My nephew just joined the army

[Swede]

He said our family was rich,we all had it pretty good and that he figured he shoud give something back to this country. I was like so proud of him and so angry at him and so scared and so mad at this world. This is my little nephew!!

[KCDem]

1. good for him

It sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders. He says that ya'll are rich, yet he realizes that his government has made that possible and wants to defend that. Very honorable.

Hope he doesn't get sent somewhere dangerous!

[Swede]

4. Doesn't time fly though

I should protect him,show him the world,get him drunk at 16. Now he wants to give back and he doesn't know what a truly rotten stinking world this is. Why does a good soul like this feel obligated to mankind and so many pieces of garbage just want to smirk and take advantage of something noble.

[Occulus]

7. He feels obligated because

he has a good soul. And yes, his particular action is only one way that fact expresses itself. I bet he also likes animals of all kinds, and looks at the function in the food chain and their behavior rather than 'am I afraid or not'. Children like him instantly, and you know he will always come through on what he says he will do.

Am I right so far?

He has a good soul. Simple as that. If he hadn't joined up, he likely would have done something else along the lines of giving to society.

Have your fears and your doubts, but be proud. He is a prince among men.

[phishhead]

2. Thats great he wants to give something back to our country...

But now is not the time to be joining the military. But, thats just my opinion.

But in any case, I wish him and your family the best.

[Dagaz]

3. very nice

The arguement against the all volunteer Army is tht the best and brightest don't join. Obviously this isn't true.

[Semi_subversive]

5. My son's best friend

who has been living with us for the past few months is supposed to report on January 9th. I hope he finds some direction in his life and stays safe. He's a good kid who needs a constant in his life. I joined the Navy way back when because I had a low draft number. Got to see some neat shit in the Orient and stay relatively safe on a sub during Viet Nam. I try to convince Brandon to use his skills as a bass player because, normally, the enemy don't shoot at the band.

[jiacinto]

6. I wish him good luck

And I apologize for those DUers who will now come onto this thread and refer to your son as a "baby killer".

I do wish your nephew good luck. I hope he serves this country well.

[Swede]

10. How can I be a hipocrite and judge people

that do not know my boy's reasons when I did the same yesterday?

[Liberal_as_Fuck]

8. Does he know what the army is all about?

I would suggest you have him seriously consider the politics of what he will be getting himself into. I admire him, because he has made a decision, and I am still debating it, but I hope he realizes what he is getting into. Serving your country is a noble cause, but for me the nobility is taken out of it, when I beleive everything we're doing is wrong. But then their's peace keeping missions, korea, bosnia, africa, that's the only reason I'm considering joining.

Not to mention the character building, and being part of the most powerful machine ever created, there's something to be said about that.

[jiacinto]

9. The people in the army don't have a choice

I bet that many probably do feel the same way that many DUers feel about Iraq; but, when presented with the choice of following orders or Ft. Leavenworth, KS, I think the answer is clear.

[Liberal_as_Fuck]

11. Exactly, if I was garunteed that I could serve on a peace keeping

mission in africa, then I would join on the spot. But there is a slim chance of that happening, and I don't know if i'm willing to risk it.

[U4ikLefty]

12. You give up your right to decide once you sign up.

Please don't risk your liberties to fight corporate wars...we need you here in the U.S.A. Your need to serve your country is admirable, there are many volunteer opportunities out there.

[Swede]

13. Bryan reads our local paper cover to cover every day

We watch CNN,NBC etc together all the time,every report every story is never taken at face value. When he moved in with me he insisted I read "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Which I did. Damn authority.

[Swede]

16. Hey DU'ers

I'm proud of you guys. No one gave trouble to me for being supportive to my nephew. He will be the third generation in the military. I am not happy with world events,and the Bush admistration is only making it harder for world peace. However he is president not King and in 2004 a democrat will lead us to better things.

[IranianDemocrat]

14. Good for your son.

Thats excellent ;-)

[pfitz59]

15. No crime in joining the military.....

Crime is how Bush* is misusing it!

[Swede]

17. I have watched the death toll in Iraq

we are scandanavian if you check the death toll they are all : Sanchez,Menendez, Jackson, Johnson, Riuz. It sickens me that I don"t see flag waving bastards that got us in this mess.

[Insider]

18. all the way, neph

keep your head down, and c'mon back home when your time is up.

[SoCalDem]

19. we are sending care packages to soldiers in Iraq

hopefully he will not get sent there after basic, but if he does, be sure to let us know his APO so we can add him to our list :)