Military

[rick]

Who here has served in the military?

If at all possible, I would that this did not become another Iraq war discussion.

[MikeyV]

I have and am still serving. 18 years now.

[Will]

I'd have likely served if it weren't for a severe heart condition. I have three generations of Army behind me.

[Neoncamouflage]

My dad was in the Army, his dad was in the Air Force and Navy, and his dad was in something. I'll most likely join the Army or Air Force when I can.

[Asmodean]

If ever, EVER I'll serve in any kind of armed forces, I'll be a merc. No fighting for a flag for me, thank you very much. If I fight, I fight for coin  

[McQ]

I served in the U.S. Army as an Aviation officer. Flew those beautiful old UH-1H (Hueys), AH-1G (Cobras), and OH-58 (Kiowas). 1983-1989. My dad was a WWII U.S. Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific Arena, and then a catapult officer on the U.S.S. Lake Champlain in Korea. Flying was in our family for the past 75 years, as many family members fly or flew professionally or for fun. My brother is a retired U.S. Army Ranger (Infantry officer).

[Tom62]

I didn't serve in the army. There were too many boys of my age to choose from, so that they decided to skip me.

[Mister Joy]

I've looked into serving in the RAF. My step-father is a contract stress engineer who has worked for various companies on the design of both military and commercial planes (eg. the Airbus A380) so through that I've developed quite an interest in piloting. Unfortunately, my eye-sight is too poor for the RAF (I'm ridiculously short-sighted) so, when I'm sure that my eyes aren't going to get any worse, I'm getting laser eye surgery and trying again:) I want to have a go on one of these puppies some day:

http://www.eurofighter.com/

That thing is a real monster.

[SteveS]

I do not, nor have I ever.  I briefly considered entering the Naval Academy out of high school, but I really didn't see myself committing to a military life.  I know a lot of people find the structure of the life to be a desirable thing, but I did not.  Its not that I'm unpatriotic -- I'm just really damned independent.  I think I had enough sense to understand that if I wasn't fully committed to the idea that it would not work out for me.

Anyway, I will always have a measure of respect for the people that serve (and that have served).  I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea.  Plus, my family has no background of military service, which seems to be a strong motivator for those who do choose to enter the military.

Not serving comes with its own emotional baggage --- namely guilt.  Everyone in Iraq is getting shot at while I enjoy all the benefits of being American without assuming much of the risk.  Contemplating this reality doesn't really make me happy.

[curiosityandthecat]

When I graduated in 2000, I debated going into the armed forces before college. Looking back, I'm rather happy I decided against that. Besides, I tend to have a problem with authority.  :-)

[MikeyV]

Not serving comes with its own emotional baggage --- namely guilt.  Everyone in Iraq is getting shot at while I enjoy all the benefits of being American without assuming much of the risk.  Contemplating this reality doesn't really make me happy.

There is absolutely no reason to feel any guilt, SteveS.

It's called a volunteer force for a reason.

We simply chose different career paths.

[McQ]

I second Mikey's message to you, Steve. No reason to feel guilty. I understand that people do feel that way, but it is absolutely ok to not have served. Like Mikey said, it's (thankfully for now) an all volunteer service.

[weirdframer]

I was in the Air Force from 1970-1973  Viet Nam Vet 2 tours

[rick]

In the interest of fairness...six years active duty Navy, four years Virginia Army National Guard (13F), and seven years naval reserve to include a one year deployment in Baghdad. (Yeah, I'm a little indecisive.)

[Lexxvs]

Does marriage qualifies as military  service or it’s just considered merely a drill for it?