I almost shed a tear....but its been 10 years since I have

reply to post by AdamAnt


...i know a woman who murdered two people and will never get out of prison... we are connected via extended family... none of the family condoned or made excuses for her behavior... i hate what she did but that didnt make me hate her...

...some people cant make that seperation (act vs actor) and i think thats the key to understanding the rather new hatred of military people... i also think a lot of that hatred is just monkey see monkey do behavior, the latest fashion craze kind of junk...

...the problem isnt just those who damn all military people... theres plenty of military people (and especially the wannabees) that reek of entitlement and supremacy...

...i pointed out on another thread yesterday (but it got lost in the mayhem) that if you're going to damn all military people, you better bone up your knowledge base and damn everyone who works for boeing, ford, haliburton and even mcdonalds... some folks got it, some never will... isnt that way the it always goes...

Originally posted by AdamAnt
reply to post by Tachalka

 

Not kidding at all, there are plenty that are to timid, weak, and lack discipline to survive in the military. And I'm not even talking about the war and fighting part. There were plenty of cadets while in high school who were scared to join simply becasue they could not handle authority, and were scared the Drill Sgt was gonna yell at them... and they lacked discipline. Or they really were quite timid. Basic training tends to weed those type of people out.... I know plenty of men now that are bitter with the military because they were phased out during basic training cause they could not hack it...

I know there are many people that are indeed too 'timid' to join the military, therefore they don't. Simple. I am not arguing that fact.

I have a problem with your generalisation in the OP - 'Don't bash us for choosing a career you are too timid to choose'... this macho comment like you are somehow better or manlier than somebody who didn't choose to join the military is total bull-#.

Ever consider that people have reasons for not wanting to join? it is not just 'you aren't strong enough'.
Besides many people don't agree with the BS bullying wars our countries spend most their time fighting.

I had 2 young children and was already earning 3 times more than a soldiers starting wage at just 22... That was my reason for not joining up, nothing to do with me being too timid..... Thanks.

reply to post by AdamAnt


I sit here in a nice country home surrounded by my children and grand children and all I can say is thank you for your help. I am too old to fight but I can pull a trigger! I have four grand children here. I love them every one. Especially the one their mother tried to kill!
There is no black or white on the battle field. There is only Americans. You are American, I don't care if you are black or white or green. You are fighting for us. I salute you all. In the dark there is no black or white! Only those for us and those against us.
You signed up to fight for this "America" God bless you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by kn0wh0w
It has nothing to do with someone being to timid to take the military route, some us dont see the pride and honor in killing people, fighting unjust wars and taking orders from a corrupt government.

Sorry, just how i feel.

Allthough i gave you a star for expressing your opinion in a well versed manner, respect!

edit on 10-8-2011 by kn0wh0w because: (no reason given)

edit on 10-8-2011 by kn0wh0w because: (no reason given)

Just to add to this comment, I was the same as you ( OP) but backed out for personal reasons and not for being timid. When I went to MEPS and started the processes I asked the questions that recruiters hated. Are the options I pick in my contract guaranteed and is schooling also guaranteed, the answers were no. I consider the other conditions of my service, my would be commander and chief at the time, Clinton. I would have to say my personal beliefs about said POTUS at the time were the strongest reason of the two. 4 years earlier Clinton sent our guys in to Somalia ill prepared and outnumbered, many were slaughtered and pulled through the street all because of bureaucrat decisions. Also he had single handily past the assault weapons ban which I deemed an unconstitutional crime against our rights. So no I wasn’t timid, I just choose my conscience and personal beliefs over a life of servitude to a government that crap on our liberties.

reply to post by copperhead12


This is hands down The Best Post I have read on ATS.

I cannot do the work of a soldier. However, I can support you and let you know that you are appreciated.

reply to post by AdamAnt


I choose my battles and avoid having someone else do it for me.
Too timid? I have been shot at, not fun. all on my own, no back up no air support, no weapon. unscarred. terrified but still alive.

I respect fighting men and women, best mate, brother and grandfather all soldiers.

But don't try to avoid the reality here. Like virtually every soldier that has ever seen combat YOU didn't have an effing clue what to expect. Once you found out, your opinion changed dramatically.

There is no glory in war. It is the worst humanity has to offer.
A soldier isn't brave for signing up, they are nieve.
The bravery comes later.

Believing you still defend democracy and all is the issue here...
Too weak or shy to get into the army? Clever enough to stay out of it perhaps...Or too dumb to get a job where you may need to think. See, many viewpoints here, try not to piss the people reading your post when you type it...

reply to post by AdamAnt


I joined the army in 1980, fully expecting to be sent to a war that seemed to be brewing. I did it because of economic hardship and became quite Hooah!

I did eventually get sent to a war. I didn't mind. That was what I was getting paid for.

While I was serving in the deserts, one of my sisters would mail me these conspiracy ideas, about why the war was started in the first place. it didn't deter me from doing what was expected of me, though. However, I did see that prior to the war, my unit had participated in a mock computer war just a few weeks prior to the invasion of Iraqis into Kuwait. That was a major clue to me that this was all a set up. Planned in advance. And the war went just like the computer simulation.

My unit suffered hundreds of deaths. From stupidity. From accidents while driving. But when the actual battles occured, only 8 died. And they died from friendly fire. An entire division participating in a war, and only 8 casualties!! And not from enemy fire.

Anyway, when I see a black man, I don't assume he's a thug. Just saying...........

reply to post by AdamAnt


being in the military was your decision. choosing not to earn a paycheck that involves sidearms and other weapons is not being "timid".

