Would You Encourage Your Kid to Join the Military?

What a difference a year makes. would you actually encourage your kid to join the military?

The Sobering of America
By Timothy Garton Ash
The Guardian UK

Thursday 30 July 2005

US foreign policy is getting better - and that's partly because Iraq has got worse.
To return to America after an absence of six months is to find a nation sobered by reality. The reality of debt and lost jobs. The reality of rising China. Above all, the reality of Iraq.

This new sobriety was exemplified by President Bush's speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday night. Beforehand, as the camera panned across row upon row of soldiers in red berets, the television commentator warned us that the speech might last a long time, since it was likely to be interrupted by numerous rounds of heartfelt applause from this loyal military audience. In fact, the audience interrupted him with applause just once. Once! Lines that during last autumn's election rallies drummed up a certain storm ("We will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins") were now met with a deafening silence. Stolidly they sat, the serried soldiers, clean-shaven, square-jawed, looking slightly bored and, in at least one case that I spotted, rhythmically chewing gum.

If this question was after the incidents of 9/11 I would have said, yes, even my husband was ready to re-enlist if necessary.

But now I will said that I do not encourage my children to join, but if they decide to do it anyway, they have my support.

Before 9-11, even after until the Iraq war, I always encouraged kids to give the military a shake.

These days though, I don't. I think the military is being mishandled.

The article you posted is complete BS. These soldiers were ordered not to applause.

www.cjrdaily.org...

Last night, NBC News' Brian Williams thought to ask. Noting that "some folks at home were no doubt curious about the lack of applause breaks," and that "by pre-agreement between the White House and Fort Bragg there was no entry applause as the soldiers were at attention," and that "we were 23 minutes into it before the first break for applause," Williams wondered to colleague Kelly O'Donnell whether "the crowd [was] addressed or given instructions in any way before the president came out." O'Donnell replied that she "checked" and that the audience was "told to follow military protocol and be to polite."

CNN's Wolf Blitzer also made an effort to explain the audience's silence: "There was no rah-rah, hoo-hahs from this group," Blitzer said moments after the president concluded. "That clearly was the instruction from the White House, the commander in chief. A very respectful response for the president ..."

On Fox, Carl Cameron explained the missing "hoo-hahs" thusly: "One of the things we were told today by the military brass is that the soldiers were all given strict instruction to avoid their hoo-hahs." Luckily, Cameron continued, before the speech began, some officers warmed up the crowd and "let them do their hoo-hahs before the president got here."

Okay, so it was the White House that didn't want the assembled soldiers to come off as a bunch of yahoos who have watched Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman" one too many times. But if the White House ordered no spontaneous displays of approval (hoo-hahing or otherwise), how to explain the one moment of applause mid-speech? The AP's Tom Raum could only wonder, noting that the soldiers applauded "in unison after one key passage, as if on cue ..." (Italics ours.)

So who was doing the cueing?

Both NBC and Fox got to the bottom of it.

NBC's O'Donnell reported that the "one applause was triggered by members of the [Bush] advance team. They were a few feet from me. They started to applaud. It was contagious, it swept through the room." Fox's Cameron, too, observed that "a couple of Bush staffers in back of the auditorium began to applaud" and the soldiers soon joined in.

Originally posted by Carseller4
The article you posted is complete BS. These soldiers were ordered not to applause.

That is laughable.

If you sleep better at night believing that bunk, then good for you.

I will in no way encourage my children to enlist in the military. If they choose to do so, I will only ask them to do plenty of research and stand behind whatever decesion they may make. I love my daughter fiercly and no matter what her decesions in life are, my love for her will never change.

Carseller, you may not agree with the posted article, but really, you didnt even attempt to understand the underlying question that was posted. Would you encourage you children to join the military right now?

Originally posted by Kidfinger
I will in no way encourage my children to enlist in the military. If they choose to do so, I will only ask them to do plenty of research and stand behind whatever decesion they may make. I love my daughter fiercly and no matter what her decesions in life are, my love for her will never change.

Yours is the voice of a patriot.

Carseller, you may not agree with the posted article, but really, you didnt even attempt to understand the underlying question that was posted. Would you encourage you children to join the military right now?

That's one of those questions that vex Bush supporters. None of them want their kids involved, yet they are all for it.

I hear you loud and clear there EastCoastKid

That's one of those questions that vex Bush supporters. None of them want their kids involved, yet they are all for it.

I would never encourage my children to enlist. Not because I think that there are not any causes to fight for. But because I don't feel that we belong in Iraq any more than we belonged in Vietnam.


There is no way the the Bush girls would enlist. Because there Father would never allow it. I used to think, when I was a young optimist. That the leaders of the country's involved should get in a boxing ring. No gloves no rules. Let them kill each other for all I care, then no one would have to die for them.
just my 2cnts.

[edit on 7/2/2005 by Rhiannon1968]

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
That's one of those questions that vex Bush supporters. None of them want their kids involved, yet they are all for it.

What on earth are you talking about? The majority of the soldiers in Iraq ARE Bush supporters. They get support and encouragement from their families all the time. You think that the people in the military right now are just there by mistake? My parents are Bush supporters, and I'm currently thinking of joining the military, and they would support me all the way. My mom even encourages it.

That is laughable.

If you sleep better at night believing that bunk, then good for you.

So you'll believe your source but not his? Maybe I'm wrong and you have good reason, or are you just selective when you choose which sources to believe?

