I'll speak for the Army, sort of. Yes, there is the "needs of the Army" thing but I've never seen that used in 19 years unless the person failed their MOS training. I've been to Korea, Europe, and Iraq and each time there was a bit of an adjustment period with my wife and son. We've been married 25 years now so I guess we figured something out. We were able to see alot of Europe while stationed in Germany. Overall, it has been a good life and I originally enlisted for the GI Bill to go back to college for a seconde degree. Then I found out I liked it and was good at it. Tuition Assistance is currently 100% so he can work on a degree without using his GI Bill benefits. That being said, I advised my wife's nephew to go Air Force. From what I have seen, the AF puts more effort into quality of life things than the Army does. The advantage the Army has over any other service is that when you leave the MEPS station, you know what job you will have. Our nephew was given a choice of three to pick while going through Basic based on his scores and got his third choice. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

YMOS,
Tony