Thank you Sen. Kerry.

Tae Kwon Do wrote: Tell us, oh noble OS, why did you join the military again?

ruh-roh

 

 

 

grr - bumped myself.  stupid triple-posting.

Edited by Clark Kent - 01 November 2006 at 10:39am

TKD I joined the military (initially after the request by the NYC Courts) and yet re-enlisted and continued in the military probably for the same reason or reasons you are in college and persuing your personal goals and career aspirations. I liked what I did, It was the best of times, yet the worst of times. Being a "Grunt" was fun. Why do you play paintball, a "wargame" a contridiction in belief system if you ask me

A simple disclaimer of social responsibility of military: 99.9 percent of the enlisted forces have at least a high school education, and 73.3 percent have been to college. Compare to your social standard "poor" community.


It is my sense of duty and honor, that even carries on today. As an example I can easily stay home, rest and recoup as per DR's orders, but I contacted my Diversity professor, and I will be there, braces and crutches, for the class debate on Friday, for there are three other students on my debate "team" that I will not let down, nor expect to carry my load in my absense.

I readily admit that I am not well edumacated in "high english" and do make the usual and frequent two fingered fast typing errors. (plus today the percocet isn't helping still some pain involved).

Actually recruiters can be found everywhere, in rich communities, poor, college campuses (those without the prejudice)and yes even in the poor communities. ROTC and Reserve and NG enlistments are up, yes for college assistance, why is it so expensive to be "trained" as a liberal, yet the military pays you to be "trained" as an American.

Edited by oldsoldier - 01 November 2006 at 11:15am

Actually the reverse is generally true. The higher educated and skilled re-enlist for second terms to complete training in desired skill fields or college. The usual entitlement mentality, future paper hat, name tag wearing individuals leave after first enlistments, not thinking long term.

Edited by oldsoldier - 01 November 2006 at 11:18am

There are those college educated who prefere to be in the enlisted ranks. It is a matter of choice, lead or be lead, education does not necesarily make a leader. And that fact is true in the military as well as in the bussiness world.

Edited by oldsoldier - 01 November 2006 at 11:30am

I'll be honest. I didn't even read this thread. This may have already been
said... but he made a dry joke and now it's being blown out of porportion.
That's all.


If someone has said that already...then sorry to repeat.

MT. Vigilante wrote: All officers are college educated, and there are quite a few of them in Iraq right now, so just because you are in Iraq doesn't mean you are un-educated.

That.  Is.  Not.  What.  TKD.  Was.  Saying.

How many times do we have to say that? 

And also, the military actually does not want people who are un-educated idiots, they want soldiers who have a pretty good level of intelligence because modern warfare requires it, that's why you can't join if you do not have a High School Diploma, and why they require good scores on the ASVAB test for most jobs in the military.

There's some truth and falsehood in there.  The military would obviously prefer to have smart people, but they have lowered their minimum requirements in recent years to meet recruiting goals, and there have been many reports of recruiters further bending those rules to accept folks who are borderline retarded or have psychological problems.

The HS diploma (or equivalent, mind you) requirement precedes "modern warfare" - I'm not sure I would agree that modern warfare is the reason behind that requirement.  More research required.

And just for the record, Kerry is just doing what he has always done since he got back from Vietnam, bad mouth everyone in the military by calling them Murderers, rapists, and most recently; idiots.

That's not what Kerry has "always done".  That is just factually incorrect.  And it is so blatantly factually incorrect that you obviously haven't even tried to look into it.

And he proves that he meant what he said by his refusal to appologize. So John Kerry further insults my inteligence by feeding me some crap about it being a joke that was misconstrued.

Or maybe it really WAS a joke that was misconstrued, in which case he would also not want to apologize?

