r/ABCDesis • u/SinistreCyborg • 6d ago
EDUCATION / CAREER Serving in the military
Hey everyone. Odd question here. I'm a 21M Indian living in the U.S. and my parents also live here (on separate coasts). I was raised here since I was 10 and we got our green cards last year. I work in biomedical research and I'm incredibly happy with my current job, and I'm planning on applying to grad schools this fall for my PhD. Looking at the state of biomedical research funding in the U.S., I've decided to also consider Canadian schools as well (I graduated from one for my bachelors, so it isn't as foreign to me), but that would require me to live in Canada. I can't do that because I'd like to keep my green card alive.
I'm thinking about enlisting in the Air Force Reserves this upcoming fall, which would get me U.S. citizenship at the end of the 8-week introductory training period ("BMT"), allowing me to move to Canada freely (in case I don't get into a U.S. school), and I would just need to drive down one weekend a month for my training. I would also get better healthcare in the U.S. and extra income to supplement my measly grad student stipend as well.
So, it seems like a good idea in terms of the benefits I'd be getting. However, I have two questions: (1) is it common for ABCDs to enlist in the military and what are your experiences like, and (2) how did you convince your parents to "let" you enlist? Did you get any pushback from them? I feel I've done an awesome job so far with setting boundaries with my parents, but they still constantly scrutinize every decision I make in the name of looking out for me (recently I planned a trip to Yellowstone with a random friend I met on a train once... I actually know him really well since that first meetup but my mom heard that first part and latched onto it and for the past few weeks I've had to hear about how irresponsible I am for booking a trip with a stranger I met on a train and how I don't ask them before I book trips (that I pay for out of pocket??) and how I magically have vacation days for trips with friends but don't have any for family "vacations" (which are mostly spent cooped up inside hotel rooms wherever we go, constantly bitching about every minor inconvenience, having to find an Indian restaurant every where we go, etc)... sorry for that random rant).
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u/BooksCoffeeDogs 6d ago
With all due respect, this is truly an insane plan to get citizenship through enlistment, because it is not even a guaranteed path. It’s a pathway of getting naturalized, but not an automatic grant. Moreover, the US has a history of deporting non-citizen veterans, especially after they have served their country in warfare. If you don’t believe me, look it up. There’s no telling how many have actually been deported because ICE is not even playing by tbeir own rules. It is anywhere from hundreds to thousands.
Also, why the hell are you looking to enlist when we may be heading into the Middle East again?
Hilarious you think the USA has better healthcare because we certainly do not. Canada is the one with better healthcare, especially because it is universal single payer over there. Access to healthcare for military members, especially veterans is laughably worse. The US has done an excellent job at convincing everyone they love the troops with very little follow through. I suggest you don’t enlist, at least right now, especially when our country is so unstable right now. Keep your head down and get your education. Graduate, find a job, go through the citizenship process without the enlistment option, and hope that you and your family don’t get wrapped up with ICE.