He's gonna do it...my brother in law is going to join the fucking service

[greenbriar]

even after all I showed him, and talked with him


he has a cousin who is in the military and is gung ho after serving one term in IRAQ says it is a rush


Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr




I even told him to work for KBR or Haliburton if he insisted on going at least he would make some money


I am soooooooo pissed that I could spit nails

[Breeze54]

1. I feel your pain.

:hug:

[karlrschneider]

2. Ask him what kind of flowers he likes.

...

[uppityperson]

3. take him skydiving, that is a rush also.

I hope he has a really boring time in the military.

[Christa]

4. :(

let's hope he will come back alive and sane.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. "You'll be SORRRRYYYY!" First words heard when I arrived at Marine boot camp.

And, they sure weren't lyin'.

[greenbriar]

10. wish there were a way you could tell him

but I think he is dead serious this time


bla

[AlCzervik]

6. My good Friend's son joined last June fresh out of High school.

oh we talked to him but he made up his mind. He was at Fort Drum but now he's in La. for "Training" and then he ships out, i don't know if he stops in Kuwait first or just goes to Baghdad. My nephew also did 2 tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, where he goes next--we don't know.

[rwheeler31]

7. What is wrong with these people?

I have a young friend doing the same thing.

[greenbriar]

8. he sees it as the only way out of the mess he is in

is in the middle of a divorce to a rucking crazy woman who has saddled him with tremendous debt and two young kids (whom I absolutely adore) under the age of 3 that he gets to see once a month

she left him, he is stuck with 700 a month child support he works a job that pays 40 thousand a year, he is still losing is ass because of her bills. He is too nice to tell her to fuck off, is still hurting that she left him


I feel if it wasn't for her, he would not be doing this

[SheilaT]

30. The really sad thing here

is that his kids are going to lose out big time. He does not want to support them. This is what I get. And he ought to be able to get out from under her bills. Or get a better attorney.

How about he takes custody of the kids and no longer has to pay the $700 a month. And how does enlisting solve his bills problems. They won't go away by magic.

Sigh.

[greenbriar]

31. oh no, he wants to support his kids...he thinks he will be doing right by them

for doing this


I am not sure of his reasons or his thought process...he is fucked up in his head because of this bitch

[bobbolink]

47. "what's wrong with these people" testosterone?

Watching too many "action" movies?

teenie weenies?

:shrug:

[elocs]

9. My 17 year old nephew joined the army last summer in spite of what I told him.

Today he is 18 and just got to Ft. Hood. Undoubtedly, next stop--Iraq. What can you do? Life is about choices and consequences. Damn, the kid doesn't even like Bush, but can only think of the benefits he will earn from serving. Even if he is not physically hurt in Iraq my fear is that he will be psychologically destroyed by the experience.

[lonestarnot]

11. hasta la fuck'n bye bye numb nuts.

[greenbriar]

12. I told him in one of my arguments to plan his funeral

he says he won't die cause he is not stupid...



boy is he so head strong

[Arugula Latte]

13. More likely scenario: He gets severely injured.

He'll lose an arm or a limb or more than one. Or he'll get a brain injury.

The problem is, it's hard and harsh after they get maimed to say: "Nyah nyah. Told you so."

[lonestarnot]

15. Yeah because with half your brain missin', you don't understand much.

[lonestarnot]

14. OMG greenbriar.

There's no way to demonstrate to him what a fucking life could be like without all of his body parts? Take him over to the VA hospital in your area.

[greenbriar]

16. good idea

I will try that

I think tho that he has already started the paperwork

[lonestarnot]

17. Unless he's signed on the dotted line, he's not hooked yet.

[greenbriar]

18. I hope i can convince him this is a bad idea

he won't make 40 thousand either

I don't see where he thinks he is going to come out better for this

[DemBones DemBones]

20. That was my first thought when you said he has debts

and $700 a month child support to pay and makes $40,000. How is the military going to help him with his financial problems?

[lonestarnot]

21. They absolutely lie about how much money you will make.

I can attest to it for you.

