Thread: The military

Btw Bush administration, I am not a terrorist or a communist!

done *burp*

good if you wanna get laid in life. or be someone for that matter.

it made my dad a fantastically egotistical prick with motivation and determination.

Dont get me wrong, he was always a prick and egotistical. Now he just has drive to be a prick to everyone. And not in a funny way

It's a huge mix of every kind of personality you could ever find, but most are like this:
"Being almost wholly composed of dullards and intellectual sluggards, [the military] is a painful hell for anyone with an IQ over 80. Be a beachcomber, a Parisian wino, an Italian pimp, or a Danish pervert; but stay away from the Armed Forces. It is a catch-all for people who regard every tommorrow as a hammer swinging at the head of a man, and whose outstanding trait is a fearful mistrust of everything out of the ordianry." HST

It was great for me being stuck on a ship for 7 month's straight with those guys, it really made me look deep inside myself and see the free man inside and learned how to really appreciate liberty and thinking for myself. Kind of like that movie 'Flashback' where Kiefer Sutherland is a gung ho fucking FBI agent until hanging with Dennis Hopper opens his eyes to being his own man.

Originally Posted by sinbad

done *burp*

good if you wanna get laid in life. or be someone for that matter.

WHat the hell are you talking about?

Originally Posted by SuperFlex

Where do you stand on this subject? Honorable, killers, a mix, or what?

It depends on the action or mission.

Defending one's country is different than invading a nation.

Currently the U.S. military is now told what to do based upon economic interests.

In the last year, the American military has shifted into the spreading of propaganda to the younger recruits. The most recent example was a Navy Captains speech claiming we are not in WWIII, and that it started in 1979. I don't think the military should be involved in these types of political dissemination of information.

I'm assuming you are speaking of the U.S. Military so I'll answer from that dynamic.

The U.S. Military is a family comprised of men and women representing all races and ethnic backgrounds. We are a Quorum of collective skills, determination, and pride in our Country and Fellow man.

We are people. We laugh, we cry, we have families. We love and we hate. We desire. We live and we die. We are human.

We have goals. We meet success and embrace our failures. We learn.

We earn our wages. We pay taxes. We are citizens.

We are your husbands, wives, sons and daughters. We are your neighbors and co-workers.

We fight. We forgive. We kill those who seek to kill us and our nation’s sacred way of life. We are Soldiers.

So many times I see people who generalize the Military as a "machine". Cold and lifeless, devoid of emotion or compassion. I see narrow minded fools cast broad-brushed characterizations of the entire military basing their opinions on single events or unfortunate circumstances. These people have no clue or understanding. They simply view the military as a "necessary evil" that is to be tolerated at best but ridiculed as a rule.

Still, there are those who see beyond those few tarnished images that seem to occupy so much of the media today. Those people who grasp the bigger picture and understand that there is so much more to this magnificent institution than just combat and killing.

Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. These are the core values promoted throughout our ranks.

Sure, there are those who have worn the uniform and find those qualities lacking. There are Service men and women whose experience in the service was far from good. I submit to you that these are unfortunate exceptions to the rule. Overall I'll wager that if you solicit any current or previous service member you'll find they reflect a positive attitude and experience about the military.

So... to address the original question... Are we Honorable? Are we Killers? Are we a Mix?

Yes... and so much more.

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering
if they've made a difference. The Marines don't
have that problem." - Ronald Reagan

I have the utmost respect for people in the United States Armed Services, they are defending our ideals and freedom that we have been given the privilege to enjoy for over 230 years.

This is what I think. Keep in mind I realize I have a very limited view of the subject...

I feel as if most of the people who join the military are simply looking for a way to better their lives. We are not signing on to fight for our country. People sign up to meet their own goals, which they feel the military can help them acheive. The military even markets themself as such! There are exceptions... There are those who desire to do nothing else then to make their mark serving their country.

However with that said, even those with self interests know of the possiblity for battle! I'm sure it's a mix of people who are exploring one more opportunity and of those who have found their reason for being. I do wonder why most stay for such a short period of time however...

Is it because they weigh the +'s and the -'s? Or is it because they have served their country as they best see fit? Either way I feel it's a position of honor. I for one, love the no nonsense attitude that's comes with a true soldier. To risk your life, even if only to better your own, can be truly honorable...

The way they care for one another, putting all else aside, is also full of honor. Why would you risk your life to save a downed soldier? Because you are full of honor. Why would you try to save people in a far off land who may hate you? Because you are full of honor. Why would you walk in the valley of death to make my world a better place? Because you are full of honor. Why would you fight along allies when it's not your problem? Because you are full of honor. Why would you leave your loving family at home? To fight for their honor...

Soldiers are a rare breed. Maybe a better breed. A breed who is not fearless or ignorant, but a breed willing to face their fears and erase the reason for their fear with true cunning... A breed which we may never understand, but give thanks for everyday. The breed of breeds. That's a soldier. Truly they are unconcerned with the color of financial statis among their breed. Their only concern is that they are of one mind, one accord, and that one victory is at hand. If only we were all made of this breed...

Of course I'm speaking only of those who make up the military. This is my view minus the politian! Unfortunatly that's an impossible task, but a soldier, in my eyes deserves honor... and all the pussy he can get. j/k, that's not honorable...

I have respect for men in the United States Armed Services, I think they are not repspected by our leaders and this Gov......and that is too bad.

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I have respect for men in the United States Armed Services, I think they are not repspected by our leaders and this Gov......and that is too bad.

agreed

That makes 3 of us...

War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today. ~John F. Kennedy

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. ~Ernest Hemingway

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. ~José Narosky

have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun's energy.... If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago. ~Sir George Porter, quoted in The Observer, 26 August 1973

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I have respect for men in the United States Armed Services, I think they are not repspected by our leaders and this Gov......and that is too bad.

Support the troops AND our president. Notice how they are together, and cannot be seperated.

Originally Posted by maniclion

War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today. ~John F. Kennedy

"As long as there are men there will be war." Alberto Einsteiner

Originally Posted by SuperFlex

"As long as there are men there will be war." Alberto Einsteiner

Which doesn't justify it....................................

Originally Posted by bigss75

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering
if they've made a difference. The Marines don't
have that problem." - Ronald Reagan

I have the utmost respect for people in the United States Armed Services, they are defending our ideals and freedom that we have been given the privilege to enjoy for over 230 years.

I couldn't help but say to [Mr. Gorbachev], just think how easy his task and mine might be in these meetings that we held if suddenly there was a threat to this world from another planet. [We'd] find out once and for all that we really are all human beings here on this earth together. ~Ronald Reagan, 1985

Men are at war with each other because each man is at war with himself. ~Francis Meehan

It doesn't require any particular bravery to stand on the floor of the Senate and urge our boys in Vietnam to fight harder, and if this war mushrooms into a major conflict and a hundred thousand young Americans are killed, it won't be U.S. Senators who die. It will be American soldiers who are too young to qualify for the Senate. ~George McGovern


I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in. ~George McGovern

We kill because we are afraid of our own shadow, afraid that if we used a little common sense we'd have to admit that our glorious principles were wrong. ~Henry Miller, The Wisdom of the Heart, 1941

They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason. ~Ernest Hemingway

I think war might be God's way of teaching us geography. ~Paul Rodriguez

Originally Posted by BigDyl

Which doesn't justify it....................................

Agreed. Quite the opposite...

Liberty and democracy become unholy when their hands are dyed red with innocent blood. ~Gandhi

It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passions, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace. ~André Gide