Recent events have resulted in debate regarding the nature of service in our all volunteer force. A friend shared this Army recruiting poster from 1985 with me. Incidentally, that’s the same year that I joined the Army Reserve while a junior in high school.
If you serve(d), do you feel it was your duty? If you have not served, how do you view our volunteer force?
On a larger scale, do you think the country and its military have lost touch with one another?
I did not serve. Not a day goes by that I do not regret that. I feel I missed my opportunity to find myself by serving this great country. When I watched Band of Brothers for the first time years ago I was shocked to hear of men that could not go to war with their buddies in WWII for medical reasons and ended up committing suicide because of it. Now I understand that feeling of remorse for not putting my country ahead of myself.
I do feel that with the cultural shift in our country over the last 30 or 40 years has driven our left shifting communitiess to view the military as just another job instead of the honorable calling that it is. This is a shame. I hope to see this rectified in the near future and I do believe its starting to happen.
Same here. I am 52 years old now and if I could somehow serve in military I would but no one wants my old self now!
My parents, dad having served, my mom full blood German with brother in Hitlers SS, knew and saw the war from both sides, civilian and enlisted, and when I spoke of it to them in high school they both would not have anything to do with it. I now wish I had just done it.
I was all that I could was…
Along the way I got to see the “Army of One” and “Are Me Strong?” generations.
There’s just a huge rift between Military and Civilians in this country now. Civilians lack even the most basic understanding of that life, and those who do resent everyone that does not. It’s become sort of an exclusive club, if you’re former military, you understand a lot more of the world than your civilian counterparts. It’s a matter of experience, and I don’t think it will get any better especially as far left as our culture is going. Pretty soon, people are going to be joining the military just to escape the ridiculousness of Civilian life and then reenlist for the same reason.
In a nutshell, “They just don’t get it.” is the only argument one can make.
I did serve 1973-1976 Army 11B. It was a a tough time for the Army, limited resources, start up of the volunteer force, and lingering bad feelings (or at best hidden feelings good/bad) of the general public toward the military. The draftees all got an “early out” in the Fall of 1974 so we were then all volunteer. Many of the e-4’s and above were Viet Nam vets, hard as nails and really thin, I learned a lot from them. I am convinced the military is way ahead of where we were then, yes we need to stay focused on recruitment, training and proper equipment, but the many younger vets I have met are solid professionals with really good skill sets. Disconnect between the military and civilian world…yes, now more than ever. I am proud of my service to the country and proud of all who serve/ or have served.
America will never revert back to the draft and that’s a great thing. If you don’t serve, just be thankful and appreciative and don’t bite the hand that gives you the luxury of sitting in your domicile enjoying life while others sacrifice on your behalf. There is, after all, a war going on… and has been for more than 16 years now. How did you help? How can you contribute? Did you do anything? Be thankful you aren’t in a factory cranking out tires for military vehicles, even on weekends and holidays. Kinda puts it in perspective.
The disturbing trend that personally disgusts me are the growing number of flat out COWARDS that insinuate and use ambiguity to let others think they are something they’re not on social media. I saw two great examples of that in the last two days. In both cases, the individuals are more than capable of serving yet elected not to- why? Maybe they identify as veterans. Karma is a mf.
Personally I feel we’re too far along now to reinstate the draft or mandatory service. Everyone drafted or forced to serve would be a victim, their stories all over the media. Not even an option in 2017.
….”identify as veterans”….Sometimes a comment is so savage that you just need to pause for a moment to appreciate the savagery!….Good one!
