Would You Make a Good Soldier?

[Housebroken Lunatic]

My near-sightedness is quite bad, I failed the sight-test completely, so the guy at the recruitment office said "You're a danger to yourself and your co-soldiers". I don't care much whether I had to join the military or not, but I can't remember the last time both of my contact lenses fell out and the first thing that occured to me was "shoot myself and all my co-soldiers in panic".

Erm, I don't know in which country you tried to join up in, but in most parts of the western world you get issued with some pretty rugged glasses if you're near sighted. And speaking from a practical standpoint I'd say that trying to use contact lenses in the field would be highly impractical.

You'll most likely get banned from ever becoming a fighter pilot perhaps (since most jet fighters require you to wear a helmet with integrated instruments which is pretty tight so you can't wear glasses under it), but when it comes to foot-slogging infantry work, correctable issues to your sight and hearing would rarely be an issue. (a lot of armies employ people wearing glasses and hearing-aids and they do just fine)

Still, it largely depend on which country you're trying your luck in. Some countries are known to employ rather ridiculous demands on the physical state of the applicant, but this has more to do with some obscure bureaucratic bullshit to do or in other cases that some high-ups in the command structure somehow thinks that a decent soldiers has to be at the peak of physical perfection to be able to do anything at all (which is of course more of a chauvinistic chase after perfection than actual practicality).

You know, kind of how the germans did during WW" with their battletanks. Each had to be a masterpiece of engineering and quality, and sure, many models were some of the most fearsome battletanks ever seen at the time. But it doesn't matter if you have a few superior battletanks when your enemy can churn out several "inferior" battletanks by the hundreds. Your "superior specimens of übermensch goodness" will eventually get swamped and overrun at the end of the day.

The same thing goes for people as well as battletanks. Though some bureaucrats, politicians and parts of the high command hasn't paid much attention to history and practicality, so that's why certtain countries have strange and exaggerated demands on their recruits...

 

[WanderingFool]

No real team play sense in COD, but in BFBC2, I almost always play medic, its like that class is licensed to print exp.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

I won't take orders, would openly doubt the whole mission and try to talk everyone else into that itll be more clever not to get killed and get home. Yes i am the perfect soldier. They need more of my kind.

But in gaming i really am a supportive type. Engineer or Medic mostly. And i even sometimes manage to turn my "faction" into a team.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

With some training I recon I'd be ok. Good common sense, a cool head. I'm not rushing anywhere in a hurry. I might make a good sniper.

 

[SpireOfFire]

my style of multiplayer? no, i usually go alone because 99% of the people i encounter online are morons and have no idea how to work as a team.

 

[sirpwnsalot65]

Well, my personality (merciless sociopath) would be usefull in a combat situation, but on the other hand, I'd probably get bored of shooting those who could fight back, so I'd most likely end up dangling Schoolchildren off of high places, untill they gave me their parent's life savings, and their lunchmoney, of course. (kidding)

Nah, I'd get picked off probably around the time they roll in the snipers. (Cunning bastards)

 

[NLS]

My near-sightedness is quite bad, I failed the sight-test completely, so the guy at the recruitment office said "You're a danger to yourself and your co-soldiers". I don't care much whether I had to join the military or not, but I can't remember the last time both of my contact lenses fell out and the first thing that occured to me was "shoot myself and all my co-soldiers in panic".

Erm, I don't know in which country you tried to join up in, but in most parts of the western world you get issued with some pretty rugged glasses if you're near sighted. And speaking from a practical standpoint I'd say that trying to use contact lenses in the field would be highly impractical.

You'll most likely get banned from ever becoming a fighter pilot perhaps (since most jet fighters require you to wear a helmet with integrated instruments which is pretty tight so you can't wear glasses under it), but when it comes to foot-slogging infantry work, correctable issues to your sight and hearing would rarely be an issue. (a lot of armies employ people wearing glasses and hearing-aids and they do just fine)

Still, it largely depend on which country you're trying your luck in. Some countries are known to employ rather ridiculous demands on the physical state of the applicant, but this has more to do with some obscure bureaucratic bullshit to do or in other cases that some high-ups in the command structure somehow thinks that a decent soldiers has to be at the peak of physical perfection to be able to do anything at all (which is of course more of a chauvinistic chase after perfection than actual practicality).

