I really think most people that are in the military today are in there for selfish reasons, it's either so they can get free schooling or brag about how much braver and better they are than the rest of us "cowards"..


Did any of you join for the reasons above?

What were your reasons?

The school part is an excellent incentive, I will agree, but if that was the reason, when or if ever did serving your country begin to mean anything?

If it was to be able to brag about how much braver and better they are than the rest of us "cowards" how long did you maintain that mindset? Did you keep it or did it quickly go out the window?
Do you think you are much braver and better than the rest of us "cowards" or is that :bs:

When did "selfish" go out the window, if it ever existed?

Btw, I do appreciate your service.:)

Oh, wow...LOL


I think I remember joining because of three reasons.

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I wanted to contribute my small part to the protection of our Constitutional rights. I felt that it was the least I could do, since others had given life and limb before me. (Every generation of my family since 1781)
I was old enough to find a job, and wanted to have one I could be proud of. (I guess that's selfish)
I felt helpless as a civilian to contribute in any way to stopping tyrants like Che Guevara, Castro, Ayatollah Khomeini, etc... (guess that was selfish too.)
[/list=1]

BTW... I appreciate those who have made the sacrifice, too. Thank you for serving.

Draft board got me, but I thought if I had to go, why not go with some input as to what I could or would like to do. Stayed kover a couple rounds, am proud I didn the best I could, hope I made a difference. I have a special regard for anyone who signs up for any reason, even iff its school, learning to gow up a little, job skills, doesn't take away from the job they do.

I salute you.

I needed a job and direction in my life. I decided to do a two year stint and save some money. I did two years in Germany and blew all of my money on booze. So, I reenlisted for two years and off to Texas I went. Didn't save any money there either, but at least I quit drinking. :D.

It's a great place to find direction and in return you're doing a great service for your fellow countrymen.

Powerboss, there is also arrogant pricks in every walk of life, unfortunately some of them enlist in the military! LOL! I've ran across some of them and they're quite sad! Luckily, I have worked with a bunch of ex-Army and folks in the reserves to know that a good portion of them are great people. My husband's best friend is in the Air Force and I don't think I've met a better man. I also know for a fact he has the military to thank for the molding of who he is now.

Good Question!

Hmmm..

My mom, dad and I went down to the Recruiting offices in High Point. Talked to the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force and back to the Marine Corps recruiters. When we left, I was kinda confused - not sure what I wanted to do. My mom said "Tina - pick the one branch whose uniform you'd be the most proud to wear." I told her - that's not fair - that only leaves one!

I had to retake the ASVAB, I did very well on it and I joined the Marine Corps (after a little coaxing from my dad).

I also carried on a tradition of family members that have served in various branches. I'm the 5th Marine in my family, 1st Woman Marine (and I served longer than the other 4 - hmmm). My grandfather was an Iwo Jima survivor too.

Originally posted by Powerboss



Did any of you join for the reasons above?

What were your reasons?

The school part is an excellent incentive, I will agree, but if that was the reason, when or if ever did serving your country begin to mean anything?

If it was to be able to brag about how much braver and better they are than the rest of us "cowards" how long did you maintain that mindset? Did you keep it or did it quickly go out the window?
Do you think you are much braver and better than the rest of us "cowards" or is that :bs:

When did "selfish" go out the window, if it ever existed?
Btw, I do appreciate your service.:) I think most people joined for selfish reasons, ie to get away from family....no matter how hard they try to say it was for patriotic reasons, which ultimately is
:bs:

My friends joined either because of benifits, or it was their best oppertunity.

Good topic, PB.

I enlisted in 1992. I grew up in a very small town, a ranching community mostly. People that stuck around were either doing ranchwork, or tending bar, or working at the flour mill. I wanted to get the heck away, and see something different. My first tour was in Germany.

Travel was the key that induced me to enlist. The resident leftist likes to think that selfish reasons are the only explanation for why anybody would enlist, and maybe there's some truth to that. Con't we all look out for our own self-interests? The same, however, could be said for anybody else in any profession - surely one could reasonably assert that those who haven't served in the military avoided it for selfish reasons???

I traveled all over Western Europe during that first tour - saw Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Italy, and Spain.

While I was overseas on that first tour, I got to know a whole slew of different people. Not just the citizens of the lands we were in, but the other people I worked with. Shawn from Indiana, Lance from New Orleans, Dave from California, Melanie from Illinois, Ken from New York, Chris from South Carolina, Rob from Tenessee, Sara from Nevada, etc.... These are just a few of the people that became my family - not friends - family. They're the ones that I had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with, the ones who were there when life was good, and the ones that were there when life was bad. There's an incredible sense of brotherhood (for lack of a better word) that you build when you're in this particular profession.

As your responsibilities grow, your sense of obligation to the people you work with grows. Your focus shifts from taking care of yourself to taking care of the people whom you supervise. I think that is probably the point at which you are asking about - the point where selfishness turns to selflessness.

