Men of ATOT: Why didn't you serve?

[gorcorps]

Didn't want to go, and there were plenty of people who did

 

[IGemini]

Being in high school during 9/11 I was seriously considering it. I could rationalize the Afghanistan invasion (even though I knew we still wouldn't succeed where the Soviets already failed), but when Iraq got lumped in my bullshit meter went off the scale and decided not to pursue it. Given that war was a direct cause of the formation of ISIS, I don't regret my decision.

On another level, I was diagnosed with asthma around that time, which would've made it difficult to pass MEPS. Only recently did I find out that I actually had viral pneumonia.

 

[soulcougher73]

I was in the military from 93-97. Between both gulf wars. But i was young and dumb. I do not support the wars over in the middle east so you couldnt pay me enough to fight for them.

 

[Ken g6]

My allergies are so bad I can't even go camping.

 

[Tidekilla115]

I'm going to enlist in the army once I graduate if i am able to. My family is a military family my dad served for 29 years in the army retired a CSM E7 his dad served In Vietnam and my great grandad was a air force mechanic in WW II. So if nothing stops me I will continue the legacy and tradition of serving my country.

 

[Hail The Brain Slug]

I enlisted out of high school. Due to medical issues that occurred during basic training, I ended up spending 4 months in basic training only to be sent home.

I'm okay with how it turned out eventually, but 4 months in basic training really f**ked up my shit for a while. I find it silly that if I was in for 2 more months before being sent home, I would be a veteran, given a medical discharge, and qualify for VA benefits even though I never completed basic training.

 

[SSSnail]

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

Teabagging is not against Geneva Convention. Unless they amended it for the millenials... :hmm:

 

[pcgeek11]

Served 1973 until 1993 and retired.

 

[pcgeek11]

I enlisted out of high school. Due to medical issues that occurred during basic training, I ended up spending 4 months in basic training only to be sent home.

I'm okay with how it turned out eventually, but 4 months in basic training really f**ked up my shit for a while. I find it silly that if I was in for 2 more months before being sent home, I would be a veteran, given a medical discharge, and qualify for VA benefits even though I never completed basic training.

If 4 months of Basic Training fucked you up, it is for the best that you never got out of boot camp.

 

[pcgeek11]

I was a medic assigned to infantry units for most of my military career. You grunts are fucking entertaining... up until you play 'rock'. You know the game, the 4-5 man fire team sits, without helmets, facing out, in a tight 360 degree circle and one tosses a 3-5 pound rock straight into the air. Whoever moves is a loser. And whoever gets struck is laughed at. You're funny guys.

That is some funny shit... Rock.

 

[Fenixgoon]

was sort of interested in the military in high school but didn't like the whole chain of command structure. went to school for engineering instead.

worked out pretty well i'd say.

plus if the USG really wants me to serve, there's this thing called the draft.

remember, america's army is a VOLUNTEER force. no one put a gun to your head to serve (unless you got drafted).


and as far as currently, i wouldn't try to enlist again because i think most of our involvement in the ME is bullshit. there is a lot sacrificed, and little gained.

 

[brianmanahan]

Not sure if troll thread.

*checks who OP is*

yes, it is a troll thread

 

[JSt0rm]

Poor people die in corporate wars of profit.

 

[MongGrel]

I was a medic assigned to infantry units for most of my military career. You grunts are fucking entertaining... up until you play 'rock'. You know the game, the 4-5 man fire team sits, without helmets, facing out, in a tight 360 degree circle and one tosses a 3-5 pound rock straight into the air. Whoever moves is a loser. And whoever gets struck is laughed at. You're funny guys.

That is some funny shit... Rock.

Grunts/Marine/SpecOps types are an unusual type to hang out at parties in general

A few of the beach parties we had in rented beach houses on base up near Pyramid Rock on Oahu were Epic, had the MP's stop by three times in one night at one of em, they kept having to tell us to tone it down a bit, but were pretty cool about it.

To be young and dumb again

I still have a couple long burn scars on one forearm from playing "chicken" with a buddy when a bunch of use were drinking. Lay a lit cigarette in between your forearms side by side, first one pulls away losses.

The first one went out after about 5 minutes, we gave up after the second one did too.

I went off on a bit of a tangent I guess, but I imagine a lot more people on the forums might have served than many suspect.

 

[brianmanahan]

Poor people die in corporate wars of profit.

/r/im14andthisisdeep

 

[Charmonium]

My dad was career army and I always toyed with the idea of enlisting. But I wouldn't have been interested in a combat role. I would have been able to enlist as an officer but I was always both attracted and repelled by the military hierarchy. I don't think I would have handled the structure very well.

It was sort of interesting being a military dependent though. I loved going to the PX and Commissary. We lived about an hour's drive from the nearest base so these were all-day affairs. Also got all of my health care from military hospitals. But going there also tended to be an all-day affair.

 

[Hail The Brain Slug]

If 4 months of Basic Training fucked you up, it is for the best that you never got out of boot camp.

I wasn't necessarily referring to my mental state. It took a while to get my life back on track since it didn't pan out. I skipped some other opportunities to enlist, and I had to work hard to get them back. On top of those delays and the fact I've never been one to rush into or through stuff, It's taken me a long time to actually get into a reasonable career and become successful.

Edit: To be clear, when I was in actual basic training, it was excellent. I was doing very well, was liked by my TI's and was getting the "Game" of how everything worked. Even the very stressful events didn't get to me. I got screwed when I got sick and I was erroneously placed in a seperation dorm instead of a medical hold dorm, where we were treated like shitbags because of two reasons: The TI's assigned were being punished for bad behavior and liked to take it out on us, and most of the guys in the seperation dorm were being kicked out for failure to conform, disobeying orders, or whatever it was called. It was a really bad spot, and despite trying to get moved to the proper dorms I was stuck.

 

[olds]

Thread title fail. You can't be a man if you didn't serve in the military.

 

[KeithTalent]

Why would I? Thought of doing it never even crossed my mind.

KT

 

[olds]

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.

Except for the 3 years, you sound like me. That was my experience as a 13 Foxtrot.
Joined as an E1, E5 in 2.5 years, decided to get out because of incompetent, illiterate senior NCOs. Battalion Commander offered me E6 to reenlist PDA but I had had it. Did do 8 more in the reserves then they wore me down.

 

[JTsyo]

I'm doing more good at my job than as a soldier.

 

[DAGTA]

I was a dishwasher instead of a server

 

[zinfamous]

I already had enough Orc blood on my hands.

 

[BoomerD]

I already had enough Orc blood on my hands.

You can NEVER have ENOUGH Orc blood on your hands...NEVAR!

 

[Zodiark1593]

At one point, I had the opportunity to go to a military school. Nearly a decade later, I'm wondering where I would be right now had I gone. In command of my own platoon perhaps? Being relatively detached from emotions, I probably would have made a decent officer.