My nephew wants to join the military. I think only suckers agree to fight Republican wars. Advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you that in elite Republican circles (donors, politicians, lobbyists, think tanks, the people that control the party) they absolutely do denigrate the people who enlist in the military as stupid. Usually it’s just to lump them in with the other “useful fools” in the GOP base that they can control by controlling the news media and preachers.

But the people who start the wars do look down on people in the military as not being very smart. (As mentioned above: there’s a reason few politicans’ kids are in the military today. It was different 50 years ago.)

Not true. You're projecting. The only people I've ever heard denigrate men and women who join the military are Democrats.

Twice as many Republicans as Democrats in Congress were in the military themselves. It's about 18 percent of the Congress, total (vs. 12.7 percent of the total US population over 18 that are veterans).

96 total veterans in the 116th Congress.
30 are Democrats, 66 are Republicans.
19 will serve in the Senate, 77 will serve in the House.
48 served in the military after 2000.
21 served in the military in the 1960s or earlier.
19 are first-time lawmakers.
7 are women.
50 served in the Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
17 served in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve.
17 served in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard.
13 served in the Navy or Naval Reserve.
1 served in the Coast Guard.

Not true. Go read the Political Forum. The Rs tear down McCain as a “bad” soldier, Buttigieg as a wimp, and anyone with a “lesser” job like a technician as worthless. They crap all over people in the military if they weren’t deployed multiple times to active war zones.

The only people I've *ever* heard denigrate the military are liberals. Especially on this site. So many ugly comments regarding those who serve our country. It's really too bad the military has to protect all U.S. citizens, because there are some who deserve no protection whatsoever.
-DP

Seriously. Check out the Political board. It’s really disgusting how some MAGA people in the military view other people in the military.

+1 Not safe to assume where someone stands regarding the military based on political party. There are plenty of Rs in congress who wave the flag then vote against bills that would help vets. Do not confuse supporting war with supporting troops. There are also a lot of Ds in uniform.

OP, I understand your fears but there are a lot of great jobs in the military and it’s his life. There are a thousand directions he could go- maybe just talk to him about which path interests him and why. Encourage him to put a lot of thought into it. The military is incredibly diverse and can be very rewarding. There are some good posts here and also a lot of misinformation. I suggest you open your mind and meet some military people from a variety of fields, branches, and ranks. His experience will vary depending on these things and he should understand all the choices and opportunities so he can make the best decision for himself.

(Liberal spouse of a retired GO)

[Anonymous]

Wow, calling men and women in uniform suckers. You are disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Why the hell hasn't this been moved to the political forum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you that in elite Republican circles (donors, politicians, lobbyists, think tanks, the people that control the party) they absolutely do denigrate the people who enlist in the military as stupid. Usually it’s just to lump them in with the other “useful fools” in the GOP base that they can control by controlling the news media and preachers.

But the people who start the wars do look down on people in the military as not being very smart. (As mentioned above: there’s a reason few politicans’ kids are in the military today. It was different 50 years ago.)

Not true. You're projecting. The only people I've ever heard denigrate men and women who join the military are Democrats.

Twice as many Republicans as Democrats in Congress were in the military themselves. It's about 18 percent of the Congress, total (vs. 12.7 percent of the total US population over 18 that are veterans).

96 total veterans in the 116th Congress.
30 are Democrats, 66 are Republicans.
19 will serve in the Senate, 77 will serve in the House.
48 served in the military after 2000.
21 served in the military in the 1960s or earlier.
19 are first-time lawmakers.
7 are women.
50 served in the Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
17 served in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve.
17 served in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard.
13 served in the Navy or Naval Reserve.
1 served in the Coast Guard.

Not true. Go read the Political Forum. The Rs tear down McCain as a “bad” soldier, Buttigieg as a wimp, and anyone with a “lesser” job like a technician as worthless. They crap all over people in the military if they weren’t deployed multiple times to active war zones.

The only people I've *ever* heard denigrate the military are liberals. Especially on this site. So many ugly comments regarding those who serve our country. It's really too bad the military has to protect all U.S. citizens, because there are some who deserve no protection whatsoever.
-DP

Seriously. Check out the Political board. It’s really disgusting how some MAGA people in the military view other people in the military.

