8 months down the road...... i still love you guys... Army, Navy Air force Marines... no matter what country... we fucking rock ass..
I grew up in a military household and plan on getting commissioned, I wouldn't dare call myself a veteran in any sense of the word, but I have high respect for anyone who served, having grown up around them.
If the definition of veteran is having served in field, in any role, it's quite rare since majority of countries have remained in peace for quite some time so there aren't a lot of veterans to begin with and it tends to be exclusive to a handful of countries. Then there are places that have national conscription, so if you were to widen 'veteran' to mean anyone who's fulfilled their duty towards their country then on the other hand there are many countries where a huge portion of the populace would be veterans, so for them the reservist is a more appropriate term than actual veteran. Myself, not even close to a veteran and given the geopolitical situation, if I had the chance to become a veteran it would also mean I would likely die so because of that I don't ever want to become a veteran! Huge respect to all the veterans from everywhere. It's not the citizen or the soldier who decides matters of war. It's their duty and legal obligation to do whatever they're told. No matter if they oppose it or not. Veterans have truly went far beyond anyone else in the department of serving their countries and they often go out as unsung heroes, unrewarded and only at most remembered by politicians on select few special days when those politicians are trying to score political points. Military service is gritty and without glory. All the more praise to those countless who have been to the fields and came back and for everyone else who've fulfilled their duties during peace.
There's veterans and there's veterans, anyone who serves their country in the armed forces is considered a veteran, whether they saw conflict personally or not. Presuming they are discharged under honorable conditions. Then you have the VFW, or veterans of a foreign war, those are veterans who saw combat in an official military action. Even in peacetime however there is still the occasional combat situation, whether it's a civilian conflict on a military installation or other actions, terrorist, riots, or generally people being stupid around other people with guns, which is why the term 'veteran' doesn't strictly apply to those who participate in VFW, even a relatively 'safe' job, is still wearing the government colors and considered a legitimate combatant should war break out at any location in the world. Yelling out to the enemy that you're a conscientious objector is unlikely to get them to hold their fire, even if they speak your language XD
And there's that thing about even if you serve as scribe (rank being private or similar) in command outfit, making coffee, checking there are enough marker pens by whiteboards and whatever, like you said, you're still a combatant and the unit you're in is one of the highest priority targets possible for all enemy units; any unit with any opportunity is to engage enemy command units especially. So even if your main weapons are a laptop, coffee pan and a map bag, you're still potentially going up against enemy special forces and will be similarly hit by aerial bombs as the officers. Spec ops, enemy infantry etc. - like you said, they shoot you first, especially if you're not wearing an officer hat and only later check whether you were holding a coffee pan, white flag or a rifle. And basically any role. Military drivers who drive trucks and so on. All members of the organization are considered worthy targets for the enemy. If you're a 'soft' target it only means you're easier to kill, in other words you're in that much more lethal and risky position. For instance difference between military drivers and infantry is often that drivers for instance can't always dig in and take cover. They're sitting in the aquarium like cabin of a fricking truck. Kind of like Escort Carriers designation CVE was joked to mean "Combustible, Vulnerable and Expendable". Even if you're a cook inside one, you're still a vital part of a high value strategic objective for the enemy.
My home between '98 and '00 would be a target. She's still out there somewhere, waiting for a beach to shit some Marines out on.
16 more months, then im out of the active side. Probably going to go into the active guard reserve program immediately after though. Like all addictions, its hard to quit.
US Army March 02 - March 05 (3 years) 63Y - Tread Vehicle Mechanic - M113A3, M548, AVLB (bridge layer), M88 Wrecker Fort Leonard Wood, MO (basic) Aberedeen Proving Ground, MD (advanced school) Fort Carson, CO 4th Infantry 3rd Battalion 4th Engineers A Co. Iraq 03-04 Tikrit, Iranian border, Ad Dejail near LSA Anaconda, Samarra, Balad, Kirkuk Fort Carson, CO
Happy Independence Day, you band of kick ass BAMFs! It's an awesome brotherhood to be a part of, veterans and active duty alike!
I know I never served in combat and I served only puny little time... but shit.. Summer, pine forests.. Every single year around this time of year I start getting a whole bunch of military dreams (being in service) and I feel like just pulling the camo on, grabbing a tent and a rifle and just going into the forest. For all the bullshit that was involved in the service, being in forest, armed and as a part of a unit.. Damn. Even being alone, armed and set up. Dayumm! Also my hands are twitching because it's been so long since I held a gun, much less fired one. Not missing winter? Good reason. It's no joke there's extra attrition during winter campaigns. If we locals suffer minor attrition and feel that it's a bitchy business being out there freezing our asses off.. I'd hate to think what it's like for people not used to it. Even people from north can and do die of cold. Summer, pine forest, gun, camp site. That's what I'm trying to say. And no, I don't envy anyone who's done service. I hope I'll never get called up.
Agreed. However, if duty ever calls, might as well approach it with clanking balls and go all in, no matter what job you do. It was one of the most important lessons my grandpa taught me while I was growing up. He was a veteran of the French/Indochina war, was a Radioman on a riverboat. I will always remember him telling us, "There's a very good chance that one day everything we have will be threatened, and you boys should learn what you have to learn to survive." Lol, growing up during the tail end of the Cold War, it was a scary subject to think about, but an unfortunate reality. He lived by the philosophy of being prepared for anything.
Have to ask, anyone from Skjaldborg served their time aboard USS Jason Dunham? Its quite a big boat...
Going to be calling in and seeing if I can be more active in the reserves. Also possibly see if it's possible to increase rank while in reserves. I know NCOs etc. can have promotions during reserves with right courses but I'm just personnel. Simply armored jäger. But definitely interested in anything I can get involved with and of maintaining my shooting and other skills. I hear it's a lot different type of thing than the mandatory service - a lot less bullshit and a lot more practical training and so. Though I'm not expecting or hoping rainbows and unicorns. I can take the bullshit too as it's pretty impossible to avoid around military circles. As long as I can make myself more useful.
6 years in the Navy 2 years of school and 4 years of active duty I served on the USS Enterprise during Desert Shield Electronics Technician/Nuclear Reactor Operator
It's a good thing I'm not a navy admiral, I would totally make it a prerequisite for commanding the Enterprise, having a name resembling one of the Star Trek captains.
I don't know if I posted this, and I don't feel like going back through to check, I served some time on the CVN 69, while attached to my flight unit, VF-11 the red rippers.
First Bootcamp. It sucked. Then Naval Station Great Lakes for some school. It's right beside bootcamp, so bootcamp with cellphones, and sometimes I could smoke a cigarette. Then sunny happy San Diego for more school. Then the USS Sampson DDG-102 for a while after schooling. The backbone of the US Navy. Top speed is 30kts+. (Still in San Diego) Then USS Freedom LCS-1 after for a while. Top speed is 30kts+. (Still in San Diego. I actually only moved 2 docks down for this one) Now this oversized tugboat. It's top speed is 10kts. Sometimes. Oh and its not armed. And now I'm in Washington State.
