A steakhouse and a soldier's wife

[OneAccord]

Hey One.

I hear you. There are many that do not believe in what they are doing. Seems to me that they shouldv'e understood these feeling of theirs before they signed up. Leeches, some are. They don't mind sucking up the bennies of the military but many of them want to condemn everything the military does. They seem to forget just what paid their bills last month.

Ted:

Good post, i hear what you are saying and understand where you are coming from.

However.......... :oww: ..........this goes back a little bit to the recruitment techniques that are used to get people enlisted. They pretty much make an offer that you can't refuse, I'm sure there's a bit of salesmenship involved in selling the idea of a military career. It's wrapped up in a nice package, the billboards are appealing, enticing advertisemnets.

Also......... :oww: ...........many who enlist are poor, coming from less privileged backgrounds with not a whole lot of choices in life, no money for college, etc. and the military offers a pretty good option for setting oneself up for life, regardless of ones political beliefs.

Unfortunately many enlist for reasons like these or others, not necessarily out of a patriotic duty.

On the positive side.......... .............it's far better than conscription and I am so thankful there is not an active draft at this time. We are very fortunate for this.

[Guest LadyC]

nebula, that story brought tears to my eyes.

the responses, some of them filled with hate and derision, made those tears fall.

[WayneB]

nebula, that story brought tears to my eyes.

the responses, some of them filled with hate and derision, made those tears fall.

Sister...just so you know, Ranum (spelling?) is still in my prayers. How is she liking the Marines so far?

[Guest LadyC]

nebula, that story brought tears to my eyes.

the responses, some of them filled with hate and derision, made those tears fall.

Sister...just so you know, Ranum (spelling?) is still in my prayers. How is she liking the Marines so far?

rana

she's already enlisted, but doesn't leave for bootcamp until june. she's still got to graduate high school. she is required to attend something every thursday evening, and i think two weekends a month, until she leaves for bootcamp though... some sort of new recruit training. maybe someone else can explain it in more detail! i know she told me that it was pretty rough last weekend, because she had a nasty cold which made her feel sorta weak, but she toughed it out and did ok... she was disappointed her performance was effected.

thanks for keeping her in your prayers. she needs them, all the way around.

[ted]

Actually, One, the new recruits coming in are more educated and from more well-to-do backrounds than the past. It's kinda a result of the all volunteer service. The drafts of the past seemed to take advantage of the poor because they had no money or standing in their communities to escape. The new volunteer service seemed to stem that tide. Of course, we now come from all different backrounds; from college graduates to dirt-poor pasts. The past drafts tended to grab people, use them for a war and then release them, but it's a bit different nowadays. We cant go "up the ladder" too far without having some kind of post high school education.

You're right about the recruitment stuff to a point. They do try to put alot of deoderant on what they are selling, but so does every other group that is selling something. You can't expect to sell the military to people if you only let them know about latrine duty. Much like any other product such as anything you buy( or buy into) you have to do your homework before you make a decision. Recruiters are required to let the potential recruit know all of his options by law. Before the deal is sealed, the recruit is counseled by the recruiter's boss to make sure they understand all that was promised him/her is written on paper. There are, of course, still the horror stories of new people coming in and finding out that the service was not what they were told it was gonna be.Some people have an image of what they feel like it should be and come in based on that. Same thing as someone buying a car that they have locked eyes on and are determined to get it no matter what. They don't think of all the stuff that could go wrong with it or that is bad with it already.

-LadyC, my friend joined the Marines in much the same way as your child did, before school was out and had to go through the same proccess. Report in every week and most weekends too. Kinda the Marine's way of keeping tabs on them until they go to boot camp. You can cheer her up with this; no matter how bad it is now, it'll get a whole lot harder when she gets there. I'll be praying for her and hope that she excells in all she does. God Bless her and thank her for me for her future service for her country.

All Praise His Name,

t.

PS- I caught you in a moment of weakness, OA. I can't believe you let the "dishes" comment go without a fight. Have a good day!

