What is Digg?75 Comments
- ATXChappy, on 07/15/2009, -4/+33Semper Fi!
- Harvester1, on 07/15/2009, -9/+36I'm very proud of her son. Good luck to him, and may God be with him.
- proliance, on 07/16/2009, -4/+28I call BS. I joined the military when I was 18. Its not about making money. Its about improving yourself and serving your country. By the time I got out of the military when I was 24 I had seen 11 different countries and had the GI Bill to put me through 4 years of college.
- idbjoshm, on 07/16/2009, -2/+22A soldier doesn't march into battle because he hates whats in front of him, its because he loves what is behind him.
- Auraness, on 07/16/2009, -2/+19"He should consider the Navy." I lol'd.
- Jeepinator, on 07/16/2009, -2/+14EVERYONE QUICK get offended! He said God!
- Zapster, on 07/16/2009, -9/+20I am truly shocked by many things in this article. One that a citizen knows no one who has served their country and two that their friends think he in mentally defective for having an opinion different from their own. I don't get it, I remember when liberals were the people who believed "to each his own" and "let them be" now it seems if you don't toe the party line you are defective and need reeducation.
- 49CentTacos, on 07/16/2009, -1/+12As a college student myself, I've considered going into the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. The regular civilian life in many aspects seem rather boring, and I feel as though the discipline instilled in me after would change me for the better. I understand that it would be my duty as an officer that I may very well be leading myself and others to their deaths, and have to have that on my conscience should anything go horribly wrong. I can tell you with my college degree I could very easily make a lot of money (it's not a random liberal arts degree) and that in spite of that I would still rather consider going into the military. It's a difficult thought to process, and yet somehow in the back of my mind I still want it. I have friends in West Point and the Naval Academy, and they say that it has its ups and it has its downs, and be prepared to give it your all; they military asks of nothing less.
I may not agree with the wars that are currently going on, but I want to make this country the best it can be. A large part of me believe that happens by serving your country. There are more ways than one to serve, as Obama has called people to do via volunteer work, but this one seems the most fitting for me. - kronzdigg, on 07/16/2009, -1/+11Don't research everything the recruiter tells you.....they lie through their teeth. READ YOUR CONTRACT AND UNDERSTAND IT.
- mrjit, on 07/16/2009, -1/+11Stories where mothers/fathers whine and bitch about their ADULT children making their own decisions annoy me to no end. You felt less guilty about not stopping him from entering into the dream that he has had since he was a child? Boy, you're swell!
- nathanbutnet, on 07/15/2009, -4/+13Your healthy repertoire of comments leads me to believe that perhaps you are projecting?
- inactive, on 07/16/2009, -1/+9tl;dr
- nathanbutnet, on 07/15/2009, -7/+14I am proud of your son and glad that you have made peace with his decision.
That said I truly hope that our country can coherently explain and come to grips with our goals in the region. I remain terribly disturbed that we have not communicated what our end goals are almost a decade on. - enantiodromia, on 07/16/2009, -2/+7No, they _ride_ with the Navy. Big difference.
Not a lot of navy dudes strapping their boots on once they hit Afghanistan, sweeping towns. - kamdori, on 07/16/2009, -3/+8Ugh. I don't see what the big deal is. Trust me, I've been in it.
I can understand if you're a patriotic, white lower-middle class family that sends their son off with the mantra of "Go get 'em, Christian soldier!". To be entirely honest, most people joined up because they simply couldn't hack it. If you join any of the branches and get a technical skill that helps outside of the military - that's smart. While everyone else is accumulating debt, you'll at least be paid to learn a skill.
But majority of the army / marine recruits that join up are a bunch of gung-ho ***** that jump right into infantry because they'll get a good bonus. And they get all this credit because they're defending our "freedom". It's like uh, wtf? There's no nation of Nazis wanting to kill us, or a giant Commie army that could nuke us into oblivion. They're just kids with rifles shooting other kids with rifles. These aren't people that 'answered the call' because the rest of us wouldn't. Most just had nothing better to do, or didn't want college after high school.
