A HIGH SCHOOL

COUNSELOR'S GUIDE:
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT THE MILITARY TO HELP
YOUR STUDENTS MAKE AN
INFORMED DECISION

AIR FORCE - ARMY - COAST GUARD - MARINES - NAVY

 THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR & STUDENT
POSTSECONDARY RECRUITMENT

ASCA POSITION STATEMENT

School counselors encourage and promote positive and equitable reception of career and
postsecondary educational institution recruiters into the school setting. These recruiters
may include individuals from organizations such as but not limited to:
• apprenticeship programs
• athletic programs
• branches of the military
• career and technical education institutions
• colleges and universities

SCHOOL COUNSELOR'S ROLE

School counselors are advocates for students in the recruitment process and ensure
students and their families are informed of their rights under the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA) and in accordance with ASCA’s Ethical Standards for School
Counselors. School counselors provide and advocate for individual students’ career
awareness, exploration and postsecondary plans supporting students’ right to choose from
the wide array of options when they leave secondary education. The school counselor
develops strategies and implements activities for individual student planning, goal-setting,
decision-making, transition and/or postsecondary planning. The school counselor
collaborates with students, their families, other student service professionals and recruiters
to provide information about postsecondary options and assists students as they make
choices about their future.
 AIR FORCE

The mission of the United States Air Force

is to fly, fight and win in air, space and
cyberspace. Our rich history and our vision
MISSION guide our Airmen as we pursue our
mission with excellence and integrity to
become leaders, innovators and warriors.

Air Force ROTC is a college program

offered at more than 1,100 campuses
across the country. It prepares young men
and women to become leaders in the Air
Force, but it’s also much more. You’ll grow
mentally and physically as you acquire
strong leadership skills that will benefit
ROTC you as an Air Force Officer and in life. It’s
also a great opportunity to pay for school
through scholarships. Plus unlike many
college students, you’ll have a position
waiting for you after graduation at one of
the world’s top high-tech organizations—
the U.S. Air Force. 

The Air Force built a supercomputer out

of Sony Playstations. The Air Force
Research Lab built a supercomputer
called the Condor Cluster to analyze HD
FUN FACT satellite imagery. The supercomputer is
made up entirely of 1760 Playstation 3's.
It's the 33rd most-powerful computer in
the world.
 ARMY

The U.S. Army's mission is to fight and win

our Nation's wars by providing prompt,
sustained land dominance across the full
MISSION range of military operations and spectrum
of conflict in support of combatant
commanders.

The Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps

(ROTC) is a way for young men and
women to start strong in life. The college
elective for undergraduate and graduate
students that provides unrivaled
leadership training for success in any
career field. Available at over 1,100
colleges and universities nationwide, it
ROTC offers merit-based scholarships that can
pay up to the full cost of tuition and open
educational opportunities. Benefits
include: High-level leadership training,
Problem-solving and skills development,
Scholarships, Monthly living allowances,
and more. 

The Army owns so much land that if it

were a state, it would be larger than
Hawaii and Massachusetts combined.
Soldiers serve at 158 installations around
FUN FACT the world, and the service owns more
than 15 million acres of land across the
US, which totals up to roughly 24,000
square miles. 
 COAST GUARD

The mission of the United States Coast

Guard is to ensure our Nation's maritime
MISSION safety, security and stewardship.

While the U.S. Coast Guard does not have

an ROTC initiative, interested students
can explore a similar training program,
the College Student Pre-Commissioning
Initiative (CSPI). The goal of these college-
level programs is to train future officers to
ROTC serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. CSPI is a
program designed for motivated
individuals who demonstrate a high
caliber of academic and leadership
excellence and who desire to serve their
country in the United States Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard only has about 42,000

people, but protects 4.5 million square
miles of ocean. That’s over 100 square
miles per person. We do more than just
FUN FACT float around, of course. We have ships and
aircraft stationed everywhere from Guam
to Puerto Rico, from Alaska to American
Samoa. 
 MARINES

As America's expeditionary force in

readiness since 1775, the Marines are
forward deployed to win our nation’s
battles swiftly and aggressively in times of
MISSION crisis. We fight on land, sea and air, as well
as provide forces and detachments to
naval ships and ground operations.

The United States Marine Corps does not

have a separate Reserve Officer Training
Corps or ROTC program of its own.
Instead, students interested in attending
college on a Marine ROTC scholarship can
choose the Marine option from the Naval
ROTC program. The purpose of the Marine
ROTC Option NROTC program is to educate and
train highly qualified young men and
women for careers as commissioned
officers in the United States Marine Corps.
The Marine Option NROTC units are
located at selected colleges throughout
the United States.

Every year, Thai Marines instruct U.S.

Marines in a day of jungle-survival training
as part of the annual exercise Cobra Gold.
The training culminates with the U.S.
FUN FACT Marines participating in a Thai warrior
ritual that involves cutting a cobra’s head
off and drinking its blood.
 NAVY

To recruit, train, equip, and organize to

deliver combat ready Naval forces to win
conflicts and wars while maintaining
MISSION security and deterrence through
sustained forward presence.

