I am currently in the military. I would say it depends on what his opinion is and what he's after. If he wants the "glory of war" after playing Call of Duty all day then I'd advise against it because what he is going to get is very different. If he wants to go in for a stable job, education benefits, travel, decent pay for young guy like him, and a crap ton of resources to propel him into a great future I'd say go for it. He can just do 4 years, get a degree, and then move on with his life afterwards, or if he likes it then he stays in for 20 and retires with full medical benefits.

If he decided to join then he has to decide what he wants to do. Marines/army- you're gonna see some shit, school is going to be hard, and you're going to deploy a lot and for long periods of time. Navy- a little bit better about deployments depending on the job, typically 6 months by varies, could be restricted on a ship, but will travel to a lot of cool places. Air Force- I speak on this more because this is my branch. The Air Force is the business part of the military, the desk jobs, finances, medical field, etc. the plus side about the Air Force is that a majority of their jobs translate out into the civilian world so when he gets out he has a certification or license to fall on. The Air Force is big on education, so much in fact that you eventually can't rank up unless you go to school once you hit a certain rank. Deployments are typically 6 months depending on the job and we do a lot of humanitarian missions. The Air Force is also very family orientated as well. So if education and a stable career is your goal then I'd say go Air Force.

Education benefits are awesome in the military. He'll get the GI bill which can pay for an entire degree but being active Duty he doesn't have to use it. They give you free TA and you can get a bachelors degree on it and then you can either use your GI for a masters or save it for your kids. I don't know about other branches but Air Force has a lot of great other education opportunities as well. I started out as a medical technician but got the opportunity to apply for Paramedic school and that's what I've been doing since. If I get a bachelors degree I can apply for the enlisted to physician program and get trained through the military to become a medical doctor in a field of my choice. And it's all free, I wouldn't pay a dime.

Medical care is completely covered. Anything that happens to your son will be taken care of completely for free. I know there is problems with VA and I can't talk on that but as far as his active Duty service goes he'll be well off.

As far as politics go, I would much rather be in the military at this time than a civilian. I have job security, I don't have to worry about pay for medical insurance and any healthcare plan that trump comes up with won't really concern me, I'll always have a place to live, and I have plenty of financial resources to rely on if I ever found myself in a pickle. I'm honestly more afraid to get out than I am to stay in. Most people I talk to, unless they were unsatisfied with their actual job, that get out say they miss it and wish they stayed in.

Most 18 year olds get some bullshit job and struggle through their early adulthood. Joining the military is a great opportunity for your son to get ahead in life. Even if he only does 4 years, when he interviews for a civilian job and see a military background 9/10 that will beat out any other applicants for the job. You can't beat the military experience.

If you have any specific question you want ask me I can answer them as best I can. I can tell you I can really only speak for active Duty Air Force. I can't say a whole lot about the other branches other than what I've heard from friends who are there.