You know, kind of how the germans did during WW" with their battletanks. Each had to be a masterpiece of engineering and quality, and sure, many models were some of the most fearsome battletanks ever seen at the time. But it doesn't matter if you have a few superior battletanks when your enemy can churn out several "inferior" battletanks by the hundreds. Your "superior specimens of übermensch goodness" will eventually get swamped and overrun at the end of the day.

The same thing goes for people as well as battletanks. Though some bureaucrats, politicians and parts of the high command hasn't paid much attention to history and practicality, so that's why certtain countries have strange and exaggerated demands on their recruits...

Norwegian army is conscript based, but you're only obliged to show up at the recruitment office and have them check you out. You can still opt out if you have a good reason (health) or want to do charity for a year instead, or you can go to jail if that suits you better.
I started off with the sight and hearing tests, so I was rejected even before taking any of the other tests. (however, I had excellent hearing(and also found out I have bad colour vision)) But this is also part because the Norwegian army is scaling down on the number of forces and going for a "quality over quantity", therefore they are very picky. I know some older friends that have as bad or even worse vision as I have, and they had no problems getting into the military, that was however 10 years before me, much has changed since then.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Norwegian army is conscript based, but you're only obliged to show up at the recruitment office and have them check you out. You can still opt out if you have a good reason (health) or want to do charity for a year instead, or you can go to jail if that suits you better.
I started off with the sight and hearing tests, so I was rejected even before taking any of the other tests. (however, I had excellent hearing(and also found out I have bad colour vision)) But this is also part because the Norwegian army is scaling down on the number of forces and going for a "quality over quantity", therefore they are very picky. I know some older friends that have as bad or even worse vision as I have, and they had no problems getting into the military, that was however 10 years before me, much has changed since then.

Not too different from the Swedish conscription based defense force then.

However, here in Sweden they've abandoned the conscription method simply because it was deemed unecessary. First of all, national defense have a pretty low priority (simply because there isn't much of a threat to talk about), and then there's the fact that conscription often lead to that people who had no motivation at all to join up where forced to go through examinations anyway, and people who had tons of motivation where rejected because of some minor defect (like bad sight or hearing or whatever).

The thing is, motivation is what drives soldiers primarily. So with the scrapped conscription method there's a new and more publicly accessible basic military training that you can apply for. Then depending on if you get good results or not, you can apply for further training and specialization and whatnot.

It's a pretty decent model really. Since it serves to weed out the less motivated during pratical field trials rather than rejecting perfectly motivated and potentially great soldiers due to arbitrary tests. (after all, tests in a clinical enviroment has more to do with theory than practicality)

 

[Canadamus Prime]

That, and I'm not so good at blindly following morally questionable orders.

*Groans*

Obviously I wouldn't act out battle in real life as I would a video game. I'd hope I could make a good soldier though, since that's where I'm turning to to pay for college.

how do you know if you don't give it a chance, you might be passing up an exiting career in some kind of horrific 'sanitation' squad.

It's not TV or Vietnam. The worst order you would ever get in the real Army is one where they don't give you the full picture.

You looking for the ruthless side of Military? Look at Blackwater.

Perhaps I should clarify what I mean by "morally questionable." I mean I'd have difficulty doing things when there wasn't a clear reason why I was doing it other than because some dickhead with a fancier uniform than me told me to.

Besides that I'm Canadian and I don't fancy being "accidentally" killed by Americans.

 

[Nimcha]

Eh well, I usually play something like the engineer or something comparable. Utility. So eh, I guess that means I get a shotgun?

I'm doomed.

 

[Chibz]

I'd make a terrible soldier. My attitude would generally be... "Why should I fight these people for you? That's stupid."

