This number surprised me
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Some interesting stats here.
https://blog.dol.gov/2021/11/9/veterans-in-the-labor-force-6-stats
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I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice. I think the decision makes sense as a pure economic one, and I think that's why the majority do it. Which is fine, just don't expect me to stand and clap at airports for the people in the gratuitous fatigues.
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@Horace said in This number surprised me:
I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice. I think the decision makes sense as a pure economic one, and I think that's why the majority do it. Which is fine, just don't expect me to stand and clap at airports for the people in the gratuitous fatigues.
Especially when they get to board first.
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@Horace said in This number surprised me:
I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice. I think the decision makes sense as a pure economic one, and I think that's why the majority do it. Which is fine, just don't expect me to stand and clap at airports for the people in the gratuitous fatigues.
Though I think this changes quite a bit during periods when deployment to a war zone is a near certainty.
“Don’t make me repeat myself”
- history
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@jon-nyc said in This number surprised me:
@Horace said in This number surprised me:
I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice. I think the decision makes sense as a pure economic one, and I think that's why the majority do it. Which is fine, just don't expect me to stand and clap at airports for the people in the gratuitous fatigues.
Though I think this changes quite a bit during periods when deployment to a war zone is a near certainty.
yes.
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Not all vets get any priority when it comes to filling a federal job. There is a one point veterans preference as well as a 5 point disabled vet prefereance when it comes totaling up the point scores of all the applications. But a guy like myself who served during a period of non conflict, 1984-88; I get 0 preference points in my application. Now if I had been serving during let’s say the iraq war around 1990, I would indeed have that 1 point, regardless if I was a grunt on the line,or a paperpusher with shore duty stateside. Not a perfect system but there it is.
The only real benefit I receive as a vet is having those four years added to my federal service retirement but only if I pay for it. It comes out to something like 3% of my enlisted pay over those four years which was not really that much. I think my bill was around 1200buckswhich is a no brainer to pay for if one is making a career out of federal work. Unfortunately I have yet to buy back this time and until I do, those 4 years will not be added to my total time served. The bill is no longer 1200 dollars today though, there is accumulated interest and today that bill is over 6000 dollars. As long as I pay for it prior to retiring I am good
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@Horace said in This number surprised me:
I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice. I think the decision makes sense as a pure economic one, and I think that's why the majority do it. Which is fine, just don't expect me to stand and clap at airports for the people in the gratuitous fatigues.
Yes, that was my reason. Had nothing to do with patriotic duty at the time, purely economical. The patriotism grew slowly after: I joke to people who give me the standard line when learning I am a vet “thank you for your service”. By telling them that this gratuitous phrase has been replaced with something more meaningful. It is now officially, “can I buy you dinner sir?”
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@Horace said in This number surprised me:
I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice.
Watching you share that opinion at your local post would be interesting.
Please love yourself.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in This number surprised me:
@Horace said in This number surprised me:
I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice.
Watching you share that opinion at your local post would be interesting.
Unimpressive response. Is it to say you disagree with my point, or just that you would find it interesting to watch me get beat up, or whatever your imagination projects onto that thought experiment? I mean, I don't plan on driving down to the local fort and bullhorning about how troops don't care about their country, but I just bet there are congenial ways to introduce the economic motivations into conversation without getting punched out by big bad soldiers.
Education is extremely important.
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@Horace said in This number surprised me:
@Aqua-Letifer said in This number surprised me:
@Horace said in This number surprised me:
I've never been able to quite swallow the notion that joining the military constitutes a selfless personal sacrifice.
Watching you share that opinion at your local post would be interesting.
Unimpressive response.
Geez, tough room today.
Is it to say you disagree with my point, or just that you would find it interesting to watch me get beat up, or whatever your imagination projects onto that thought experiment? I mean, I don't plan on driving down to the local fort and bullhorning about how troops don't care about their country, but I just bet there are congenial ways to introduce the economic motivations into conversation without getting punched out by big bad soldiers.
I think it's weird that you're talking about "joining the military" as an act of singular motivation. To me it indicates a lack of understanding about veterans, either academic or personal. Some of them are indeed desk jockeys who wanted to be so, and personal sacrifice was in no way a motivating factor. They would agree with you about how ridiculous that assumption is. Others join up for very personal reasons and the possibility of sacrifice absolutely factored in. I would have thought that was obvious.
Please love yourself.
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@Aqua-Letifer I generally give others the grace of assuming they're not making categorical claims that are trivially falsifiable, and that the psychological stew that goes into any decision is complicated.
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I would think that most of the enlistments from October, 2001 through January, 2008 had at least some patriotism and self-sacrifice involved.
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My son turns 18 next Saturday. He will complete high school in June. He has been accepted into a general arts programme at one of the smaller universities in the city. I am suggesting that he enlist as a reservist so he will be guaranteed manageable part time work during the school year and full-time work in the summers as a Class C reservist in training. Likewise, I would also encourage him to enlist in the RegForce ranks full time should he decide not to attend university at this time. Better that than some low paying civi-street retail or hospitality services job.
Nothing wrong with a career in the military. From my own experience as a Reservist I wish I had enlisted when I was younger than I was. Once you reach 23 years of age you can do it and manage it, but no one can convince you that you really like it. I did serve as Reservist for five plus years and was Commissioned by the time I transferred to the Supplementary Duty list. Was I good soldier? Probably not, but I did my duty as required and knew my trade as well as could be assessed at the time. Why did I enlist? There was a Cold War and we were a member of NATO. I guess duty called and I was also single.
Still, best to start young at an age when camaraderie among peers really does matter in your life.
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“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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Interesting….. I also have a cousin who retired from the military and settled in Ottawa. He too does technical consulting work in his former military trade. He’s older than I am by five years I think. Lost his wife to cancer two years ago. Am hoping to see him this summer when he comes out to BC this summer for a family gathering and memorial.
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The military has always been very strong in my community. Very few sailors, some Air Force, but mostly Marines and Army. And because one of the largest National Guard bases in the country is just down the road, a lot of the young people that do a hitch in the Army, go into the Guard. Many of them full-time.
The military gives these kids opportunity. Maybe they want the training that is sometimes offered, maybe they serve a hitch in the infantry and then use their benefits to go to school or maybe they just want the extra check the NG provides.
Regardless, because so many serve, we accord them a lot of respect and gratitude. There's also that small community natural patriotism that exists. And for many, it's a legacy thing.
