Well eagl, I think your stats are a bit off, seeing as how in 10 years in Vietnam 59,000 ish men and women were killed. Ten years in Afghanistan, the numbers of wounded and killed are no where near that.
Yes, advances in PPE have made some events survivable, which certainly in the past would not have been survivable. I reckon the guy with no legs, who volunteered to serve by the way, would be happy to see a kid get married rather than be pushing up daisies. I agree that the cost of lifetime care is staggering. I also agree that nothing about a pension or benefits is secure. I talked to my wife the other day about the prospect of working until the day I die because my pension from the military may not happen if we keep pitching budgets that are 1/3 greater than GDP. I also dislike volunteering to fight and win my nations wars, then end up coddling cultures that are barely out of medieval times. It used to drive me nuts to have to work with XXXXX country army, watch them do things that we find morally disagreeable, and watch them squander the gift of security and treasure. Especially when I drive over interstate bridges in the US that are on the verge of falling apart. I was very lucky as a Company Commander years back in XXXXX, XXXXXX in that roughly 30% of my company was awarded purple hearts and I did not have to write any letters home. I talked to a lot of fathers and mothers at the CASH, but thankfully not from the morgue.
SO what does all of this mean. Well, I have come to terms with being a chess piece. One of the reasons I went to OCS was to take care of Soldiers. I was on staff duty one evening and the CSM came up to me and asked if I was going to drop another packet. I had already been turned down twice because I did not have a four year degree. I made SSG wicked fast, was the 82ND ABN DIV NCO of the Quarter, and was my Brigade Nominee for the Audie Murphy. I said, well CSM, F them, I am going to be the SMA. He laughed and said, I want you to think about this, the Colonel still has to sign my leave form, and off he went. So all night, I puzzle on this cryptic BS message this 33 year, hamburger hill vet dumped on me. I reckoned he meant, that no matter what as an NCO you are never dad. He was right. I do regret the decision to go to OCS is many ways. Two of the guys that were PVTs when I was a young SGT are 1SGs right now. I often wonder where I would have ended up.
I am bummed it did not work out linking up with Tom when I was out at NTC.
Well, "Tupac" you have pages full of advice and discussion. When I entered the military I was an immature drunk. My parents had provided with me everything I needed as a kid, I just was too busy being pissed off at the world to understand it. Being a Private in the Infantry sort of cured all of that. Going to some of the schools I have been to has made me understand who I am to a degree most Americans will never understand about themselves. If you take away the notion of service to your country and look at the job as a profession that is a challenge, see if it is what you want. Not many are inclined to do it. I wake up every weekday at 0420. I do PT from 0530 to 0630. I get home at 1700-1800. When I was an OC I worked three weeks straight, then four days off, then three weeks straight again and again for two years. The job is not for everyone.
eagl is spot on when it comes to degrees. Suck it up and get a technical degree. I have a Masters in Geological Engineering, I am certain I can find a job in that field when I leave the Army. My undergrad is in History, no way in hell I am doing anything with that degree than being good at trivial pursuit or impressing you Captains with my command of random historical knowledge.....
