This entry will pertain to me, unlike past entries.
(Which are few, sorry bout that.)

Anyhow I've run into a huge wrench that has been thrown into my nice machine called life. And while this wrench is not the first or worst I've run into. It poses a huge problem for me. Now please bare with the fact that I might be over complicating the problem (even I'm not sure right now lol). So with out further ado...

I recently found out that I don't qualify for any financial aide for college. And on top of this no scholarships what so ever either unless I have a GPA of 2.5 (or higher). Now this wouldn't pose much of a problem right now IF I had the money to pay for college out-of-pocket...which I don't. So far I haven't found work and I have till next month to pay up or I get dropped. Nor do I have the money to finish the payments, buy supplies, etc.

This is where it gets kinda hard for me...

My folks have offered to pay for my college career. BUT! Times are hard and even my "upper middle class" parents don't have much money. My dads 78 (LCDR USCG retired. 30+ years of service) and if he takes out a loan he might not be able to pay it off before he goes, then the debt falls on my mother. My mother is from the Philippines and never had a complete education and as a consequence has only ever been a housewife. She has no way to pay off the debt.

On top of this we support my mothers family and relatives back in the Philippines.

We live off of my fathers retired pay and some other stuff. So if my folks help me pay for college then either they will suffer, my mom ends up with debt if my dads dies, my relatives in the Philippines don't get some money/foods/edu. money/medicine, or a combination of any.

Now I have resurrected an old dream of mine: To serve my country in the USA military.
But there area few problems here as well.

Due to personal moral/ethical standards I would want to join because I want to sever my country. I don't care if they payed me or not.

BUT! If I join right now because I need money then what has happened to my ethical standard? I'm fighting for my country for a paycheck...if that became the case then I'd consider myself nothing but a mercenary.

What would I be fighting for then? My country or a paycheck?

I could easily say to myself that I'm doing this in the service or my country but would it be truthful? I'd be lying to myself. Not only would I throw out what I stand for in desperation of cash but I'd disguise the fact under "serving my country".
It seems pretty low to me.

Though if I join then my family (both foreign and domestic) wont suffer any monetary (I think that's the right word) problems.

So what should I do? Any other options out there that I haven't realized yet?

Do I risk putting my mom into debt?
Should I run the chance of having my relatives go without support?
Do I throw away my personal beliefs and join the US Military for money?
Should I really be worrying this much lol.

Whatever the case I could really use some outside opinions right now. Maybe I haven't thought of something yet or I'm just over complicating like I said in the beginning.

Thanks for hearing me out,
George J. Wohlfarth