Many people would be surprised to find that minors can join the military but many people don’t know that they can. The reason why people would be mad by this is because they would think that their child could be forced into the military at any time but that’s not true. What they are talking about is being drafted into the military. The military can’t draft minors into the military because the required age is 18. That’s why when you turn 18 you have to sign forms so that if the United States were to go to war anyone 18 or older has a chance of being drafted into the military. The only way a minor is in the military is of their own free will. Minors can join the military when they are 17 but only with their parent’s approval. Being able to join at 17 may raise questions about how will they finish high school but the military has thought of this.

If you are 17, a senior in high school, and have signed your papers and are officially in the military than there is a program they can train with. The program is called the Future Soldier Program which minors that are still in school and others that have just signed up can participate in. The Program trains and prepares those who have just joined the military for basic training and life in the military.

I interviewed Makenna Johnson a senior who is 17 and has joined the military and is training with the Future Soldiers program. When I asked her why she joined this military and this is what she said “I joined the military to be able to pay for college because they are paying for my tuition because I have already enlisted, so that I won’t have to worry about the struggle of repaying student loans.”

I think it’s a great thing that minors of the age of 17 that want to join the military and serve their country are allowed to with their parent’s approval because if they are mature enough to join and are finishing high school or are already done with high school who are you to tell them they can’t serve their country just because they are not legally an adult.