Why the hell would anyone join the Military when we are in a war?

wichitaor1

Most of us join the military to serve our country. If you can not understand that, that is your problem.

>James: Wow, 44 people out of the entire American military gave money to the Obama campaign! He may have the most of any candidate, but most military members do not donate to politicians. We tend to donate our money to things like the American Red Cross and service members relief organizations.

We in the military serve our country, not election campaigns.

>What kind of bravery is that? "I would join the military, only if there is no war. I want to be a fireman, but only if there are no fires!"

You must be "friggin" stupid.

Joel R

They are courageous, something you obviously have NO sense of.

xtowgrunt

Because some people believe in something higher than self.

Perro De Lava

Spoken like a true coward...

G-Man

Yep, wait until the war is over to serve your country. Thank god not many young men think like that, patriotism, loyalty, duty, love of one's country is why people join, not to avoid a conflict if one occurs.

jeremy d

Wow, if my grandfather's generation had been full of candy as$es like you, we'd all be speaking German.

usmcwife1023

They do it so you can ask why! in other words so you have the freedom to question, to live independently. Read the bill of rights, that is what they are defending. They are brave and amazing people.

MamaL

If we were all cowards like you we would get overrun.

Too Old For Idol

Three misconceptions in your question.

1. We are not stupid. We are patriots.
2. Obama won't be President.
3. Ending the war ain't gonna happen soon.

I know you won't understand 1 and 3. But, surely you can agree with 2.

Have a nice day.

froggsfriend

Someone usually joins the military because they want to fight for our country's freedom and welfare. There are real people out in this world making a difference and our military represents that. When in war, they are also working in the very face of danger in order to keep goofs like you and me safe and free. Grow up!

Copy and Paste Master

To protect liberals cowards like you who are too scared to fight, and to do the right thing which is to help the innocent. (Iraqi's)

I see some negative answer towards people joining the military and this is sad. It takes courage and great discipline to be in the military whether it be in peace or war time conditions. My husband is 2nd generation military and we have been together 15 years of the 19 years he has been in the military and he does not regret joining the service. Since being in the military, he has gotten a college education (free from the military), seen some exotic places, and received many job offers since he is retiring from service soon. Many business would hire a service member over a non (especially those with 20 years) due to the fact that the service member has again the discipline and work ethics to get the job done.

skotty1313

i joined...the reason is i joined to serve my country...that is y i joined...obama says they will end the war but honest to god it wont end becuse of the steps...they say they will pull us out but it will take longer than everyone wants...there will be no draft as that was taking away in the constitution and is now agaist the ill of rights...questions...then e-mail me gnome80@clearwire.net

mr guy

because some Americans are not liberal panzys and have courage, and are there to serve this great nation for better or worse

Dune

Because they believe in their country.

Obama can't stop the war without letting the Southern part falling under Iranian control. That would start a real civil war that would spiral out of control and make the whole region a bloodbath as sectarian groups struggled to take control in all of those countries.
Goodbye Middle East oil.

sleepyincarolina

You are looking from only one view point. The military has saved so many people and lives. They have great benefits, they have a guaranteed pay, you have a guaranteed job, and many more. They pay you to go to school, they want you to make rank and be able to help your country and defend it. Yes we are in war, yes it kind of has gone on too long, but obviously we don't care when we join the military. I was looking toward the future, not caring that i had to fight for my country. I knew my life would be better because of the military. And with people who think that war is unnecessary are the "friggin stupid" people to me. We will always be at war with someone, we will always have to defend out country, we will always fight for our rights and of course OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!! I'm guessing people don't care or want to remember sept 11th, so many innocent people died b/c the Iraq and Iran and Afghanistan people thing we are stupid for believing in our rights and our religion. Do you really want those simpletons to come to our country and kill us because their god says we are immoral? I don't, that is why I would definitely serve my country again and again to keep them from harrasing my people and our country. If I die because of my choice to join the mlitary and my choice to defend those who think I am "friggin stupid" then I die. That is my choice, not yours! Do you think everyone who joins are "friggin stupid"? If you do, you really have to look at your life and look at around you! The people who fight for this country risk their lives everyday for people like you!!! And they do this of their own free will and choice. And here you belittle them because you have the right to free speech.

Sarge

Some people are proud to serve their country, you obviously are not one of them.

bAsic LiFE

ha.. and after obama becomes president and ends the war.. i'll laugh when the terrorist come attack us again and we have no weapons to defend ourselves with and have no gas to even get out of the country with!

ps.... its a conflict, not war.

Star Dust

They are courageous, something you obviously have NO sense of.

I second that

seamanab

give me your adress...i want to send you a white feather......all those brave men who died for there country deserve better than crap like you....ime english born..but i say ...god bless america....and thank god for america...that keep the free world free..........seamanab

Andy K

Oscar,

First, and foremost, whether Obama, Clinton, or McCain become the next president, you have to realize the war will not end quickly (more on that below).

So, in answer to, "Why would anyone join the military?":

They join the military for any number of reasons; the best one being because it's the right thing to do. They join because it's there ("it" being a job, an adventure, an opportunity to learn and apply new skills as a member of a team).

+Why do people climb Mount Everest? It's there.
+Why do people ice skate indoors during the summer? They enjoy it. (Plus it's generally too warm for outdoor skating rinks in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer & they really enjoy being with others who enjoy skating.)
+Why do people work in soup kitchens around the holidays? Itâ€™s to help those less fortunate than themselves.
=All of these answer can apply to joining the military as well.

