Anyone here serve in the military?
- Thread starter troob
- Start date
Nothing to enlighten you about. By serving, he's fulfilling his contract to the government. By paying taxes, you're fulfilling yours.
Neither one warrants a "thank you." It's a legal agreement, not a Sunday tea party.
If you actually believe there's enough of a connection between you paying taxes and him fulfilling a contract for which he was paid by the government to warrant him thanking you, then you're reaching at best.
Conversely, he volunteered for his service and was granted payment and benefits for it. Thus, there's no reason for you to thank him as well.
The military is a job just like a butcher, a baker, and a fucking candlestick maker. It often requires longer hours, extended deployments, and extensive traveling but at the end of the day its a job. You get the job done as expected and wait to go home. That's what it boils down to.
Thus, no thank you's are warranted, needed, or even wanted by 99% of servicepersons ~OR~ the average citizen that pays their taxes.
Congratulations, both sides are fulfilling an agreement with the government. Are you really so coddled to believe you deserve to be "thanked" for that?
Grow up.
I was actually making a claim to match his ridiculous claim that because he takes a paying job to go kill brown people that somehow he deserves a thank you.
You think I literally want a thank you for paying taxes?
You think I literally want a thank you for paying taxes?
Almost no one in the military joined "to go kill brown people." (and hopefully the psych evals weed out the ones that do)
He didn't even mention what branch he was in, his MOS/NEC, or any of his duty stations.
He could have been stationed at a weather monitoring center in Alaska, polishing brass in the Navy band in Maryland, or picking up cigarette butts as an E-nothing Army grunt in Germany for all we know.
The vast majority of active duty or reserves goes nowhere near being forward-deployed.
I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Just pointing out that it's really weird to see the odd assumptions that many people make when it comes to military, what most servicemembers actually do and so on.
Never served. I went through the whole process with a recruiter for the reserves when I was 18. Took the physical, ASVAB, etc. I was deferred by the doc for something pretty minor. My parents were very against it at the time, but I was going to go ahead. I ultimately decided after that I'd rather not get my head blown off in some sand trap, so that was that.
I've always considered 'thank-yous' as part of the compensation for military, especially enlisted. If you figure out the real hours and sacrifices that they're making, it's really shitty pay for what they are doing. Yes, they volunteered to do it, but I think the fact that occasionally people say 'thank-you' and 'oh wow you were in the service' was part of the reason that they volunteered in the first place. It's a little bit of respect that they might not have gotten otherwise.
Also, I'm a military spouse aka man-spouse and it's pretty awesome for IM. She brings in steady pay and great benefits. I don't have to worry about benefits, just income, and my career can move with me, which has been about once a year so far.
Also, I'm a military spouse aka man-spouse and it's pretty awesome for IM. She brings in steady pay and great benefits. I don't have to worry about benefits, just income, and my career can move with me, which has been about once a year so far.
4 years active duty in the Air Force.
Overall no regrets. Lots of great friends, great times and some really shitty times. But the shitty times were good too. I spent about a year at Baghdad International Airport, sleeping in tents on the flight-line.
Seeing the shit you see really makes you realize how great we have it here. We're really very sheltered and very fucking lucky in the States and other Western countries.
Won't go into details, but it makes you appreciate life.
And on that note, 99% of those serving in the military who I've met aren't blood-thirsty warmongers. Especially today, most want to GTFO of the wars we're involved in.
I have massive respect for those who have served and are serving. I can't say the same for those in pulling the strings.
Overall no regrets. Lots of great friends, great times and some really shitty times. But the shitty times were good too. I spent about a year at Baghdad International Airport, sleeping in tents on the flight-line.
Seeing the shit you see really makes you realize how great we have it here. We're really very sheltered and very fucking lucky in the States and other Western countries.
Won't go into details, but it makes you appreciate life.
And on that note, 99% of those serving in the military who I've met aren't blood-thirsty warmongers. Especially today, most want to GTFO of the wars we're involved in.
I have massive respect for those who have served and are serving. I can't say the same for those in pulling the strings.
If the draft was reinstated 10 years ago we wouldn't be hearing all this belly aching we got going on now. The military will make a man out of ya.
Basic training turns a civilian into a soldier. Advanced training turns a soldier into a warrior. If you don't have the stomach for combat do communications or intelligence.
Basic training turns a civilian into a soldier. Advanced training turns a soldier into a warrior. If you don't have the stomach for combat do communications or intelligence.