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

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a different country, my parents told me most people in power are selfish and one is a sucker for fighting the fat cats’ wars.
My advice: don’t make it partisan.
Also, the whole family might be lacking vision of alternative pathways in life. Study well and go to college is prob not part of their narrative.

[Anonymous]

Read a history book. GW Bush and Don Cheney never served in Vietnam. The burden of Vietnam was never shared equally between the rich and the poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coast guard

I second the CG. Coast Guard saves lives, while the other branches are conditioned to take lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. So much misinformation.

Go take a look at military benefits and pay. It’s pretty good. And the healthcare is free. And the lifestyle is great and you make life long friends. All the important members of congress have relatives in the military or were in it. Biden, Lindsey Graham, McCain, Bushes.

What the OP write is some kind of bizarre caricature.

Health care is not free. We pay a monthly fee and co-pays and deductibles if medical care is not on base. They also don't cover everything and we pay out of pocket which is really costly. The lifestyle may or may not be great. Clearly you have never done it. Military retirement pay is minimal for enlisted at 20 years. But, it did for my spouse what no one else would do for him - a job, a place to live and an education. Most of those members you are talking about only served a few years. Very different from retirees. The lifestyle can be great for 4-8 years but try it after you have kids.

Good luck in the civilian world then. I’m sure you’ll find those civilian jobs richly rewarding. Except the tax free housing allowance, college paid for, with a housing allowance to boot, surrounded by interesting people who have your back.

What service were you in? You seemed to have missed the major recreational discounts? Pretty short workdays for most of the time. Tax free shopping?

[Anonymous]

OP. I am afraid you are the misguided one.

You have selectively listed all the "bad" reasons you believe enlistment in the military is not the right choice for your nephew.
There are many reasons military service is a good choice for many. It teaches discipline, respect, physical fitness, and skills that young people today do not learn at home or at school. It also provides students with an opportunity for a college education, if they choose that route later.

Your nephew is his own person. It sounds as if he has thought about his choices and this is the way he wants to go. It is not up to you to change his mind.
If you are truly "close" to him, you should be supporting him, not convincing him that his respectable choice is wrong.

[Anonymous]

“The lifestyle can be great for 4-8 years but try it after you have kids.”

Not in the military but I live in Burke and the zillions of military families here seem really functional and generally happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Members of Congress know the truth too.
Very few Congress members, from both sides of the aisle, have relatives in the military.

This is very different than during Vietnam and WWII, when the sacrifice was much more shared between rich and poor.

My husband is a retiree. The military was his only option. It gave him a job and food and a roof over his head and he eventually got his degree. If you are too selfish to pay for college and just want to rant, then its none of your business. You know nothing about the military and it sounds like its his only option as his relatives are too selfish to help him.

Have to agree, unless you're offering up a viable alternative, you've said your peace and it's time to move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“The lifestyle can be great for 4-8 years but try it after you have kids.”

Not in the military but I live in Burke and the zillions of military families here seem really functional and generally happy.

So true. It almost seems like a scam the lifestyle is so good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coast guard

I second the CG. Coast Guard saves lives, while the other branches are conditioned to take lives.

They get deployed to combat areas and see combat.

https://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2018/07/tlbl-uscg-combat-operations-in-oif/

[Anonymous]

Air Force. I work with a bunch of AF guys. They call it chair force. And the tech is so transferable to private jobs.

[Anonymous]

I enlisted the military and ended up going to a war that I definitely didn't agree with (Iraq). It was difficult but ultimately a good experience. Very few people die or even get hurt in modern wars. I ended up spending 2 years in Iraq and only know one person who died, and she wasn't even in my unit.

Why was it a good experience? Iraq is a beautiful country with amazing people. I learned about government from the ground up, as we worked with the Iraqis to set up their own democratic system. I learned to appreciate a very different culture and the things the people there said to me have permanently changed my perspective. Now as a government executive dealing with other countries, I am able to relate to them as humans and don't find culture to be a barrier.

The Army paid for my undergrad and master's, gave me work experience that I was able to use to get a well paying job, and gave me access to VA mortgages so I was able to buy a house well before most people are able (without family money).

OP, I have uncles like you. They were openly contemptuous about my choice. I don't really talk to them anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I enlisted the military and ended up going to a war that I definitely didn't agree with (Iraq). It was difficult but ultimately a good experience. Very few people die or even get hurt in modern wars. I ended up spending 2 years in Iraq and only know one person who died, and she wasn't even in my unit.

Why was it a good experience? Iraq is a beautiful country with amazing people. I learned about government from the ground up, as we worked with the Iraqis to set up their own democratic system. I learned to appreciate a very different culture and the things the people there said to me have permanently changed my perspective. Now as a government executive dealing with other countries, I am able to relate to them as humans and don't find culture to be a barrier.

The Army paid for my undergrad and master's, gave me work experience that I was able to use to get a well paying job, and gave me access to VA mortgages so I was able to buy a house well before most people are able (without family money).

