Eudoxios, a ruler of one of the administrative divisions of Egypt, died when Menas was fourteen years old. At the age of fifteen Menas joined the Roman army and was given a high rank due to his father's reputation. Most sources state that he served in Cotyaeus in Phrygia, although some say his appointment was in Algeria. Three years later he left the army, longing to devote his whole life to Christ, and headed towards the desert to live a different kind of life.