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My TV writer/stand-up comedy star daughter just returned from a tough USO tour of entertaining at GI bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, including some hairy trips by Blackhawk and Humvee to small fire bases in the dangerous boondocks. She had some scary stories to tell about Army life there. When I asked if she could give me reasons why anyone would consider joining the Army, her response was, "First, you have to be totally out of your cotton-pickin' mind! Second, once you're in the Army, and when your mind returns to normal, it really isn't such a bad idea."

I was never in the Army, but did serve two wartime hitches in the Navy. Just past my 18th birthday when I first joined, and I can remember some of the reasons for serving, other than being out of my mind. First, being in the service provides young people with a well-organized period of maturing and toughening up. At 18, I thought I knew everything, but after a few weeks of rough boot camp, I discovered I knew nothing. Basic training is designed to make the young recruit learn self reliance, valuable skills, teamwork and how to find personal determination and strength he/she never thought possible.

Some young people leave high school with absolutely no plans for what to do with their lives. They take whatever menial jobs they can get, drift through years of indecision and stumble around from lack of direction. Then they wake up in their 30s and 40s wondering what happened to their lives. For them, and others of their age, a couple of years in the Army offers the opportunity to explore various jobs and career directions.

I'm not touting the TV ads and recruiting sergeants' exaggerated claims that a buck private can soon be wearing general's stars just by signing on the dotted line. And, certainly, there are dangers. As a soldier with a gun, you're expected to defend your country, and face the possibility that angry people could shoot at you at times. Of course, the same can happen if you spend your days and nights hanging around downtown street corners and bars in most of the big cities.

Although most teens don't consider the long-term advantages of making the Army a career, the benefits of a life in service are often at least as good as those in civilian life. First, in addition to fairly competitive pay with civilian jobs, there's the valuable added bonus of free room, board and a host of other benefits. Of course, until you can get yourself promoted up a couple of grades, you may have to share that room and board

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