1. Dress Blues

It’s pretty much a fact. Once service men and women step into their dress blues, they become the hottest, most attractive individuals on our planet. Plus they get to don swords. That’s bad ass.

2. Honor

Every servicemember who has served our country has the distinction of serving on behalf of our great nation. Our veterans may not always have been welcomed home from war, but they still served with honor and duty.  There is an automatic appreciation for and camaraderie with one another in the community. 

3. Camaraderie

“The man to your left and right.”  It’s what I hear over and over again in reference to why our military is steadfast.  In the military, it’s never about the individual; it’s about brotherhood, sisterhood, and teamwork in all our nation’s services.  The bonds made while serving create lifelong friendships.

4. VA Loan

Signed into law in 1944 by President Franklin D Roosevelt, the VA loan provides veterans with a federally backed home loan. This loan offers the advantage with no down payment, favorable financing, and the loans are guaranteed to private lenders by the federal government.  Veterans must utilize the loan for their own personal use and occupy the homes themselves.

5. Travel opportunities

Many veterans and military families are stationed in beautiful and unique places. Families celebrate the places they’ve lived and look back with fond memories.  Getting stationed in new areas offers opportunities to travel several hundred miles to discover activities. Many families have also used it as a jumping off point to get to places on a bucket list; places which would have cost tens of thousands of dollars to visit.

Those on active duty get to experience landscapes, cultures and opportunities unique to the military, although some may argue that many of those experiences were not exactly on the ‘must see’ list.

6. Unique skillsets

Many employers want to hire veterans because they have been taught to lead, to think critically and know how to take action in a variety of situations. They’ve learned the critical skill of knowing how to work together as a team to accomplish a mission, decipher and interpret intelligence, and do so much more.

7. Preferential hiring

Not only are military skills valuable, but federal and state jobs provide preference points in the hiring process. Veterans who are disabled and those active duty veterans who served in military campaigns for a period of time are given preferential hiring over non-veterans for jobs.  To be entitled to Veterans’ Preference, a Veteran must meet the following eligibility requirements:

8. Staying fit

Military members are required to stay active and fit.  You get paid to work out!

9. Education

Military personnel may opt to enroll in the Post 9-11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill or other programs. These educational programs provide upwards of tens of thousands of dollars for 10 or 15 years to the servicemember to utilize the funds; some even allow the funds to get transferred directly to dependents. Most fees covered include tuition and fees, monthly housing, and book stipends.

What else should be on this list? Weigh in with your thoughts.

This article was originally published on Military1.com