Before you enlist
 

Something to show your enlistment-age kids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFsaGv6cefw

Let me save you the trouble of watching:

"blah, blah, blah, recruiters lie, kids don't understand what they are getting into, war is bad, blah, blah, blah."

Watching that video......I don't think we should have a military at all, I mean the data is not situationally distinct....it's ALWAYS bad.

No more military period, Thom you with me?

That's it... I was done with it the minute I saw that Sheehan wench.

And for the record:
...the recruiter lied to me, too.
...I never received a penny of Montgomery GI Bill money
...you virtually need an attorney to help you understand the enlistment contract.

BUT, I make no denial that the military took me from being a slack-ass to being a goal driven person.

In truth, isn't that because you matured normally?

That video is just whining and ridiculous. If these idiots don't know what the military does, that's their own dam* fault. I'm a Desert Storm veteran, too...

The drift I'm getting here is that it's Okay for the federal government lie to the citizenry in order to acquire volunteers for US government military service.

That is never true, and should be prohibited on pain of life imprisonment; or the death penalty should the enlistee die in combat.

Did they lie to you Pat? They did, didn't they? Let it out big fella, let it all out. [Assumues Donahue kneeling-with-mic position].

Another slanted video, amazing what you can do with a production budget and plenty of resources. Just recall, it's just as easy to produce the opposite slant. I'm sorry if that sways anyone as it doesn't take much intellect to see through it.

So it claims the GI Bill only pays 1/2 the cost of a public school tuition/books and 1/5th the cost in a private school. So those schools cost $2150 and $5375 respectively per month for tuition and books??Amazing!

Funny they did not interview anyone that did not appear to be a loser...even by Army standards. The recruiting clips they showed were really pretty accurate for the peacetime military they were made for/during.

I was shocked with the implication that the military does not prepare one for life afterward They were very selective in their examples. Why not use a guy like me that came from the very same rural area in the video and enlisted as an E-1 and now have several hundred thousand dollars in the bank, 6 degrees, all paid for by the military (and still have not used the GI Bill so I can go back if I wish), 5 homes (2 paid off and 2 almost paid off), 3 cars, 2 trucks a pension of almost $50K per year, a paycheck of over $100K per yr, and several $K in reserve salary per yr.

Want to invest in a small family owned factory? :D

Me too.

The difference is, we both got out of the military without being killed or maimed by an I.E.D. ... an I.E.D. planted by someone the president sent us to "liberate."

You and I were lucky.

Being in the military and whining about going to war is like a mechanic who complains about getting grease under his fingernails. It's part of the job... I was a medic (USN Corpsman) and I knew what I was getting into when I signed up. I took advantage of the opportunity to attend college (only 2 of us out of 1250 people in my Battalion did). Everyone can whine and moan, but they sure collect their paychecks and take their 30 days of leave each year, don't they?

The military men and women should not whine and moan.

We as citizens, however, should examine closely for what and for whom we send them to die.

Their duty is to serve. Our duty is to not abuse their service with reckless, thoughtless orders.

And we thought you were in the Coast Guard.

Nah...I think I might retire though. My wife has a good job offer back east...so I may just have to quit and follow her and become a full time loafer

Who are you and what have you done with our Rodeo? Seriously, I expected a knock down, drag out fight from you. Actually, what is wrong with ALL of you? You're being civil!

Anywhere near Travelers Rest, SC? I heard that town has a serious deficiency of real patriotic Americans. ;)

Randy

Very well said, sir.

You don't know what kind of excitement you're missing out on:D