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And if you did fight for 20 years you would retire at the age of 38 and spend the rest of your days having a beer and watchig SBs. The point is that soldiers are rewarded quite handsomely if they do their jobs. If you dont like the job dont sign anymore contracts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.H81
So have you taken on what point we can become burned out. I'm not even a combat soldier, but being in the military during the war I have been on 4 deployments. My relationships have fallen apart, I have given so much. Where do you all expect to push us too? Who's going to come up the rear to take are place when we are too tired for it all? You cant' expect us to keep fighting for 20+ years while you sit at home and drink your beer watching the superbowl.
And if you did fight for 20 years you would retire at the age of 38 and spend the rest of your days having a beer and watchig SBs. The point is that soldiers are rewarded quite handsomely if they do their jobs. If you dont like the job dont sign anymore contracts.
I'll give you that one, and in 50 days I will be out of uniform, but still support the military as a civilian. I can't turn my back on them even though I don't agree with whats going on. Now my question for you is not for guys like me, but what about the guys in combat arms who are having serious mental issues and do you think they can keep going out in harms way every 18 months killing or being killed? What about there mental health? Right now more vets are on pills than ever. How many are gonna make it to that 20 year mark. I wanna see in 2021 when the 1st batch of 9/11 retires are there what was there attrition rate vs historical numbers. What are we going to do to help them. I know a vet here who can't hold down a job from all the mental issues he had. You can keep saying do your job all you want, but there job is not a 9-5.
My, how quickly things change from "Way to go Heroes!!"...to "Just shut up and do your job you wussies, stop complaining. You think you have it rough, try the French Legion! You volunteered, suckers! "
Why a lot of the seasoned guys are starting to get out. The Public doesn't really give a damn about their sacrifices or the sacrifices of their families. Nobody else has to sacrifice at all for this.
(Whatever you do, don't raise my taxes to pay for this!)
The Sad part is it is slowly killing the readiness of our military.
Bily I must beg to differ from you shipmate. The man accepted his re-enlistment bonus. He accepted when he re-upped that he may have to go to war. Where were his high morals when he swore the oath? I left after 12 years because I would not serve a president that banned us from wearing the uniform we earned the right to wear in the white house.
My point shipmate is simple. This war has been going on for more than 6 years. He re-upped KNOWING the deal. Its simple if you don't like the war don't re-up. I suspect the bonus and future retirement meant more to him than his moral high grounds did at the time.
No sir he gets no respect from this E-7.
Bily I must beg to differ from you shipmate. The man accepted his re-enlistment bonus. He accepted when he re-upped that he may have to go to war. Where were his high morals when he swore the oath? I left after 12 years because I would not serve a president that banned us from wearing the uniform we earned the right to wear in the white house.
My point shipmate is simple. This war has been going on for more than 6 years. He re-upped KNOWING the deal. Its simple if you don't like the war don't re-up. I suspect the bonus and future retirement meant more to him than his moral high grounds did at the time.
No sir he gets no respect from this E-7.
Chief
so you are saying he should have wait until he left to speak out?
When I read that article, what I got was a brave and honorable man who served for 34 years who is willing to say that the Army is suffering both as an organization and on a personal level. I had a great friend who was a Colonel in the AF and he refused his promotion to General because although he was able to live through the "do more with less" years, he did not see how as a General he could continue to ask the troops to do more with nothing, and he felt that is where it would end. And that is what he wrote in his letter of refusal.
so you are saying he should have wait until he left to speak out?
YES.
Or he should not have re-enlisted if he felt so strongly. He is expected as part of his pay grade to support and enforce Military policy and the chain of command all the way up and including the commander and chief.. Personal feelings are always allowed. We are just not always allowed to voice them. Thats part of being military. I saw combat, I didn't agree with how Somalia was going, nor did I agree with that presidents obvious disdain for those in Uniform. But I kept my opinions to myself for the good of the troops and morale. People die when they see their leadership disregard orders,or disrespect their superiors. The system is what it is. As an NCO he knew this before he took the oath to re-up.
Until my hitch was up I followed orders and supported the chain of command. When my time was up I took 45 days seperation leave, packed my seabag and hit the civie world. This man had time, he had opprotunity to act upon his feelings. He instead took the money and hoped for the best. The best fell through and now we have a moral high grounds protest. Its a little late to protest at this point.
I think if he waited till he was outta uniform nobody would listen unless he was a high ranking officer.
Oh well. I put the well being of my men first. His grand standing is costing his troops. As an E-7 I would have waited until I was out. He re-enlisted taking the bucks. His credibility is pretty low in this Chiefs eyes.
I think that if you haven't been deployed 3-4 times and/or had your troops deployed 3-4 times you have no right to pass judgement. A Sgt. Major takes care of his/her troops. Knowing quite a few of them, I'd be willing to bet that this Sgt. Major has tried over and over and over again to work through the chain of command to get someone to understand what is being done to our brave soldiers. And since our Commander in Chief, who made sure HE never saw a day of combat, thinks combat is "romantic" he just ignored this word from the field ....as he has all others. As for why he reupped if he feels this way.....because he does not want to desert his troops. He wants to hang in there so that they will have SOMEONE who understands what is happening to them and who will try to do something to save them. I think he is a real hero and, as an army mom and a marine widow...I salute him.
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