If we were about to be invaded by some evil army and these kids joined up to defend us - great! They had a choice, and they chose to protect us. But flying thousands of miles away to kill a bunch of brainwashed people that believe we are the invaders? I'm not going to give you any sort of elevated respect. They knew what they were getting into when they joined. They're not forfeiting their liberties to protect ours. They're forfeiting their liberties so they can kill some a-rabs and get paid to do it.
That's the reality. ANY sort of job will turn you into a responsible adult. Not just the military. - enantiodromia, on 07/16/2009, -2/+6I wish that were 100% true.
- ATXChappy, on 07/16/2009, -2/+6For those thinking of joining the military. Dont' listen to this guy. Joining the Corps was the best decision I ever made. It may not be for everyone. But, it's a great way to get a start in adult life.
- Jeepinator, on 07/16/2009, -1/+5"Marine Corps is a component of the Department of the Navy"
"The United States Marine Corps (the Marine Corps or USMC) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing force projection from the sea,[3] using the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces."
Both from the intro of the US Marines Wiki. We are both right I guess, but you are probably "more" right as I was referring to the branch Navy not the Department. - Mono1ith, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3I joined the Marines when I was 17. I was in boot camp during 9/11. By the time I got out I had been to the same ***** dirthole for three tours, got a combat meritorious promotion to Sergeant, and lost much of the hearing in my right ear. My MOS training certificate isn't worth the paper it's printed on in the civilian world; I came out 5 years later with no marketable skills to speak of. My GI Bill helps me pay for college, though it will run out before I finish.
I'm currently fighting the VA on two fronts: they were late in paying my GI Bill last month; I've had to pay the tuition with my credit card. In just a few days I'll be hit with a hefty interest fee. When I sought treatment for my tinmitus and my hypertension, they told my my conditions were "not service related" and refused to treat me.
I've been out since '06, and I've had a lot of time to dwell on my experiences since. All in all, I thoroughly regret wasting the best years of my life. - Blakkenday, on 07/16/2009, -2/+5angelschambers
As some one who has spent the last 12yrs in the US Military, I find comments like yours to be funny, misguided and completely useless. I could find a "friend" who had some terrible experience with(insert situation here). If it didnt happen to you, Sit Down, STFU and have fun in your eternal adolescence. And ask your friend why they looked into her med records. The only way they knew where to look is because she told them where they where.
PS if you can't handle a doctor checking you for Hemroids, God help you when you turn 40. - zeth006, on 07/16/2009, -2/+5@Nathanbutnet
Don't worry about blankjob. His comments are just short sentences with no support but fashioned with the intention of provoking others needlessly. In other words, he's a troll. The funny part is that his mention of "fail" better describes himself. - McNasty420, on 07/15/2009, -5/+8It's just about beliefs. I'd imagine it's important to believe you're going to live, with or without help from a god.
- yocouchdigga, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3well said.
/vet - vault, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3There's a book 'One Bullet Away - The Making of a Marine Officer' you might like...about a Dartmouth student who joined for similar reasons.
- zeth006, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2Well said.
- h3lx, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2back to it...
I was machine gunner in Marines, I've been around the world twice, Had I went to art school, I wouldn't have been afforded the opportunity to do any of the things I've done. I've seen the world and am better for it. Membership had it's privileges. There aren't 'plenty' of jobs that can put you all over the world right out of high school. Iceland to Cuba, Africa to Australia and Japan... Infantry Marines have the life... or not. It's what you make it. I had some of the best times of life in the Marines, I wouldn't trade it for anything. That said, I'll never do it again.
--
"And they get all this credit because they're defending our "freedom"
I am going to assume you went to high school, assume again you participated in history class, and go one more to assume you just happened to forget every goddamn major conflict since the first continental congress convened, You might need a refresher. The respect afforded an individual Marine is a residual respect for all the men who came before him. You're not honoring him because of what or who he is, but for what he represents. He is an echo of the men we left on Tarawa, in Khe-Sanh, symbolic of the sacrifices made coupled with an expectation that should they need made again, the Marine will do the same. The Marine Corps carries with it a reputation for being able to deliver a substantial amount of fierce warfare relatively quickly, that in itself has been a deterrent and maintained peace. For that we are respected.
"Go get 'em..."
In our platoon, we had maybe one or two christians and I don't recall a single instance where it ever got in anyone's way, morally or otherwise. For the record, I'm a pro-gun godless liberal.
