re: Spin off service thread - military service or bust?

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well played

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Hate to break it to you bro, but that may (may) be a name of a school under the MCOE, but it is no longer a stand alone school. Across the Army we have gone to the COE model. We now have all medical functions (regardless as to branch of service with few exceptions) at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. It is the way of the future.

How dare you bring logic to this

(no message)

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Regardless of why someone raises their hand, be it foolish decision or reckless abandon or even True patriotism, there is an experience and burden that is only shared by few. I deem them, from the lowliest dirt bag private to greatest general, worthy of some acknowledgement for putting themselves out there for their fellow Americans, knowing that the cost could be everything.

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Well said !!

I knew I was going in before finishing High school. Didn't have to, but wanted to. I finished high school at 17, mid term. Had to have my Mom and Dad to sign the papers for me to join. That was way back in 1975. I had two other brothers that were serving already at that time. After I did my tour, got out and when to school at LSU.

Would I do it again? Hell yes.

HBO did a documentary on military recruiting a while back and it was based out of Houma. I think they followed 3 kids, maybe more, but 3 stick out. Was a good cross section.

You had the kid who was smart and a good athelete. Came from a more together family, but maybe not brain surgeons. Borderline white/blue collar but had their shite together. He became a Ranger.

Next kid came from a little lower end middle class family. You could tell college probably want in the cards, but he seemed like a good kid and he was very interested in service from early on. I think he did well in boot camp and is the type to probably do a few more years than minimum, and then become a cop or something. Basically he wanted it and it appeared to help him become a better member of society. Win win.

The last was a trashy girl from a down the bayou broken family. She joined, but it was one of those things where you hoped it turned her life for the better. It didnt. She went AWOL. She complained that the military wasn't what she thought it would be and she wanted "to learn about art and history and stuff". As if she could ever go to college with the way she'd led her life.

I think they hit a lot of the people that join with those 3 groups. Not all, but a good cross section. And not all results are the same. Some of the first group just become normal military personnel. Some of the second become special forces. Some of the 3rd do turn their life around. Can't necessarily say it's cut and dry.

I joined in 2001 been getting out ever since.

It can suck at times but there is nothing like it. Joined because I was bored and now it's a career. Hit golf balls over the Tigris off the roof of King Faisals old palace in Baghdad, living in Korea right now, met some of the coolest (and fricked up) people I could imagine.

Best part is now that I've been in a while every time I move there is someone I have served with before to catch up with drink beer and ride motorcycles.

I have the possibility of taking my family thru 100 years of military aviation service, if I stay in a while longer. That's a family tradition of which I'm proud to be a part.

The military has cooler planes than I can afford, so unless I won the lotto as a kid, I was joining to slip the surly bonds in the coolest stuff taxpayer money could buy.

Are there turds in the military? Sure, there's no debate. Are there true patriots, among society's best and brightest, who still answer the call to serve? Absolutely, and it's a pleasure to serve along side of them.