Why did you join the military?

[Knurled99]

I did because I can't afford school, my mom is suffering as far as bills are concerned... things got so bad that I took the bribe of the montgomery gi bill and the navy college fund. It's great to serve my country, but I really worry about who's death or maiming I will be responsible for under *. I also joined for credibility down the road when I get into government. There's nothing like serving your country to get some conservatives to cross over for you.. just wanted to get you guys' imput on this question.
-Brad

[Emops]

1. Ditto every word.

Except I'm going into the Ohio Air National Guard.

And unlike a certain Commander-in-Chief who shall remain nameless, I plan on showing up.

[qnr]

2. Honestly no idea.

When I was a kid, five years old, I was in the bathtub, zipping my hand over the water, and just knowing it was a Coast Guard cutter.

I knew from that point on that I would join. Another, lesser reason for my choice (the major ones being the humanitarian AND military aspects of it) was the fact that I like to be ornery. For example:

Everyone else used Apples and Commodores, I used Atari computers
Everyone else used PCs and Macs, I used Atari STs, Amigas, BSD & Linux
Everyone else used AOL & CompuServe, I used GEnie
Everyone else used C and C++, I used Modula-2, Oberon and Ada
Everyone else joined the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, I joined the Coast Guard.

I'm just an ornery cuss.

[arwalden]

13. GEnie user here too!

Ahh... the good old days!

[qnr]

14. Yes :)

They were good. I just dropped my GEnie account in 1997 I think. I'd had it (them actually) since the early 80's.

[izzie]

3. Well my husband was in for 20 and he did because he had no

money to go to school and no good jobs came up with training. It is a sub-culture in the true form. College even study it. I liked it and so did he. I was glad to see the end of it but he always missed it after he retired.

[derrald]

4. Becasue President Kerry is in office

And I can fulfill my promise that I wont enlist under Bush to my friend.

Then I'm off to plug up the stop loss.

[JSJ]

5. only 21% of vets take advantage of gov's edu loans and grants

Which renders the 'I kill Iraqis' for an education routine rather pathetic. Doesn't it?

[RivetJoint]

6. For the old fashion reason

to serve my country. It didn't hurt that I started my career at one of the best schools in the country, but I stayed in for 21 years after that instead of "five and dive."

[catmandu57]

7. My girlfriend/fiancee started fucking everyone I knew

plus some strangers, there wasn't a job to be had, and I couldn't find a French Foreign Legion office.

[RivetJoint]

8. Sounds like SHE

should have joined instead of you.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. Best goddamn enginereering college in Brazil was ran by the Army

And the second best (by a razor thin margin), by the Air Force. It would be a tossup but for the following: in the Army, I'd only be active for one year while in the other four years I'd be a civilian; in the AF it would be five years in uniform.

No contest really. :eyes:

[underpants]

10. All that and going to Europe

Basically

[daddybear]

11. In 1959...

that is just what you did. I gave em eight years and that was enough for me.

[brhodes]

12. Because the fucking Army was gonna draft me

so I joined the Navy, just to piss them off.

Boy, did I show em?

[politicat]

21. My father did that.

Stayed in 20+ years....

Sigh. Being an officer's kid is worse in some ways than joining up yourself. All of the bullshit, none of the bennies.

Pcat

[XNASA]

15. Because I was 17 and wanted to flee in relative safety.

I did take advantage of the GI Bill when I got out, but that wasn't the main reason.

I just wanted to see some of the world while I had the chance.

[Hubert Flottz]

16. They made me!

And it SUCKED!

[libertad]

17. I joined because it was sort of "the family business". I was the 3rd

generation to join the US Navy. I also couldn't afford college and thought it would be a good way to get some money for college, too. I had intended it to be my career, but then I grew to hate it too much to continue past my first enlistment.

[Gildor Inglorion]

18. I got drafted...

despite my best efforts.

[landdaddy]

19. I was just

hangin' out in the inner city of Chicago and came to the conclusion that it was probably safer for me in Viet Nam!

[jukes]

20. basic training was heaven

compared to "home".

[vs the introvore]

22. lamest soldier ever

trapped in an untenable residential treatment/process of spurious defamation chased by inspired, insightful accusation: my pre-ground ego was a sick pulp. unresistant to the trip, i fell into character in december 1999 frantically hoping to adequately invest myself for the looming apox. my experience never departed from training yet, were it not for my disappointing chapter 10, i would be with my old "non-deployable" unit that is returning to iraq in november.