Alright, so I'm still a high school senior, and college has been a major stress point upon me. A few days ago, some of the top students in my class -- myself included -- were pulled aside to attend a small meeting about a NROTC scholarship, as can be seen here: Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps - Scholarships It seems very enticing for me, and I don't think I'd mind it if I could study navy JAG -- this would not be an ultimate decision, of course. My question is whether or not I should take up the scholarship if offered it, as it requires one to dedicate themselves to the Navy, which makes me highly dubious. My major concerns: What are the general disadvantages to being in the Navy, considering I don't have any close ties nor do I mind travel; what sort of experience is it like to work in Navy JAG; I realize the military's shakty relationship with LGBT -- so how would being in the military affect me if I was out to anyone who asked? I hope anyone can give any sort of advice and/or input, and I'll very likely have more questions if a conversation can be fueled. Thanks!
So I was enlisted, and you'd be an officer, and they are very different worlds. Some of what I know would still apply to you, some stuff wouldn't. First, as far as LGBT. A few of my shipmates were, and this was back in the DADT days. Honestly, this is one of those areas where the policy and the sailor are usually at odds. No one really minded. The consensus was usually, it's just something you talk about off ship. On ship you're at work. There's no sex period (in theory, I have had some friends go to what's called "captain's mast" or "non-judicial punishment" which I'm sure you'd know more about if you went JAG) and even if you do skirt the rules there's no real privacy or room for intimacy anyway. Everyone else has significant others back home, so there's not much point in dating other sailors; you always risk breaking up a happy home. So any kind of romantic relationship is just something you do in port or back home. There was zero bigotry in the LGBT department. The only bigotry I ever came across was racism and even that not so often, just some people I couldn't be friends with. People in the military get a really bad rep they don't deserve. Our generations were raised around this stuff anyway. The truth is, you're in close quarters with thousands of people, the ones that can't survive in that kind of environment will usually weed themselves out, leaving only people that will treat you the same if you told them you were a Martian. Everyone just works around the dead weight - which a bigot is - and does what they need to do. Your job is really the only thing that matters after a while. The dead weight, 9 times out of 10, usually gets tired of being seen as an obstacle, and comes around sooner or later. The only times this would likely be an obstacle for you are in school itself - other students are going to be the type that want to be ROTC, and they still have their pre-military mentalities - and maybe OCS, which again is a world I know nothing about. But once you're in the military proper and have proved yourself, your home being a human life stops being relevant to anyone else. Again, at least for me. It all really depends on where you get stationed. People are people whether they are wearing a uniform or not and there's no getting around that, there are going to be lousy ones out there. But if they are out there they are at least good enough at hiding the fact that they make other people miserable, because that reflects badly on them. The military really likes people to be interchangeable, and someone that gives you shit for being gay is definitely not interchangeable.
Thanks for the insight! Although I wasn't wondering if I could have sex with shipmates, I am glad to sort of see the mentality towards sex among shipmates is disapproved. I suppose the next thing to do is tell my parents of my consideration and hope they aren't too opposed to it. So you mentioned the "pre-military mentalities" of the aspiring ROTC in school (I suppose this includes college). Could you, or anyone, elaborate. What is the sort of atmosphere amidst the college ROTC programs?
