Joining the military is the single best thing that ever happened to the hick kid from the back woods of Michigan.
I advocate all post High School students to see the world and travel at government expense.
Meteorite plug....now when I learn of meteorite activities in foreign lands, I can visualize and dream about the adventurous meteorite hunters. Many countries I did not visit, but many many of my associates of the military that I served with did travel to these exotic lands and thus by second hand stories, I have been a bit closer. There are not many places around the world that the US Navy hasn't been close to.
Witnessing other cultures sure makes me appreciate the one we have here in the USA.
Come on all of you big strong men, Uncle Sam he needs your help again.......................
Dave Freeman
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Good day Folks,
In response to a few of the posts to this thread, and to perhaps address some possible misunderstandings, I feel compelled respond.
Based on my own experiences, I can say without equivocation, or mental reservation, that the reasons men and women join the United States Armed Services are as varied as those individuals themselves. While certainly there are "underprivileged" members of the armed services, and that may have been a reason for their enlistment, it is certainly not a socioeconomic trait shared by all service members. Many service members are drawn to duty by feelings of obligation to their country and their extended families, to educational opportunities both in and after service as well as the opportunity to learn more about themselves and their fellow brothers and sisters around the globe. Military service, at least in the US, is not a panacea for a depressed socioeconomic standing. Military life is often fraught with sacrifice, both personal and financial. There is opportunity, true. Concomitantly, there is risk. Risk of injury or death in times of conflict, risk of physical separation from family and loved ones and risk of being placed in a position where duty conflicts with personal feelings regarding what is right and wrong.
I believe that the "cause of the USA" is a fluid thing. One which swings like a pendulum; often depending on the politics of the day....both within and without the US. The term "freedom" is often bantered about as the "cause" for the US military being in existence. But "freedom" means different things to different people and depends on their mind set. Freedom to a dictator may represent the ability to run "their" country, and to treat "their" people as "they" see fit.........a viewpoint diametrically opposed by others in the world who see it more as an individual right. A right to be safe in one's person, one's opinions and one's beliefs. As long as the inhabitants of our planet have disparate "causes" to champion there will continue to be conflict. Both political and physical.
If we can agree that glorification of members of the military is not the same as glorification of the political motives of the country they serve, then I believe it is appropriate to glorify them. We can recognize those military members for the personal sacrifices they are making; not necessarily for the "cause" they are ultimately serving.
Best Regards,
Paul Martyn
Savannah, Georgia
In a message dated 1/7/2004 9:54:29 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
With all due respect for the people serving in the US army: Most of them, I believe, do not join the marines because they want to sacrifice their life for the "cause of the USA" (what's it anyway?), but because it's about the only chance for the underprivileged to get something like social security, education and medical care. There's no need to glorify their service, as little as there is need to ridicule it.
Just my 2c
_____
Best regards,
Bernhard "Rendelius" Rems
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