Joining

PRESCREENING

Your local recruiter will conduct a prescreening to see if you qualify for enlistment. At the recruiting station, he or she will ask you about your:

• Education level
• Criminal history
• Age
• Marital/dependency status
• Physical condition

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

• Proof of citizenship (if you were not born in the United States)
• Social Security card
• Valid driver’s license or current state identification card
• A direct-deposit form from your checking account (signed by a bank official)
• Original or certified copies of your marriage certificate, divorce decree or separation order (if applicable)
• Original or certified copies of birth certificates of children under 18; affidavit of support from parents; court documents and direct-deposit forms if ordered to pay spousal and/or child support (if applicable)
• If you are married to a service member in the military, you need to have the name, Social Security number and military address of your spouse
• Copies of your lease agreement or rental contract for any dependents residing outside of government quarters (if applicable)
• Original or certified ROTC documentation (if applicable)
• Original college transcripts; GED or high school diploma

The Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a series of tests developed by the Department of Defense and is used by the U.S. Army to determine whether you have the mental aptitude to enlist. The ASVAB is required to enlist in the U.S. Army and is valid for two years. The ASVAB may be given in a computerized version at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or in a paper version at various Military Entrance Test (MET) sites around the country or at high schools and colleges. The test also helps determine which Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) you qualify for.

Your day at MEPS will be spent testing and screening to determine your qualifications for joining the Army. If you haven’t already completed the ASVAB, time will be set aside at MEPS for you to do so. Since everyone entering the armed forces must be in good health, you will have to go through the standard physical examinations. Once you’ve met the physical and ASVAB standards, a counselor will talk to you about job opportunities and the enlistment agreement.

The Army offers over 150 different careers in a wide variety of categories. The key to your career path is your ASVAB score, which helps to identify the Army jobs that fit you the best.

Now that you have taken the ASVAB, passed your physical and chosen a career path, you are ready to move on to the important training necessary to becoming a Soldier: Basic Combat Training.

THE SWEAR-IN

Soldiers are sworn into the Army with the official Oath of Enlistment. The Oath is administered at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) prior to Basic Training. Every Soldier must adhere to the Oath throughout their military career. It’s a pledge to defend the Constitution.