I Have No Respect for People in the Army

[HAL9000]

Does it really matter why they joined? Guess who's ass is going to be on the frontline protecting your sorry ass while you troll the forums if another country decided to attack us.

I couldn't give a shit less why they joined the military. All I know is there are people doing the jobs I don't want to while I live in happy land with my loved ones.

Ever wonder why you don't have a Somalian pirate looting your house and bending you over your kitchen table? Could it have anything to do with the protection the military is providing your sorry ass.

Ban this dumbass.

It definitely matters, particularly when they aren't defending the country, just attacking other countries.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

It definitely matters, particularly when they aren't defending the country, just attacking other countries.

Yes, everyone who joins the Army is ardently in favor of invading every other country on Earth. It's the grunts who dictate America's military policy; everyone knows this.

 

[HAL9000]

Yes, everyone who joins the Army is ardently in favor of invading every other country on Earth. It's the grunts who dictate America's military policy; everyone knows this.

I didn't say everyone. Some certainly are though.

 

[Miramonti]

How old are you, Carousel?

 

[bfdd]

Does it really matter why they joined? Guess who's ass is going to be on the frontline protecting your sorry ass while you troll the forums if another country decided to attack us.

I couldn't give a shit less why they joined the military. All I know is there are people doing the jobs I don't want to while I live in happy land with my loved ones.

Ever wonder why you don't have a Somalian pirate looting your house and bending you over your kitchen table? Could it have anything to do with the protection the military is providing your sorry ass.

Ban this dumbass.

Actually it does matter. A lot of people before the wars were joining because they wanted an easy way to pay for college and get home loans. They were PISSED when wars started up. Also, I would fight on the frontline to protect my sorry ass. You actually trust someone else to do it for you? I'm no trained soldier, but if I need defending I'm taking up my own fucking arms and making sure my own ass is safe.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I didn't say everyone. Some certainly are though.

Doesn't matter. Did they start the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? No, the politicians in Washington DC did. So how exactly is it that we're blaming the soldiers for "attacking other countries" when they're just doing what they're told to do by their bosses?

 

[HAL9000]

Doesn't matter. Did they start the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? No, the politicians in Washington DC did. So how exactly is it that we're blaming the soldiers for "attacking other countries" when they're just doing what they're told to do by their bosses?

I didn't say I blame them for the wars, but people who sign up to go and kill people are not people I respect, same with people who do it because it's a job, the other 20% that do it because they want to defend their country deserve more respect, but when they aren't defending their country that respect is at a minimum.

 

[Squisher]

I can't think of anything more stressful than a soldier engaged in warfare. I would prefer to leave that job to others and appreciate their service that allows me to sit on my fat ass and type stupid stuff on a forum.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I didn't say I blame them for the wars, but people who sign up to go and kill people are not people I respect, same with people who do it because it's a job, the other 20% that do it because they want to defend their country deserve more respect, but when they aren't defending their country that respect is at a minimum.

Out of everyone I know who joined the Army (not a large number, around ten or so), not one single person did it because they wanted to kill people. Not one single person wanted to go into combat. They didn't do it to defend their country either. They wanted a job, they wanted money, they wanted to go to college and they had no prospects at home. That's a good way to get people into service. The Army doesn't want a bunch of bloodthirsty psychopaths.

 

[HAL9000]

Out of everyone I know who joined the Army (not a large number, around ten or so), not one single person did it because they wanted to kill people. Not one single person wanted to go into combat. They didn't do it to defend their country either. They wanted a job, they wanted money, they wanted to go to college and they had no prospects at home. That's a good way to get people into service. The Army doesn't want a bunch of bloodthirsty psychopaths.

Great!... Sorry why does that deserve my respect? I've just started a small part time job at my local cinema so I can pay for Uni... Does that deserve the countries respect? No.

