Chapter 15: Career Development in the Military

There is a wealth of information to be learned about the military through pamphlets/brochures, speaking to recruiters, and accessing by electronic means on the Internet. The co-authors of this chapter are currently employed at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. We thought it might be helpful to initially share some simple terms. The military is known as the U.S. Armed Forces and is composed of five branches including the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Three general categories of military people include: (a) active duty (full-time soldiers and sailors); (b) reserve and guard forces (usually work a civilian job, but can be called to full-time military duty); (c) and veterans and retirees (past members of the military).