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Okayyyyyyyyy. Hot topic. Drafted, Vietnam. Stayed for career. No interest in thank you stuff blah, blah, blah. I get thanked every end of the month. I do not wear a VN cap to make sure others think I was in. In fact, the loudest “vets”are quite likely to be bogus. You can have all the pro sports patriotic stuff. Waste of time and money. I quit watching years ago. The toughest real soldiers I know do not talk about it. If you weren’t there then you don’t know. Leave it at that. Those in service today are well paid in salary and benefits. Vast majority never acre close to any action. Lucky them.
I tell you who I revere——-NURSES. God bless them all.
There should be a draft and everyone serves. It would make a difference if it wasn't someone else dying. I could except other forms of public service for those with health issues.
There are 4,000,000 new 18-year-olds in the US every year. As a reference, the DoD is currently set up to bring in 120,000 new troops per year, all services combined.
If there were a mandatory one-year service requirement, that would require a DoD roster of about 7,000,000, because those one-year wonders would not only be close to worthless, but the services would need about 30 percent extra personnel above the current numbers to deal with them.
Of that extra 4,000,000, only 1,000,000 would even become deployable within their one year of service. Current manpower strategies presume having deployable troops for at least 3 years out of a four-year tour. A troop that knows he's only a one-year wonder has an entirely different mindset and presents an entirely different problem for the military.
The thought of aAdding 4,000,000 new troopies every year to the military roll boggles my military mind. That would be the worst thing the country ever did to the military.
Of course, if we made it a two-year requirement, we'd get a bit more use out of them, but then we'd have an 11,000,000 member military.
There are 4,000,000 new 18-year-olds in the US every year. As a reference, the DoD is currently set up to bring in 120,000 new troops per year, all services combined.
If there were a mandatory one-year service requirement, that would require a DoD roster of about 7,000,000, because those one-year wonders would not only be close to worthless, but the services would need about 30 percent extra personnel above the current numbers to deal with them.
Of that extra 4,000,000, only 1,000,000 would even become deployable within their one year of service. Current manpower strategies presume having deployable troops for at least 3 years out of a four-year tour. A troop that knows he's only a one-year wonder has an entirely different mindset and presents an entirely different problem for the military.
The thought of aAdding 4,000,000 new troopies every year to the military roll boggles my military mind. That would be the worst thing the country ever did to the military.
Of course, if we made it a two-year requirement, we'd get a bit more use out of them, but then we'd have an 11,000,000 member military.
I was always thinking of a mandatory 2 year stint, but more along the lines of a Service Guard: similar training to National Guard, but cannot be deployed across national borders. More boarder security help, search and rescue, maybe along the lines of the old Conservation Corps, but with guns. I'm sure even that would be a nightmare, but I feel that the military would glean a better recruit from the program.
Let's keep in mind that 80% of the "jobs" in the military are non-combat. For those who are in or have been in combat positions...they have my utmost respect. For the rest...it's a just a job...an important one...but just a job.
Many occupations are needed by our nations.
Hhhhmmmmm....I’m not sure I agree. I don’t recall any jobs in the service where you had the luxury of thinking it was “just a job”. There’s always seemed to be an extra component to every position that doesn’t allow you to forget you’re in the military.
Maybe other non-combat vets could chime in with their experiences. I served just after Vietnam when the service was hugely unpopular and there were no conflicts, wars or anything else yet, even in our hospital, we were always preparing for various scenarios. When the Shah Of Iran came for cancer treatment or when members of the failed raid in Iran were admitted, it became harder to think of it as just a job. I even “met” John Mitchell when he reported to prison at the base where I was stationed for what was referred to as level II training. (Mitchell was Nixon’s attorney general if you don’t recognize his name.)
During my four years, I saw more death than anyone under 21 should ever see....and again, we were nowhere near war. Just a job? At 19, you wouldn’t believe the level of responsibility I had which directly impacted patient care. In a comparable civilian job, that would typically occur until I had graduated from collage and gained at least a year of experience. On two different occasions, I walked into a hospital looking for a job and walked out with one. The difference was the training the military provided in my field.
