I just checked and it looks like you can still join at 17. Please note that the Army DID NOT pay for any of my education; though I used money earned to pay for education, there was no GI Bill for me. Those 10-12 weeks in Basic meant I earned money all summer before my freshman year of college and made me driven to succeed. I still made idiot mistakes, no worries there. I knew I had no help from my parents because they told me they could not. I was simply making the most of my earning opportunities. I got my commission at 19.