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Do you even realize how offensive that statement is to servicemen and women? You're insinuating that the military is populated by trash and trash comes pouring in when you ship their factory jobs overseas, right? Up yours, then. The idea that young men and women want to join the military and do so for reasons other than college tuition assistance is not anything new. Young men join the military, and have always joined the military, for adventure, to see how tough they are, and, frankly, to kill people. I know it's difficult for a lot of people (like you, for instance) to understand that desire for espirit-de-corps and camaraderie, the need to chest-beat and the actual desire to fight, but it's real and there is a lot of it. The P.O.G. jobs are the ones the Army has trouble filling. Direct fire combat arms stay stocked.
I work in the military community.
Most people I've met either couldn't find jobs or didn't know what to do with their lives or wanted the education benefits so they joined.
You might want to look at a bit of reality here. If it weren't for the truly bad economy, there wouldn't be that many people in the military.
The officer corps is a bit different and so are the marines, at least for their first term.
You might want to ask some of the kids who have deployed once, twice, three times, or more what they think.
No need to disparage others who disagree with you.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,784,973 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chielgirl
I work in the military community.
Most people I've met either couldn't find jobs or didn't know what to do with their lives or wanted the education benefits so they joined.
You might want to look at a bit of reality here. If it weren't for the truly bad economy, there wouldn't be that many people in the military.
The officer corps is a bit different and so are the marines, at least for their first term.
You might want to ask some of the kids who have deployed once, twice, three times, or more what they think.
No need to disparage others who disagree with you.
I know more than a few who volunteered for their third rather than join the ranks of the inactive reserve going about their happy lives. The reason for my dissenting opinion is (i) the economy is not bad right now and the people who think it is are recent graduates who don't know what to do and are afraid to work a crappy first job even though all first jobs are crappy and (ii) even if it was, there is no way that someone who would normally be greeting at Wal-Mart is worse off in any branch of the military. The reason for my "disparaging" remarks is not the other poster's disagreement, but rather his or her insult.
Recruitment always goes up during a bad economy. People don't have any other options than to sign up. And its usually the poverty stricken areas that have the highest enlistments. Its a sad statistic but its true.
The recently approved GI bill has enough incentives in it to keep more soldiers in and get new ones to join.
Of course, 40 years ago when I was 20, the draft pulled you in at any time, good economy or not. And more than a few guys back then had a choice of either going to jail for something they did, or going in the military.
Since when did the military become a last choice....
There is still no better way to get on the job training and schooling all while receiving discipline. Quit down talking our military it's the most counter productive thing that can be done.....by the way they die for you to have the right to down play them...
Standards for Army and Marines have been lowered in recent years. That is not talking down to anybody, just stating the facts. That is what happens when you are involved in active combat with multiple deployments and you have a volunteer force. Connect the dots. Makes the work they do even more impressive.
Name a better company to start working for @ 18 with no real work exp.?
What company would you get as many chances to advance in and learn leading edge technology.
Actually I know some young guys that are over in Iraq and Afghanistan as general assembly workers making around $100k because they are in a danger zone, even though they are basically safe behind lines in the green zone.
If I was single and younger I would jump all over that.
Don't believe the hype about learning the "cutting edge technology". A few do, but most shovel dirt and clean latrines when they are not on missions.
Chilegirl is right...my son just turned down an $80,000 re-inlistment bonus to extend for 18 months...was chicken feed as to what he could make on the outside...and he said it so bluntly..."Being in the Army with the Clintons were the worst years of my life...Obama's coming in and I'm getting out."
Did his time and we are having a parade with a lot of flags when he comes home to West Virginia...one of the so called 'poverty stricken areas...ha ha ha....
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