook or a mechanic, and while that might require a 4 year enlistment, the skills you'd learn would be more transferrable.

Know this: a LOT of being in the Army is going to suck. While military service has always sucked in many ways, I'm specifically talking about politics here. Over the last 20 years, the military has been increasingly political and it is infested with "wokeness", and while wokeness is being pushed back in a big way in the general population, the military is being run by woke officers and it will be nearly impossible to push back. You will have to learn to shut up, say what they want to hear, and know that when you get out, you won't have to deal with that crap anymore. When you enlist, the Army OWNS you for 8 years (your active enlistment might only be 3 or 4 years, but you will have to be in the Reserves until you've served a total of 8 years). Reserves are only rarely called up, but it CAN happen. The point is: you can't change how the Army is run, and you have to keep your opinions to yourself, no matter how much you disagree. Hopefully the overall political situation in the US improves, and positive changes can be made to the military, but there's no guarantees of that.

Focus on learning your skills, doing your job, and getting through your enlistment. You'll be in a much better position with an honorable discharge, and you'll also have some mandatory benefits as a veteran.

[Oliverlogan263]

Hey man that's pretty cool you wanna serve in the Army! My cousin actually joined up after he graduated high school. As for being an immigrant, I think you definitely can join - the Army takes all kinds of folks from different backgrounds. Not sure how the visa process works exactly, but sounds like being a soldier would help with getting citizenship faster like you said.

As for what state, there's lots of Army bases all over so that would be a factor in where you end up living at first I bet. Probably can't go wrong with someplace like Texas or California - lots goin on in those states. Maybe check out Fort Hood in Texas? Heard that's a big one.

As for when you first get here, first thing I'd do is get settled somewhere close to the base. Might be able to find housing on post even if you're not a citizen yet. Definitely get your paperwork in order too with the visa stuff. Other than that, just be ready to start your training - they'll keep you pretty busy! Good luck man, hope it all works out for you comin over here. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[BCA6010]

You would have to speak with recruiters directly for specifics, but we definitely have programs for that. Fluency in a foreign language is also sometimes worth a bonus. When I enlisted back in 2014, there was a Chinese national joining as well.

[Nikki1989]

Why would anyone want to move to the US?

[Tuhbehediyelik]

Ofc to get a better life...

[Nikki1989]

Low wages, high crime. Nothing better about that.

[laly520]

yes possible