Trump supporters inside and outside of the military value and respect our soldiers. What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Read this thread

https://twitter.com/USArmy/status/1131704927963766785

[Anonymous]

lemme think

I didn’t serve but my brother did
he never went to war but still shot himself in the head so
54
1.6K
28.7K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
he was the sweetest most tender person I’ll ever know and the
@USArmy
ruined him
9
480
17.2K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
oh wait I have another brother who served also without fighting

he’s been f’d up in the head paranoid and violent for forty years ever since and I don’t even know where he is or if he’s still alive

and the stories he told FROM STATESIDE
25
557
16.5K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
thanks y’all for the likes...I miss these guys with all my heart and soul ??
35
74
7.4K

Andi in Philly, MA, MSW
@philadelphiandi
·
May 24
I am so sorry. The way we fail our service members hurts my heart. My grandfather served in the Korean War and had nightmares until his death at 91 years old. We must do better.
22
211
6.7K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
Thank you
8
8
1.4K

ryan caldwell
@rycaldwell
·
May 24
if you're looking for some insight about PTSD and those who don't even fight, this was an enlightening read. <3

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
amazon.com
3
12
178

ryan caldwell
@rycaldwell
·
18h

@sebastianjunger
1
20
1 more reply

Brandon Neely
@BrandonTXNeely
·
5h
Replying to
@USArmy
I served 5 years. What my time in service taught me was torture is ok in the eyes of the government as long as they are brown and Muslims. I learned that we can fake intel to invade any country we want.
11
483
2.7K

Brandon Neely
@BrandonTXNeely
·
5h
Now after 2 deployments I am left with nightmares, I don’t want to be around people, I went through a period where I was a drunk, I feel like I am just a burden on the ones I love and to top it off I don’t feel like I can love anymore.
16
81
1.4K

Brandon Neely

There are times I get so angry I just want to smash sh*t for no reason as still. The affect this has had on my family is indescribable.

Much more on the Twitter thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

lemme think

I didn’t serve but my brother did
he never went to war but still shot himself in the head so
54
1.6K
28.7K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
he was the sweetest most tender person I’ll ever know and the
@USArmy
ruined him
9
480
17.2K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
oh wait I have another brother who served also without fighting

he’s been f’d up in the head paranoid and violent for forty years ever since and I don’t even know where he is or if he’s still alive

and the stories he told FROM STATESIDE
25
557
16.5K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
thanks y’all for the likes...I miss these guys with all my heart and soul ??
35
74
7.4K

Andi in Philly, MA, MSW
@philadelphiandi
·
May 24
I am so sorry. The way we fail our service members hurts my heart. My grandfather served in the Korean War and had nightmares until his death at 91 years old. We must do better.
22
211
6.7K

penni on the move
@Pennijj
·
May 24
Thank you
8
8
1.4K

ryan caldwell
@rycaldwell
·
May 24
if you're looking for some insight about PTSD and those who don't even fight, this was an enlightening read. <3

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
amazon.com
3
12
178

ryan caldwell
@rycaldwell
·
18h

@sebastianjunger
1
20
1 more reply

Brandon Neely
@BrandonTXNeely
·
5h
Replying to
@USArmy
I served 5 years. What my time in service taught me was torture is ok in the eyes of the government as long as they are brown and Muslims. I learned that we can fake intel to invade any country we want.
11
483
2.7K

Brandon Neely
@BrandonTXNeely
·
5h
Now after 2 deployments I am left with nightmares, I don’t want to be around people, I went through a period where I was a drunk, I feel like I am just a burden on the ones I love and to top it off I don’t feel like I can love anymore.
16
81
1.4K

Brandon Neely

There are times I get so angry I just want to smash sh*t for no reason as still. The affect this has had on my family is indescribable.

Much more on the Twitter thread.

That thread should be mandatory reading for anyone thinking of signing up. Our veterans deserve much, much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you that in elite Republican circles (donors, politicians, lobbyists, think tanks, the people that control the party) they absolutely do denigrate the people who enlist in the military as stupid. Usually it’s just to lump them in with the other “useful fools” in the GOP base that they can control by controlling the news media and preachers.

But the people who start the wars do look down on people in the military as not being very smart. (As mentioned above: there’s a reason few politicans’ kids are in the military today. It was different 50 years ago.)

Not true. You're projecting. The only people I've ever heard denigrate men and women who join the military are Democrats.

Twice as many Republicans as Democrats in Congress were in the military themselves. It's about 18 percent of the Congress, total (vs. 12.7 percent of the total US population over 18 that are veterans).

96 total veterans in the 116th Congress.
30 are Democrats, 66 are Republicans.
19 will serve in the Senate, 77 will serve in the House.
48 served in the military after 2000.
21 served in the military in the 1960s or earlier.
19 are first-time lawmakers.
7 are women.
50 served in the Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
17 served in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve.
17 served in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard.
13 served in the Navy or Naval Reserve.
1 served in the Coast Guard.

