When you have nowhere to go, the military might be your way forward 🛤️
Hey there. I’m Sarge, and I need to tell you about the moment that changed everything – when an Army recruiter walked into my psychology class and saved my future to nowhere🙏💫But first, let me tell you where I was at 18, because it might sound familiar… 👀
Lost at Eighteen: When You Have No Plan and No Hope 💔🧭
Picture this: I’m working multiple jobs just to survive 💪 Secretary at Barberton Plastics after school from 2:30 to 6:30 every day 💼 Opening McDonald’s on West Street, working full shifts Saturday and Sunday 🍟 Plus madrigals – I was a singer and dancer, became president of the choral department my junior year, even won the State of Ohio Music Award my senior year 🎵🏆By age 12, I’d already survived seven years in group homes and foster care 🏠💔 When I lived with my father and his stepchildren, the Mieraus, I was basically there for chores while his stepkids got all the attention 🧹😔 When I moved to my mother’s house, her husband made it clear I wasn’t welcome 🚫Nobody – and I mean NOBODY – ever talked to me about college or even what possibilities there were in my future 📚❌Then one day, an Army recruiter walked into room 108 of my psychology class 🚪✨
Divine Intervention in Room 108 🙏⚡
Looking back now, I truly believe God sent me that Army recruiter to change my life for the better 🙏💫 I was just going to keep working – that’s all I knew how to do 🔄 But when that recruiter started talking about opportunities, training, and a way forward, something clicked 💡This wasn’t random. This was exactly what I needed at exactly the right moment ⏰✨
“You’ll Never Make It” – The Best Motivation Ever 💪🔥
When I told people I was joining the Army, the responses were brutal:
- “You’re too girly” 💅
- “You’re not a jock” 🤷♀️
- “You can’t handle the physical training” 🏋️♀️❌
- “You’ll never make it” 🙄
I was a very girly girl – polished nails, makeup, hair done perfectly because I had to dress nice for my secretary job 💄✨ People looked at me and saw someone who couldn’t possibly survive military life 👀You know what my response was? “I’ll show you.” 💭💪 I never said that to their face – I just kept it in my mind as my driving motivation 🧠🔥And honestly, that’s all I remember from basic training – I absolutely HAD to succeed 🎯 Not just for me, but to prove every single doubter wrong, even if they’d never know it 🏆
Why the Military Might Be Your Answer (Even If You Think It’s Not) 🤔💡
Here’s what nobody tells you about military service – it’s not just about fighting wars 🚫⚔️ It’s about transformation 🦋 The military takes people from all backgrounds and gives them:
Structure When Your Life Has None 🏗️
- Regular meals, clean clothes, a bed every night 🍽️👕🛏️
- Clear expectations and consistent rules 📋✅
- People who actually care if you show up and succeed 👥❤️
Skills That Actually Matter 🛠️
- Leadership training most people never get 👑
- Technical skills that translate to civilian careers 💻
- Problem-solving under pressure 🧩⚡
- How to work as part of a team 🤝
- Communication skills today’s generation desperately needs 💬
A Chosen Family 👨👩👧👦
- Brotherhood/sisterhood that lasts forever ♾️
- People who have your back no matter what 🛡️
- Mentors who actually invest in your success 🌟
A Path Forward 🛤️
- GI Bill money for college (tens of thousands in value) 💰📚
- Career training in hundreds of fields 🎓
- Home loan benefits 🏠
- Disability compensation for service-connected conditions 💊
- A network that opens doors for life 🚪🔓
From Foster Kid to Soldier of the Year: What’s Possible 🏆⭐
Let me tell you what happened after that recruiter changed my life:
🌟I didn’t just survive the Army – I thrived
🏆 I became Soldier of the Year
💅 Me, the “too girly” girl who opened McDonald’s on weekends 🍟
🏅 I earned multiple Army Commendation Medals and Army Achievement Medals
🌍 I deployed overseas for 15 months during Operation Joint Endeavor 🌍
✈️ I became a leader
👑And here’s the kicker – I later graduated with my Master’s degree in Criminal Justice with a 4.0 GPA 🎓💯 The same girl with C+/B- grades in high school because I was too busy surviving 📚⚡
🌟The Army didn’t just give me a job – it gave me an identity, a purpose, and proof that I could do things I never thought possible 🌟💪
God’s Plan vs. Your Plan 🙏📋
Looking back, I can see God’s hand in everything ✋
🙏 Getting removed from my parents’ house when they were struggling with their own demons? That was protection
🛡️ Being placed in situations where I had to be self-reliant? That was preparation
🎯 That recruiter walking into my class at exactly the right moment? That was divine intervention ⚡
✨Sometimes what looks like a dead end is actually God redirecting you toward your purpose 🛤️🙏
Real Talk: What You Actually Get (No False Promises) 💯🗣️
Let me be straight with you about military benefits – no inflated promises, just facts 📊:
What You Actually Get: ✅
- GI Bill for college education 📚💰
- Technical training worth thousands in civilian world 🛠️💎
- Leadership experience employers desperately want 👑💼
- Home loan benefits (no down payment required) 🏠💳
- VA healthcare for service-connected disabilities 🏥
- If you become 100% Permanent & Total disabled, comprehensive VA healthcare 🏥💯
- Career networking that lasts forever 🤝♾️
What You DON’T Get: ❌
- Automatic healthcare for life (that’s a myth) 🚫🏥
- Guaranteed easy street 🚫🛣️
- A magic solution to all problems 🚫🪄
The benefits are incredible when you understand what they actually are 💎✨
“My Kid Doesn’t Like Being Told What to Do” – The Reality Check 👨👩👧👦💭
Here’s something for parents reading this: Your kid is going to be told what to do whether they’re flipping burgers at McDonald’s or serving in the military 🍟⚖️🇺🇸 The difference?
