Preparation for Enlistment

After research on the internet, I found a lot of interesting information about preparation for enlistment. The first thing you have to do before you can begin training is the Initial Strength Test, or IST. This is a strength test that consists of pull ups, crunches, and a timed run. The minimum amount of pull ups that you have to do is 2. You can prepare for this by regularly doing pull ups a couple of months prior to the test date. The minimum amount of crunches that you must complete is 44 in a span of two minutes. However, you can stop and rest any time throughout the two minutes, so you have a chance to catch your breath. There is a 1.5 mile run which must be completed in 13:30. The female requirements for these tests are a little less then those of males. Women must do a hanging arm flex from a bar with their elbows at 90 degree angles for 12 seconds, the amount of crunches is the same, and they have 15 minutes to complete the run. In my opinion, these tests are a little easy for the amount of physical demand there will be.

Requirements

The branch of military that I am most interested in exploring and finding out information is the Marines.  The first thing that popped into my head when thinking about this was if there were any requirements to enlist, such as age, physical fitness levels, and health. The minimum age requirement to enlist is 17 years of age, and the maximum age is 35 years. However, if you are 17 years old, you will need a parents consent because you are still a minor. For citizenship, you have to either be a United States citizen OR have been legally admitted into the country for permanent residence and posses immigration and naturalization documents. You must be able to pass a medical exam and be in good physical condition. I believe that this is a very important factor that people should be aware of because the military is very physically demanding. You must also have a high school education and pass an aptitude test.