I tested out of high school at 15 and was attending college. While there, I took a few poli sci and american govt classes, which gave me the idea to enlist at 18. Growing up in a fairly liberal area in California, the thought to join never came up until I took those courses. My purpose for joining was civic duty. I originally tried to get into westpoint, but they told me I could not be admitted because I did not graduate high school, even though I was already in college. My college did not have an ROTC program either. So, I ended up enlisting at 18 for 5 years. I actually got my selective service letter about a month before I shipped out. After my enlistment ended, I re enlisted for another 3 because I felt the need to take care of new guys coming in, and that what I was doing helped contribute to the Army overall. I thought I would stay until retirement. Unfortunately, my final 2 years left a bad taste in my mouth from the amount of backstabbing, lack of loyalty from leadership, and poor training methods. I ended up not re enlisting. I feel I fulfilled all my obligations to our country.
I was lucky enough to do more before breakfast than most did all day.
Ever since I was a child I can remember wanting to be a Marine. My grandpa was one and I was always told growing up that they are the best fighting force we have. As I got older I became more interested in technology as my father was an electrical engineer working on some really awesome things and we always had new tech in the house. I ended up following a weird road that eventually lead me to one of the most well respected tech companies on the planet and am close to 30 years of age so my path is mostly laid out for me.
I always kept that desire to join, and at times I regret not signing the dotted line. A few times I came pretty close, even speaking with recruiters, but I always had “better” options available and outside my desire to serve I was a bit nervous about returning to civilian life after a military career only to struggle to start a career in a new field with competition who were doing the job while you were over seas fighting. That fear, along with amazing opportunities, means I never joined and won’t.
That said, I see two things from each side that really bother me today. On the civilian side there are constant guys pretending that they served, or playing dress up with head to toe tac gear who look like a half mile run would end their lives. The men who pretend to be vets disgust me and the tac barbie guys make me laugh. On the military side you see a lot of guys that seem over amped on the whole “alpha male” lifestyle and guys that shit all over ones that chose not to serve.
I think in general we need to work towards getting to a place of respect for one another, but it todays world of offended olympics I see the distain for our military members growing and the lashing out from the vets because of that getting worse.
It takes a few minutes to read, and there aren’t many good photos… …but it speaks to some interesting points, especially in it’s conclusion.
https://fee.org/articles/trump-s-general-is-right-soldiering-is-not-a-normal-job/
Believe it or not, the majority of our countrymen and women love its military. In fact, it’s the most trusted public institution in our country. If you ignore the sensationalism of the media, the supposed ‘rift’ between civilians and military is a glorified facade created for controversial headlines and T.V. ratings. The truth of the matter lies in the following book partially written by the Sec. of Defense and other researcherS:
https://www.hoover.org/research/warriors-and-citizens
Warriors and Citizens, by General James Mattis and Kori Schake, gives great hard statistical insight into the relationship between civilians and the military. After the reading the book, I can conclude that civilians in our country love and revere the military as an institution, but has little knowledge of it. I believe it’s a result of the military becoming an all-volunteer force, which results in less people having direct contact (ie relatives and close friends) with members of the military. So, some of you say that civilians don’t know about life in the military, which is in most part true, but this is due to lack of contact and overall ignorance and not hatred of discontent of our beloved armed forces.
For those of you who think there’s a huge rift between us veterans and civlians, please read the book. It will dispel the myths pushed by social media and facebook keyboard warriors. We’re not as divided as we think, despite what the news stations and extremists from both sides want you to believe.
I served…I feel that it was my duty, as well as an honor and privilege.
I think there is some Heinlein-esque danger in promoting service as a duty or other obligation of the citizenry. I do not think that is it the same as a profession or “field” but I would not hesitate to call a four or thirty year Veteran a professional.
I did my time for the experience and adventure, but I do not recall ever feeling drawn to the service and feel it is a cocktail of “life” and “professional” experience. It is a different mix for each individual.
I know what you mean about Heinlein-esque dangers for “duty”… but I always read that as “everyone has a duty to contribute something to the common good.”
For those who are physically/mentally/emotionally capable, that can be military service.
For those who are not, or have little other skills to offer, it can be as simple as paying their taxes.
Of course, a recruiting poster is going to turn those dials to 11 in an effort to get as many bodies through the door…
Perfectly stated.