MT. Vigilante wrote: And also, the military actually does not want people who are un-educated idiots, they want soldiers who have a pretty good level of intelligence because modern warfare requires it, that's why you can't join if you do not have a High School Diploma, and why they require good scores on the ASVAB test for most jobs in the military.

for the most part, the only jobs that require more than a grade-school education are in the "cw" and the "gs" pay grades
the highest required score on the asvab is for satellite communications, and it is not very demanding.

Edited by pattison - 01 November 2006 at 12:49pm

The military has had to adapt to the times, with education requirements, as well as adapting the "video game" skills of todays youth in developeing weapon systems and simulations. I found even before I retired in 92 that the understanding rate difference of high school grads and non, of even simple plotting boards, map reading and sequential skills could not be taught effectivly by simple repetition of task. Without a understanding of math, and english combat effectivness in some tasks not as complex as todays was suspect. ( I actually had an E-7 while I was in the Batts that actually could not read, he was unfortuanately carried along by the EEO programs)

I still train Res/NG's, and find that even HS grads have diffculty in mastering map reading navigation problems without GPS tech (what do you do if no battery or system breaksdown). Night land navigation training has a sustained failure rate of approx 50% with several retraining/retesting periods required.

Edited by oldsoldier - 01 November 2006 at 1:00pm

The condescending attitude, disrespectful tone and matter of fact nature of TKDs post is what set me off.

I joined the military out of high school because I did not get the "free ride" scholarship to play soccer and/or lacrosse that I was hoping for. After a brief tour of the country trying out for various MISL teams and losing a spot to a 40 year old German guy named Mueller, I joined the Army to find out what I might be good for other than sports.
My dad was career Army and retired a Master Sargeant (E8). Maybe I felt a sense of duty, and wanted to push myself. I really don't remember.
I do remember my Mom telling me that I could go to college if I wanted, and I had been accepted to several universities, the largest being the University of Maryland.
I enlisted, went to medic school, airborne school and Ranger school. Accomplishing that made me feel very proud and a sense of duty, honor and Country filled me.
It has instilled a life long sense of pride in me and I know that there is nothing in this life that I cannot overcome, physically or mentally.

I have lost plenty of friends to "training accidents", and enemy fire. I read alot of garbage about how soldiers give their lives so that people like TKD can spew their filth, protecting their "freedoms" and such.
I don't believe that. I believe that they died because they were in the wrong place, wrong time, protecting each other, and they were doing their job.
It doesn't make them stupid, or dumb. It makes them hard working, professionals that died a horrible death, away from home, and miserable.
It is offensive to me that someone, without so much as batting an eye can say in a public forum, that they died because they were dumb, or that they were in combat because they were dumb.
I hold 2 degrees from institutions of higher learning. One in education, and one in nursing. I don't consider myself stupid or dumb. The military was the best education I have ever received. I trained in emergency medical treatment techniques that were cutting edge and effective. On real patients, in real situations. I have delivered babies, pulled teeth, sewn ears back on, inserted tracheostomy tubes, chest tubes, and prescribed meds. All before my 20th birthday.
Quite a few of the emergency room docs I work with today were trained by the military. 2 of them were Marine grunts (enlisted). Probably the best docs that I know, and apparently they are dumb. Maybe they were unable to go to college by any other means. Dr. Mark Smith is walking around with pieces of NVA mortar in the back of his legs and scored perfect on the MCAT while addicted to morphine (Uncle Sam provided that monkey, he provided the back to carry it). Not a dumb man.
Pat Tillman graduated Summa Cum Laude from ASU with a degree in marketing, and chose to be an enlisted man. He joined with his brother, and they chose the contract that would test their mettle. They were good at what they did, they were professional soldiers. I really don't know how anyone would classify them as dumb or stupid.

Yet, TKD agrees with the Senator from Massachusetts.
I cannot possibly begin to understand the advanced cognitive abilities of such reasoning, but,I am just a dumb enlisted guy with no other options in life. So what would I know?

Rangers Lead the Way.
Sua Sponte

OK Cleark Kent, we get it that you know so much about politics.

just do us a favor and just go munch.