Have you served your country?
- Thread starter tuckerdog1
- Start date
okiewita40
New member
U.S. Navy 1985-1993 spent most of my time with the marines. Desert Shield/storm 90/91.
Black Adder LXX
New member
US Army right out of High School '87-'89.
Martyn4802
New member
US Army 1960 to 1970 Active Duty
Army Reserves 1970 to 1980-Retired in 1980
Army Reserves 1970 to 1980-Retired in 1980
sacp81170a
Inactive
USAF 1979-1989 Security Specialist and Supervisor
89th MSS, FE Warren AFB, WY (Minuteman III's and Peacekeepers)
485th TMW, Florennes AB, BE (GLCM)
TDY - All over the place...
89th MSS, FE Warren AFB, WY (Minuteman III's and Peacekeepers)
485th TMW, Florennes AB, BE (GLCM)
TDY - All over the place...
I serve...but not in the military. I have built many items for the military, that are used by thousands of personnel.
Lets not forget that even the average taxpayer serves a purpose in this country. We financially support those that are in the military, so that they have the things they need to do their job.
I"m not trying to discredit anybody in the military, but I want to remind you all that we all have a place in this country, and depend on others for things we cannot provide for ourselves.
Lets not forget that even the average taxpayer serves a purpose in this country. We financially support those that are in the military, so that they have the things they need to do their job.
I"m not trying to discredit anybody in the military, but I want to remind you all that we all have a place in this country, and depend on others for things we cannot provide for ourselves.
Let's not forget that people in the Military pay taxes as well! Trust me when I say that it is much easier to pay your taxes than to get shot at for under $15K a year!
How many people do you know will go into harms way, withstand long delployements (9-12 months without seeing your loved ones) for well under $20k a year??? The answer is very few to none. While you may be doing your part by paying taxes, that is NOTHING compared to what our Military goes through.
C4
allenomics
New member
No, but quite often as a civilian volunteer.
They also get a lot more from the government...such as retirement and other benefits.
Yeah, it's nothing....the guys overseas don't need us supporting them financially, do they?
Supporting the military is more than just sucking up to them on a message forum or shaking their hand. They NEED much more than that to survive.
support_six
New member
I'm both retired Army (11 years active duty, 11 years reserve/guard), and have worked 20 years at a civilian career. Believe me, I will receive more from my civilian retirement than my military retirement. Engloid, if you suckered into believing what the recruiter told you about the great benefits, why didn't you join?
The military is a good life. I left active duty because the Army sent me to paid graduate school for a technical MS degree. I had to make a decision to either stay active Army and possibly watch all the technology advance past me, or get out, protect my years in by joining the reserves/guard, and staying current in my technical field. I chose the latter.
...but don't ever think the compensation is good enough to wipe away all those memories of constant moving (I moved 8 times in 11 years of active duty!), being away from home (I travel about 15% in my current civilian job, I travelled about 25% in my military job), pay that doesn't keep up with the civilian sector (and I am a retired "Officer", I know paygrades E1 - E6 struggle to keep a family!), making a spouse as excited about serving as the soldier, and combat!
I will soft-peddle this as much as possible, but one who has not experienced the "big green machine" (defference to you Navy/Air Force types - and my respect) doesn't have the knowledge to make a comparison. I respect all who serve in other capacities and I appreciate all who pay their fair share of taxes. ...and I do believe that all Citizens of the US have a right to exist. We don't just serve others in uniform. In fact, my method of serving now that I'm retired from the Army is to support some who still wear the uniform. I've given over $1000 worth of high quality combat knives (I have other interests besides firearms) to a few deserving soldiers and a Marine who live where you have to shake sand out of your boots every day. Vote for anyone who has the same values as you, but spend some time supporting one or more troops who had little to no say in their deployment.
The military is a good life. I left active duty because the Army sent me to paid graduate school for a technical MS degree. I had to make a decision to either stay active Army and possibly watch all the technology advance past me, or get out, protect my years in by joining the reserves/guard, and staying current in my technical field. I chose the latter.
...but don't ever think the compensation is good enough to wipe away all those memories of constant moving (I moved 8 times in 11 years of active duty!), being away from home (I travel about 15% in my current civilian job, I travelled about 25% in my military job), pay that doesn't keep up with the civilian sector (and I am a retired "Officer", I know paygrades E1 - E6 struggle to keep a family!), making a spouse as excited about serving as the soldier, and combat!
