When I joined the Army, it wasn't out of any deep sense of patriotism. There was a draft. I'd be drafted sooner or later. So I enlisted, for an extra year. Three years, instead of two. Because that gave me the option of choosing my MOS, or military occupational specialty. I was supposed to be a public information specialist. I was sent for special training to the army information school at Ft. Slocum, on Long Island, outside New York City. Was there for 10 weeks. Then I was sent to Germany. But I wasn't assigned in my MOS. And I complained to the inspector general and to my U.S. senator. That got me results. I was reassigned to the public information office at division headquarters. And I spent the rest of my army tour as a sportwriter for the division's weekly newspaper. That made me happy. And I also got to see lots of Europe.
Well, I'd need to have my head examined if I was a young man enlisting in the military service today. Chances are I'd see service in Iraq or Afghanistan and stand a good chance of getting my precious head blown off. And I'd be participating in a war to which I'm opposed. Little wonder that soldiers are mostly young people with relatively little education and from lower economic and social classes. If they had a good education and came from families of higher social class, they'd have more attractive options. Anyway, that's the way America is designed. To more or less recruit the 'have-nots' to fight wars. Because the 'haves' know better.
You won't find the 'haves' supporting the draft because that would mean people from all classes have to fight the wars. Instead, it's convenient for the 'haves' to start the wars that they don't have to fight. And dumb Americans are dumb enough to go off and fight in behalf of the rich and smart. --Jim Broede
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How lucky for you, to have such a cushy assignment. Guess you were one of the "haves", huh?
How very insulting, to call the men and women who have chosen to fight for freedom and Democracy "stupid", "have nots", "dumb Americans", "from lower economic and social class". We have soldiers from every walk of life-educated, rich, poor, all classes-all dedicated.
The main thing is, there IS NO draft now. They have bravely chosen to serve our country. They aren't running to their Senators, or IGs to be reassigned to menial jobs, just to say they have served. THEY are soldiers!
I don't mean it as an insult, dear anonymous. It's just fact, it seems to me, that the well-educated and the social elites in America would find it difficult to choose a military career. Especially, if they are gonna serve as grunts. The ones that see actual combat. They are trained to follow orders. And to kill. Well-educated, smart people tend to steer away from that. And the ones that do it often are motivated by a sense of patriotism. That it's the right thing to do. To defend their country. No matter what. Hitler did a superb job of brainwashing his fellow Germans. With patriotic fervor. Deutschland uber alles. I served my country the best I could. In uniform. Overseas. Knowing that I risked being sent into combat in case of war. Whether I liked it or not. But I had no desire to be turned into a killing machine for the sake of defending my country. Especially in a senseless, immoral war. I can envision instances in which I might rather be killed than kill for an immoral cause. Don't know for sure. Because this is all theoretical. I hope I never have to face that decision. --Jim
You really should read the reports on the demographics of our military personnel. There is nothing to back your claims. On the contrary, there is much evidence to dispute them.
You may also be interested in researching the attitudes of those actually serving. You may then be able to give a more educated assessment.
The military needs educated people for planning and for officers. But seems to me the so-called grunts, the combat-ready forces, are largely from lower and middle and less educated classes. Not too many college degrees among the grunts. Right? Correct me if I'm wrong. Chances are you won't find members of rich and powerful families filling roles as grunts. Doing the bloody dirty work. That's far beneath 'em. I know it's about the last thing I'd want to do. I'm not cut out for war. For killing. Heck, I'd rather pursue other alternatives. I don't even go hunting. I leave that to others. If I had to kill animals, I'd become a vegetarian overnight. Meanwhile,I'd rather be a diplomat. Or a politician. And leave the actual combat and killing to others. But my mission as a politician or diplomat would be to prevent wars. One way to do that is to not have armies. Or at most, token forces. Countries like Sweden and Norway don't have big standing armies and big defense budgets. And they seem to have the good life. I guess we Americans like to go to war...and to spend obscene amounts of money on defense and sophisticated weapons of mass destruction. But we don't want others to have 'em. And if we suspect they might have 'em, like in Iraq, we just start a preemptive war. We invade. And our soldiers do as they're told. I think there's a thin line between patriotism and being brainwashed. Yes, the old line for grunts. Ours is not to reason why, but to do and die. And they do that all too often. Sad, isn't it? Maybe the folks at the top who plan these horrible wars -- well, they should be the first ones that do and die. --Jim
I'll tell you one thing I've researched. American military personnel seem to have supported George Bush by a 4-1 ratio. That's scary. But it also shows, I think, that military personnel are generally supportive of war. And that they tend to be Republicans and conservatives. You won't find many liberals choosing a military career. And I think many of the young conservatives have been duped. Into thinking it's a good thing to give their lives to their country in war. Even unnecessary wars. If that makes 'em happy patriots, so be it. I think that with the benefit of hindsight, a case could be made that most wars could have been averted. Even World War II. It was largely policies that were applied after World War I that led to World War II. Guess we're all slow learners. Some day, we'll learn to make peace, and not war. I believe that on some planets in this immense universe, peace reigns. And truly intelligent life prevails. It hasn't come to Earth yet. But hey, there's still time. To either save life on Earth, or to destroy it. --Jim
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