The military has regulations on how to wear your hair to where you can have tattoos so it's no surprise they have weight requirements for soldiers as well.  Kevin Ammerman had always dreamed of joining the military and serving his country but there was one problem - Kevin weighed over 350 pounds.  After being turned away from joining the Marines for being "too fat", Kevin decided to get serious about losing weight.  He ended up losing 160 pounds and joining up with the Army.

Weight wasn't Kevin's only obstacle to overcome in order to join the military.  At 34 years old, Kevin is almost "too old" to enlist as well.  Even though he is older, Kevin says his age won't be a problem.  “I’m actually able to outperform guys who are in their 20s...the battery of tests you have to take to determine what job you’re in, a lot of younger people are not scoring very high at all. And it’s kind of troubling."

What do you think of his story?

Those who have served our country in the US military find themselves looking for work once their service is over.  For some service men and women, this means returning to their original goals and dreams they had before they went to defend our country.  For Captain Hank Hughes, his dream had always been to become a filmmaker and after he served his two tours in Afghanistan, he set out to return to his first love.

ABC News heard Capt. Hank's story and decided to arrange a meeting for him - with George Lucas.  The creator of Star Wars was interested to help the Captain and share with him some great advice.  Captain Hughes was surprised by this arrangement.  "It's amazing that George Lucas would ... take that time out of his day to talk to me just because I was a veteran," he said. "I don't know if I could articulate an equal to his action in gratitude. It's fantastic."

What do you think of this?

Whether it's your first of fifth deployment, the truth is it's always difficult.  Between preparing to say goodbye to your friends and family to ensuring everything is in order, there's a lot to do.  When you are in the military, you want to make sure everything is in place for your family left behind to ensure things stay together until you return home.  Here are some pre-deployment preparation tips.

1. Prepare for emergencies - make sure you set aside money in case of emergency on the off chance something happens while you're deployed.  Financial experts suggest putting aside 3 months' salary if both of you are working and 6 months' salary if only one of you is employed.  This should help cover any emergency hospital visits or car repair bills.
2. Grant access to your accounts - While you're deployed, someone from back home will be paying your bills.  This trusted person needs to have access to your funds in order to take care of things financially. 
3. Look at wills at insurance needs - Consider writing a living will which, according to military.com, facilitates the distribution of assets in the event of death. Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI), offers coverage up to $400,000.  This money is then paid out directly to your beneficiaries or trust funds for when those beneficiaries are older.

Do you have any other tips?

A Purple Heart is awarded to military men and women who have been injured in the line of duty sometime during their military career.  Not all injuries are physical though and for that reason, some veterans are pushing for PTSD to be recognized as an injury that can be sustained while serving their country.  "I can tell you I have injuries, but they aren't physical," said veteran Ricky York. "That's a pretty big distinction to actually be physically wounded. ... I don't know if I'd agree it's the same as being shot or stepping on a mine.  I just think personally if I said I deserve a Purple Heart and there's a veteran there with one arm or a leg missing, I don't know how he would look at it.  I sure don't want to offend one of those guys."

The military, however, disagrees.  "PTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event; it is not a wound intentionally caused by the enemy from an 'outside force or agent,' but is a secondary effect caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event," Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.

What do you think?

The month of May usually signifies warmer weather, flowers blooming, and Memorial Day cookouts.  It's because of Memorial Day that the whole month of May has been deemed Military Appreciation month.  Since the Civil War era, military men, women, and veterans are all honored on the last Monday in May. 

According to military.com, "May was selected because it has most days set aside for celebrating and commemorating our military's achievements. These days include Loyalty Day, which was established in 1921, Victory in Europe (VE) Day commemorating the end of WWII in Europe on May 8, 1945, Armed Forces Day created in 1949, Military Spouse Appreciation Day established in 1984, and of course the best known of the May holidays, Memorial Day."

Each year, the White House has a one minute moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. to honor the fallen soldiers.

Do you have any Memorial Day plans?

For anyone who's not in the military, much of their opinions on what it's like come from "Pearl Harbor" or "Jarhead".  In fact, Hollywood has taken some liberties with depicting the way the military operates and how it feels to be a soldier.  Like with any Hollywood adaptation, they're bound to get a few things wrong.  Here are some of those brought to you by Cracked.

1. Myth One - Boot camp is like "Full Metal Jacket."  In fact, the first two weeks of boot camp is learning how to wear and care for your uniform.  Also, because of rules and regulations, commanders cannot be quite as verbally abusive as they appear in the films.
2. Myth Two - War = Combat.  The truth is there is a lot that goes into war besides the actual fighting.  Machines need upkeep, intel needs to be uncovered, and people need to be healed.  On top of those positions, there are dozens of other positions besides actual combat.
3. Myth Three - Veterans are just waiting to die - In truth, veterans, like everyone else in the military, aren't necessarily old and their time in the military affects them all differently.  Not every vet will have PTSD and not all will be missing limbs. 
4. Myth Four - Everyone in the miliary has a strong un-breakable bond.  While it is true that many military men and women have a tight, unique bond, the truth is on a day-to-day basis, not everyone will get along.  These people are your coworkers and when you're with someone that much, there's a tendency to get on each other's nerves.
5. Myth Five - You go to war, and then you come home.  In the movies, re-deployment isn't usually a thing but in real life, it's a very real possibility. 

When else is military life not like the movies?

When it comes to the Australian military, women are now allowed to serve on the front lines alongside the men.  These women, who must pass the same physical tests as the men, can now serve wherever they wish, including special forces.  The ban preventing women from selecting their desired post will be lifted immediately, but it may take up to 5 years for women to reach the front lines.

"This is simply about putting into the front line those people who are best placed to do the job, irrespective of your sex," said one Australian military leader. "Once this is fully implemented there will be no restrictions. If a woman is fully capable of doing the entrance program for the Special Air Service or Commandos, they'll be in it."

Do you think American military will be next?

There's a photo circulating the web, facebook, and news sites alike that has been eliciting many comments and provoking strong feelings.  At a recent Marine homecoming in Hawaii, a couple was so happy to see each other that the couple embraced and kissed right in front of everyone.  Although this sounds like any other couple being reunited, the couple in the photo is homosexual. 

The comments are being covered as much as the photograph. One said, "You made my day! Thank you for your service and congratulations on your love. This is what we’ve been fighting for." Not all comments are positive.  Another called this photo, "a damn shame,” and yet another posted simply “yuck."

The military photo has been seen tens of thousands of times and has been shared on facebook around 5,000 times. 

What do you think?