 

[Vic Vega]

Before I begin, let me say that the title can be a tiny bit misleading. I wanted to capture my general attitude on the subject as well as attention to the post. It's not that I have zero respect for people in the armed forces and that I hate them, but that I do not think they deserve the respect that people generally give them. I always hear - on the radio, television, and the general public, how we should be super-respectful and honorary of soldiers. It makes my stomach crawl when I hear soldiers being commemorated as if they joined the army to protect the nation from harm and bring peace to the world. Why do I feel this way? See below.

If you joined the army, you are most likely not the type of person who thinks with their head but with fists. You probably played Football in high-school, or some other type of violent sport, and have anger management problems. You chose not to study and as a result could not afford/had the desire to enter a college.

Most soldiers in the army joined because they are allowed to behave violently, legally, whilst getting payed. If they would have stayed in the the working class society, they would most likely end up unsuccessful.

Most, not all, army personnel do not fight because they want to help the nation. They fight because they love to fight. They are confrontational and desire action. It's like a license to kill.

That's why when I hear the respect they get for fighting, I cringe. These people risk their lives not for you, not for me, not for the country or world peace, but for themselves. They are violent and action-oriented people.

A simple analogy I just thought of is a Nascar driver. Their job is potentially fatal. They know what they are getting themselves into. But when they die you don't see the public appreciating their efforts. It's something they chose to do. Same with soldiers, they knew the deal, they did not fit well into society, and thus chose to fight.

I imagine many of you think I'm unappreciative and cruel for posting this. I actually LOVE the fact that people like this exist, I appreciate that they do what they do, even while I realize they do it more for themselves than for me, but I don't believe they should be praised the way they are today. Soldiers are not saints, they are just violent men who do what they love to do.

Obviously not every single man in the army is violent. Some are probably even educated, intelligent, college-material folks. I'm sure some join just to fight for what they believe in and to rid the world of injustice. But what I'm getting is that the majority, maybe 85% or so, do it because they have a lust to fight, to kill.

Oh, and this does not apply to people who were drafted or forced unwillingly to join the ranks. It applies only to those hard-knocks who joined on their own accord and that are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan...the middle east.

P.S.

No, I was never bullied by soldiers/grunts. No, my mother was not raped by an ex-marine. I have not had any negative experiences with these men. In fact, I have acquiescence's who want are in the army who I love to share a beer with. But they don't deserve the appreciation they get, that's all I think.

What to you guys think? Constructively.

You are young and stupid. One of these things you will grow out of.

 

[brad310]

I read the OP and thats it, so i havent read everything inbetween.

Let me start by saying that I served 3 years active duty in the 82nd Airborne as an infantryman, and 5 years national guard.

Your comments about "most people that join are like this" or "most people join because of that" are totally wrong. You might have a personal experience with someone like that, and it may be accurate for a small minority of enlistees, but you have missed the boat by a mile my friend. You really dont know anything.

In my infantry platoon, nobody was a 'bully' or meathead football player wannabe. That just doesnt work in the infantry...its a tight team, with alot of love. You live together, do really sucky shit together, party together, sweat and bleed together. We formed a brotherhood, just like im sure all the other combat units did, and thats just the way of things. The atmosphere demands it.

As for the reasons people join...they are as diverse as they can be. Some people join because they are in severe debt. College loans. Dont know what they want to do. Dont have any real job skills. No job market around thier home. Wife is pregant with no insurance. Kids sick with no insurance. I was a combination of patriotism and wanting to prove my worth as a man by doing something hard (before i knew anything at all), and not wanting to go into debt to pay for college.

The demographic i saw more than once and criticize is the introvert HS graduate that joins at 18, and the second he gets command of a team the power trip is retarded and out of control. He was an outcast or picked on wannabe dweeb and takes it out on the people he's over...ive seen a number of those...but you didnt bring those up.

So ya, you might have your walleyed view of what we are...but you're only right 1% of the time. You have no concept to even have the opinion you have. Its rare that someone can have a wrong opinion, but when your opinion isnt based on anything realistic, then your opinion is wrong.

 

[AreaCode707]

You are young and stupid. One of these things you will grow out of.

