-For those who've served in the military

[The Grand Nudger]

Any military, any time period, any specialty-
(or anyone who had a close family member/friend in the service)

What was (if you're willing to share) the defining experience, for you, of military service? For those approaching it from the family member angle, the same applies, slightly modified. What was the moment that defined your family members/friends service from your POV?.

What would you tell your children or others about military service? Would you recommend it or caution against it? Similar Q to family members/friends - did you caution against the service or encourage your family member/friend.

Obviously, any and all opining on the subject of military service and soldier(ing)(y) are welcome.

[Dystopia]

Any military, any time period, any specialty-
(or anyone who had a close family member/friend in the service)

What was (if you're willing to share) the defining experience, for you, of military service? For those approaching it from the family member angle, the same applies, slightly modified. What was the moment that defined your family members/friends service from your POV?.

What would you tell your children or others about military service? Would you recommend it or caution against it? Similar Q to family members/friends - did you caution against the service or encourage your family member/friend.

Obviously, any and all opining on the subject of military service and soldier(ing)(y) are welcome.

Not directly answering your thread, but is military service an obligation in america? Does everybody have to serve?

[The Grand Nudger]

No, it's voluntary. 100% (though some people do end up being coerced - hence "go to war or go to jail" in cadence).

[Dystopia]

No, it's voluntary. 100% (though some people do end up being coerced - hence "go to war or go to jail" in cadence).

Where I live it's also voluntary. There is an event called the national defense day, all young people after turning 18 years old need to do it, you just go from 9am-4pm to a military base and hear some lectures, learn some basis about the military career, the importance of defense structures, etc, soldiers use that day to incentive all interested to go to the military, a kind of marketing strategy. You can go to jail if you don't show up, but that's it. You can only refuse if you have an objection of conscience.

[The Grand Nudger]

We don't have anything like that. Our military has an entrenched and fortified position in high schools and colleges - a forward operating base, if you will..lol, but otherwise you approach the military - not the other way round (and even the presence in schools is mostly of that sort). There's nothing compulsory about it (not even a day to see what it's all about) until you sign on the dotted line. Things change then, of course. Conscientious objectors, in this country, can serve as infantry (or anything else)- and some do. Medics, in particular, seem to have a preponderance of objectors.

[Cato]

I was a nuclear trained electrician and served twelve years in the submarine service.

There were several significant moments in my service. One had little to do with the military and more to do with where I was. I still vividly recall shortly after my first dive standing under the main hatch imagining how much water was above me. Kind of a Jules Verne moment. This beautiful moment was shattered shortly after when I was given a wrench and a qualification card and told to get to work.

Aside from the family separation I found my time in the Navy very rewarding. I am of course desensitized to the hardship by time though. I got out in 2001. Sometimes it takes great effort to minimize nostalgia and remember things exactly the way they were. Some of the maintenance wasn't enjoyable at all. Drill schedules and field days were necessary evils. I have no regrets.

I am eager to share my enthusiasm for my experiences, but always caution others that it isn't for everybody. Some people that had the exact same job as I did were blatantly miserable. I am honest about the 'bad' parts so that people can make an informed decision. Submarines are a unique environment, some simply can't cut it psychologically.

I want to extend the bit of the conversation about how some join the service to avoid jail. In my experience, very few join out of some patriotic zeal. Most join simply for the sake of having a steady paycheck. The nuclear Navy is filled with people that will tell you they joined for the education oportunity since they couldn't afford school otherwise. Many join to avoid destitution. Even though ours is a strictly volunteer force, the notion that people generally join to defend and spread democracy is misplaced.

I recommend military service so long as one understands real expectations (not the rosey recruiter version) and has the constitution to see things through. There's nothing worse than dragging along dead weight because someone checks out by putting forth the absolute minimum effort.

[The Grand Nudger]

Thanks for the post Cato. I can say without reservation that I joined for the food, and stayed for the sense of pride (I found it very rewarding as well), personally. Some buddies and I were fond of noticing that for all of the reasons someone might join - reservists overwhelmingly said "college money" - to which we workaday active service members would always chortle "I think there are probably easier ways to get college money, how's that lookin to you now?".

-So your experience of servicemembers and how they perceive themselves or their motivations would seem to extend beyond the nuclear navy and at least into my group of peers, army infantry. It's something that I think people overlook as well.
(I wonder if people notice how many of the ads in any classifieds/jobs section are recruiting ads?)

Our military clearly sees itself as an employer, and it's members as employees, professionals. Expects us to see ourselves that way as well. They're willing to put a little bit of paint on the picture if it helps them make their quotas too, obviously that can be an issue..lol.

[SteelCurtain]

[The Grand Nudger]

Thanks Steel. That's big fuckin boat. I'd have handed the keys back, personally..lol.

I hope we get some non-US members experiences in here as well. Some military wives (or husbands)...children, would also be welcome. Great opportunity to toss the experience around from alot of vantage points.

[Ravenshire]

The defining moment of my service was setting in a DAS3 van, bored as fuck, praying the 1960's vintage computer hardware (in 1990) didn't break down. We weren't allowed to actually fix any of it. Adjust, align or send it in to Honeywell because Uncle Sam paid for a 40-year service contract on all this shit. At least I was in Europe. Most of my 39D(elta) brethren got South Korea. I was smart enough to tell the CO that I was willing to risk a bar to re-enlistment for refusing orders if he sent me there. Germany is sooooooo much nicer. Of course, they could have sent me anyway, even after I refused orders. Then I would have been barred from re-enlistment (no matter, I did my stint and got the fuck out) and facing prison time for refusing again. So glad they sent me to Europe instead.

My advice: Stay the fuck OUT. A peace-time military is all politics. A war time military is politics with people shooting at you. If you want politics, run for mayor!