OP, I have uncles like you. They were openly contemptuous about my choice. I don't really talk to them anymore.

Thank you for your service. My son served 6 years. Apart from the training, educational opportunities, and other benefits, he formed relationships that will continue until the day he dies.
My father was career AF. When he passed away, the majority of people at his funeral were fellow airmen who served with him and who he had not seen in years.
You simply cannot understate the value in the relationships formed in the military.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. So much misinformation.

Go take a look at military benefits and pay. It’s pretty good. And the healthcare is free. And the lifestyle is great and you make life long friends. All the important members of congress have relatives in the military or were in it. Biden, Lindsey Graham, McCain, Bushes.

What the OP write is some kind of bizarre caricature.

Health care is not free. We pay a monthly fee and co-pays and deductibles if medical care is not on base. They also don't cover everything and we pay out of pocket which is really costly. The lifestyle may or may not be great. Clearly you have never done it. Military retirement pay is minimal for enlisted at 20 years. But, it did for my spouse what no one else would do for him - a job, a place to live and an education. Most of those members you are talking about only served a few years. Very different from retirees. The lifestyle can be great for 4-8 years but try it after you have kids.

Good luck in the civilian world then. I’m sure you’ll find those civilian jobs richly rewarding. Except the tax free housing allowance, college paid for, with a housing allowance to boot, surrounded by interesting people who have your back.

What service were you in? You seemed to have missed the major recreational discounts? Pretty short workdays for most of the time. Tax free shopping?

We are in the civilian world. We still spend at least $1K a month on health care and there is no GI Bill and other things given when my husband served. Tax free shopping - commissary is more expensive than Aldi's even when you use coupons and the NEX/AFFES is generally more expensive than TJ MAX or Marshalls for the same stuff. You really aren't saving that much in taxes if their prices are higher.

Recreational discounts. Ok, so you get discounted Disney tickets and cruises and a few other things but otherwise there isn't a huge savings like you think there is.

The housing allowance is so they can pay less so when you retire its based off pay not total compensation so it makes retirement a lot less than it should be. Its done to screw people over who retire, not help. Likewise, every year or so congress threatens to kick retirees off health care even though it was promised as free health care for the rest of our live and with all the costs is not really any cheaper. For us, its more stable as my spouse job jumps every few years but its not better which is why we have such high costs. I have had 4 primary care providers since January. I cannot get an appointment and have to use the ER as they claim to pay for urgent care clinics but when I go they say they don't pay or Tricare will not reimburse. Often you seen new unlicensed doctors or worse, residents or interns and even at speciality clinics the docs you are scheduled to see don't see you and pass you off on others.

Short work days - are you kidding? Duty Day starts extremely early so you may get out early but that's because you are at work before most people wake up. If you want to go away for the weekend you have to take leave for the weekend.

Civilian world is far more interesting and financially better. Military has its perks and it was very good for my spouse but you make it sound far better than it is and the perks are not really perks and many get the same perks or better in the government or civilian world. I'd rather have higher pay over a military housing allowance. I'd rather have the ability to select my doctors and have stable doctors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Air Force. I work with a bunch of AF guys. They call it chair force. And the tech is so transferable to private jobs.

Except not everyone is in tech jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear OP, your darling Clinton bombed the heck out of Serbia and Kosovo and Bosnia. Without the UN approval. I suppose this makes no difference to you as pilots were up in the air. and never set foot on the ground? Depleted uranium cluster bombs too, that shook the ground and people are suffering from cancers in % that are unheard of.
But all that we learned on dcum is that you are yet another preachy, judgy aunt that knows what's best for the whole world. Usually it is people like you that are quick to judge, and never there to lend a hand.

Do you have any points beside lame, wan whataboutism to deflect from the GOP's mistaken wars put on a credit card?

I wish there were two sides here. There were two sides in Vietnam, where both LBJ and Nixon bear massive responsibility (JFK much less, as it wasn't really clear how it would turn out in the early years.)

There are not two sides today. Republicans are at fault for getting American kids killed abroad in wars that were mistakes to start.

Two sides, with two Americans? I don't call that two sides in war. There were two sides, Vietnam and invaders of their country. The fact that you are seeing it as a US issue is so wrong and exactly what is wrong with Iran and US today. US is a bully, it causes wars where it has no place. For their own imperial reputation. Why is it so hard for you to acknowledge that Democrats starts wars and not just republicans?

You are nuts. Vietnam war was many years ago and the discussion of joining the military is not relevant. If you don't agree, then pay for this young man to go to college or vocational school. Problem solved.

How about you pay for his funeral, if this nephew gets killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, or this Iran War the current admin wants to start? In fact, pay his parents for the value of his life - a life is usually estimated at over a million dollars.

If you don't agree with him avoiding the military, pay his parents back for their dead kid. Problem solved.

Military has free burial if killed in active duty. Military has free burial plots (but you have to pay for other expenses) for retirees like us. If you feel so strongly about it, pay for him to go to college. My husband would have loved an aunt or uncle to step in and help him. You are extremely selfish and self-serving.