(Your "simply couldn't hack it" comment needs a bit more context, I'm not seeing what couldn't be hacked). If this is in terms of "the real world" I'm just going to chuckle and ignore it).
"Gung-ho *****" (bias aside) "slack-jawed jarhead man-of-steel wanna be *****" can kiss my ass too. that said, there are some personality and character traits that are better tuned to life in the Marine Corps, I didn't say "military" because it's different. I don't recall one instance of anyone wanting to go be a hero. No one ever asked anything of me they wouldn't do themselves. "Go figure it out and get it done..." not being able to do something isn't an excuse for it not getting done. Make it happen. If it's ***** up and unfair, there will be time to bitch about it later. Some are at odds with this mission-first mentality and that's ok, but don't ask us to wait around for a better solution. Our way is working.
Kids with Rifles...
This whole exchange is too ***** up to argue. It tells me you're not paying attention or just too naive to see. War for territory, defense of third person, whatever the excuse... wars are fought. Because we as a 'voting population' have made some really bad ***** choices when it comes to electing those responsible for making foreign policy, the United States has been involved in a regional to global conflict every goddamn year since forever. We have obligations to our allies, obligations to our ideology. There's no shortage of excuses for killing one another, you don't need a large aggressor to manufacture a need to go count bodies. It's a little bigger than just kids with rifles. Even If you didn't vote, you're just as responsible for the lives that Marine is taking as the Colonel who issued him his orders. The exception is you're out of range.
I don't recall having to forfeit a single liberty.
The young faces under the helmets are far from "kids". Some of the things they're dealing with on an hourly basis puts them well beyond their years. The recruiter isn't going to mention that you'll one day be in the back of a 5-ton with a screaming 20 something guy trying to find his wife and kids, frantically trying to get up and stuff his own intestines back in and wanting to argue about you forcing him to stay down because some other ***** isn't done shooting at you. They leave that image off the hoorah poster. They do however teach you how to put all that aside, ignore the screaming (if just for the moment) and do whatever it is they've asked you do. We never asked to go play in the litter box, some other ***** volunteered us to go, part because it's our goddamn job, the other is that we're so ***** good at it. We might argue about why we're there, but we'll do it when we get back. - Jeepinator, on 07/16/2009, -3/+5Yeah, uh, the Marines are part of the Navy.
- h3lx, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2It's got a lot more to do with the how we fight over the why. It was never about wanting to go kill anyone. It was never about defending some nameless ***** or his freedoms. I had a lot of other ***** i was going to write but i've got to go to work... I may pick this back up. Your view on the subject is narrow and bitter and grossly generalized. Being a Marine is much more than just pulling a trigger.
- xster, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2A couple of good books for context:
Overthrow
Globalisation and Discontents
Limits of Power - rodrigo74, on 07/16/2009, -1/+3Well said.
- vault, on 07/16/2009, -2/+4"Yes, call me the liberal pussy Canadian"
The first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem. - travis1982, on 07/16/2009, -7/+9lol...American pride is bizarre thing to anyone not American. If this was WWII I can see the pride in helping your fellow man and going off to war. I can see the honor in that, like I saw in my Grandfather, I don't see the honor in this. Military should be defensive, not offensive. Yes, call me the liberal pussy Canadian, I don't care. I don't find civilian life boring, and if people need to fill their boredom by killing people, especially with a completely unneeded, unjustified and ridiculous war, then they have problems. The US has the biggest military in the world, spend more on their military then all other countries combined. They don't need your sons and daughters, they need a reality check and working moral compass that isn't clouded by pride and ignorance.
- zeth006, on 07/16/2009, -2/+4Well, you can thank a certain president for all the anti-war hostility.
Before 2003, most of my liberal friends were your usual "I couldn't give a rat's ass, it's your choice whether you join the marines or not" types.
After 2003...things really changed. The anti-govt anarchists and the ultraliberal anti-war protestors came out in droves.
I don't blame them in the least. This is just how democracy functions and how we force our govt to think twice before engaging in more foreign policy botch-ups that involve the sacrifice of human lives. - inactive, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1No *****, we did not....
- richiewrt, on 07/16/2009, -1/+2Marines are a department of the Navy. The mens department.
