I had that conversation with my younger brother. He was talking about getting out of the Coast Guard after his tour was over. I asked him why and he said he could make more money on the outside. I told him that he was first going to have to find and get that job which is hard enough but even then, it didn’t matter if he was making more because he would have to pay for everything himself. The cost of the perks adds up to a huge amount over the stated salary especially if you take advantage of things like educational benefits.
That was a big part for me. I didn’t see a clear path. I didn’t want to be stuck in an office my whole life. Patriotism also played a role. And I felt that so many had sacrificed so much for me it was time to give it back. That was in 1989. Went in full time active duty. I’m still in the National Guard.
people who join the military are people who want to kill and oppress other people and be able to blame it on “following orders”
I suppose there are some like that, but it seems like quite a gamble: I don’t know the numbers, but I would guess that only a small minority of all who ever joined the military actually saw combat duty.
And then there’s this chestnut, whose author disagrees with you:
G.K. Chesterton - “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
I didn’t kill anyone. I guess I’m a great big failure. 
Wouldn’t if be great if patriotic quotes like that actually meant anything…
and, you are correct, not everyone who joins the military winds killing people, but, they are obviously not bothered enough by the concept of doing so to prevent them from signing up
ah but you supported and enabled those who did kill people and invade countries for no good reason. even if you served in peace time you are part of the problem because it takes a standing army to go to war.
Yes, but you really wanted to right?
You technically killed a bunch of people, at least according to Robert163. So buck up.
But yeah, getting out of the military is weird. I got out because I wanted to go to school full time. But being a civilian is weird. I’m still not completely used to it. More than once I wanted to run back into the loving arms of the military. And once my best friend was killed I definitely wanted to go back. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had been married for less than two weeks I would have gone back in, or at least put myself on track to go in as an officer.
Immaterial. They obviously have no real qualms about performing violence and oppression at the hands of the US government. If someone has any real objection to this, any - real - objection, they don’t join the military.
And what about all the people the US Military has killed? How many of them deserved to die and how many were simply died because of politics?
Just because it doesn’t mean something to you doesn’t mean it can’t have real meaning for other people.
yeah, I’m sure it means A LOT to the family and friends of people killed by the US Military.
Or just randomly really. Who misses hobos anyway?
I want to know what the support:kill ratio is. Like, if you’re on the front lines you get one point for every one person you kill. But what if you’re support? Is it a 1:1? 3:7?
If it’s a 1:1 I don’t think it’s fair to the front lines, as I’m sure they want to keep all the kill points to themselves. But support is integral to the military, so they shouldn’t have to suffer from lack of kills.
Tricky.
Bull, bull and more bull
a combat unit operates because of the people who support it
why not just be honest and admit that the US starts wars for political reasons and while that may be “bad”, you really don’t care
If there’s another reason to start a war, I’d like to hear it.
Because I’ve got a few that need startin’.
Ok, I admit it. I like war just because of the entertainment value. Gulf War I rocked in that regard. I have never actually served in the military though and I would never say that to people in the military because they would call me an asshole. You have to admit though, war movies are good but they are no substitute for the real thing.
You know, this whole situation upsets me. It does in general but more so today for some reason. My hand is actually shaking that I’m so bothered. It upsets me that people could be so casually involved with the military, that they could so casually explain away enrollment as needing to pay bills or get job training or the benefits of being an officer or patriotism and love of country. None of those is good enough reason to be involved in the US military, a military that starts wars, invades countries and kills people for political agenda.
I know I should apologize for making personal attacks but the whole point is that I find it objectionable that people do not or will not take accountability for their actions.
Your flippant attitude only illustrates the point that I’m making. You have the luxury of being coy about it because no one has invaded your country, blown up your home or killed anyone you love.