Poll: Ever Served In The Military?

[FrostyV3]

Just recently I had a talk about this with friends, and found it interesting how many people have no intention of serving in the armed forces. I am from Australia, and my family has served its country for generations, and I'm going to continue that legacy.
Great Grandfather - WWI
Grandfather - WWII (and First military personnel to set foot in Hiroshima after 'Little Boy')
Father - Vietnam
Uncle - Korea
Brother and Me - Who Knows

So my question to you, is:
Have you served in the armed forces, or do you plan to in the future?

Please leave a reason for your answer.
~Frosty.

 

[Crowser]

I have a tip for you.

Don't get shot.

 

[BadGadgit]

yes.
spent 12 years in the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, old faithful.
my father went to vietnam, my grandfather was a ww2 vet and my great grandfather served in the boer war.

 

[FrostyV3]

I have a tip for you.

Don't get shot.

Indeed, but if I do it'll be in the line of duty; the most honorable way to die.
~Frosty.

 

[Willwillwritehiswill]

No, neither do i plan to. I'm not a wishy-washy hippy type. I understand that sometimes a forceful resolution is the only option. I'm just not a killer.
Plus research has shown that any armed combat scenarios can damage parts of the brain, sometimes permanently. I'd like to remain relatively sane and relatively safe.

Selfish reasons, i know.

 

[white_salad]

Three: It is unreasonably hot in Iraq. As long as there is even a .01% chance of serving anywhere nearly that hot, I will not be serving. I do not do well in warm climates - I would die.

Pretty much this. If we went to war with, say, the Bahamas, or some place tropical with beautiful,native girls, I'll volunteer. But Until then, I'm fine.

Btw, this was a quote of max, but I fucked it up so....ya, my error.

 

[Chipperz]

No, because I'm a massive coward (and I'm hugely unfit). I know plenty of people in the military to respect the crap they go through, but I also know that I couldn't do it myself.

 

[Crowser]

Yeah I don't plan to, I hate the idea of being ordered around (even though I realize it is essential to the military, if everyone was doing what they wanted it would all go to hell) and I especially don't like the idea of being told to kill someone. Double that previous statement if I'm in a war I don't agree with (Iraq, Nam, Korea, Gulf war...)

 

[Dragonrabbit]

I'm in 10th grade so no. I do plan on joining after graduating though, I just hope to God we're [the U.S.] out of the Middle East by then, because, as Max said, that place is freaking hot.

 

[Joos]

I am not voting, since this seems to apply only to Americans of the US. However, I would suggest you conscript to a support function rather than a fighting unit. In that way, you will get a good education as well as greatly increasing the chances of NOT getting shot at.

 

[brighteye]

First of all ,i have never been in an armed conflict, but in my country , if the army calls you MUST serve atleast 7 months.
That said, i was a medic and a couple of times we had to train on pigs that was shot in different ways. Now i am what you would call "animal lover", so in the beginning i really thought i would have a problem with this ,but not at all.
I all was made with alot of ethical rules and in the end i learned ways of treating wounds that i never would have otherwise.

A couple of years later ,unfortunatly, i had to use that knowledge in workrelated accidents.
Still, all that knowledge and training, it could have been made in 3 months easy, the rest of the time was drilling, cleaning and marching...

 

[FrostyV3]

Well, my reasons TO join are as follows:
-Get Fit. I'm already in really good shape, but it could be better.
-Learn skills you can learn nowhere else.
-Experience the comradeship which my family has been telling me about for years.
-Get some discipline. Everyone can use some more discipline, no matter how much you hate it at the time, you'll thank whoever gave it to you later.

The military pretty much carves you into a great person: Strong, Courageous, Good Morals, etc.
You can go in an average 18 year old, come out a better 19 year old with $40,000 in his pocket; for just one year of basic training.

Also, I think a lot of you need to harden up a bit ... not doing all of that because it's too hot ... or too hard? Well I'm from Australia, welcome to my world. If you grew up where I did you'd be killed with that attitude.
~Frosty.

 

[Fenchurch]

Millitary training is nice because you get all kinds of survival skillz.
Killing other people? Not really my cup of tea.
I considered joining the army for the education and useful knowledge, but I don't have citizenship of the country I live in, so it's out of the question.

