Men of ATOT: Why didn't you serve?

[blankslate]

Given that war was a direct cause of the formation of ISIS, I don't regret my decision.

This is why at least one didn't re-enlist after a certain point.
The american public was too easily frightened and/or conned into re-electing the person who started that war of choice then bungled the occupation gifting the rest of the world Al-Qaeda on steroids.
Sure perhaps ISIS would have eventually evolved from Al-Qaeda but the way Iraq was handled virtually guaranteed that they happened.

In a recent interview Lt. Gen. (retired) Michael Flynn pretty much admitted the truth of what you say....

____________

 

[MrPickins]

Latest year that seems to be considered for the start of millennials is 1983, with 1980 to 1982 far more supported.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials

You can't really group people who are currently 36 with 16 years olds.... The mindset isn't really the same.

IMO, Gen Y and millenials aren't really the same, with the dividing line being that millenials grew up with the internet, Gen Y maybe had internet access in their teens, but it was far from ubiquitous.

 

[tcsenter]

Sure perhaps ISIS would have eventually evolved from Al-Qaeda but the way Iraq was handled virtually guaranteed that they happened.

Basically, a lot of ISIS recruits are Middle Eastern males who lost their childhoods and much more (families, friends, homes) to American bombs, some of whom actually can remember a time when they had favorable thoughts toward the USA or the West, had a bit of a dream to come here. Many weren't indoctrinated against the West, they were turned by their misery and trauma.

The bit about 'well you have to see it from our side because we are just protecting ourselves' doesn't have weight with them (particularly when they were young and less nuanced), while they were burying their parents, watching siblings die, begging for food, getting sick from unsafe water, dying from preventable things because hospitals were not functional, and they can see on the television that we are over here looking none the worse for 911, still driving SUVs, eating ourselves obese, nice homes, taking vacations, etc. And especially, NO WMD in Iraq basically kills any credibility to the 'just protecting ourselves, try to see it from our side' bit.

A lot of people paid a terrible price to protect our "way of life" (excessive, materialistic, gluttonous, wasteful, indulgent). Really, instead of imploring or lecturing them to 'consider it from our perspective' we should practice what we preach and try to see things from their side. But they're just A-rabs and such, no such entitlement to be fully seen as human. And so, they become someone else's useful idiots, pawns, and fodder.

 

[ManyBeers]

I was 18 in 1971 and the lottery missed me. Three of my friends did enlistne in the Navy, another in the Air Force, another in the Marines oh and one was drafted. I should have enlisted too but I didn't.

 

[MongGrel]

I wish I had re-enlisted and went lifer these days.

*shrug*

 

[brianmanahan]

I wish I had re-enlisted and went lifer these days.

*shrug*

but at least you went lifer on ATOT! :awe:

 

[footballrunner800]

Currently enlisted. Got in kinda late but didn't want to miss the opportunity before I got too old.

 

[zinfamous]

You can't really group people who are currently 36 with 16 years olds.... The mindset isn't really the same.

IMO, Gen Y and millenials aren't really the same, with the dividing line being that millenials grew up with the internet, Gen Y maybe had internet access in their teens, but it was far from ubiquitous.

yeah, that is ridiculous. I'm 37 (1979), so now I went from being "gen X" most of my life from 1990 on, to now practically being "a millenial," which was really only coined and defined in the last couple of years? Sorry, no.

There is no way to group my generation along the same lines as one that was completely raised in an internet/cell phone/social media world. I didn't really get on the internet until after high school (but I was certainly a slow starter there). Primarily because of that, I never saw and still see no practical or logical need for a Facebook account--also never had Myspace.

My generation are the ungrateful spoiled angtsy shithead children of the Baby Boomers.

Millenials are the spoiled, self-important, irresponsible dillhole children of my generation and the baby-boomer/gen X overlap generation.

I doubt that moving of the generation lines by several decades for millenials. It makes no sense. To me, millenials are the little shits that experienced their formative years (learning how to interact with humans--so ~4th grade and beyond) from 2000+, essentially primarily online and post-9/11.

 

[Nograts]

Dunno if I posted it yet

I hope I die as well as this man one day, since we all have to take this route

 

[MongGrel]

Dunno if I posted it yet

I hope I die as well as this man one day, since we all have to take this route

Personally, I wish you, Mayne, Speedy, and Mai would go on an Interstellar adventure and get sucked into a black hole and maybe come back to ATOT in a few thousand years, but that is just one of my daily random thoughts.

()

 

[Nograts]

Personally, I wish you, Mayne, Speedy, and Mai would go on an Interstellar adventure and get sucked into a black hole and maybe come back to ATOT in a few thousand years, but that is just one of my daily random thoughts.