I've seen some incredible things while with the Army. On June 6th, 1994, I stood on the bluffs overlooking Omaha Beach and cried with a WWII vet as he pointed out where he landed and where his best friends died, fifty years before. I did my best to absorb the incredible guilt that he felt for standing on that bluff - alive and with family, while his peers rested quietly in the Normandy American Cemetary behind us.

I left the Army in 1996 to attend college and gain a degree. I enrolled in Army ROTC and received a degree and commission in 2000. I did it because it's rewarding to honor those that came before while doing something that's more important than one's self.

I just finished a tour in Bosnia-Herzegovina. I believe Qtr indicated that he had been there as well. I don't know when he went, but Bosnia in 2002 is a pretty benign environment. It's quiet there now - because we are there. There is a lot of work yet to be done in that war torn country, but our presence positively affects their lives. Not everybody appreciates our presence, but our presence HELPS.

No, I don't consider myself any braver than anybody else. I'm just another regular person - but I love my job, and I get to see quantifiable results from my efforts.

I don't serve so that I can consider people like CA cowardly- I serve because of the people that I serve with. If he's feeling labeled, perhaps it's a personal issue.

Originally posted by green68stang
Good topic, PB.

I enlisted in 1992. I grew up in a very small town, a ranching community mostly. People that stuck around were either doing ranchwork, or tending bar, or working at the flour mill. I wanted to get the heck away, and see something different. My first tour was in Germany.

Travel was the key that induced me to enlist. The resident leftist likes to think that selfish reasons are the only explanation for why anybody would enlist, and maybe there's some truth to that. Con't we all look out for our own self-interests? The same, however, could be said for anybody else in any profession - surely one could reasonably assert that those who haven't served in the military avoided it for selfish reasons???

I traveled all over Western Europe during that first tour - saw Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Italy, and Spain.

While I was overseas on that first tour, I got to know a whole slew of different people. Not just the citizens of the lands we were in, but the other people I worked with. Shawn from Indiana, Lance from New Orleans, Dave from California, Melanie from Illinois, Ken from New York, Chris from South Carolina, Rob from Tenessee, Sara from Nevada, etc.... These are just a few of the people that became my family - not friends - family. They're the ones that I had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with, the ones who were there when life was good, and the ones that were there when life was bad. There's an incredible sense of brotherhood (for lack of a better word) that you build when you're in this particular profession.

As your responsibilities grow, your sense of obligation to the people you work with grows. Your focus shifts from taking care of yourself to taking care of the people whom you supervise. I think that is probably the point at which you are asking about - the point where selfishness turns to selflessness.

I've seen some incredible things while with the Army. On June 6th, 1994, I stood on the bluffs overlooking Omaha Beach and cried with a WWII vet as he pointed out where he landed and where his best friends died, fifty years before. I did my best to absorb the incredible guilt that he felt for standing on that bluff - alive and with family, while his peers rested quietly in the Normandy American Cemetary behind us.

I left the Army in 1996 to attend college and gain a degree. I enrolled in Army ROTC and received a degree and commission in 2000. I did it because it's rewarding to honor those that came before while doing something that's more important than one's self.

I just finished a tour in Bosnia-Herzegovina. I believe Qtr indicated that he had been there as well. I don't know when he went, but Bosnia in 2002 is a pretty benign environment. It's quiet there now - because we are there. There is a lot of work yet to be done in that war torn country, but our presence positively affects their lives. Not everybody appreciates our presence, but our presence HELPS.

No, I don't consider myself any braver than anybody else. I'm just another regular person - but I love my job, and I get to see quantifiable results from my efforts.

I don't serve so that I can consider people like CA cowardly- I serve because of the people that I serve with. If he's feeling labeled, perhaps it's a personal issue.


Key word- I really think most people that are in the military today


I'd like to hear what the military plans to do about the suspension of civil liberties since 9-11? The resident leftist is wondering when the US military plans to take action against the federal government? Remember that little bit about enemies foriegn or domestic???

When does defending this country lose it's purpose when we descend into a fascist police state?

Key word- quote:quote:
I really think most people that are in the military today


Where did you get that quote? You highlighted my entire post, and then put this "Keyword Quote" in there. I didn't say that - and I don't see that being said anywhere else in this thread. Is that a little bit of selective editing?

Yes, the little bit about enemies foreign and domestic is remembered. You're safe for now though - don't sweat it. We're busy.

PB, I'm sure whoever said that has never been in the military. I served for a variety of reasons that may or may not make any sense to anyone else. Part of it was I just thought it'd be fun. Part was because I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. Part was family tradition. Part was to get away from home, see the world, yadda yadda. Besides, even if someone joined just for college money, they're still putting their life on the line and deserve respect.

Since I consider myself very patriotic,I felt it was my patriotic duty.
I wanted to contibute as best I could to defend the rights of the people of the US, even the ones I don't agree with.

I also joined for the experience and training.

Along those same lines, I wanted to help the community and try to make my little part of the country a little safer for my daughter, by going into law enforcement. I am also a volunteer firemen and ceritified first responder.