 

[Zipa]

my style of multiplayer? no, i usually go alone because 99% of the people i encounter online are morons and have no idea how to work as a team.

I second this, most of the people playing CoD and BFBC2 ect are morons who run around haplessly.

 

[Something Amyss]

Aside from not liking to be ordered around, loving my free will, being in piss poor shape, being crippled, and opposing violence, yeah. I'd be awesome.

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

I think I could, I'm already working out, I like things that go bang, my only problem would be dealing with any in your face macho idiots I end up working with, not to mention Afghanistan's climate, I'd have to be British Army though, because if I tried to be a Royal Marine Commando I'd run away crying during the training.

Spoiler: Royal Marine advertisement

I don't like enclosed spaces full of water.

 

[Jackhorse]

Emotionally: I would be fine unless we were shooting women or girls (Chivilry applies to bullets too I suppose)

Physically: I tend to roll with a shotgun so while accuracy wouldn't be too much of an issue, considering you point it at them and dead they're general area, range really would be. Its my understanding that most fighting in wars happens across really long distances taking pot shots at each other when one of you is a little less in cover. What I generally do in games is sneak around with a shotgun taking out sniper nests but claymores or wired doors or an alert sniper would make my career very short.

 

[Sarcastic_Applause]

I think I could, I'm already working out, I like things that go bang, my only problem would be dealing with any in your face macho idiots I end up working with, not to mention Afghanistan's climate, I'd have to be British Army though, because if I tried to be a Royal Marine Commando I'd run away crying during the training.

Spoiler: Royal Marine advertisement

I don't like enclosed spaces full of water.

oh god tell me about it man, thats one of the reasons i probably wont go for marines, that "sheep dip" looks horrifying.
Personally if i were asked if i'd do good in the military or in a warzone, i'd honestly say either no or i dont know; its easy to say things like 'hell yeah! i love guns and blowing stuff up' but theres so much more to it: Going back to the Marine Commando's, quite a few people i know are ex-marines who had to leave because of injury, the training i think i wouldnt do to bad, mainly because they gear you up for what they require (in fact, i find military training like assault courses and crossfit exercises sound awesome as its something i use for my sport anyway). Its the psychological side thats the main issue; staying up for days at a time, exercises in all manners of environments (heavy rain, snow, etc). Although the real thing to bear in mind is how your mind will act if your ever put in a warzone scenario; People out there, armed weapon and mental-wise with the soul objective of guerilla warfare: you're a foreign invader and you must die.

Sorry to write so much but its an area i've been considering a lot recently, to go back to the actual subject, there are areas of my personality that make me think that i might be good for the military such as: deductive reasoning, willingness to follow orders (down to sports), also one of the other reasons is one that gets me killed a lot in CoD is that im quite cautious of my surroundings, to the degree that i always find myself checking corners and behind me even when im not in multiplayer. But really im not sure

 

[JoJo]

No, I'm a coward, I'm physically weak and I don't like following orders. Plus I have bad eyesight without either glasses or contacts and I have asthma. Add those to my Asperger's symdrome and I'm pretty sure if conscription ever came around they'd reject me without a second thought on that alone.

 

[Zirat]

Absolutely not.

I'd be the model of how not to be a soldier.
I'm a coward, question orders, and am a strict pacifist.
So, in short no.

Longer version is HELL NO, are you kidding me?

 

[maturin]

I sit in cover, a lot of cover. And squint at the distance while shouting at everyone else, asking where the enemy is.

Or that was my behavior that one time I played paintball, at least. And sort of backed up by my behavior in videogames and capture the flag.

Oh, and teamwork. If I don't have a couple people to rely on, and someone to give orders and keep everyone together, I'll mostly focus on ways of getting to safety at the drop of a hat.

Yeah, I only snipe or no real danger for me.

Of course, the 95% of heavy ordinance that HQ won't let their field commanders use in normal situations has your names all over it.

I'm also really bad at Arma II.

I was much better before I stopped being scared of the sonic snaps. I had to download sound mods that made them louder and louder.

 

[mr. genocide]

...no