Now now, you can't promise that. Look around the forums...

 

[mattpegher]

i agree with the op. there isnt anything heroic about putting on an american uniform, going to another country where you dont belong and murdering the residents because the us government tells you to. how would you feel if another country sent troops to your city and did that? youd be laying roadside bombs, sniping etc... too. wheres the sense of personal responsibility? we treat these people like heroes but they anything but that when they are in the field killing, bombing, raping and pillaging. america is only going to be able to get away with this for so long, eventually one of these pissed off people is going to get a wmd and the worlds biggest bully is going to get a taste of its own medicine.

the same thing goes for cops. people want to put them on a pedestal, but the truth is most cops are just violent loser dbags who spend most of their workday giving traffic tickets, stealing money from people for the government and plotting to rip off the taxpayer through overtime. if was funny to see that guy who got beaten to death the other day, his father was a cop and he was out there in the media whining like any other victim, calling them six cops who beat his son to death "rogues". six "rogues"?

Listen, every country in the world must maintain an active military, to defend itself. You can make any argument about the motivations of a government to engage in armed conflict, but its citizens must provide for its military. We are lucky in this country that we have not instituted a draft or other form of forced conscription.

Luckily, or due to intelligent planning, the US goverment has instituted many incentives to entice its citizens to enlist. The vast majority engage in the defense of US interests without questioning the larger picture of intent, because they realize the necessity of a military that does what it is told. If every armchair politician became a soldier, then we would not have an effective military due to millions of cases of insubordination.

The vast majority of service men and women are trying their best to follow orders, maintain the safety of civilian population and stay alive. These goals are not always easy. Statisticly, very few events occur to the contrary given the thousands of encounters they go through. You can't judge the entire military on a few events where some soldier scared for his life fired on the wrong target, and certainly not from those rare events where someone intentionally targets civilians.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Great!... Sorry why does that deserve my respect? I've just started a small part time job at my local cinema so I can pay for Uni... Does that deserve the countries respect? No.

Does your job at the cinema send you overseas to do what amounts to international police work because of your country's international policy? Would quitting your job at the cinema if they tried to send you overseas result in charges being filed against you and a black mark on your record that would make it difficult for you to find employment for the rest of your life? No? Well then I fail to understand how the comparison you're drawing has any relevance whatsoever.

I'm not saying that military people automatically deserve all the praise, respect and admiration we can bestow upon them. But to say that they aren't making a sacrifice or that every job is equal is incredibly insulting. To paint them as bloodthirsty savages is equally insulting. You don't need to bow down and kiss the feet of soldiers, but you also don't need to shit on what they do. I'd rather the US wasn't involved in two wars, neither of which I've ever supported, but I certainly don't blame the poor bastards who actually have to do the damn fighting.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Dumb motherfucker. You are generalizing everyone in the armed forces. Many of those people fighting for us in Irag and Afghanistan are NOT in the Army or Marines, but they are from the Navy too. And thats why i take major offense to what you just said. Almost all MOSes and Rates are non combat rates. I am an Electronic Technician in the Navy and i possibly have a higher chance at deploying to the middle east than many combat rates.

... And you think we joined the armed forces because were violent? Most people over there you see are also in non-combat rates, carrying rifles. One of my mentors deployed to Iraq twice for 18 months at a time against his wishes. We dont join to phyisically fight people. We join for the technical training, the experience and for our families. My rating is full of the the geeks and nerds of your school (almost all score a 90th percentile or better) and were the ones standing security watch in the middle of violent and hostile cities. Not the stupid jocks you

Id type a lot more, but im on my phone and you sound ignorant as fuck so typing more is a lost cause. I hope you have a kid, they are exactly the opposite of what you make us out to be and they join the military. Some of the best people ive ever met have been here in the armed forces. Youre a piece of shit.