The problem is not that we have too few people in the military. The problem is that we have too few people serving institutions beyond the purview of their personal interests.
When people thank me for my service I accept their gratitude with the courteous reminder that there are LOTS of ways to serve one’s community, and everyone who’s doing so deserves a measure of gratitude.
Greetings from Germany.
I am Active Duty science 17 Years, for me there is no question for a young men to go ore not to go in the Army and serve for your Country.
It is a honor to serve for his Country and for a young Men is it a formative period. This is Guidance for the further way in a men’s / women’s life I think.
The best at the Military Service is that the Army is a part of the community and people of all classes come together and be a part of the Military Family for a short Time.
It is interesting to read that some of you wrote that there is a disconnection between The Army and the civil community.
For me it is always fascinating when I am in the US for Training to see how proud the people are for their Country!! A soldier in the USA have a Status and High regard , that we here in Germany will never have!!
Sometimes it is good to look around to see how good ore bad the situation is… I think the US Military is still well accepted and to find this support from the Civilian Community you will not find much other country’s in the World.
^This. Anyone who has served overseas should know this.
I served and felt it was my duty. I was in 9th grade when 9/11 happened and the images were burned in my mind. The Discovery channel special on BUDS and the images of the Horse Soldiers in Afghanistan really drove it home.
DOD should look into bringing back the Citizen Military Training Camps and perhaps getting rid of the IRR and the 8 year contract. When people look at that 4 x 4 or 5 x 3 contract, I think that might be a big turn off for guys who just want to do a few years and be done with it.
During the Vietnam era my draft status was 1A (you’re gonna go, sooner or later). I enlisted in the army so I could pick my MOS and things worked out okay. I’m glad I served and still think it is a highly honorable thing to do. But I don’t feel the draft is beneficial because the are so many new troupes that have bad attitudes since they were forced to be there. I remember being ridiculed for being an “RA” and not a “US”. Still some of the “US” guys came around and pulled their weight. Others should have been left at home.
Im still serving, going on 11 years and I count it as one of the proudest things I have done in my life to serve along the men and women of this great country in uniform. Ive chewed dirt, been hungry, cold, dirty, shot at, rained on and shit on but I wouldnt give a day back. It was my duty to serve. My dad did it for 22 years, my brother did it, my granddads did it, my great grandfather went looking for Pancho Villa along the border its what we do. Someones gotta do it.
Groundpounder,
And what are you serving ? Who are you serving ? When was the last time you patroled the Mexican border ?
You are self-serving. Nothing more. Nothing less. You are but a tool for the globalists of D.C. and the Pentagon. You are the type of citizen who contributes nothing to this former, great nation but it’s continuing demise.
You certainly are not serving the common American citizen with your participation in occupation of almost every foreign land on this planet. Wake up and smell the reality.
Smells like troll in here
Serious Troll
DAN III…DAN the third?
What a sad thought to think there may be 2 more out there
Guard/reserves since 2002 with two deployments. Still going, definitely going to get 20. I consider it my calling, compared to my day job, which is my paycheck job.
I really like the whole “citizen-soldier” model, and think military should lean more into doing that as a way to bridge the gap between civilians and servicemembers.
Of course, after civilians had their 3rd SHARP briefing in 90 days, they’d be clawing at the doors to get back out again…
I served 24 years and retired in 2013. 2 as 19K then went 11B and never looked back. I did multiple tours over seas for my country and led some of the best men I’ve ever had the honor of knowing. They are still brothers of mine to this day. No regrets. With me it was always an obligation of service to my country and men.
I’ve served, got out, and am serving once again.
I wholeheartedly disagree with a draft. It’s tantamount to conscription, and doesn’t make for a effective fighting force when they do not wamt to be there. They will, on average(with some spectacular exceptions), be less than willing to even do the basic tasks of soldiering.
