East Bay teens say opportunity, purpose behind decision to join Marines

For many high school students, the next step after graduation is college. For three young recruits training to join the U.S. Marine Corps, the decision to enlist came down to opportunity, purpose and a path forward.

The recruits, including two who are 18 years old, spoke with CBS News Bay Area at a Marine Corps recruiting office near San Ramon Valley High School in Danville. Their reasons for signing up offer a glimpse into how the military is reaching young people at a time when recruiting remains a challenge across the armed forces.

A Pentagon youth poll found that just 10% of Americans ages 16 to 21 said they would consider military service.

Separately, an estimate cited in the report found that 3% of U.S. teens planned to join the military after high school, compared with 53% who planned to attend a four-year college.

Brayan Armenta, 18, said he had not seriously considered joining the military until a recruiter approached him at his high school and asked what he planned to do after graduation.

"I had no idea," Armenta said. "Cause like, I knew school wasn't for me."

The recruiter gave him a phone number, and the two began talking. Armenta said he ultimately decided to enlist because he wanted a better future and saw the Marines as an opportunity to achieve it.

Now, he is among a group of prospective Marines known as "poolees," who prepare for boot camp through regular physical training. The group meets on Mondays in Brentwood.

Armenta said some of his friends questioned his decision.

"They say I was crazy," he said. "They don't know, like, the background of it."

For Staff Sgt. Jose Garcia, that background includes education benefits, career opportunities and the structure of military life. Garcia said he once had a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college in North Carolina but ultimately chose the Marines after speaking with a recruiter.

"It made a lot more sense," Garcia said. "Free school, physically fit, career."

The Marine Corps offers eligible service members education assistance and career training, although specific benefits depend on eligibility and program requirements.

For recruit Logan Macey, the appeal goes beyond practical benefits.

"When you're in the Marines, like you're a part of something, and that's what I really liked," Macey said. "You can find a lot of purpose."

Garcia said that sense of connection is central to Marine Corps culture, including its motto, "Semper Fidelis," Latin for "Always Faithful."

"That's what keeps us so tight, is that we are faithful to each other," he said.

The recruits' decisions come as military branches compete with college, civilian jobs and other options for young people's attention. The Marine Corps, however, said it met its recruiting goal this year, even though they describe the broader recruiting environment as one of the toughest in decades. The service also characterized this year as its most favorable recruiting environment in five years.

For Armenta, the decision has so far felt right. He said he believes he is doing better on this path than he would have in school.

His advice to other young people weighing what comes after graduation?

"Challenge yourself and then, do it," he said.