Since my time, the number and frequency of conflicts have increased to were it’s doubtful that anyone has the luxury of treating their military service as just a job but I’m open to others’ experiences!
I still stand by my previous post. Just because a job has some unique characteristics such as what you're stating, doesn't mean their sacrifice is any greater, or less, than any other job. Try giving current military personnel the choice of either staying in their current job or taking a civilian job, like corrections officer, janitor, teacher, lawyer, sewer worker, etc. A lot (most?) wouldn't do it because they know their current job offers them a better lifestyle and better pay and benefits for the work they do compared to certain other jobs. I'd certainly want to join the military rather than do any of those civilian jobs that I mentioned. I'm not putting down anyone in the military, I'm just saying I don't believe they're anything special. For many it's actually a great path to accomplish something in life when they have few other options.[/QUOTE
Less than 20% of servicemen ever make a career out of the military.
What do you think those 80% who leave the military do when they return to civilian life?
They become corrections officers,janitors,teachers,lawyers,sewer workers etc
And you can add to that a whole bunch of other occupations. They do it because that's the best option for them with the skills they have. Many in the military know their jobs are the best occupation they can find based on their personal circumstances. Ex. an 18 year old kid who wants to travel the world, has limited financial resources, knows he wouldn't be able to handle college coursework, nor afford college, doesn't want to learn a trade. Where does he go? Now obviously everyone's circumstances are different but people tend to take the job that offers the most reward for what they are required to do. The military is no different.
I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the military. But I do get weary when I see on social media kids who join the military going on and on how their patriotism and love for country is the reason they joined. The truth is most of the kids I know who have joined had few other options. Most were average (or below average) students and came from families that could not help them financially. No way could they ever afford college, so the military was the best choice. And I applaud them for their service. But I also applaud others I know in law enforcement who risk their lives everyday too.
You're using a fairly broad brush to paint those who enter the military. An ages old stereotype that refuses to go away. Found mainly among the upper middle class, where no one in the family has served in the military since World War II.
Today's military is diverse, with everyone from marginal high school graduates who go straight to Infantry training, to those accepted to highly selective service academies where the education is on par with elite universities. Plus a lot of people who fall somewhere in the middle. Military service today, is a far cry from being the employer of last choice.
I come from a military family. I would NOT wish that life on my sons. My dad gave his mental health to the Viet Nam war.
So yeah. I'm really, really happy to thank men in camo for their service, buy their meals at a fast food restaurant, clap when they go by in a parade, because um hmm. My sons are not going to do that, period. Period.
We are NOT going back to the draft.
If there are men and women who will willingly sign up to be cannon fodder, and have PTSD for the rest of their lives, and be at huge risk for suicide, they deserve great honors to counterbalance the meager pay they receive. I can't for the life of me understand why one single person signs up for the military, but apparently they do, and in sufficient numbers to staff our continued wars. Leading to basically nothing.
Because my family isn't going to do it. Ever again.
Not every form of military service involves being directly in harms way. And when was the last time you looked at a military pay chart.
Again, outmoded stereotypes, fueled by family anecdotal evidence.
its honorable to serve and not serve. Both parties make their living. (prior airborne infantryman myself) and I feel that guy is a ********. just because someone didnt serve doesnt mean they need to be degraded. Military service is nothing special, in fact, a lot of military jobs are easier than civilian jobs all day long.
For many careerists, the military is a form of glorified welfare. For them, gaming the system is a work of art. Civilians don't generally think of service members that way. But any of us that have served, know it's true.
LEAN LEFT?? He thinks that people marching in the streets shouting ‘What do want... DEAD COPS! When do we want it...Now!’, should be treated the same as military? You guys don’t ‘lean left’. You have fallen over completely.
Anyone can walk around with signs, and yell obscenities at authority figures. It takes no special knowledge or skill set.
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