I read this thread to my partner and his response was and I quote:

"I joined in 1989 at the age of 17 and main reason for joining was that I was pissed off at missing Vietnam, was unborn. I desperately wanted to kill someone, anyone, it didnt matter as long as my country said it was ok. I was posted on active service in '93, had two contacts and was not presented with an opportunity. Im now 30 and no longer in the Army. Im now a brick layer and more interested in making money.

I have no longer a desire to shoot anyone, otherwise Im a pretty nice guy." HA! Surrrre. - Rayne

"I do think Im much braver than others who choose not to enlist"

I joined to see the world and experience new things. Unfortunately, the only times I've been out of country so far have been Tijuana and Okinawa.

In the mean time, it's given me a sense of direction, taught me discipline, and boosted my self esteem and confidence(once I picked up some rank).

Plus, now I get to look into the mirror say I'm doing something for my fellow Americans, and that I'm not just another Joe Schmoe who's actions don't affect anything outside of his hometown. I'm part of something much bigger than a corporate rat race.

NOBODY joins the military for just one reason. There are a conglomeration of circumstances to perpetuate one's volunteering for military service. I had many reasons, and yes, one was selfish, of sorts. Got laid off, no one was hiring, I needed a paycheck and health insursnce (baby on the way). However, I was already in the process of joining when I lost my job, that just hastend it....

Some people will never understand, no mater how you explain. It all depends on their mindset and what they want to read into your answers.
For example: If I say that I did 4 years right after HS, got out, went to college, worked in my field, burned out, then did another 4 ten years later; I've either had the foresight and good fortune to start over or failed miserably and crawled back to Uncle Sugar like the loser I am.
Fortunately, the mil. is still voluntary, so you make a choice, based on your best information and circumstances. How others perceive your actions is a crapshoot.

Originally posted by Griff
Some people will never understand, no mater how you explain. It all depends on their mindset and what they want to read into your answers.
For example: If I say that I did 4 years right after HS, got out, went to college, worked in my field, burned out, then did another 4 ten years later; I've either had the foresight and good fortune to start over or failed miserably and crawled back to Uncle Sugar like the loser I am.
Fortunately, the mil. is still voluntary, so you make a choice, based on your best information and circumstances. How others perceive your actions is a crapshoot. Gee, I wonder whom you speak of....... If you've got something to say ,say it to my face. If you think I will never understand, you're being presumptuous. I'll say just one thing. You joined the marines. You say you were just running. Stop the running. Accept that you are in the military. Stop going and telling people you barely know that you hate the military and want out. Then maybe everybody won't want to force their way into our room to beat you up. Note: Most people who join the Marines do it because of the honor of being a Marine. The other services don't have such honor to their names. Say sailor to someone, they'll say oh....say soldier ahhh, airman WTF, Marine Oh, really? Let's talk, you want a drink?
Let's all debate on that aspect of why people join the military. Ps, hindsight is a killer.

Note: Most people who join the Marines do it because of the honor of being a Marine. The other services don't have such honor to their names. Say sailor to someone, they'll say oh....say soldier ahhh, airman WTF, Marine Oh, really? Let's talk, you want a drink?
No honor in the other services? What fantasy world do you live in? I've got news for you; people will buy you drinks no matter what branch you served in.

OK, I've erased everything else because of the personal attacks. Sometimes it's hard to bite your tongue in the face of blatant ignorance. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Diabhal
Gee, I wonder whom you speak of....... If you've got something to say ,say it to my face. If you think I will never understand, you're being presumptuous. I'll say just one thing. You joined the marines. You say you were just running. Stop the running. Accept that you are in the military. Stop going and telling people you barely know that you hate the military and want out. Then maybe everybody won't want to force their way into our room to beat you up. Note: Most people who join the Marines do it because of the honor of being a Marine. The other services don't have such honor to their names. Say sailor to someone, they'll say oh....say soldier ahhh, airman WTF, Marine Oh, really? Let's talk, you want a drink?
Let's all debate on that aspect of why people join the military. Ps, hindsight is a killer. OK, are you really such an IDIOT that you don't realize that griff and griffix are two different people? I know the names can be confusing, but try reading the post before you respond. And you should get off your Marine high horse. I'm glad you're proud, but stfu about it. I respect anyone who serves. You do realize that its people like you that give Marines a bad name? I thought you got past this awhile back. Damn son.

Mods, I know this is not playing nice, but I'm really sick of this crap.:mad:

Perhaps this is appropriate?


http://www.geocities.com/iblockco/Misc_pics/help.txt

I sincerely hope that you didnt mean that statement Diabhal...

I have so much respect for anyone who joins any branch, they deserve it.

Guys, lets try to move past this, hopefully he'll retract that statement.

In the army they told us the reason they put Marines on ships was so the sailors would have someone to dance with.:D

I'm kidding, I respect anyone who serves, no matter where or how.

Diabhal, maybe you should let me buy you a beer so we can sit down and discuss this? I don't care what service a person was / is in, at least they gave some. Because some gave all, we can enjoy our freedoms. Thanks, everyone.
BTW, I just got back from a very badly-needed vacation and was a bit confused to see "Griffix", too. Hope they haven't yanked your chan too hard, bro.