From this story: “I wasn’t thinking about the violence … how my beliefs against violence would be challenged,” Funk told reporters before his surrender.
I have no problem with the young man identifying himself as gay (which he doesn’t do in the link above, but has since). I have a slight problem with him claiming to be a conscientious objector, since after all he joined the military of his own free will. However, we all make decisions we later regret, so perhaps he can be forgiven that.
But his statement above is one of the most singularly idiotic things I have ever read in my life. If you’re a non-violent person with an intelligence level at least approximating that of a cooked cabbage, the one thing you don’t do is join the military. Particularly not the Marines, who pride themselves as being among the toughest fighting forces in the world.
Did it not occur to him, in the year he’d been a Marine, that he was being trained for violence? I mean, that’s kinda in the job description of a military person.
I’m just flabbergasted at the stupidity. It reminds me of a reservist in Alabama who tried to claim conscientious objector status in the last Gulf war. Her quote was something to the effect of “This war made me realize what all that training was for, and I don’t want any part of that. I didn’t join the Army to go to war.”
Personally, I think he just wants out. Seems to me like some one convinced him that desertion was NOT the way to go, and now he’s throwing as many possible disqualifiers as he can at them (I’m gay, I’m a conscientous objector, etc).
While it is possible to remain blind to the fact that you’re being trained for extremely violent situations, I don’t think that was the case for this guy.
I have a hunch he joined for the easy money, and wants no part of that whole ‘getting shot at’ thing, but he knows better than to come out and say it.
A couple of friends of friends were soooo bummed out (man) in the last Gulf war because they joined the military for the college money and found out they would be expected to actually go fight in exchange. Totally bogus, dude! :rolleyes:
I can’t believe someone would go through all that training and not grasp that it was for possibly violent purpose. Isn’t one of the first things they teach you how to take care of a gun, and use it to kill things?!?
I suspect you’re exactly right. Still, I would like to think he could come up with something better than “my beliefs against violence are being challenged.” That’s just … frightening in its stupidity.
Well don’t blame that gay Marine- he TOLD them when he enlisted, “What I really wanted was a regiment where I could be really quiet and have more time to myself to work with fabrics, and creating new concepts in interior design.”
Sauron, my take on this GD thread is almost identical to yours. Come on! I mean, if he had joined the Air Force I could understand*, but he joined the Marines!!
I don’t have a problem with it. Some kids really don’t think about what they’re getting themselves into when they enlist. I know I sure didn’t. At least he didn’t desert like a certain CiC I could name.
Funny, that’s exactly why I joined the Air Force. I didn’t like the extra duty on the Army and Marine descriptions of the same job (warning, following joke may be considered to be in very poor taste; if easily offended, do not read) - bullet catcher
Having had my fun, I’m willing to give this guy some benefit of a doubt (not much, just some). It’s one thing to go through all the training and preparation, but for some, it might not be easy to switch from ‘fake’ (bad term, but I don’t have a better one at hand) to really killing people. And that might not be something you realize until you start firing at live targets (or getting ready to fire at live targets). I’m willing to let this play out a little more before jumping to any conclusion.
I could buy this if the kid had claimed CO status during, or right after, boot camp. After a year? No way. He’s had plenty of time to realize what he got himself into. It’s taken him a year to realize the Marines might be violent?
One of my favorite quotes from the last gulf war was from an Army Officer on the number of reservists who had suddenly realized they were objectors when it became apparent that they would actually go to fight. He said “There is a difference between playing soldier and being one.” I’m fairly certain that that is the case here.
