Captain Eamon Murray, U.S.A.F.. Captain Murray, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, discusses his education and what type of career it's led to in the military.
Military training of citizens for the common defensive is a tradition that goes back long before the American Revolution. In British colonial times military preparedness was the separate responsibility of each colonial government. Persons of various formal military schooling and experience were given the task of drilling men in the use of arms, marching and other soldiering skills. At the conclusion of the United States War of Independence, in 1783, George Washington first proposed the establishment of a formal, national military academy. It was almost 20 years later, however, before the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, opened.
As new branches of the service developed, they established their own special training school for officers. The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, opened in 1845. Following that was the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction (now called the U.S. Coast Guard Academy) at New London, Connecticut, which started in 1876. In 1955 the U.S. Air Force Academy, now permanently located at Colorado Springs, Colorado, began its operations.
To gain admittance to any of these four academies, the prospective student must be between ages 17 and 22 years old and meet certain academic and physical qualifications. All academies accept both men and woman candidates; and candidates for any of these academies, except one, must be nominated by either the President, Vice President or a member of the U.S. Congress. The one exception to this is the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where candidates are selected through a national competition.
While these academies were established by Congress, they are not the only schools that train men and women for careers in the armed services. Many private and public schools offer preparatory programs for service in one of the military branches. Some schools explicitly specialize in this, others offer programs that, combined with regular academics, accomplish the same goal.
Going to one of these schools or taking a Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) curriculum does not necessarily mean that a person has to join the military upon graduation, nor doe it mean that applicants will automatically be accepted as officers, even if they do apply. Before becoming an officer, the man or woman must still meet certain physical qualifications, pass a thorough background investigation and pass academic examinations and testing. Successful candidates will then be given an entry level officer rank appropriate to the service they join. Graduates considering a career in the military do not need to enter service directly out of college. After graduation, the Armed Forces accepts applications for officers up to the age of 34 years old.
In one sense, each branch of the military is its own self-contained society. In this respect, each has a need for personnel in almost every human endeavor. People considering careers in the military should not think that their college studies are going to revolve around studying strategy and tactics. The military looks for persons with degrees in engineering, science, medicine, business and even the arts. The majors students choose in school should reflect the areas of interest they desire to pursue when they join a service branch. To help make this decision, councilors and military recruiters can be an excellent source of information and ideas. They can assist the student in determining what career paths are available and what kinds of experiences the student might expect to have.
The job outlook for careers in the military are good. Since participation in any military service is voluntary, even before the events of September 11th, 2001, there was a continuous need for applicants. Military personnel may retire and collect a pension after 20 years service, which creates a steady turnover that has to be covered. Since "Nine-Eleven, " the nation's need for trained military personnel has increased even more and is expected to continue for some time to come. The branches are composed of roughly 15 percent officers and 85 percent enlisted men and women.
Salaries in the military are determined by pay grade, which is generally a function of rank, time in the service and type of duty. Enlisted salaries can range between $1,000 a month for a new recruit to $3,600 a month for a 20 year veteran in the highest pay grade. Officer wages will range between $2,000 a month for a new junior officer to approximately $6,600 a month for a high ranking officer. (Some pay grades are higher than this but they apply to only a small number of the highest ranking leaders.) In addition to earning a salary, military personnel are provided free room and board or assistance with these costs, clothing allowances, medical and dental care, vacation time and the right to shop at special military stores. Upon leaving the service they are qualified for other special privileges, such as access to Veterans' hospitals and special consideration when applying for certain types of jobs, loans or continuing education.
