Have you served your country?

[stellarchief]

25 years active, couple more till I'm done

[oneoldtimer]

U.S.Navy 63-67
Helocopter combat squadron 1

[dralarms]

5 1/2 years in the Air Force 1978 to 1983.

[doyle01]

US Army Vietnam 1St Cav Div B co 1/12 1970-1971

[lgsracer]

US Navy 1976 - 1996, submarines, USS Haddo, USS Plunger, USS Parche, USS Greenling, USS Puffer, one tender USS Hunley (Holyloch Scotland), Shore duty: FLEASWTRACENPAC (sonar school San Diego), NAVSTA Subic Bay RP.

[Justme]

I was in the Air Force, but it was more of a "job" than a service. I did my job and I got paid fairly. My wife has never been in the military but is a doctor at the VA. She has also worked at a lot of clinics during her training where she was not paid fairly. She "served" our country more so than I.

After being in the AF I worked as an engineer helping design jets and accessories. In some ways I "served" my country more then than during active duty.

I read somewhere that men who have not been in the military feel like they have missed an important right of passage. Could be we need to expand our definition of "service" to help these poor souls with their inferiority complex?

[TEDDY]

ww2 1943 to 1951 AOM3C navy air

[Tennessee Gentleman]

21 years in the US Army

[gunfighter48]

US Army, Nov. 67 - Nov. 70, Signal Corp, Ft. Monmouth, NJ

[Hallucinator]

I served as a corpsman with Lima Company, Third Platoon, Third Battalion First Marines, I Corps, 1967-68.

[cdrt]

USN, 1970-1994
All the way from E-1 to O-5

[okiewita40]

U.S. Navy 1985-1993 spent most of my time with the marines. Desert Shield/storm 90/91.

[Black Adder LXX]

US Army right out of High School '87-'89.

[BRSmith]

1982-1987
USAF 410 Security Police Squadron, K.I.Sawyer AFB, Mich.

[aligator]

U.S.A.F, Air National Guard, 1953-1955, Air Force 1955-1977. Wish I had stayed longer

[Martyn4802]

US Army 1960 to 1970 Active Duty
Army Reserves 1970 to 1980-Retired in 1980

[sacp81170a]

USAF 1979-1989 Security Specialist and Supervisor

89th MSS, FE Warren AFB, WY (Minuteman III's and Peacekeepers)
485th TMW, Florennes AB, BE (GLCM)
TDY - All over the place...

[Engloid]

I serve...but not in the military. I have built many items for the military, that are used by thousands of personnel.

Lets not forget that even the average taxpayer serves a purpose in this country. We financially support those that are in the military, so that they have the things they need to do their job.

I"m not trying to discredit anybody in the military, but I want to remind you all that we all have a place in this country, and depend on others for things we cannot provide for ourselves.

[c4igrant]

I serve...but not in the military. I have built many items for the military, that are used by thousands of personnel.

Lets not forget that even the average taxpayer serves a purpose in this country. We financially support those that are in the military, so that they have the things they need to do their job.

I"m not trying to discredit anybody in the military, but I want to remind you all that we all have a place in this country, and depend on others for things we cannot provide for ourselves.

Let's not forget that people in the Military pay taxes as well! Trust me when I say that it is much easier to pay your taxes than to get shot at for under $15K a year!

How many people do you know will go into harms way, withstand long delployements (9-12 months without seeing your loved ones) for well under $20k a year??? The answer is very few to none. While you may be doing your part by paying taxes, that is NOTHING compared to what our Military goes through.


C4

[dyoun06]

1st Cavalry Division (68th Chemical & E. Co. 8th Eng. Bn.), Fort Hood, TX 1980-86
15th Psyops Bn., Fort Thomas, KY (now in Cincy), 1986-97 (IRR & Active Reserve)

[allenomics]

No, but quite often as a civilian volunteer.

[Engloid]

Let's not forget that people in the Military pay taxes as well! Trust me when I say that it is much easier to pay your taxes than to get shot at for under $15K a year!

They also get a lot more from the government...such as retirement and other benefits.

How many people do you know will go into harms way, withstand long delployements (9-12 months without seeing your loved ones) for well under $20k a year??? The answer is very few to none. While you may be doing your part by paying taxes, that is NOTHING compared to what our Military goes through.

Yeah, it's nothing....the guys overseas don't need us supporting them financially, do they?

Supporting the military is more than just sucking up to them on a message forum or shaking their hand. They NEED much more than that to survive.

[support_six]

I'm both retired Army (11 years active duty, 11 years reserve/guard), and have worked 20 years at a civilian career. Believe me, I will receive more from my civilian retirement than my military retirement. Engloid, if you suckered into believing what the recruiter told you about the great benefits, why didn't you join?

The military is a good life. I left active duty because the Army sent me to paid graduate school for a technical MS degree. I had to make a decision to either stay active Army and possibly watch all the technology advance past me, or get out, protect my years in by joining the reserves/guard, and staying current in my technical field. I chose the latter.

...but don't ever think the compensation is good enough to wipe away all those memories of constant moving (I moved 8 times in 11 years of active duty!), being away from home (I travel about 15% in my current civilian job, I travelled about 25% in my military job), pay that doesn't keep up with the civilian sector (and I am a retired "Officer", I know paygrades E1 - E6 struggle to keep a family!), making a spouse as excited about serving as the soldier, and combat!

I will soft-peddle this as much as possible, but one who has not experienced the "big green machine" (defference to you Navy/Air Force types - and my respect) doesn't have the knowledge to make a comparison. I respect all who serve in other capacities and I appreciate all who pay their fair share of taxes. ...and I do believe that all Citizens of the US have a right to exist. We don't just serve others in uniform. In fact, my method of serving now that I'm retired from the Army is to support some who still wear the uniform. I've given over $1000 worth of high quality combat knives (I have other interests besides firearms) to a few deserving soldiers and a Marine who live where you have to shake sand out of your boots every day. Vote for anyone who has the same values as you, but spend some time supporting one or more troops who had little to no say in their deployment.

[c4igrant]

They also get a lot more from the government...such as retirement and other benefits.

Really? Do you know how low the retirement pay is? Do you know how bad the medical care is? So no, they don't get "a lot" from the govt.

Yeah, it's nothing....the guys overseas don't need us supporting them financially, do they?

Troops deployed overseas don't need finacial support?? Don't follow that one at all.

Supporting the military is more than just sucking up to them on a message forum or shaking their hand. They NEED much more than that to survive.

I am ex-military so am not sure whom you are talking about that is sucking up.

Troops need lots of support from mutliple different areas for sure. Showing your gratitude as a civy is a first step.


C4

[talonap]

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 14 years.

ACTIVE: 1968 - 1972
USS Shangri-La CV-38
National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda MD
USS FD Roosevelt CV-42 1975-1977

ACTIVE RESERVE:
Preventive Medicine Unit, Forest Park IL