From what I can see the problem isn’t in getting people in, its the the military recruiting process still being in the dark ages, such as in 2009 when kids were joining and getting 40k bonuses and soldiers already in with multiple years of service plus deployments were getting shit. The current recruiting mentality still hasn’t changed. Returning vets won’t get many options.
If knowledge is power, the military loses way too much of it every time a soldier takes off his uniform for the last time.
I wasn’t promised a rose garden…
I’m currently in recruiting. Before I leave this God awful assignment I will be enlisting kids to go to Afghanistan that hadn’t been born yet on 9/11. That shit fucking kills me. But I don’t ever regret enlisting.
This is the realest shit I have ever read.
I did it because I wanted to. Felt no pressure, or sense of duty. It’s what I wanted to do.
The military / civilian divide has been a concern as long as I can remember and long before I was born, I’m sure. Can we get past it? Maybe now and then depending on what’s going on, but for the most part, it’s just that nature of things. The military is just a very different world.
You might be able to make an argument that political alignment doesn’t mirror the nation, but I don’t know that, and it would depend on what source you want to believe. I’m not convinced it’s much of an issue, at least for enlisted. I do think officers are more politically vocal than is healthy and I regret having voted while in uniform.
About the volunteer force, CLEARLY it performs superbly and is needed not only as a quick response deterrent, but also as a professional cadre upon which to expand in emergency. But I also think the patriotism and courage of a lot of young people has been exploited by seventeen years and counting of war with questionable benefit to national security. Not cool.
Congress should be required to reinstate the draft at a certain point in such long term commitments. This would ideally..
1. Force the conclusion of military commitments with unclear objectives.
2. Force the development of clearer thinking on when to commit military power.
3. No education deferment would bring a broader cross-section of our society in to military service, such that in years to come, the military civilian divide might not be quite as wide?
Of course, congress will never do that on it’s own.
I think that is a very interesting proposition. It would most certainly curtail never ending operations and force an end state goal before being so anxious to jump.
Your suggestions really make sense. Unfortunately, they will never be implemented by our self-serving Congress.
I wish I could say that when I went off to Navy AOCS it was because I was patriot, loved my country, and wanted to make the world safe for democracy; or that I thought killing communists might be fun. The simple fact was I had an addiction. I liked to eat three meals a day. With a liberal arts degree and a graduate degree the military was the only place hiring. I decided on the Navy, because at that time you could wear a beard, whites were the best looking uniform, and as Tony Curtis said in the movie “Operation Petticoat” “No one checks your Dun and Bradstreet rating in the bedroom.” And best way to get into the bedroom on the good side of tracks is by wearing a uniform. I stayed for twenty plus years retired, and would have stayed longer but refused to drink the Kool-Aid and take an assignment inside the beltway.
I am retiring now, with almost 27 years in the Army. I don’t know if it is anyone else’ duty, but it was mine. I would not trade those years for anything.
I can’t speak for whether or not the military and the civilian populace have lost touch with each other. I can write with absolute certainty that I have completely lost touch with our civilian populace.
DOL
JMG
News flash: The country and the military have never, ever “been in touch”. Even during the supposed period when it was “better”, during the post-WWII era, it was not.
People really need to get deeper into the history of these things, before they start spouting off the various BS talking points. The fact of the matter is, the military has always been a separate, almost caste-like culture in this country, going back to the post-Revolutionary period. We intentionally designed it that way, although not a lot is spoken about that–Otherwise, West Point and Annapolis wouldn’t exist as they are constituted. It’s an irony, historically speaking, that the military of the largest and oldest democratic republic on this planet has the legacy of separation and class-consciousness that it does, while failing to reflect the general overall egalitarianism of the rest of the nation.
Like it or not, we’ve always been separate, “other”, and likely always will be. The biggest problem we have is that the separation (along with the reasons for it…) isn’t being tolerated or compensated for. Look at what they’ve done to the service academies, in the name of staying with the times… West Point’s latest scandals are indicative that the general society neither understands or is willing to tolerate “difference” required to make the institution work effectively, likewise with the integration of women into the combat arms.
