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service vs. civilian mindset

KhegglieKhegglie Member Posts: 330 ✭✭✭
edited January 2002 in General Discussion
as a flat footed service reject I have noticed that overall the very best people ive ever met have been through the service....many times these have been the guys and gals who walk up to you onthe range and quietly and kindly give you the advice YOU REALLY NEED to get better. They are the old bomber guy from WWII who tells your kid about being a waist gunner in a B17 while you are at the target missing living history....or the russian languages interp. who reads the Russian off of the box of ammo while you are checking it out.....most are very corrct, polite, not rude....how is it to live in the civie world with what you are taught in the service....how can positive points of the service life be traslated to civie culture? any thoughts...?
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Comments

  • whiteclouderwhiteclouder Member Posts: 10,574 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    khegglie:Comrades in arms. Just the simple phrase, if studied for its meaning should tell you if you would make a good soldier. Not everyone will and that is not an indictment of anyone; some people make good priests, I wouldn't. Soldiering is a calling but one that can be latent and not realized until you have been immersed in the fraternity of fighting men. The word comrades comes from the old French and means sleeping as a group (the twitter from the porch puppies is noted, now shut up and listen). It was from this arrangement; most slept while a few were trusted with the lives of those sleeping, that a sense of intimacy developed. We are never more exposed than when we are unconscious and to expose ourselves like that requires complete trust. `In arms' means we are all availed of weapons and we trust those we work and live with to use them sensibly, safely and honorably. We know they can be used to settle arguments but the thought of using them against our own never enters the equation. We trust our fellow soldier to use that weapon to defend us when we cannot defend ourselves and we trust them to do so until they have paid the ultimate price. It's dependency and loyalty that makes a soldier. It's trust and faith that makes a good unit. It's love of country and the burning desire to make sure it stays free that makes a good military. And you have to have all three.Nothing, except a very few sports teams can match the spirit and pride of a military man.Clouder..
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  • thebutcherthebutcher Member Posts: 374 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Tell me, does it make a difference being in a combat unit? I was supposed to fly A-10s (I was in ROTC) and I was rejected at MEPS for an old heart condition. They told me I could go non-combat and I packed my bags. I still wonder if I did the right thing...
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  • whiteclouderwhiteclouder Member Posts: 10,574 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    butcher:Not at all. In fact, you may never spend one day in a military unit. Those attributes I listed are not reserved for military men, many civilians share those beliefs as well. What I meant to say was you cannot be a [ul]soldier[/ul] without them. Sorry if you misunderstood me. My father never served but was as honorable a man as any I have ever met. It's just more difficult to fit in as a civilian where self and instant gratification is the norm. Moving from military life to civilian life caused more disappointment and frustration than anything really traumatic. I know I instantly got a 25 thousand dollar raise. We tolerate civvies because they are the safe majority but we know why as well and that's why we are quiet and smile a lot.Clouder..
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  • mudgemudge Member Posts: 4,225 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    How many times have we heard a combat veteran say: "I did what I had to do to protect my buddies." or "I couldn't let my buddies down"?They usually go on to explain that their actions were not for "love of country" or "patriotism". They were motivated strictly by the fact that they were "comrades in arms" and trusted their buddies to do the same for them. Strictly a matter of trust and love.Mudge the philosopher
    I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!
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  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A B17 pilot once told me I missed out on that special experience shared by bomber crews facing death daily where everyones'life is totally dependent on each man doing his very best in a coordinated unit.
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  • badboybobbadboybob Member Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Khegglie, Clouder said it right. Other than that the only difference I can see between civilian and military is the disciplinary training all go through in boot camp and afterwards.Military life is distinctly different from civilian life. So much so that special classes are given to career people on retirement to prepare them for the shock of civilian life.
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  • KhegglieKhegglie Member Posts: 330 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Enlightening! It seems to have an element of "you just have to be there" to fully understand it. Those old bomber guys always seem to be holding some cards that only a few can share.........
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  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm going to steal a phrase and paraphrase it. Military service doesn't build character. It reveals and amplifies it which is great because it makes it easier to pick your friends.The closest I've ever had in the military are 13fister and instrumentofwar -- the other two members of the proverbial PVM.
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  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    dano--Interesting observation. I'm still pondering.
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  • bartobarto Member Posts: 4,734 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    whiteclouder-very well put. thank you. barto
    the hard stuff we do right away - the impossible takes a little longer
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  • competentonecompetentone Member Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Have to agree with dano's comments.(Watch out dano, some here could interpret your comments as being "insulting"--you are suggesting that some vets could behave as criminals?? Oh no, now you're in for it! See that other thread.)
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  • will270winwill270win Member Posts: 4,845
    edited November -1
    Service folks are nothing but normal people with a skill of a different kind. Except for the Marines, we're just downright weird for some reason.Semper Fi
    Eat healthy, exercise, avoid smoking........Die anyway. will270win@aol.com ~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~
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  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hell, I KNOW some are criminals. Then again, I was an investigator on a military installation and 90% of the cases I worked involved soldiers. My uncle damn near got his pension taken away after multpile DUI's.
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  • beachmaster73beachmaster73 Member Posts: 3,011 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Did I just hear a little whine?? Keep laughing and repeating your mantras! BeachP.S. Men normally shake off a bad quarter and try harder in the next. Is it the same with cheerleaders?[This message has been edited by beachmaster73 (edited 01-16-2002).]
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  • gruntledgruntled Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    What I have found to be interesting is howeven old enemies can get together & find they have a common bond in having been thruthe same experience. These men can often greet each other as comrads & form strong bonds.[This message has been edited by gruntled (edited 01-16-2002).]
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  • beachmaster73beachmaster73 Member Posts: 3,011 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Gruntled....no kidding as a young ensign I took a bunch of old foggies on a tour of my cruiser. Two of them were Japanese and they showed incredible interest in our bridge and CIC setup. They talked back and forth with the American old foggies and laughed. One of them had been an officer on one of the ships which had shot up the American destroyers at the Battle off Samar. They seem to have buried their hatchets long before and just enjoyed bantering with one another. Beach
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