See how Jodie and her parents Buddy and Deb made the decision to join, how they kept in touch during training and how the Army has changed the whole family—for the better.

t age 25, Jodie Wood had a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, a solid job and two proud parents who always taught her to follow her heart.

Yet Jodie wasn't satisfied with her career choice. She wanted more out of life, to serve her country and to do something that mattered. Jodie had considered the Army in high school and felt like now was finally the right time. So she did a lot of research. Then she talked to her parents.

“It was really a total shock when it set in because she had a college education and the Army was probably the farthest thing
from my mind.”

— Buddy

Deb was just as surprised—and
concerned. "We didn't want her
to be in a dangerous situation,"
she says. "But the climate of
the world right now is very
tough. There are a lot of
decisions that young people
have to make now that they didn't
have to make when I was a young person. And you worry about that. Every parent worries about that."

Flash Version

Buddy and Deb began to feel
more comfortable when they
met with Army Recruiter
Tom Brown. He grew up near
their family in Maine, and
they saw how the Army had
strengthened him. His
honest answers helped ease
their concerns.

Tom explained how the Army
would give Jodie the advanced training
she needed for a better career, the
leadership opportunities she wanted for a better future and the financial assistance
to pay off her college loans. The concerns were still there, but now so was their support. The decision was Jodie's to make—a decision that could give her just what she'd been
searching for.

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Continue Jodie's Story >

Jodie: I looked into the Air Force. I looked into the Navy. I looked into the Marines, and the Army just seemed like the best fit to me.

Deb: Jodie's a very independent person, and when she makes her mind up to do something, she'll take care of it. And she decided she was going into the Army, so we felt it was very important for us to be supportive of her.

Buddy: Tom Brown, a player I had once coached, became an Army Recruiter. And when he came to talk to us he was upfront, honest. He told us what it was going to be like.

Deb: He said, 'I'll answer any question you folks have about it.' We had questions, like: What is it going to be like? Does she really want to do this? But it really seems to be a very good fit for her.

Buddy: I keep going back to the fact, the more I see the better I like what's happened.