()

And your wife wishes you committed more than 4 years of your 50 year life to something beyond yourself, but that is another person you let down. Give her my #, I will take care of her.

 

[Nograts]

Personally, I wish you, Mayne, Speedy, and Mai would go on an Interstellar adventure and get sucked into a black hole and maybe come back to ATOT in a few thousand years, but that is just one of my daily random thoughts.

()

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4hAVemuQXY

 

[MongGrel]

And your wife wishes you committed more than 4 years of your 50 year life to something beyond yourself, but that is another person you let down. Give her my #, I will take care of her.

Just more clueless babbling.

Of course.

 

[PlanetJosh]

I enlisted when I was 18 and they didn't send me to war because there were no wars. I was in field artillery in the Army from Sept '73 to Sept '77 mostly in Germany. Even spent 3 years in the Army Reserve in San Diego until '80 and still didn't fight. All peacetime. So I'm old now but just happened join in one of those long lulls.

 

[Nograts]

Just more clueless babbling.

Of course.

You claim to be a marine. I don't accept you as a marine. You cower to those lesser to you.

You aren't worthy to be one of us.

One day, maybe, but not today.

BUT NOT TODAY

 

[Sonikku]

Basically, a lot of ISIS recruits are Middle Eastern males who lost their childhoods and much more (families, friends, homes) to American bombs, some of whom actually can remember a time when they had favorable thoughts toward the USA or the West, had a bit of a dream to come here. Many weren't indoctrinated against the West, they were turned by their misery and trauma.

The bit about 'well you have to see it from our side because we are just protecting ourselves' doesn't have weight with them (particularly when they were young and less nuanced), while they were burying their parents, watching siblings die, begging for food, getting sick from unsafe water, dying from preventable things because hospitals were not functional, and they can see on the television that we are over here looking none the worse for 911, still driving SUVs, eating ourselves obese, nice homes, taking vacations, etc. And especially, NO WMD in Iraq basically kills any credibility to the 'just protecting ourselves, try to see it from our side' bit.

A lot of people paid a terrible price to protect our "way of life" (excessive, materialistic, gluttonous, wasteful, indulgent). Really, instead of imploring or lecturing them to 'consider it from our perspective' we should practice what we preach and try to see things from their side. But they're just A-rabs and such, no such entitlement to be fully seen as human. And so, they become someone else's useful idiots, pawns, and fodder.

I think not dabbling in the middle east so much and not handing out American guns to so called "freedom fighters" would do much to combat terrorism. It's a pity some fall on the "more bombs! more bombs! more bombs!" philosophy like a broken record.

 

[Sonikku]

I enlisted when I was 18 and they didn't send me to war because there were no wars. I was in field artillery in the Army from Sept '73 to Sept '77 mostly in Germany. Even spent 3 years in the Army Reserve in San Diego until '80 and still didn't fight. All peacetime. So I'm old now but just happened join in one of those long lulls.

This must have been before we were basically at war all the time. :hmm:

 

[MongGrel]

You claim to be a marine. I don't accept you as a marine. You cower to those lesser to you.

You aren't worthy to be one of us.

One day, maybe, but not today.

BUT NOT TODAY

Basically, fuck off.

You're not really worth a response on that one.

You seem to be talking out of your ass again, and haven't a clue about it to begin with.

Like I give a shit what you accept, dipshit.

One day ? You idiot.

*predicts incoming vacation*

 

[mugs]

I had better options.

 

[MongGrel]

You claim to be a marine. I don't accept you as a marine. You cower to those lesser to you.

You aren't worthy to be one of us.

One day, maybe, but not today.

BUT NOT TODAY

I'm sorry I tried offering you an apology in a private message a few days ago, you're on my permanent fuck you list.

 

[MongGrel]

And your wife wishes you committed more than 4 years of your 50 year life to something beyond yourself, but that is another person you let down. Give her my #, I will take care of her.

The wife asked me if you have a man crush on me or something, she finds the avatar odd

 

[Nograts]

The wife asked me if you have a man crush on me or something, she finds the avatar odd

I'm starting the MonGrel fan club. Would you like to join?

 

[norseamd]

Oh now I come back, and this thread went to total shit.

Jesus Shitballs.

 

[MongGrel]

I'm starting the MonGrel fan club. Would you like to join?

Go for it dude, nah I don't want to join.

Learn to spell the name right at least if you're going that route.

 

[brianmanahan]

Oh now I come back, and this thread went to total s***.

an elevenpog thread where he craps on everyone who didn't make the same life choices as him, AND half the people who did make the same life choices as him.

what could possibly go wrong?