# Have you served in the military? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828 "2013-01-30T18:17:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/81 "2013-02-02T01:59:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Yes, in the bay of a B-52D by a cute Lt. Colonel, while in flight. Why? Not buying it. Not doubting it happened, just saying the light colonel was into you for being you, not for the allure of a lumpy green pickle suit. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/82 "2013-02-02T02:15:42Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Not buying it. Not doubting it happened, just saying the light colonel was into you for being you, not for the allure of a lumpy green pickle suit. No doubt true-my dress blues, however, got me some fine rompin’ time more than once. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/83 "2013-02-02T02:30:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Note that while according to most statistics less than 10% of the population have served in the military, more than 30% of the Dopers voting so far have served/are serving. That is more than triple than national average. An excellent example of self-selection bias. I did ten years in the USN. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/84 "2013-02-02T02:36:07Z")
My dad and two of my brothers served, but I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/85 "2013-02-02T02:58:12Z")
In Korea, back in 1953 & 1954. Army Corps of Engineers. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/86 "2013-02-02T03:14:52Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > In Korea, back in 1953 & 1954. Army Corps of Engineers. Were you there before the end, or after? ---
**Author:** ![Leoj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/58956e/32.png) [@Leoj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leoj)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/87 "2013-02-02T03:41:44Z")
USMC, five years ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/88 "2013-02-02T03:50:23Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > US Army from 1988-1992, Field Artillery Counterfire Battery. > [@Jimson\_Jim](#): > > 11 years Army Reserve and National Guard - Artillery Fort Sill Oklahoma, a lovely place. Beautiful Lawton Oklahoma. Gotta love it. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/89 "2013-02-02T09:37:48Z")
US Navy Reserve: 4 years active duty, 8 years Ready Reserve/drilling. I wanted to continue but was a “Peace Dividend” casualty - wrong rank, wrong designator, wrong gender, wrong time. Marine brat/Dad brag: My father did 28.6 years, was a Mustang (E-1 to 0-6), Naval Aviator (fixed wing, multi-engine, props & jets, helicopters). He enlisted as WWII was ending, Korea (Inchon to Chosin as a grunt & back later as a fighter pilot), Vietnam. Daddy put me on his knee and said “Son, you can be anything you want to be when you grow up. But **don’t** go into the Marines, and the Army isn’t much better. _Now get the hell off my knee, you’re 21 years old!”_ And he’s a hell of a nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/90 "2013-02-02T10:08:03Z")
I was in the next “call up” during the Vietnam War but Gough Whitlam’s Labor Party won and ended conscription. I had intended to refuse to serve even if I had been selected. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/91 "2013-02-02T17:54:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > No doubt true-my dress blues, however, got me some fine rompin’ time more than once. Reminds me of the time I was flying from Anchorage back to SoCal in the late 60s, wearing my dress blue sailor outfit in order to get the lower fare. I dozed off right after boarding, and was jolted awake when the plane lifted off. I turned my head to the right and there was a beautiful woman (probably in her 30s) sitting next to me and staring fixedly at my crotch. She asked if I had a cigarette and we chatted a bit. She kept trying to convince me to continue on to San Diego with her, which to this day I regret not doing. “No, I’m going to see my girlfriend in LA.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/92 "2013-02-02T18:15:28Z")
“You have thirteen buttons on you dress blue bellbottoms: that’s thirteen chances to change your mind.” Seems every rating had its own sex thing. Snipes (engineers) would all go in on one room. “Hey, it’s funny listening to your buddies fuck!” While every male yeoman (admin assistant) had a story of the time he snuck a woman onboard late at night and fucked her on the captain’s desk. Deck apes were the absolute worst: they specialized in anal followed by fellatio; then letting the woman use their roomate’s toothbrush. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/93 "2013-02-02T19:26:11Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > “You have thirteen buttons on you dress blue bellbottoms: that’s thirteen chances to change your mind.” > > Seems every rating had its own sex thing. Snipes (engineers) would all go in on one room. “Hey, it’s funny listening to your buddies fuck!” While every male yeoman (admin assistant) had a story of the time he snuck a woman onboard late at night and fucked her on the captain’s desk. > > Deck apes were the absolute worst: they specialized in anal followed by fellatio; then letting the woman use their roomate’s toothbrush. I had no success in preventing my Seabee crew from either taking women into the bathroom and boinking next to the urinals, or just screwing on top of the large wooden tool boxes, leaving the mess for the crew to find the next morning. Classy. Then there was the charming debutante who gave one of my guys a hand job while we were all sitting at a table in the enlisted club. I left before the exciting climax to the story. ---
**Author:** ![drillrod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@drillrod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drillrod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/94 "2013-02-02T21:10:45Z")
US Army Retired, 23 years as a Russian and Spanish linguist. ---
**Author:** ![krisolov](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krisolov/32/3724_2.png) [@krisolov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisolov)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/95 "2013-02-02T23:44:51Z")
US Army Reserves, 6 years as an Engineer officer. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/96 "2013-02-02T23:59:13Z")
Nope. Spoke to a recruiter in 1977, and he said “Hey, I see you’re wearing glasses. You have a nice day.” ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/97 "2013-02-03T01:11:58Z")
US Navy, 21 1/2 years. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/98 "2013-02-03T02:28:42Z")
I served in the Navy for 5 years, as a junior officer on a submarine. Had one overseas deployment (Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean), and several shorter Atlantic underways. Glad I served, and I’m glad I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/99 "2013-02-03T03:54:25Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Nope. Spoke to a recruiter in 1977, and he said “Hey, I see you’re wearing glasses. You have a nice day.” A recruiter for what branch? I joined in '76 and my glasses weren’t even brought up. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828/100 "2013-02-03T04:26:21Z")
US Navy. 1968 - 1972. E-4 Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class. Stationed at: Guantanamo Bay '69 - '70 USS Harry E. Yarnell DLG -17 '70-'72 Honorable Discharge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-served-in-the-military/648828.md?page=6)