Not everyone who joins the military goes off to fight a war somewhere. Some work in supporting roles, behind the front lines, or even back stateside. Mercenaries get paid to go fight a war elsewhere & choose which side to fight for based on the pay scale. Most new members of the U.S. Armed Forces barely make enough to qualify as being above the poverty line and typically fall in the lower tier of the middle class (most junior enlisted members with a family can qualify for food stamps). So you have to know upfront they don't join for the huge paychecks.

They may join for the benefits of attaining a higher education; or educational assistance after serving their country a few years; or getting the medical coverage and care available for them and for their special-needs child, or an elderly parent entrusted to their care who is now fully dependent on their own son or daughter to care for them while old & infirm; job security (more on that below); the camaraderie; or maybe even earning a retirement after serving 20+ years to get a small guaranteed paycheck once a month (1/2 of base pay) to supplement their social security.

Other reasons why people join the military (at anytime) include: to escape the ghetto/the farm/the big city/the shadow of a sibling. Maybe they are caught up in the reality that if they stay where they are at, drugs or gang violence will take their life, so they join the military to escape the vicious circle. Perhaps they are out of work or stuck in a menial job which pays minimum wage. Maybe they want to start a family, but canâ€™t because they want to be able to provide for that family -- so they join seeking job security & a guaranteed paycheck (plus benefits) to help in their cause.

There are literally thousands of reasons why someone may choose to serve their country & join the military. It could be -- their patriotism, their loyalty, family tradition, as sort of a "payment" for others to enjoy living a life in freedom, or maybe they were simply "called" to serve this great country we still call the land of the free and home of the brave.

Or maybe your question highlights the fact that this country's younger & older citizens may have forgotten what makes America strong? The answer can be found in your history books as well as within the strength of its people united together for a cause to help protect others that are oppressed, in danger of losing their freedoms, their rights, or their lives under the tyranny of oppression.

Maybe they join because they know if others like you stay home and complain, instead of doing anything directly to solve the problems we face as a nation, the terrorists will win. Knowing that terrorists only give up after they die, and then another terrorist steps up to take his/her place in the cue, should tell everyone we have a long road ahead of us in this "war" -- it won't end quickly because someone says we will pull out all of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen from an unpopular conflict (think back to Vietnam). That simply allows the terrorists to claim victory & recruit others to join their cause & then bring the unending conflict to our own shores for a repeat performance of 9/11.

"If a man is not willing to die for something he believes in, he is not fit to live at all." --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Outside of the military and religious circles, leaders are rarely expected to make the ultimate sacrifice. So for most of us the question we need to ask ourselves probably is: â€œWhat am I willing to live for?â€ Values worth dying for are also worth living for! A Hollywood movie a few years ago reenacted the events of the American Civil War. In one scene, President Abraham Lincoln calls a young man over to discuss his enlistment in the intelligence efforts of the Union Army. Lincoln probed the man to see if he had the qualities to become a spy and asked him, "Jim, how much do you love your country?" Jim responded by saying, "Mr. President, I reckon I would be willing to die for her." Lincoln promptly replied, "Jim, I can find 10,000 men who are willing to die for the Union, I want you to live for her!"

**All told, 618,000 (360K) Union & (258K) Confederate soldiers died (out of 3.6 million total) and untold civilian casualties occurred during the Civil War (1861-1865).
WW I = 116K dead (1917-1918)
WW II deaths = 416,800 military & 1,700 civilian (1941-1945)
Korean Conflict = 36,516 (150-1953)
Vietnam = 58,151 (1964-1973)
Iraq War/Gulf War II = 4,005 (2003-present, as of March 28, 2008)

SomeRandomGuy

[Iraq had no link to terrorism and no WMD's]
Yes, this is true. The problem was that when the current administration was itching to get into a war they had too many people pressing the "I believe" and the "I better go along with it to get re-elected" buttons. No one was really taking a hard look at the facts at hand (if they were they were labeled as traitors) or the consequences which would inevitably be brought to bear.

[wait til Obama is president and ends the war]
It's not going to be that simple. If we just pull out, it creates a power vacuum and Iraq will descend into a state of civil war (yes, much worse than it is now). A power struggle within Iraq could destabilize the entire Arab world (Sunni vs Shiite). ALL of the blood from that conflict (+consequences) would be on our hands (no war before we got there). Think we could deal with the political remains of the Arab world after that? Unfortunately, we broke it we bought it. Now, a massive number of lives ride on the shoulders of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who are getting shot at, humping around the 50+ pounds of gear in 110+ F heat, including their own. And this is the group to whom you refer to as "friggin stupid?"

[I am no coward]
No, youâ€™re a POS.

James

Tons of people signed up to fight in WWII. And keep in mind that Obama does not oppose all wars - only dumb ones. (first link below) In fact he would likely take the war against the Taliban and terrorists in Afganistan off the back burner.

Many of these people are intellegent, brave, and have a desire to serve. And, contrary to the ranting of the chickenhawks and 101st fighting keyboardists - not all of them are republicans nor conservatives either. Obama has gotten more contributions from soldiers than any other candidate (second link below)

249gunner

THE HUNTING SEASON BEGINS!
free ammo and guns

why the f*** not

I could care less

Well ... haven't you heard Dubya lately? They are joining the Military because the war is going so GREAT !!!!

openyoureyespeople!

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/testimony/breakdown-military/kristofer-goldsmith/video

too right!

bushdeathgrip

to find WMDs?

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