In my opinion, the problem isn’t separation, but that we’re getting too damn much like general society, when we should be maintaining standards. But, that’s the nature of the beast–Just like a girl who can’t say “No…”, the Army is always pregnant with the latest bad idea, whether it was the Doolittle Board, or the crap coming out of DACOWITS.
I served twelve years in the Guard and Reserve and felt an obligation to serve. I was in BSA so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. I deployed twice and don’t have any regrets. I live in the northeast and can say that there are more people then you might think who have served from here but it is uncommon. I have friends who have said they could never serve, that there is something heroic simply in volunteering. I never felt like a hero. It’s frustrating when people can’t seem to be accountable for their SH*t or go out of the way to take care of their friends and neighbors but that isn’t necessarily a military trait.
Questions with a lot to think about. Sorry if I put anybody off their feed…
I was on Active Duty in the early/mid 80s and came back to the Active Reserves in the mid-90s, both times US Navy.
I joined for a couple of reasons: Put money away for college, and fulfill what I think is an obligation as a citizen. A couple of people mentioned “Heinlein-esque.” Damn Straight. Personally, I think we need more of it (that).
Multiple generations of my family served, some made it a career. I felt that serving was a privilege, but I also felt it was no honor. I did a lot of fucked up, evil stuff. And that’s why I did not make it a career. I served with a lot of outstanding people, some of whom I still keep in regular contact. A lot of the people I worked for, that’s a whole other thing…
I see the problems we have today re: Perception vs. Reality to have really got rolling while I was in. Today the disconnect between those who serve and those who benefit is, I feel, approaching unbridgeable. That’s not to say those who benefit are not grateful. Rather, they lack context for that service. If they had it, the whole thing about a civilian running the military might go way different.
While the tools and tactical ability of today’s force vs. what I had at my disposal is enough to (sometimes) make me drool, The reasons for pursuing the objectives named, and the associated ops tempo, I find to be wholly disingenuous.
And as with many things, YMMV.
I spent more years in the US Army than I care to admit. Today, as since 1941, we have not had a foreign nation attack this country. Yet today, with the “Modern Volunteer Army” (VOLAR) we are embroiled in Mid-East conflict for 25 years ! Why ?
Today, our borders are undefended while we have 20,000 troops defending South Korea. Again, why ? So the gooks can send hordes of Hyundai and Kia automobiles to fUSA, in turn suffocating the domestic auto industry ?
We have become a imperial nation. Our military has become nothing but mercenaries for globalism and the New World Order. Young folks have little chance of working in the private sector and earning a living wage. Yet, if they join the military they make a salary unheard of in the private sector for 17-18 year old cannon fodder.
Screw the mercenaries of the US military. It is time to correct the debacle and tyranny the fedgov has become. It won’t be corrected by the bought and paid for mobsters of the fUSA military.
You need to wash your racist and troll mouth out with a shotgun.
Okay antifa just because he says dumb shit doesn’t mean he should die for them made fun or yes but recommending death for something you were offended by would go against what the point of service is to protect and defend the constitution with the thing called the bill of rights and the 1st amendment freedom of speech no the blog owner has every right to delete the comment because it is his. Don’t lower yourself to the retard’s post.
I served as an 0351 in the Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq twice for a total of 22 month’s from 2007-2009. I do think I had a duty to serve America in the military, and if 9/11 hadn’t had happened I probably would have never joined. It was probably the best thing I ever did in my life. However, it was sad to return home to see what happened to America while I was deployed and away from home. The 2008 financial crisis hit and Barack Obama was elected. The election of Barack Obama was worse in my opinion then 9/11 in the damage his presidency did to the Country in retrospect. I enlisted in the Marine Corps with a bachelor’s degree having graduated magna cum laude, and could have easily gotten a job paying $50,000-65,000/year upon graduation; but instead I went to Fallujah and the Syrian border. I was offered the opportunity to attend OCS and was recruited by MARSOC before I decided to leave the Marine Corps. I knew who Obama was and did not want to fight for a Commander in Chief who I thought was a Socialist, but who in reality is a Marxist-Leninist. If he hadn’t been elected, I’d probably still be in the Marine Corps or have been killed in Sangin with 2/6. I think I suffered more PTSD from 8 years of Obama then the mild combat I saw in Iraq.