 

[Jung_Yul]

I have a tip for you.

Don't get shot.

Indeed, but if I do it'll be in the line of duty; the most honorable way to die.
~Frosty.

I did 8 years in the U.S. Marine Corps - first enlistment in the Infantry, 1st Bn 8th Mar, the ole "Foul Weather Warriors." Second enlistment I switched to become a computer tech as I realized that while some of the things I got to do in the grunts was amusing at times, the job skills weren't all that transferrable to civilian life. i.e. the ability to kill someone, somewhat ninja-style, from a concealed position 800 yards away, and the ability to catch bullets, somewhat NOT ninja-style, with one's torso...

That being said, when I went to tech school for my new job, I asked my Basic Electronic class - a group of guys fresh out of boot camp and such, so they'd been in the military 3-4 months by this point - how many of them joined the Corps to die for their country. Many of them raised their hand, resulting in a rather direct string of expletives being issued by me suggesting that they put their hands down and re-evaluate their thoughts. To wit, I paraphrased one of General George Patton's more well-known sayings: ?No poor bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making other bastards die for their country.? to: "You did NOT join the Marine Corps to die for your country! You joined to make some other bastard die for theirs!" Granted, some give all, and anyone that joins the service needs to be mentally and spiritually prepared for that possibility IF it becomes necessary, but only if there are no other options.

 

[Ken Korda]

Well, my reasons TO join are as follows:
-Get Fit. I'm already in really good shape, but it could be better.
-Learn skills you can learn nowhere else.
-Experience the comradeship which my family has been telling me about for years.
-Get some discipline. Everyone can use some more discipline, no matter how much you hate it at the time, you'll thank whoever gave it to you later.

The military pretty much carves you into a great person: Strong, Courageous, Good Morals, etc.
You can go in an average 18 year old, come out a better 19 year old with $40,000 in his pocket; for just one year of basic training.

Also, I think a lot of you need to harden up a bit ... not doing all of that because it's too hot ... or too hard? Well I'm from Australia, welcome to my world. If you grew up where I did you'd be killed with that attitude.
~Frosty.

-Why do you want to be that fit?
- What skills are you going to learn which you can learn nowhere else? How to use a rifle to effectively murder someone? Not particularly high on my to do list.
- Comradeship? WHat if you end up as the 'Privat Pyle' of your unit? The one who is not quite as good and gets bullied into suicide by all the others?
- Why do you want to be so diciplined?

The military carves you into a mentally damaged, physical cripple with no employable skills apart from how to kill people in a variety of interesting and creative ways. Either that or it carves you into a dead person.

The only thing you'll acheive by joining the military is the furtherance of economic dominance by the US and the EU. I hope you enjoy killing poor people

 

[petrolmonkey]

Well, my reasons TO join are as follows:
-Get Fit. I'm already in really good shape, but it could be better.
-Learn skills you can learn nowhere else.
-Experience the comradeship which my family has been telling me about for years.
-Get some discipline. Everyone can use some more discipline, no matter how much you hate it at the time, you'll thank whoever gave it to you later.

The military pretty much carves you into a great person: Strong, Courageous, Good Morals, etc.
You can go in an average 18 year old, come out a better 19 year old with $40,000 in his pocket; for just one year of basic training.

Also, I think a lot of you need to harden up a bit ... not doing all of that because it's too hot ... or too hard? Well I'm from Australia, welcome to my world. If you grew up where I did you'd be killed with that attitude.
~Frosty.

1) If you want to get fit, join a gym
2) The only new skill you will learn is how to kill someone. There is nothing you can't learn outside f the military
3) Comradeship means dick all when you are discharged and have nowhere to go or fall back on. Seriously most guys are homeless, or have piss bad lives after leaving.
4) True, but having someone shout at you all day just to make you a bit tougher and make you wash yourself isn't really a lesson you cant learn yourself.

Good Morals

Dude you have no idea..

It sounds like you have made up your mind, it will make you 'stronger' but you will also probably come out as a complete dick.

 

[Joos]

Bla bla bla...

Roligt att se en landsman här! ;-)

I was in the Mechanised Infantry at IB16, when it still existed. Where did you serve?