Poll: Ever Served In The Military?

[Smokeydubbs]

I am sorry to hear that you feel that way about people.
I can't really relate to how you feel towards your family. I was lucky, I have a great family. However, I really hope that your are not married and don't have kids. If you do, and don't love them then I feel sorry for you, and your kids. The only thing I care about more than Honour, is my wife (I don't have kids yet).

Well, considering I am only 16, I hope I don't have kids either!

My family is fine. They're all alright people. I just didn't choose them.
I do love some of my friends, but even they're not worth dying for - I can always get new friends. Once I die, I'm dead and that's it.

If it puts your mind at ease, I promise I will never willingly spawn bratlings.
I dislike children as a general rule.

Oh I see now. I'll say first that I respect your opinions and you have a right to have them, BUT your 16. At least live on your own before you start deciding if there is anything fighting for. 16 is a fucked up age, I was very anti-lots of things then. In a few years you will start realizing whats good in life, whats good to fight for, and you'll learn respect (I hope).

I wouldn't mind joining the military, mainly because school isn't exactly for me. I don't even know how I made it to university. But because I did, I didn't join any armed force. One of my buddies from high school took a year of college, left to join the army. He went in a very big Atheist, came out a very big christian... Full Metal Jacket isn't that full of shit when it comes to how they get people to believe in God.

The war we are currently in isn't the best but there are more troops going to Afghanistan so I guess the politicians still want it. I don't like how our enemy is a concept, and the main culprit has crossed the border to a country who has nukes...

 

[Ben Legend]

No, and i do not intend to unless, law changes and states that i must, or if a war forces me to join.

 

[Chupa-Thingy]

I'm serving in the USMC right now, and I must say, I'm looking forward to getting out. It's not anything against the Marine Corps, and it's not against (most of) the people in it. Honestly, some of the best times and people I've met in my life have been in service to my country. Everything has its ups and downs. There are a few reasons I won't reenlist. First, I don't feel as if I fit in the community. I'm a very quiet, introverted person. Also the fact that there is a lot of "grey area" in the rules and regulations. Lastly, it really puts a huge burden on my heart whenever I hear of a good friends death.

 

[McClaud]

I know someone, an Air Force officer, who's decided to make the force his career despite the fact that he was sworn in less than a year ago. I've tried my damn hardest to be supportive, but in the end, I just don't understand it. Why would someone knowingly throw away their entire life to follow a chain of command that makes no sense, work in a trade that will likely not resemble anything he wanted to do, and live on bases in East Jesus Nowhere, Canada? There are so many things you can experience in life, and being so tightly bound that you practically have to ask permission to leave your house, let alone your country, will likely stop you discovering most of it. Why would anyone give up their freedom before they've even turned 20?

To answer the question: No. I have no desire to let someone else tell me when to piss just so I can learn how to directly or indirectly kill people.

Canadian or American Air Force?

I went to more places than most of the people here will see in their lifetimes during my tour in the USAF. I had a good time in 90% of them, since most of it was being assigned to places like Italy and spending most of my day on the beach, hitting on girls and relaxing. I learned to surf in Australia. I was in a temporary band in Germany. I met Sean Connery in Las Vegas. I played cards in Hong Kong.

Despite the other 10% that makes me wish I'd been a little more careful about how I volunteered for stuff back then, I would say that I had a blast for 5 years of my career. And now I'm Director level (that's two spots down from Vice-Pres) in my company. I play golf (because it's kind of what you do with clients), I own a house, I have two nice cars, I have my own personal library, I'm married and have a baby on the way.

Life is what you make of it, and that goes for your military tour as well. If you sit around waiting for opportunity to come to you and don't work hard, you don't get anywhere and you don't learn anything. You do have some choice in your military career, and that's whether to excel at what you do so if you don't like what you're doing, you can qualify for a change later. And if you do like what you do, you can turn it into a career outside the military.

As someone said, everyone assumes that people who enlist in the military are suicidal or killers. And it's absolutely not true. It only speaks of the ignorance or unwilling stubborness of someone to avoid learning the truth.

Also, I'm more than happy for people who achieve their potential and succeed in life that don't enter the military. It takes guts to actually work hard and not sit around on your ass and be mediocre.

it really puts a huge burden on my heart whenever I hear of a good friends death.

I understand that all too well. I've lost six good friends in four years. I've been to every single funeral. As a civilian, I'm a bit upset that my advice to important people 7 years ago was ignored and that lessons weren't learned, so now we're stuck doing something that 90% of the US doesn't want us doing.

 

[EvilMaggot]

still 17 and waiting to be 18 years old then i have to wait for 1½ year to get into the military (wait list...) dunno why i want to join... i just feel like thats the thing i want to with my life somehow.. dont really know how to explain in words

 

[headshotcatcher]

No but I plan to, eventhough I may fail on the physique tests
(Not because I'm fat but I'm just not that musclular)

 

[Waffle22]

I don't see my opinions changing, much, no. I will always value my life above all else.
Sixteen is a fine age - perhaps more prone to anger than I'd like, but otherwise fine.