It disgusts me to see what has happened to America in the last ten years. Am I still happy I served? Most definitely, I’d do it all again, only I’d kill more mooj this time. What I fought for transcends politics, and the reason ultimately are the God-given rights bestowed upon me and all Americans as our birthright. I don’t think America will survive this century. This deeply saddens me. I was never a religious man, but coming home and seeing how we as a people have squandered the duty and obligation we have to this great nation with moral depravity and decadence; I can’t help but feel there is a biblical aspect to what is happening and what is coming. Most American’s don’t deserve freedom.
America needs its combat veterans now more than ever. There will be more than enough opportunity for gainful employment, both at home and abroad. When I see NFL players desecrating the sacrifices of Gold Star families and our honored War Dead, while commending Castro and Robert Mugabe, who’d put a bullet in the back of their head’s if they tried this in Cuba or
Zimbabwe, it makes me sick. If we go to war with Iran or North Korea, I can’t help but hope the draft is reinstated and these punks are given a first round draft pick to the front armed with a toothbrush to clear minefields, and a machine gun at their back so they can’t retreat or surrender.
When GWOT kicked off I had to go. I’d like to think it was “duty”, but honestly it was more for selfish reasons. I wanted to see combat. My father did two tours in Vietnam and I wanted to know what it was like. I wanted to see the elephant. I got my wish. A lot.
In regards to losing touch with each other…i’m not sure how much was there before. I came in at the start of GWOT so all I’ve known is yellow ribbons and “thank you for your service”. I’ve always tried to avoid that stuff. I think for the majority of Americans, this fight isn’t personal. 9/11 is just a thing that happened before some of them were alive (or at least old enough to put it into context). With all the distractions of instant gratification in this world and the majority not having skin in the game, I think GWOT (and service in general) has kind of become background noise.
I served active duty Army (Jan 87 to Sept 91 – aviation) then went Navy in 2006 (expeditionary, Green Navy). Yes, some of it was a sense of duty and some of it was just something that I had always wanted to do. Looking back, I see how fortunate I was to be able to do all these things – talking with a lot of people who didn’t serve, I sometimes hear a sense of regret. I was lucky – it wasn’t all good, but the important parts were positive. I imagine that our citizens today are much like what our country must have been prior to the Civil War or WW1 – the majority not having any military experience, and much of their imaginings being based on the popular culture of the day. Yes, there is a divide, but it is not insurmountable. Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks who seem to think that things just happen in a vacuum – and I guess when the next big war comes down the pike, we’ll see. Anyhow, as I get older, I think more and more on the meaning of service, and at my core I am just glad that I did it – did something – rather than having to wonder if I could have.
I served a quarter of a century because I always wanted to be a soldier. I think everyone should serve. I think it’s a bad thing when only 2 percent of the country serves. I think the country would be a better place if everyone served. It might compensate for a lack of home training. I think military service should be a qualification to be president and a member of congress.
I went to VMI in the fall of 1981 knowing I was going to receive a commission and serve. Back then, the Institute had a policy of mandatory commissioning under penalty of not receiving your diploma. Sort of a 4 yr. DEP. What a great ride it was; Sailed most of the seven seas; like GroundPounder, I was at times tired, hungry, cold, wet, sandy or dirty and got shot at and IDF’d during two pumps for OIF. I served with some of the BEST people you could ever want to know and got to go places & see amazing things. 30 years went by too quickly. IMO, service today is either in a young person’s DNA or it isn’t. Those in uniform need to understand their path isn’t for everyone. Those not serving MUST respect the choice service members and veterans have made.