[Work in Progress]

Lady, did she sign up under the D.E.P? (delayed entry program). That is what my son did. They sign up still in H.S and between then and when they leave for bootcamp, they must go every weekend to training. Sometimes "training" will be touch football with all the new recruits from the area in the D.E.P, but there will always be real training also. It is a time to form brotherhoods (sisterhoods) also, and learn what to expect at boot and in the service, and the process of learning self denial, and being accountable to others starts.

Recruiters are required to let the potential recruit know all of his options by law. Before the deal is sealed, the recruit is counseled by the recruiter's boss to make sure they understand all that was promised him/her is written on paper.

Ted, you are right, that is exactly what happened with my son. And you are right about the quality of recruits also. Gone are the days that the service would take just anybody. It used to be that the Army was known for low standard soldiers, more so than all the other branches. Not so anymore - a diploma is a must, among other things. No more "dregs of society" that the Army used to be known for.

It was especially hard for us, because my son had a full paid scholarship to a major University, because he is very gifted. But, that darned recruiter came to the high school, lol. He got the "call" and we just couldn't believe how he would "throw away" a full University scholarship to join up. I am ashamed that, at first, I thought he was "wasting his gift". We laughed and thought this kid who couldn't stand to be told what to do, and who stayed up all night on the internet and slept half the day would never make it a day at bootcamp, (especially Marine boot) so not to worry. We truly thought it was just a phase that would pass. Well, boy did I learn that when a soul gets the call (and it is a "call", I'm convinced) to serve their country, they can not deny it. He knew he was called, and it gleamed in his eye and showed in his countenance from the day he signed up. He left for boot five days after 9/11 with me sobbing in the driveway as he left, wondering what in the world would happen to my baby. Long story short - it's the best thing he has ever done, the best choice he has ever made and we were so wrong and we now burst with pride for our son who is unselfishly dedicated to what he believes he is called to do. He has been in almost three years and is now applying to the Naval Academy.

Personally, I believe that every 18 year old should be required to serve two years. Many problems in this country would be solved if kids were required to spend two years denying self and learning discipline. (not to mention a ton of other great qualities) JMO.

[OneAccord]

PS- I caught you in a moment of weakness, OA. I can't believe you let the "dishes" comment go without a fight. Have a good day!

ted, guess what, I LOVE to do the dishes!!!! So no contention there!!!

[WayneB]

nebula, that story brought tears to my eyes.

the responses, some of them filled with hate and derision, made those tears fall.

Sister...just so you know, Ranum (spelling?) is still in my prayers. How is she liking the Marines so far?

rana

she's already enlisted, but doesn't leave for bootcamp until june. she's still got to graduate high school. she is required to attend something every thursday evening, and i think two weekends a month, until she leaves for bootcamp though... some sort of new recruit training. maybe someone else can explain it in more detail! i know she told me that it was pretty rough last weekend, because she had a nasty cold which made her feel sorta weak, but she toughed it out and did ok... she was disappointed her performance was effected.

thanks for keeping her in your prayers. she needs them, all the way around.

Bless you LadyC.

Where did I get "Ranum"???

Is that the pronunciation? Regardless, I am praying for Rana "in all matters" which you shared with us.

[Ovedya]

Very emotional but a little short on substance. Such outbursts of pride only prove that she didn't like what they were saying and got angry but it does nothing at all to prove they were wrong. What if it turns out they were right?

Oh my goodness, smash.....

I read this for the first time today, even though it's been on the boards for a week. I read the initial post with tears welling up in my eyes....The I read yours and my heart became cold.

Ya' know what, brother? I love you in the Lord - I really do - and I appreciate your conviction. But the next time you feel like raining on someone's heartfelt patriotic parade, maybe you could just let it go. Okay. I mean, seriously, brother. Sometimes you just need to let it go.

[Guest idolsmasher]

You know, if I was in this ladies situation I might feel much like her and I thought it was rather touching how the others had compassion and understanding for her. I just thought it worth bearing out that the emotional and patriotic response doesn't necessarily mean something is right or wrong. Of course, we can all sympathise with the woman's feelings given the situation. Anyway, nuff said!