- rodrigo74, on 07/16/2009, -1/+2I don't get this idea that a war may be stupid and even morally wrong, but it is honorable to be a soldier and take part in that same war.
- SteveMTyler, on 07/16/2009, -3/+4if you are not retarded there are enough scholarships around to pay for any college in the us, it just takes work for the first one, after that they are all the same.
- eleraama, on 07/24/2009, -0/+1I don't understand this compulsion to "serve one's country" in the military. The fact of the matter is that there are many, many ways of serving one's country, most of which are a lot more directly helpful than going to war in a foreign country whose freedom or lack thereof does not threaten territorial integrity (ostensibly the most just reason for going to war*). Become a politician, serve your community, open a business and bolster the economy— all of these are infinitely more important to a country than physical violence in a time when few countries are at any risk of no longer existing.
If you want to join the military, that's fine. But don't pretend it's the only honorable choice for someone who wants to "serve" his country. I personally plan to pass the Foreign Service Exam and spend a large part of my career *preventing* wars; is that somehow less honorable? - BotchaMcCoola, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1No way in hell. You have an obligation to be a good citizen and not rip off your fellow Americans.
- idbjoshm, on 07/16/2009, -2/+3Your logic is flawed, and you're simply on a soapbox to bad mouth USA, and USAmericans. My statement is neutral, for all you know, I could be from Canada or even Saudi Arabia. You say that USAmerican pride is bizarre to anyone not USAmerican. Are you implying that Canadians have no pride in Canada? Or their pride is anyway different? What about the Canadian military? The Canadian military exists, although its not as big as USA's. Is the Canadian military all draft? Or all volunteer like USA's. Let me ask you this. Why do Canadians join their military if not for the same reasons Americans, because they have pride in Canada? Or is their pride in Canada better because its not USA they are proud in.
But to be fair. You're right, Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious, so says Oscar Wilde. - BotchaMcCoola, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1Are they planning to drop addicted goats on us? Oh now I'm really scared.
- vault, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1This comment tree about whether the marines are part of the navy appears in every thread about the navy or marines.
- Jeepinator, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1You used a lot of words incorrectly in there and had a ton of really badly formed sentences. You tried way too hard to sound smart. Wipe that smug look off your face.
- h3lx, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1On Killing.
- MacParrot, on 07/16/2009, -1/+2I was never in the military but dealt with many members either personally (family) or professionally and I've found that most of them are well versed, articulate, and completely in tune with why they joined whichever service they chose. None of it had to do with being lower middle class, white, or being gung-ho *****.
- FortyCaliber, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1Marine's fall under the Dept. of the Navy but are not a prt of the Naval Branch of the DoD (make sense?) The Marine simply does not have it's own DoD sub-department and since it holds a strong tradition and history of being a naval unit in the past, it is it's own force in readiness now.
The Marine Corps has it's own boats, which are cared for by the Navy, but everything else is Marine.
The Marine Corps: Projecting it's will of force and violence of action from the sea since 1775.
A Marine in Waiting - SteveMTyler, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1not true
- BotchaMcCoola, on 07/16/2009, -1/+1The military is hardly "serving" our country. I doubt that morgages and credit swaps are the only cause for the recession. $40k bonuses and free college is a bribe to serve the MIC - not our country. You think I would ever be afraid of third world militias that they call terrorists? Afraid enough to waste trillions in Chinese loans?
- Jeepinator, on 07/16/2009, -1/+1All of you saying they are a department of the Marines: Thank you for reposting what I said a long time ago.
- angelschambers, on 07/15/2009, -19/+19For anyone thinking about joining the military, just get a trade. A firefighter, electrician, carpenter, etc makes twice as much as a trained person in those fields that's joined the military, even after you consider military housing. Except you're not obligated by law to be there, you don't go to jail if you miss work, and you don't have to fight in an unjust war for the rich elite of the country and call that patriotism, which it isn't..
But if you have to go, research every significant thing the recruiter tells you and be prepared to show your butthole to a doctor at the physical. Also, do not lie about your hospital or criminal records. A friend of mine got pulled in the middle of boot camp because her recruiter told her they couldn't find your private hospital records. They did. -
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