[edit on 4-7-2005 by Herman]

I would first and foremost push that my son to get his education and then if he still wanted to then I would support him.
As a prior member of the military, I still think that the military today has a lot to offer in the way of character building that is lacking in most of the american society. Yes, has the military changed of the last few years? Yes, but that does not detract the self-reliance, the teamwork that being a member of the military teachs.

Originally posted by kenshiro2012
I would first and foremost push that my son to get his education and then if he still wanted to then I would support him.

Same here.

As a prior member of the military, I still think that the military today has a lot to offer in the way of character building that is lacking in most of the american society.

I agree. The military is in itself, an honorable profession and a very useful one for teaching young people very valuable traits and lessons. It's a shame that it's been so corrupted in recent years.

Yes, has the military changed of the last few years? Yes, but that does not detract the self-reliance, the teamwork that being a member of the military teachs.

teamwork.. when Shinseki proposed that stupid motto "Army of One," I wanted to go off! There is not such thing as an Army of one! No one gets through it completely on their own. Everyone needs a push or pull in some area. That motto is so ridiculous, so freaken PC, its unreal. And don't get me started on ALL of them now being authorized to wear berets...

ECK, I agree, the "Army of One" is such a ridiculous catch phrase that it is not even funny!
Berets? What's up with that? Not familiar with it.

Originally posted by kenshiro2012
Berets? What's up with that? Not familiar with it.

In order to boost each soldier's self-esteem ( ), Shinseki took the black berets away from the Rangers, gave them TAN berets, and authorized all soldiers (irregardless of specialty training or the lack of) to wear the black beret.

It totally cheapens the training and hard work of those past soldiers, who once actually earned the right to wear a beret, through blood, sweat and tears.

So they will look good. Memo to recruits: If you wanna look good - go join the Navy!

It especially peeves me because, take Air Assault for example, I went through Air Assault training and got my wings. I could not wear an Air Assault beret, though, b/c the majority of soldiers at Ft. Campbell refused to go through the training.. Common refrain: Why would I wanna jump out of a perfectly good aircraft?! We were only authorized to wear our Midnight Blue berets if X percentage of Ft. Campbell soldiers were Air Assault qualified. Forget about those John Wayne delusions. It simply wasn't gonna happen. Not that many soldiers were actually gung-ho.

That beret sho woulda looked nice with my class A's and glassy jump boots.

I have no kids but I would like to voice my opinion still, if that is alright. I'll admit the military is scary these days but still someone needs to be fighting for whatever reason. If no one joins minds well just give our country to Bin Laden because we sure as heck cant fight for it. Oh well we can have a militia try but how trained are 8 completely different rag-tag militias. They wouldn't handle it.

Now to answer your question. This will have to be hypothetical on account that I don't have kids. I would encourage joining the military if thats something my child wants to do. If he/she doesn't want to I'm not going to force it, thats the drafts job. If it was my only son I would say you better get back here in one piece and make some babies for my family when your done because it would be up to him to keep the family name going. My Dad tells this to me everyday.

Now I want to answer the question using myself. I care not how the military is used. Whether to fight British or to fight Iraqis in a war that is going to hell. I am going to join and support my country in whatever endeavors it chooses to partake in. That doesn't mean I won't be scared to do so or to die. Not for any selfish reason of my own but because I don't want to put my family in that situation. I know there are people over there and families in that situation everyday and I feel for them. They are true heroes. I pray everyday it gets better and I know that it will. It's only a matter of time.

As for your beret issue ECK. I totally agree its BS. They worked hard for those and deserve respect. They didn't wear them because they had low self-esteem, they earned tem. I guess it's just that America's youth, or a majority of them, are lazy non-working and need a reason for everything. I say a majority because I know that there are youth out there that aren't. Anyways I'm rambling again so I'm done.

9890

Originally posted by EastCoastKid


So they will look good.

Memo to recruits: If you wanna look good - go join the Navy!

I think you ment AirForce Unless your version of looking good includes bluejean bell bottems and an ugly button up denim shirt. Yeah, the dress blues and whites are sharp, but for military fashion, look to the airforce. Heck they even wear scarves

Whether or not I'd encourage my son to join isn't hinged on teh events of 9/11 or Iraq, but my mistrust of the military being used by those who are trying to shape the world.
This mistrust stems from Bosnia more so than any recent event.

Well I'm not out of high school yet, but I intend on joining the military when I'm older. I don't agree with the war in Iraq but I realize that somebody has to do it and I think I'd benefit from a few years service. I don't have kids yet so I wouldn't really know the anwser, but I'd gladly encourage any of the kids in my school to join. After all if nothing else, maybe these kids would learn that war is not just an FPS with better graphics.

Well, alright, but go to college first, get a degree, and then become an officer.
Then, go Navy.

Bah, Navy. Go Air Force. Fly planes blow up unsuspecting enemies. Or go Marines and buckle up for the ride of your life.

Originally posted by 9890
Bah, Navy. Go Air Force. Fly planes blow up unsuspecting enemies. Or go Marines and buckle up for the ride of your life.

Bah Navy? Do you realize that the Navy has their own 'air force'? Do you also realize that the Navy has ground and water troops that are Highly trained moreso than your average Marine? Check out the SAR's units, or the SEALS. Thats right people. The Navy is its own self contained fighting unit, for those who just think they are a bunch of puddle pirates

[edit on 7/11/05 by Kidfinger]