RE: To US Veterans...
November 16, 2019 at 11:21 am
(This post was last modified: November 16, 2019 at 11:28 am by The Grand Nudger.)
Like any situation where there's a vast disparity in power between the guy holding the gun and the people they're holding it around, shit can go pear shaped fast. Obviously times have changed, but..today, the military roe are stricter than the environment under which domestic police forces operate - so, depending on where and when (and with whom) a person has interacted, they may have a very different view of soldiers and service.
It also doesn't help that it's a shit job that doesn't usually appeal to the kinds of people we want doing it, who have more opportunities compared to the kinds of people we don't...for whom it holds even greater appeal.
To an extent, being conditioned to fall into the "jack booted thug" role is a practical requirement of combat arms, however distasteful it may be. Sympathy for the devil here, though, since..when shit has -really- gone pear shaped and despite our normal reservations....we very much appreciate seeing our jack booted thugs cresting the ridge line. It only takes an instant to go from smiling distributor of humanitarian relief to killer, or dead. Those are the three states of affairs that anyone who volunteers for that sort of duty finds themselves in. If nothing else, we might appreciate that those people choose to do and place themselves in that position in our stead. That someone is doing it.
It also doesn't help that it's a shit job that doesn't usually appeal to the kinds of people we want doing it, who have more opportunities compared to the kinds of people we don't...for whom it holds even greater appeal.
To an extent, being conditioned to fall into the "jack booted thug" role is a practical requirement of combat arms, however distasteful it may be. Sympathy for the devil here, though, since..when shit has -really- gone pear shaped and despite our normal reservations....we very much appreciate seeing our jack booted thugs cresting the ridge line. It only takes an instant to go from smiling distributor of humanitarian relief to killer, or dead. Those are the three states of affairs that anyone who volunteers for that sort of duty finds themselves in. If nothing else, we might appreciate that those people choose to do and place themselves in that position in our stead. That someone is doing it.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