Dan III reminds us of the cliché – I disagree with what you say, but will defend your right to say it.
Conur, you either got it in you or you don’t. Its why I am not in favor of the draft. Its hard enough leading volunteer soldiers I can’t imagine what it would be like with ones forced to put on the uniform.
I respect what you may think of me or this country too, we fight for the right for people to say or be what they want not matter how dumb it may be.
16 deployments in the past 15 years and counting.
I don’t look down on, or feel sorry for those who haven’t served. It’s my calling, not theirs.
I joined in the mid-80’s because I wanted to. I guess I had a sense of duty to the country. The college benefits didn’t hurt either.
I don’t think the military is for everyone. I left during the Obama administration when things started to get really silly in the day-to-day running of the military. To many decisions being made for people who saw the military as just another hand-out or as a way to get their personal beliefs justified.
I believe the volunteer force is the only way to go forward. One needs to “want” to be in the service to effectively do the job. The problem is weeding out the one who want it too much. When I first joined, there were basically two types of enlistees; those who thought of it as a duty and those who were in it for the college benefits. Then, a few years into the current conflicts, we started seeing a third type of person; those who joined solely to kill. This is when it started to get a little scary.
I don’t think the populace as a whole has lost touch with the military, they were never “in-touch” with the military to begin with. The American populace, as a whole, has not really been affected by the current conflicts. America was told by George Jr. to “go to the mall”, no sacrifice was ever asked for or expected.
A Draft serves us two-fold. It awakens the electorate, and bolsters the will of the people. Unfortunately, an all volunteer force while fiercely noble, empowers the elite with little resistance from the electorate and feeds the military industrial complex. I’m proud to have served multiple combat tours both enlisted and as an officer, and proud to still serve, but when the American people have little concern tied to their foreign affairs or the cost associated, the powerful have exactly what they want. Freedom to act as they wish with minimal oversight.
Well, freedom to act can be important at times, but long term commitments such as we currently have are another matter. But I agree, when Aldrich and Tilly get pulled out of the Ivy League to go to war, the electorate will indeed be awakened.
After learning the disaster the draft and individual replacement policy placed on Vietnam units over time, compared to those units that were Cold War hold outs for the Big War (Vietnam was supposed to be over in 2-4 yrs), I’d never agree to a draft. Especially after seeing America’s youth as a Drill Sergeant in the late 90’s and learning the educational problems of America through friends of mine in the High School and Collegiate systems, as well as personal briefings from former superiors who worked this angle in the Wexford Group for AWG.
Don’t know if I consider it a duty. Recruiter called me, made a good pitch (college money, get to be an officer). Took me 19 years to get that commission and 23 years before I got that degree. Just got selected for Major and have been doing this for 32 years (started out USMC, switched to Guard-split that between traditional and ADOS/deployments). When it stops being interesting, I’ll stop doing it.
I think it’s important for the military to maintain connection with society. And not in a “What kind of free shit do you have for me because I’m a veteran” way.
“If you have not served, how do you view our volunteer force?”
They’re my heroes.
I was a military brat. Grew up on/around military bases. This was the 80’s. We had the “Evil Empire” to fight. When i was in College, doing ROTC, my “Uncle Lucy” died in a helicopter training accident.
My Pop didn’t talk about it much, but I saw the toll it took on him. He left the military not soon after. It broke his soul. I dropped out of ROTC, and decided not to join. Not out of any messed up sense, but I saw the pain in my father’s eyes of losing a friend.
“Desert Storm” was starting up. the USSR was collapsing, the military was changing. Call me whatever you will, but my father was always more important to me than anyone else in this world. It was a bad choice, I should have joined, but I couldn’t do it to him. About 4 years later, he had a heart attack, and I had to help him, and mom out… So in the end, it was the best decision.
But for a military brat? I regret not serving.