At McDonald’s, they get: 🍟
- Minimum wage 💰📉
- No benefits ❌
- No career advancement 🚫📈
- No life skills training 🚫🎓
In the military, they get: 🌍
- Structured leadership development 👑📈
- Technical training 🛠️
- College money 💰📚
- Skills that transfer to any career 🔄💼
- Leaders invested in their success 👥🌟
Your teenager will learn to follow direction somewhere 👂Why not choose the path that sets them up for life success? 🛤️🏆
Military vs. College: Similar Experience, Better Outcome 🎓⚖️
Joining the military and going to college are very similar experiences 🤝 The difference? At the end of your initial enlistment, you’re going to have:
- Money to go to college free of charge 💰📚
- More life experience to know what you want to do 🌍🎯
- Friends from all over the United States 🗺️👥
- Opportunities to see different parts of the world under military protection 🌍🛡️
- A brotherhood and sisterhood that makes sure you get back to the barracks safely after you party too much 🎉🏠
- Life skills and discipline you can’t learn anywhere else 🛠️💪
- Self-belief from doing things you never thought possible 🌟💭
You’ll climb down walls, complete 17-mile ruck marches with 60-pound packs, and accomplish things most people never attempt 🧗♀️🎒 That builds confidence you can’t get from a textbook 💪📚
The Screen Generation Needs Real Life 📱➡️🌍
Today’s kids just want to watch television, play video games, or stare at their phones 📺🎮📱 This generation has lost the art of conversation because all they do is text 💬📱
The military forces you to engage with real life: 🌍
- Physical challenges that can’t be conquered with cheat codes 💪🚫🎮
- Real teamwork requiring actual communication 🤝💬
- Adventures in the real world, not virtual ones 🌍🚫💻
- Relationships built through shared experiences, not shared memes 👥❤️
While their peers are leveling up fictional characters 🎮👾, you’ll be building real strength, having actual adventures, and developing leadership skills through genuine challenges 💪🌟
A Brotherhood That Never Ends 🤝♾️
Here’s the benefit nobody talks about: Once you’re part of the military brotherhood and sisterhood, you’re in it for life 👨👩👧👦♾️Put a US Army sticker on your car and get a flat tire? 🚗💨 Another veteran will stop to help when others won’t 🛑🤝 See a Vietnam veteran wearing his hat at the store? 🧢 You shake his hand, say “Thank you for your service,” and there’s an instant connection that transcends generations 🤝⚡This isn’t just networking – it’s belonging to something bigger than yourself forever 🌟♾️
Your Moment of Decision ⏰🤔
Right now, you might be where I was at 18:
- Working just to survive 💼😔
- No clear path forward 🛤️❓
- People who don’t believe in you 👥🙄
- Feeling stuck with no options 🚫🔒
But what if this blog post is your “recruiter walking into the classroom” moment? 🚪✨ What if this is God putting an opportunity in front of you? 🙏💫
The Bottom Line 📏💯
The military isn’t for everyone, but if you’re reading this thinking “I need a way out and up,” it might be for you 🤔⬆️You don’t need perfect grades 🚫📊 You don’t need to be a jock 🚫🏃♀️ You don’t need family support 🚫👨👩👧👦 You just need to be willing to work hard and prove the doubters wrong 💪🔥The same determination that’s gotten you this far can take you places you never imagined 🌟🚀
Ready to Learn More? 📚🤔
If this resonates with you, here’s what to do:
- Talk to a recruiter from any branch – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force 🇺🇸📞
- Ask about job training programs that interest you 🛠️❓
- Learn about education benefits and career opportunities 📚💼
- Don’t let anyone else’s limitations become your ceiling 🚫📏
Remember: You’re not defined by where you came from. You’re defined by where you’re going 🛤️⭐
And sometimes, the path forward starts with raising your right hand and taking an oath to serve something bigger than yourself 🤚🇺🇸That recruiter who walked into my psychology class didn’t just change my career – he saved my life 🙏💫 Maybe it’s time to find out if military service could save yours too 🤔✨
Sarge is a U.S. Army veteran, former Soldier of the Year, and founder of Boots 2 Benefits 🇺🇸🏆 She went from working multiple jobs as a teenager with no future prospects to military leadership to helping other veterans achieve success 📈 Her story proves that your starting point doesn’t determine your destination – and sometimes the best opportunities come when you need them most ⭐
🌟⚠️ Even Sarge isn’t infallible—I’ve been known to mix up my left from my right during formation 🤷♀️, so always double-check everything I tell you because while my heart’s in the right place, my brain occasionally goes AWOL. The last thing we need is a friendly fire incident! 🚫🔥