"Good" is utterly subjective. You may think of peace or perhaps honor as "good in life," but what if I think well of change and deceit?

See, we clearly differ - I would rather learn than serve in the military. I may not like how school encourages you to accept your teachers' bias as fact, but it's better than nothing.

Of course you think 16 is a fine age, it is the pinnacle of your development! Apart from being irrefutably ignorant, your vow of unconditional indefinite narcissism and lack of regard for the lives of others only shows that you have a total lack of empathy and should not be allowed to reproduce.

Personal values are largely influenced by society and are not utterly subjective as you state. For instance, if I go around the country and perform puppet shows for orphans very few people are going to demonize me and call for my head on a platter. Likewise, if I start cannibalizing daycare toddlers very few will view me in a flattering manner. Even with the moral diversity in the United States, each person has rudimentary sense of right and wrong. Except, of course, for the deranged and trolls.

It is possible to be in the military and pursue and an education. In fact, it is quite common to see people enlist in the military and use that money to pay for college. Do not quote me on this, but I am pretty sure I have seen it used in a commercial for a branch or two of the armed forces.

 

[IceStar100]

I just don't care enough. I live in the USA. To me even if we got taken over by who ever. It would be trading one Tyrant for another.

 

[McClaud]

I just don't care enough. I live in the USA. To me even if we got taken over by who ever. It would be trading one Tyrant for another.

Apathy is the fuel of tyrants. Apathy is what got us where we are in the first place.

 

[Terrik]

Did my military service last year here in Sweden, was a great experience. Highly recommended to all other swedes in here who's considering it.

 

[Datsle]

And I would disagree - being forgotten is the worst thing in the world for some men.

Honor isn't worth anything to a dead man

You'r on the brink of contradiction here Mr. Reaper

:C

 

[sadpolice]

No, havn't served and hopefully never will.

 

[Ctrl-Alt-Elite]

i currently dont but plannign on join the royal navy in about 1-2years when my school has ended. pay is good and seems more intresting in an office job

 

[IrrelevantTangent]

To answer the question directly, no, I have not, and I do not plan to in the future. If you'll allow me an explanation, there are several reasons for that, the first being that while I have the utmost respect for America's soldiers and marines and others that fight for our country, and that I don't have a problem with them, only with the war itself, I honestly don't feel that giving my life to the military would be a good idea for me. It would teach discipline and honor, yes, but I value my life too highly to throw it away over a war being fought the wrong way. Please understand, I'm not trying to imply that the soldiers are foolish for choosing to serve. I'm only stating my opinion, which is that I just don't think it's worth it. That's all.

The second reason, specifically, is that I'm not the kind of person that would do well there. I'm not living a particularly unhealthy lifestyle and I don't put myself in the same category as the stereotypical couch potato, but I'm NOT as physically fit as needed to fight in the army or the marines, and I've always had an aversion to the level of disciple required to reach that level. Call me lazy if you must, but I just don't think I'm up to it.

And finally, I already have a plan for what I'm thinking of doing later in my life, and I'm planning on entering the medical industry, so it would take an extremely, extremely compelling argument for me to radically change my plan like that.

And that's the Word.

 

[IceStar100]

I just don't care enough. I live in the USA. To me even if we got taken over by who ever. It would be trading one Tyrant for another.

Apathy is the fuel of tyrants. Apathy is what got us where we are in the first place.

Maybe so but to quote Max this country not worth my life.

 

[PersianLlama]

No. I refuse to kill anybody. If I ever get drafted, I'll file conscientious objector. If they still put me in war, I'll stand there and get shot. However, I'd be okay with doing a non-killing involved job. Even then though, I have other things I want to do in life that I feel are more important.

Oh, and I'm pretty physically weak/asthma etc...Even if I wanted to join, I'd probably get denied, or just suck.

And as far as I know, atheists aren't looked to kindly upon in the American Military and during my lifetime (15 years), I can't think of any U.S. military action I would support.

Edit: I also don't care about my land, I plan on moving after I finish college (Too bad I'm still in high school =\).

 

[Scars Unseen]

Currently in the US Air Force. Getting promoted to Mr in about 9 months.

 

[MattyDienhoff]

I'd consider the military as a career option.

The main thing that bothers me about a military career is having to move around to wherever you're needed, I'm a bit of a homebody. That's about the only thing.

Frankly, I don't know what the big deal is. The way I see it, now is the best time in recent history to be a soldier, especially in a modern Western military. The status quo that has existed since the Cold War makes direct conflicts between large and powerful nations unlikely, and military technology and tactics of today are sophisticated enough that they rarely require the kind of massed infantry battles seen in the past. The thousands of casualties in Iraq are bad, but they pale in comparison to pretty much any single battle in World War II, especially those on the Eastern Front.

All in all, as a member of a Western military, you're unlikely to be deployed, if you are, you're unlikely to see much combat (only a small percentage of a military force is frontline troops and, in most situations, only a fairly small percentage of those actually make contact with the enemy.), and even if you do, your side is likely to have the upper hand.

I'm not saying a career in the military is a cakewalk, what I'm saying is a lot of people seem to have an exaggerated view of the risks involved.