Not true. Go read the Political Forum. The Rs tear down McCain as a “bad” soldier, Buttigieg as a wimp, and anyone with a “lesser” job like a technician as worthless. They crap all over people in the military if they weren’t deployed multiple times to active war zones.

The only people I've *ever* heard denigrate the military are liberals. Especially on this site. So many ugly comments regarding those who serve our country. It's really too bad the military has to protect all U.S. citizens, because there are some who deserve no protection whatsoever.
-DP

Seriously. Check out the Political board. It’s really disgusting how some MAGA people in the military view other people in the military.

Trump supporters inside and outside of the military value and respect our soldiers. What are you talking about?

Vets insult other vets in various threads on political. If I had a link handy I’d share.

Even on the rolling thunder thread was a vet who questioned others if they were “in country” or not. As if it mattered.

[Anonymous]

The problem with using the term vet is it could mean the person served one day, 20+ years to retirement or anything in between. I don't really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat as a spouse of a retiree. Most I know in that situation use it as bragging rights vs. most retirees I know rarely mention it in less it comes up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with using the term vet is it could mean the person served one day, 20+ years to retirement or anything in between. I don't really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat as a spouse of a retiree. Most I know in that situation use it as bragging rights vs. most retirees I know rarely mention it in less it comes up.

You don’t think much of vets who just served a few years unless they were in active combat?

Are you a Trump supporter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with using the term vet is it could mean the person served one day, 20+ years to retirement or anything in between. I don't really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat as a spouse of a retiree. Most I know in that situation use it as bragging rights vs. most retirees I know rarely mention it in less it comes up.

You don’t think much of vets who just served a few years unless they were in active combat?

Are you a Trump supporter?

What a stupid comment. ^^^ Why are you being deliberately divisive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with using the term vet is it could mean the person served one day, 20+ years to retirement or anything in between. I don't really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat as a spouse of a retiree. Most I know in that situation use it as bragging rights vs. most retirees I know rarely mention it in less it comes up.

You don’t think much of vets who just served a few years unless they were in active combat?

Are you a Trump supporter?

No, absolutely not. But those who served a few months or a few years stateside had a very different experience. I get sick of listening to people who served a few years doing a basic job brag about the good old days in the military. You don't seem to understand its a very different kind of service and I think its offensive that they get the same benefits as those who were injured in combat or served 10+ years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with using the term vet is it could mean the person served one day, 20+ years to retirement or anything in between. I don't really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat as a spouse of a retiree. Most I know in that situation use it as bragging rights vs. most retirees I know rarely mention it in less it comes up.

You don’t think much of vets who just served a few years unless they were in active combat?

Are you a Trump supporter?

No, absolutely not. But those who served a few months or a few years stateside had a very different experience. I get sick of listening to people who served a few years doing a basic job brag about the good old days in the military. You don't seem to understand its a very different kind of service and I think its offensive that they get the same benefits as those who were injured in combat or served 10+ years.

As a woman who served only 5 years but one of those years in a theater of combat, I agree. You get basically the same benefits for hanging out in San Diego as you do for going into combat. I don't begrudge the people who didn't go to war, but this system isn't equitable. Yes, I got combat pay, but it is a pittance and not commensurate with the risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with using the term vet is it could mean the person served one day, 20+ years to retirement or anything in between. I don't really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat as a spouse of a retiree. Most I know in that situation use it as bragging rights vs. most retirees I know rarely mention it in less it comes up.

You don’t think much of vets who just served a few years unless they were in active combat?

Are you a Trump supporter?

No, absolutely not. But those who served a few months or a few years stateside had a very different experience. I get sick of listening to people who served a few years doing a basic job brag about the good old days in the military. You don't seem to understand its a very different kind of service and I think its offensive that they get the same benefits as those who were injured in combat or served 10+ years.

Someone please correct me if I’m missing something, but are veterans eligible for lifetime benefits (health insurance, etc) if they served stateside for 4-5 years and never saw combat? That seems like a huge expense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with using the term vet is it could mean the person served one day, 20+ years to retirement or anything in between. I don't really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat as a spouse of a retiree. Most I know in that situation use it as bragging rights vs. most retirees I know rarely mention it in less it comes up.

You don’t think much of vets who just served a few years unless they were in active combat?

Are you a Trump supporter?

What a stupid comment. ^^^ Why are you being deliberately divisive?

Because a PP a few posts back said “Trump supporters inside and outside of the military value and respect our soldiers.”

And this PP said “I don’t really think much of those who served a few years in less they were in active combat.”

Doesn’t sound respectful to me...so I was curious if PP was a Trump supporter.