But, it's the army. The Army. What could you possibly think they do other than train to fight ground wars?!
It IS a great way to gain discipline, skills and money for college. But you have to look at it realistically. I joined the Navy to avoid the recession in 1992. I served for four years as a lithographer on a carrier. That's right, folks. Uncle Sam paid me to work as a printer.
There are plenty of jobs in the military that do not require battle training. More so outside the Army or Marines. The closest I came to fighting was in drills where we trained as if the ship were under attack.
However, in the army and marines you ARE a fighter. You might have a work rate as a cook or journalist but you are trained to fight combat. I can't fathom that anyone with half a brain wouldn't know that going in.
At 17, you may not have the background to know which kind of health care is best for you, what kinds of 401K to enter and etc. but if you join the army and think no one is going to yell at you, want to fight you (for real or training), or shoot at you, then you're an idiot.
They don't have you for 8 years. On a four year enlistment, you serve and are put on a 4 year non-drilling reserve unit. You don't even have to report during this time unless the draft is reinstituted. The army also has two year active service options followed by two year nonactive reserve as well.
The fact that his AWOL marks the first in this war sounds like news but compared to 30,000 in Vietnam. It's nothing. With the amount of people against the war, I am surprised his is the first. But that signifies two things. One that there is no draft forcing people into service and two the military is smaller and made more into a professional occupation than previously.
And on the twit's comment that he did not want to be a pawn of political idealogy, name me one war that wasn't based on political idealogy. Whether we were fighting communism, fascism, internal issues such as slavery or fighting against Britain, it has always been based on political idealogy. Now we can split hairs over which wars were just ones but let's be honest here. Even if we fight North Korea, it will be to stamp out the last stronghold of Stalinist Communism.
And I will say it again, he wasn't an objector called up on a draft. He volunteered. I always have felt for draftees in Vietnam, Korean War and WW2 that did not want to fight but were forced to. This guy CHOSE to enlist. Bad career move.
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