The Navy Reserve Officers Training

Program (Navy ROTC) is a multi-year
program that runs concurrently with a
student’s normal college or university
educational course of study. In addition to
a normal academic workload leading to a
Baccalaureate degree, Navy ROTC
ROTC students attend classes in Naval Science,
participate in the Navy ROTC unit for drill,
physical training, and other activities, and
are generally taught the leadership
principles and high ideals of a military
officer.

The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world

With 323,000 active and 109,000
personnel, the U.S. Navy is the world’s
largest in terms of manpower. Our navy
also maintains an impressive fleet, with
FUN FACT 288 battle force ships, 10 aircraft carriers,
nine amphibious assault ships, 22 cruisers,
62 destroyers, 17 frigates, 72 submarines
and 3,700 aircraft.
COMPARISON
 WHAT TO EXPECT

ENLISTMENT:
Joining the Military is not as simple as signing on the dotted line. Once you’ve decided this is something you want to pursue,
you must meet all of the requirements at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). There’s a MEPS in every state where
candidates for all Service branches come to enlist.
As a recruit, you must do the following at MEPS:
• Take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test
• Pass the physical and medical examinations
• Meet with a counselor and select a career path
• Take the Oath of Enlistment (swearing in)

TRAINING LOCATIONS:
 ASVAB
ARMED SERVICES VOCATIONAL APTITUDE BATTERY

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude

Battery (ASVAB) is one of the most widely
used, multiple-aptitude tests in the world,
developed and maintained by the
WHAT IS THE ASVAB? Department of Defense. It measures a
young adult’s strengths, weaknesses, and
potential for future success.

The student ASVAB, referred to as the

ASVAB Career Exploration Program
(ASVAB CEP), is used for career
WHAT IS THE
exploration and is given in high schools
DIFFERENCE and community colleges.
BETWEEN ASVAB CEP The enlistment version of the ASVAB is
AND THE ASVAB AT primarily given at a Military Entrance
MEPS? Processing Station (MEPS) and is used for
recruiting purposes only.

With the ASVAB test, you will be tested on

things such as paragraph comprehension,
word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning,
mathematics knowledge, mechanics, and
electronics. Depending on your current
knowledge, each part of the test will vary
in difficulty. The ASVAB is categorized into
HOW HARD IS THE ten sub-tests. Four of these tests, Word
TEST? Knowledge (WK), Paragraph
Comprehension (PC), Arithmetic
Reasoning (AR), and Mathematics
Knowledge (MK), are used to determine if
the individual is eligible to join the armed
forces, and if so, which branch
 JOBS IN THE MILITARY

There is an extremely wide range of job opportunities in today’s Military.

Here are 24 career fields into which military jobs fall:

Accounting, Budget and Finance

Arts, Communications, Media and Design
Aviation
Business Administration and Operations
Combat Operations
Communications Equipment Technologists and Technicians
Construction, Building and Extraction
Counseling, Social Work and Human Services
Cyber
Education and Training
Engineering and Scientific Research
Environmental Health and Safety
Health Care Practitioners 
Human Resources Management and Services
Information Technology, Computer Science and Mathematics
Intelligence
International Relations, Linguistics and Other Social Sciences
Law Enforcement, Security and Protective Services
Legal Professions and Support Services
Mechanic and Repair Technologists and Technicians
Medical and Clinical Technicians
Naval and Maritime Operations
Personal and Culinary Services
Transportation, Supply and Logistics
 FAQ'S &
NEXT STEPS
I'M NOT SURE WHICH SERVICE I'D LIKE BEST. HOW DO I DECIDE?
Each of the Services has its own character and spirit. Before choosing, it's best to talk to people
who have had firsthand exposure to the Military. One of the best ways to determine which
Service would be the best fit for you is to find friends or relatives who have been in the Military
and ask them about their Service's values, missions and opportunities. If you do not know
anyone who has served recently, you may want to look up each branch online.

You should also visit local recruiters who can help match your abilities and interests to current
active-duty openings in their Service. It's fine to schedule an appointment just to learn more;
visiting a recruiter does not obligate you in any way. Don't forget to ask about opportunities in
the Reserve and National Guard if you're more interested in serving part time and close to
home.

HOW DO I JOIN?

Once you've done your research and have a sense of which Service and opportunities are right
for you, it's time to talk to a recruiter. You can bring a friend, parent or guardian along with you
if that makes you more comfortable. Also remember that there's no problem with taking more
than one visit to ensure you have all the information necessary to make an informed decision.

AIR FORCE FAQ: https://www.airforce.com/frequently-asked-questions

ARMY FAQ: https://www.goarmy.com/ask-sgt-star.html
COAST GUARD FAQ: https://www.gocoastguard.com/faq
MARINES FAQ: https://www.marines.com/faq.html
NAVY FAQ: https://www.navy.com/seatostars

Created By: Crystal King, SDSU Counseling Intern