Timid - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/
timid - lacking in courage or self-confidence . 2. : lacking in boldness or determination.

there are a lot of children raised by veteran parents that tell the truth of what they experienced. i'm from a family with many Marine veterans: father, uncles, cousins, nephews. i listened and learned. not wanting to shoot or kill people does not make one timid. there is nothing wrong with being a civilian, just as it is okay to object to the death and destruction of war.

Originally posted by AdamAnt
Dont hate us because we chose a path you were to timid to take.

Maybe it wasn't being "timid" maybe it was waking up to the fact that the military is a bunch of hired killers doing the dirty work for the corporate elite and bankers...

Defending our freedom? ya right..

Originally posted by AdamAnt
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

I think you need to figure out who the real enemies are..

reply to post by AdamAnt


Its almost 10 years!!! Wow. It was Aug 23 i took that oath. i wasnt supposed to until Sept. 12. 2001. Thats right kids!! I got called in early! for what? oh.. you should be able to figure that out!!!

Originally posted by HardyWhite
reply to post by AdamAnt

 

Its almost 10 years!!! Wow. It was Aug 23 i took that oath. i wasnt supposed to until Sept. 12. 2001. Thats right kids!! I got called in early! for what? oh.. you should be able to figure that out!!!

Yeah, you started securing and fighting for cheney's pipelines through afghanistan.
I remember, clear as day.

reply to post by AdamAnt


Hey Man,

I've said it before, respect is earned by people who choose to protect their country. Plain and simple. If something does go wrong they're the ones who march out.

What people get angry angry about (in my eyes) is how they are used.
Big distinction between the soldier and who commands him.

Unfortunately it seems that soldiers are being used more like mercenaries than protectors. Its not necessarily an individual soldiers fault but the system they get assimilated in to and ease in which that system is manipulated.

Free thought, questioning authority and individualism are not high on the agenda in training.
How do we change this system and what changes need to be made to make it better?

From one brother to another...
HOOAH!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

reply to post by AdamAnt


This is not the UK that post was great man lol seriously i loved it

My only comment here is in response to those who continually refer to U.S. Military's actions in both Iraq and Afghanistan as "invasions" and stating that our soldiers are just "murdering" innocent people.

I'm sorry, but I spent a year in Iraq and am still currently in Afghanistan and these are far from "invasions". This is not a pitched battle where our soldiers are on one side and local nationals are lined up on the other with AK-47s. Our soldiers roll around on foot and in convoys offering a security presence to the locals and searching out the members of the Taliban. Do you know how they find those? It generally happens when they are FIRED UPON by those individuals. Our ROE dictates that we do not fire unless fired upon. So to day that we are out here murdering innocent people is ridiculous. Sure, it has happened, but that is generally by IDF or by unfortunate circumstance. More often than not, the rule not the exception, someone will not be shot by our soldiers unless our soldiers have first been shot or shot at by that individual or group of individuals.

Unless you have been here, you can never understand it, so I really wish you would stop commenting on these "wars" as if you know something about them. You only know what you have been told and you have read...not what you have seen with your own two eyes.

OP...your service is respected on this end.

I was contemplating what I should write but because I couldn´t say anything postive I´ll just skip it entirely...

Hey AdamAnt, thanks for your service bro, and nice op as well. HOOAH! I signed up in 2003 for army 45-b small arms repair, went to fort knox for basic and well, it just didn't go well. I got stress fractures in both heels and my lower leg bone at the knee... medical discharge after a few months hidden at the recovery barracks.(the name slips my mind at the moment)

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

I may not have been "tough" enough for basic training, but as another poster above said, I can still pull a trigger. And I took and take my oath seriously.

Don't pay any mind to the idiot America haters on here, they won't love freedom as much as you and I.

Would you consider joining Oathkeepers? I know that some on here will say whatever, but I believe the Oathkeepers are our last line of defense against these idiot PTB.

Thanks for your service again, my friend.
Oathkeepers

Also, a few quotes for you that I keep handy and read from time to time...

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. Thomas Jefferson

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
Plato

"Don't look for a conspiracy when incompetence will explain the situation."

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- HL Mencken

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- HL Mencken

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
-Thomas Jefferson

Coersion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.
-Ronald Reagan

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." -Benjamin Franklin

"Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views"
William F. Buckley Jr.

How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin. -Ronald Reagan

The Constitution was written for one specific purpose and that was to restrain the government, not to restrain the people. -Ron Paul

reply to post by AdamAnt


To each his/her own.

We all have to make choices and to be accountable in life.

I do commend you for doing the right thing. But that is the nature of life and that is all about accountability.

You chose the correct path especially in consideration of your other options/opportunities at the time.

And that was GOOD for you.

But face it, we are all different as human beings Man.

I had considered a military career for all of my martial arts instructors were former Special Forces and Recon Marines having recently returned from multiple tours in NAM....and yeah, I was young and gung Ho and hardly timid.

But upon talking with the Marine Recruiters soon realized that they were really only salesmen, blowing smoke up my young A$$ and that they were really only interested in me " Signing Up".
Same with the air force....they couldn't tell me that I had no possibility of becoming a Pilot.

Due to my Dad's advice, an Army Vet himself, I chose another path, non military, because my Dad wanted the best thing for ME, which was use my God given brains and to earn an education.

My hard work in High School in taking Honors and AP coursework paid off in an academic scholarship to a very highly recognized New England Engineering school.

So once again, to each his own.

And most of all, remember what the Bible says....Thou shalt not Judge...