I will soft-peddle this as much as possible, but one who has not experienced the "big green machine" (defference to you Navy/Air Force types - and my respect) doesn't have the knowledge to make a comparison. I respect all who serve in other capacities and I appreciate all who pay their fair share of taxes. ...and I do believe that all Citizens of the US have a right to exist. We don't just serve others in uniform. In fact, my method of serving now that I'm retired from the Army is to support some who still wear the uniform. I've given over $1000 worth of high quality combat knives (I have other interests besides firearms) to a few deserving soldiers and a Marine who live where you have to shake sand out of your boots every day. Vote for anyone who has the same values as you, but spend some time supporting one or more troops who had little to no say in their deployment.
Really? Do you know how low the retirement pay is? Do you know how bad the medical care is? So no, they don't get "a lot" from the govt.
Troops deployed overseas don't need finacial support?? Don't follow that one at all.
I am ex-military so am not sure whom you are talking about that is sucking up.
Troops need lots of support from mutliple different areas for sure. Showing your gratitude as a civy is a first step.
C4
tuckerdog1
New member
Engloid ,
I suppose if you carpooled, you could say you're serving your country. But that's not what this thread is about, and anybody reading past the 1st couple posts knows it. Very few private sector jobs ask you to put your life on the line ( acknowledgements to LE ), or move your family time & time again. Or move you to a place you can't bring your family for extended periods. But even those jobs always have the option to say " I quit, I'm going home." Do that in the military, and there's a good chance you'll go to prison.
Does not matter what you might be cranking out at the job. Even if it's something the military really needs. Doing that vs actually serving in uniform, does not equate.
If your young enough, you should give it a shot. Most of us are very glad we did.
And nobody here is fishing for a pat on the back. We don't need one.
Tuckerdog1
I suppose if you carpooled, you could say you're serving your country. But that's not what this thread is about, and anybody reading past the 1st couple posts knows it. Very few private sector jobs ask you to put your life on the line ( acknowledgements to LE ), or move your family time & time again. Or move you to a place you can't bring your family for extended periods. But even those jobs always have the option to say " I quit, I'm going home." Do that in the military, and there's a good chance you'll go to prison.
Does not matter what you might be cranking out at the job. Even if it's something the military really needs. Doing that vs actually serving in uniform, does not equate.
If your young enough, you should give it a shot. Most of us are very glad we did.
And nobody here is fishing for a pat on the back. We don't need one.
Tuckerdog1
CGSteve8718
New member
I'm curious, do you guys think people who work for private security companies or as the media hounds like to dub them "mercernaries" are serving their country?
I've seen a whole bunch of them while I was in Iraq. A lot of them are prior servicemembers who utilize their experience or skills to do either the same job as the military or jobs that the military won't or can't do, but for more money and no bureaucratic bs.
I'm still hung up on them myself. I don't have a problem with them though, I think I might be leaning towards yes because in some form, they are contributing to the same cause...
Interested to hear from the older guys who served in different wars, different times, even though this thing isn't "new" at all eg. the Hessians.
I've seen a whole bunch of them while I was in Iraq. A lot of them are prior servicemembers who utilize their experience or skills to do either the same job as the military or jobs that the military won't or can't do, but for more money and no bureaucratic bs.
I'm still hung up on them myself. I don't have a problem with them though, I think I might be leaning towards yes because in some form, they are contributing to the same cause...
Interested to hear from the older guys who served in different wars, different times, even though this thing isn't "new" at all eg. the Hessians.
Sgt.Fathead
Moderator
Necessary
It is an unfortunate situation all around but without 'private military contractors' we couldn't do what we are doing in the Middle East right now, especially in the Iraqi theater. You hit the nail on the head on the most important point; they are not as stringently adhered to the Geneva Convention as we were in uniform in my time and these men and women are now. Maybe things are supposed to be on some type of rule guided platform but I was a Marine and as such, I'm all for sinking to the level of the enemy (short of indiscriminate bombing of civilians). They use an IED, kill some of our troops in an ambush, we kill twenty more of them.
I think the real trick at this point would be to seal the Syrian and Iranian border to prevent the flow of weapons/material/munitions in and the flow of retreating/cowardly bastards out.
It is an unfortunate situation all around but without 'private military contractors' we couldn't do what we are doing in the Middle East right now, especially in the Iraqi theater. You hit the nail on the head on the most important point; they are not as stringently adhered to the Geneva Convention as we were in uniform in my time and these men and women are now. Maybe things are supposed to be on some type of rule guided platform but I was a Marine and as such, I'm all for sinking to the level of the enemy (short of indiscriminate bombing of civilians). They use an IED, kill some of our troops in an ambush, we kill twenty more of them.
I think the real trick at this point would be to seal the Syrian and Iranian border to prevent the flow of weapons/material/munitions in and the flow of retreating/cowardly bastards out.