Men of ATOT: Why didn't you serve?

[Nograts]

I feel this is a legitimate question that will cause a lot of hearth ache. I also feel that I am in a unique position to ask this of you: Why didn't you serve in the war?

To clarify: Most of you are millennials. You are between 20-40 years old, and you could have. But you didn't. What was it that kept you from doing so?

I don't want to downplay your answers but, as a male, I feel like, at least in my childhood, I have always been bred to fight a war. It was always my destiny to go toe to toe with another man and fight to the death. That sounds a lot cooler than it really was...but I feel that I am justified.

I am a big fan of these scenes:

DEATH!!!
KLENDATHU!!

I'm curious as to your reasons of not being there with your sword. I was there. I spilled blood. Most of you were not there. I feel kind of betrayed.

 

[ctk1981]

I had better shit to do.

 

[Nograts]

I had better shit to do.

Grats man.

 

[renz20003]

I went to enlist in 2003, the recruiter said I was too fat. At the time there was still a high number of enlistments so they could turn guys like me away.

So my country didn't want me, I tried :-/

 

[BoomerD]

Too old for this war. (and I don't support it either...but that's a different subject)

I DID enlist for Vietnam.

 

[Nograts]

Too old for this war. (and I don't support it either...but that's a different subject)

I DID enlist for Vietnam.

If you were a viet vet then we owe you brother, nothing more. Carry on.

 

[Slew Foot]

I aint no stinking millenial

 

[Red Squirrel]

While I highly respect everyone who does and did serve, it's just never been an interest for me. The idea of going in terrible conditions, potentially losing limbs or getting killed, or just the idea of being away for so long has never really interested me. Though seeing the crap ISIS and other organizations do does give me that sense that I feel I should do something, so mad respect to those that do.

I technically would be in the best situation to serve if I wanted to, I don't have any kids or wife that I'd leave behind if I have an unfortunate encounter with a bullet or IED.

But TLDR honest answer: Because I don't want to. But I have to stress I do respect and thank everyone that does/did/will serve.

 

[skyking]

old here too. I registered for the selective service after Vietnam, but the post war era was particularly hard times, far more negativity than now. Not a snowballs chance I would have enlisted in 1980.

 

[JPS35]

I talked with a recruiter prior to graduating high school which would have put me a few years before the first Gulf War. Thyroid disease kept me out. I am forever grateful to all who serve or have served: THANK YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!

 

[Nograts]

My greatest glory on these forums is getting those who have had no voice a voice to speak up. They had no say but now they are us.

 

[local]

The Air Force rejected me for medical reasons in October 2001. The only thing more embarrassing than being medically rejected from the chair force is that the reason was acne.

 

[brianmanahan]

medically ineligible

which was perfectly fine with me, tbh

 

[Paladin3]

I was an AFJROTC student in high school and most of my closest friends joined, many of them serving in the first Gulf War. I met the woman who would become my wife when I was 17 and she said she wouldn't wait for me, so I went into newspaper journalism instead.

That said, it's fucking stupid to think that every male in the US should, would or even could be a soldier. There is no shame in not having served when we already have a 100% volunteer US military, so long as you did what you could to otherwise support them. We keep cutting military funding, and are faced with involuntary separations as it is to accomplish the drawdown everyone is demanding.

I've met and interviewed combatants from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War. Not a single one of them spoke about being betrayed by those who didn't serve but were otherwise supportive and thankful.

Is this thread even serious???

 

[Raizinman]

Too young to enlist.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I spent 3yrs in a combat arms field in the early/mid 90's -

I did not reenlist as I chose to go to University after my original enlistment was up. I had an extremely high GT score for combat arms and dealing with the morons on a daily basis was difficult.
Having illiterate NCO's who enlisted in the late 70's with 7th grade education from Alabama was tough to comprehend as a young kid who spent their entire life on the west coast.

I learned a ton, I matured, I had a grand adventure and do not regret it. Lesson learned, I should have picked a non-combat arms MOS.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Because I prefer being an armchair general.

 

[Craig234]

I find the OP to have warped thinking. I think the normal healthy condition is to want to not have combat, and not to kill.

Studies in WWII found that something like 90% of the time soldiers did not fire their weapons when they were supposed to.

It also seems that while soldiers have a lot of guts and other qualities, combat has become awfully unequal. It's no longer a US soldier and Nazi soldier similarly equipped and trained in combat. Our guys have enormous advantages with many killed for each casualty on our side, and many of our casualties are things like IED's.

I find war something to detest - thank the people who make the sacrifice.

And even on that, there becomes the question about serving in unjust wars. I'd rather more choose not to serve unless there's a clear need for defense, like WWII.

 

[ctk1981]

Spot on, sir.

 

[tortillasoup]

I didn't want to serve obama.

 

[elitejp]

Basically my whole family on the male side have fought in a war. I planned on going myself. Applied to several military schools for college including the naval academy. Got accepted to the air force academy but wanted to go in the marines. As it turned out I also applied to seminary. So I was at a crossroad in my life. Through much consideration I went to seminary. For me it was the right choice. But I think I would have like military life as well.

 

[disappoint]

Homeostasis.

 

[lxskllr]

When I was still in high school, I was seriously thinking about being career military, and went as far as seeing a recruiter(holy shit, that was a bad idea. Those guys are like ferrets when you show interest...), but ended up changing my mind. Good thing probably. I don't play well with others. OTOH, I'd be retired now...

If I had joined and stayed, I'd have hit every war from the original gulf-present. Pretty much all bullshit.

 

[Blue_Max]

I put in my time with the Canadian Forces. It was during peacetime and I'm not much of a fighter, but I got to do some special things for Allied WWII vets who sure have my utmost respect. [snappy salute]

Too old and weak-of-lung now but I still pitch in in a meaningful way on a very regular basis. :thumbsup:

 

[Jeeebus]

They told me I couldn't teabag the corpses of my enemies so decided to stick with Battlefield/COD.