 

[HAL9000]

Does your job at the cinema send you overseas to do what amounts to international police work because of your country's international policy? Would quitting your job at the cinema if they tried to send you overseas result in charges being filed against you and a black mark on your record that would make it difficult for you to find employment for the rest of your life? No? Well then I fail to understand how the comparison you're drawing has any relevance whatsoever.

So is it all jobs that go over seas deserve respect? Or just overseas jobs that are influenced by foreign policy that deserve respect? Or is it just overseas jobs that may get you black listed from certain countries?

Pretty sure that drug dealer/ smuggler could well meet all that criteria...

I'm not saying that military people automatically deserve all the praise, respect and admiration we can bestow upon them. But to say that they aren't making a sacrifice or that every job is equal is incredibly insulting. To paint them as bloodthirsty savages is equally insulting. You don't need to bow down and kiss the feet of soldiers, but you also don't need to shit on what they do. I'd rather the US wasn't involved in two wars, neither of which I've ever supported, but I certainly don't blame the poor bastards who actually have to do the damn fighting.

I'm not saying my job is equal, it's not it's just a shitty part time job, I'm also not saying they are all blood thirsty killers, they aren't. I'm just saying that because someone finds it difficult to get a safe non-military job, and so goes into the military != respect.

 

[brad310]

Great!... Sorry why does that deserve my respect? I've just started a small part time job at my local cinema so I can pay for Uni... Does that deserve the countries respect? No.

Does that job require you to leave your family for long periods of time with the chance of never returning, or returning maimed?

Does that job force you to stay up for 48 hours straight, carry very heavy things in a stressful environment?

Does that job remove every creature comfort from your everyday life like showering or central air?

Do you have the freedom to quit your job? Sue your employer if they wrong you? Take a day off?

Your job is just that, just a job. Most of the military isnt just a job, it a way of life that you sacrifice your free life to do for a period of time. Now, some jobs in the military are just a job depending on your branch of service and the job itself. If you do finance in the air force, your life will be different than an infantryman in the army.

If you dont know though, you dont have enough material to form an opinion.

 

[Powermoloch]

Trollolol

 

[HAL9000]

Does that job require you to leave your family for long periods of time with the chance of never returning, or returning maimed?

It doesn't.

Does that job force you to stay up for 48 hours straight, carry very heavy things in a stressful environment?

It doesn't.

Does that job remove every creature comfort from your everyday life like showering or central air?

It doesn't.

Do you have the freedom to quit your job? Sue your employer if they wrong you? Take a day off?

I do.

Your job is just that, just a job. Most of the military isnt just a job, it a way of life that you sacrifice your free life to do for a period of time.

And that way of life is a completely choice, because someone chooses to spend their time somewhere with the above problems.. Why should I respect that? It's a job... If you choose a (IMO) crap Job... Why should I respect you for that, unless you chose it for some noble reason, which most (IMO) don't.

Now, some jobs in the military are just a job depending on your branch of service and the job itself. If you do finance in the air force, your life will be different than an infantryman in the army.

If you dont know though, you dont have enough material to form an opinion.

 

[HAL9000]

My biggest problem with the respect that seems afforded for the military is (and this forum's members are very guilty of this) that police are not afforded the same respect... Police do a hard job, to protect people (Unlike the military a lot of the time) and yet they are hated to a degree... WTF?!

 

[Atomic Playboy]

And that way of life is a completely choice, because someone chooses to spend their time somewhere with the above problems.. Why should I respect that? It's a job... If you choose a (IMO) crap Job... Why should I respect you for that, unless you chose it for some noble reason, which most (IMO) don't.

You shouldn't respect someone solely for that. But you also shouldn't disrespect them for their military service... And when you postulate that most people join the military to perpetrate violence against other people, well, that's being disrespectful (and dishonest). They aren't any more immediately deserving of your disrespect than your respect, and yet you seem to shit on what they do for no reason. That's the problem I have with your attitude. I'm not going to kiss a soldier's ass for his time in the military, but I'm also not going to scream "BABY KILLER" when I see someone in uniform; your previous posts make it sound as though you actively dislike people in the military and that's unfortunate.

