This came about as a result of Barack Obama's election, really having nothing else to do and being up to my eyeballs in college debt. I would have done this back in September of 2001, but was in high school until 2002 and saw Iraq coming by the time I graduated. I wasn't about to entrust my life to an administration of madmen perverting the very things that made me want to join the military and protect the greatest country on the planet since I was a kid. Liberals can be patriotic too! Anyway.
I've been researching for the last few months, going over each branch (okay, I didn't check the Coast Guard) and its training/amenities/incentives and such. The Navy wants me bad, but nah. The Air Force declared me ineligible because of shitty credit (see above) and a simple possession of marijuana arrest in June of 2007. Marine Corps is what I'd do if I didn't have to take the financials into account to be honest, but a mandatory four years of active duty gives me pause.
I'll be signing up for two years, more like two and a half years taking basic training and AIT into account, but am still very very early in the enlistment process. I've made peace with the dangerous elements of the job since I realized I could die in a plain ol' car crash tomorrow. The first three weeks will be the worst, but after that I'll be fine since that's when I finally get a rifle in my hands. I'm excited to come back home that first time and show off the new me.