Jeroen wrote:
> >When serving in the US Armed Forces, can you say "No" when you are
> >"requested" to go fight somewhere far away, without ruining your military
> >career?
>
Ronn replied:
> Career?
>
> Generally, the next "request" will be for you to relocate to Fort
> Leavenworth, Kansas, for a 20-year tour.
>
Truly? I've been told by at least 3 ex soldiers, 2 of whom had served in
Vietnam, that during the Vietnam war if a soldier didn't want to go he would
not have been forced. This applied to both the regulars and conscripts, and
was in fact rarely exercised.
Generally, after doing the training, unit solidarity and basic "I'm trained
for this, let's do it" attitudes were stronger than anything else.
A friend who's a nurse in the RAAF has also told me that overseas postings,
such as Somalia, Bougainville, East Timor etc, can be refused without too
much hassle. Australian tradition is that volunteers for a job are always
preferable to the unwilling.
Brett