[greenbriar]

22. I told him that

he thinks he is gonna get a huge bonus too


I even told him that his bitch x will get half if it

[lonestarnot]

24. They will fucking cheat him out of any fucking bonus, and their won't be a damn thing he can

do about it.

[Retired AF Dem]

32. The military pays the bonus

usually it is the woman that he thinks that loves him cheats him out of the bonus.

[lonestarnot]

35. Bullshit! Just get fucking hurt and see what happens to that fucking bonus.

[Retired AF Dem]

51. You are the expert

explain it to me.

[Retired AF Dem]

48. How will his "bitch" get half of it?

Only time the married partner of a military member can get half of anything is half of retirement pay if married at least ten years before the divorce.

[Jed Dilligan]

41. Wow, how very patriotic...

implying that all the men and women we've lost in Iraq were "stupid."

[greenbriar]

44. fuck you

he is joining for the wrong reasons and I was pulling out all the stops to get him to THINK



if/when he goes, I will be supportive of him and praying daily that he comes home to his family and babies

[Jed Dilligan]

45. fuck me why

I was commenting on his comment, not your post. Skin thin today?

[greenbriar]

46. just really upset about this

and really touchy about this

[Retired AF Dem]

52. "Numb nuts"

Plenty of Vets on DU. Being called Numb nuts makes us all feel warm and fuzzy about being here.

[LeftyMom]

19. Ask him who's going to raise the kids if he dies.

And then tell him that if he wants to leave his kids behind doing something blindingly stupid in pursuit of a rush to try street racing instead because at least then he can stay home he'll probably just kill other idiots.

[Retired AF Dem]

27. Yes he could stay home and be safe

and be stopped at a stop light where some drunk asshole hits him in the rear doing 50 mph and kills him. This happend to me last sun, May 13, I was lucky, I had the weight advantage, just messed up legs on my part. Im against the war, but trust me, staying home is not safe.

[LeftyMom]

33. But it's a hell of a lot safer than rolling around Iraq in equipment built by the lowest bidder.

Shit happens everywhere, but it happens a hell of a lot more when you're surrounded by people who want you dead.

[Retired AF Dem]

34. "equipment built by the lowest bidder"

Lefty it has always been that way, when will it change? Everything the Govt does Dem or Repug is done by the lowest bidder.

[uppityperson]

38. But it's a hell of a lot safer than rolling around Iraq

Shit happens everywhere, but it happens a hell of a lot more when you're surrounded by people who want you dead.

[porphyrian]

23. You did what you could, and more than many would bother to do.

I hope you'll be able to say "I told you so" to his face rather than a box.

[lonestarnot]

Well greenbriar will have to cut him loose if he's already signed, he's

fucked.

[porphyrian]

29. In at least a few ways, yes. - n/t

[blues90]

25. Is there no way to talk him out of this ?

[Screwfly]

26. Sounds like the guy has a death wish.

I could think of less arduous ways of dying than joining the army and going to Iraqi though. The joke's gonna be on his ex-old lady if he buys the farm over there, and all she gets out of the deal is his chintzy little government life insurance policy.

[Canuckistanian]

28. Get him to write his Will. Offer to be the Executor.

You have to look after your family.

[greenbriar]

36. he just told my child he wanted to pick active duty

jebus


what can one do?

[greenbriar]

37. I think he signed papers today

this is just horrible

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. *shaking head* Lord help you all. May he stay safe and sound

*hugs*

[greenbriar]

40. thank you

all

[GreenPartyVoter]

42. Keep us apprised of how things go with his new career. n/t

.

[lonestarnot]

49. Not nutt'n if he already signed.

[Jed Dilligan]

43. Spot on

In my darkest moments I've thought of going, but only as a mercenary.

My inner demon argues:

1. This is the craziest, most fucked-up shit you will ever have a chance to witness.

2. Die, or come home debt-free.

3. Die, or come home with a bestselling memoir to write.

4. No one ever made a fortune without taking risks, and the only thing you have to risk is your life.

When things are going badly in my career this is a compelling voice. I can see the attraction of going to war. But why the hell would someone voluntarily join the military? It's like volunteering to have cancer.

[lonestarnot]

50. I did it for school, but trust me I thought long and hard first.