Was Robert Kennedy part of the military?

Answer 1

Yes - unlike his brothers, Robert Kennedy initially enlisted in the Naval Reserve as an Apprentice Seaman in 1944 (inactive). He was released to attend the Navy's V-12 College Training Program, which was instituted to augment the Navy's commissioned officer ranks.

While in the program at Harvard, the Navy commissioned the Destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, named for his father. He requested, and was released from the V-12 program, to serve as an Apprentice Seaman aboard that ship. He was honorably discharged on May 30, 1946.