I was just wondering how old everyone was when they joined the military? I am pretty sure that I am going to join the marines but I am 22 going on 23. Have any of you joined at this age or do you think it is to old. Another thing....I wear contacts right now. Do i have to were that butt ugly glasses while I am in Boot Camp and after that??? If so I bet the are a lot of pissed off people with those glasses on!

James:

Age doesnt really mean anything. I joined when I was 24. Alot of people in my group were above the age of 20. It was just a unenployment thing at the time.

Wha does more age do for you in basic? Well you might get tried out for boot camp squad leader because of it. You might have a little more wisdom not to do some of the things that usally result in trouble. Other than that, i didnt see any difference.

I was 17 when I enlisted in the Navy

At /23 you are still young enough to keep up with 18 year olds physically and as Mark said, you'll have a bit more life experience and wisdom to go along with that.

23 is still very young, don't get the idea that you're already "old" simply because a lot of kids join at the age of 18. You've plenty of time left in your youth. If you want to be a Marine, go for it -

I was 22 when I enlisted and as others have said the life experience I felt was a huge advantage, it allowed me to be selected as a leader with more responsibilities and the chance to have the extra experience as a leader. Keeping up with the youngsters was not a problem physically, and trust me some of them need an older guy there to help keep them out of trouble, so if the Corp is what you want go get man....

I was literally as young as you can get...I enlisted on my 17th birthday.

That explains why I was able to retire at 37.

18 years and two months here.

I applied for the Reg Force just after I turned 17. I'm 18 now and just getting ready to ship out for Officer Training.

18 here...in my flight in basic we had a woman who was I think about 30.
So yeah...23 is young considering...

I’m sure you have the point after reading all the other post. But just in case, No, you are not too old to enlist. You may encounter a slight problem though. Because of your age, you will be more mature than your fellow recruits. This will get under your skin more than anything, even more than wearing those BCG’s. They will test your patience when it comes to integrity and work ethic however; this is where your role as a leader comes in to play. As stated earlier, you will have more responsibilities when it comes to your peers. You have to keep in mind that for some of these kids, it’s the first time they’ve been away from home. Simply put, they won’t know how to act.
As for the glasses, yes you will have to wear them throughout your training. You have to think positive though. You won’t be the only one wearing them, you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. Hey, they’re free. If they break, the military will purchase you another pair. They won’t do that for your personal glasses.