Joining the US Army under their new Pilot Program MAVNI that allows certain Visa holders - including F1 and H1 - is not a bad option. Its actually, a great incentive for many people. For accurate & precise info on the MAVNI program google MAVNI or visit Army recruiter in ur city, but here are some insights (i am not an Army recruiter, just have some things to share):

-the Army only recruits people with some "technical" knowledge for the MAVNI program - which means u need to have some technical skills like some profeciency :  in the medical field (nursing, radiology, lab, physical medicine), IT field (programer, data analyst etc), aviation tech, linguist, or anyone with special skills including Bachelors and Masters degree holders.

-the Army will first train you for abt 6 weeks in their "Boot Camp" providing Basic Military Training and then ship you to the technical school that u sign up for or the technical school that best suits u based on your evaluation and test scores

-after u graduate from the technical school, you will be assigned to ur first posting. Now, this posting DOES NOT necessarily have to be in the war zones like Afghanistan or Iraq. Remember - its the technical assigment for which foreigners are being recruited, so they carry out the technical specialities. Very FEW recruits under the MAVNI will have to serve combat duties & even though u might be posted in Afgan or Iraq, u will most likely carry out the technical stuff. Its a misconception that recruits under the MAVNI will be directly shipped to combat zones.

-the Army will process your citizenship right after join. After becoming a citizen, u will be eligible to apply for Officer with a Bachelors degree!

-Its a very fair deal worth trying out based on individual preferences. Many ppl from India, Nepal, and other South Asian countries have already been recruited under this program.

Good Luck to all those considering this program. This Pilot Program was inacted in NY, LA , and now is in the DFW metroplex as well.