My biggest problem with the respect that seems afforded for the military is (and this forum's members are very guilty of this) that police are not afforded the same respect... Police do a hard job, to protect people (Unlike the military a lot of the time) and yet they are hated to a degree... WTF?!

Police are deserving of respect. The reason some people choose to disrespect police is because we have much more interaction with police in our daily lives than soldiers. Get caught speeding, it's the cops who are giving you a ticket, not a soldier. People also generally have some laws they don't believe are just and won't follow, whether it's traffic violations or drug laws or copyright infringement. Invariably, many people will have negative interactions with police at some point in their life because police are an active part of our society; soldiers are typically removed, either on bases or in other countries. It's the reason we hear so many more stories of improper police actions than improper soldier actions (just ask Sandeagle).

So, yes, police deserve the same respect that soldiers get, but they often don't get it because of the inherent hypocrisy in people choosing which laws they want to follow (and subsequently getting caught for it and blaming the police instead of the legislators who made the law).

 

[HAL9000]

You shouldn't respect someone solely for that. But you also shouldn't disrespect them for their military service... And when you postulate that most people join the military to perpetrate violence against other people, well, that's being disrespectful (and dishonest). They aren't any more immediately deserving of your disrespect than your respect, and yet you seem to shit on what they do for no reason. That's the problem I have with your attitude. I'm not going to kiss a soldier's ass for his time in the military, but I'm also not going to scream "BABY KILLER" when I see someone in uniform; your previous posts make it sound as though you actively dislike people in the military and that's unfortunate.

That I actually completely agree with, why people persecute people in the military is beyond me. I'm not anti military, i'm just not that pro it either.

Police are deserving of respect. The reason some people choose to disrespect police is because we have much more interaction with police in our daily lives than soldiers. Get caught speeding, it's the cops who are giving you a ticket, not a soldier. People also generally have some laws they don't believe are just and won't follow, whether it's traffic violations or drug laws or copyright infringement. Invariably, many people will have negative interactions with police at some point in their life because police are an active part of our society; soldiers are typically removed, either on bases or in other countries. It's the reason we hear so many more stories of improper police actions than improper soldier actions (just ask Sandeagle).

So, yes, police deserve the same respect that soldiers get, but they often don't get it because of the inherent hypocrisy in people choosing which laws they want to follow (and subsequently getting caught for it and blaming the police instead of the legislators who made the law).

Again, I agree!

 

[brad310]

And that way of life is a completely choice, because someone chooses to spend their time somewhere with the above problems.. Why should I respect that? It's a job... If you choose a (IMO) crap Job... Why should I respect you for that, unless you chose it for some noble reason, which most (IMO) don't.

Since you live in England, would you have any more respect for soldiers if the repelled another attack on your island? Does soneome have to defeat an infidel, that has just invaded your home, in hand to hand combat and untie you from that chair in your mothers basement?

What criteria do you require to earn resepct as it pertains to a soldier? Oh wait, no one gives a crap because your opinion is invalid because you dont know anything and havent stuck your own neck out and swing on the nuts of other people that allow you the ability to diminish their sacrifice while you stare at girls asses walking into a movie theatre earning minimum wage in your hometown.

 

[Powermoloch]

I was thinking about this thread a lil' more, granted there will be douche bags in the world, even in the military. I've met a couple of these so called "grunts" when I was just minding my own business and eating a typical lunch in a typical day. For some odd reason, I felt a piece of pizza bread being thrown at me at my right shoulder, and as I looked into my right...yeah there two enlisted men in uniform eating their pizza. I know it was them, but didn't confront 'em knowing that they're gonna have a lotta shit to do when they're called into combat.

My dad was in the military, lived in a camp in my early childhood and i've been accustomed seeing people in uniform. My plan is to join the airforce after I graduated from a RN BSN program. I want to help the people in uniform and also better myself with the opportunity to learn new skills and continued education in the field of medicine.

oh well, enough rambling and lets go back to neffing.