Book: 10 Reasons Not To Join The Military

[Hissyspit]

http://www.10reasonsbook.com/killed.htm



"10 Excellent Reasons Not To Join The Military"

THE 10 REASONS

• You May Be Killed:

  By Cindy Sheehan
  
  Cindy Sheehan's son, Casey, was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004. In this chapter she chronicles every parent's worst nightmare -- outliving a child. To spare any more parents her grief Cindy demands that the US withdraw from Iraq immediately.
  
  "Don't join the military. The recruiters lie. They never tell you that you may die and put your mom in hell."

  
  
  
• You May Kill Others Who Do Not Deserve to Die:

  By Paul Rockwell
  
  While the Iraq war may have been sold as some deranged humanitarian mission to help the Iraqis, Paul Rockwell interviews soldiers who committed or witnessed acts of murder and torture against civilians.
  
  "They opened fire on the prisoners with machine guns," Iraq war veteran Aidan Delgado told Paul Rockwell, of a protest at Abu Ghraib prison where he was stationed. "They shot twelve and killed three. I talked to one guy who did the killing. He showed me grisly photographs and bragged about the results ... I was stunned and said, 'You shot an unarmed man behind barbed wire for throwing a stone.' He said to me, 'Well, I said a prayer, and I gunned him down' ... He was the nicest guy, a family man, a courteous devout Christian."

  
  
  
• You May Be Injured

  By Robert Acosta and Nina Berman
  
  Nina Berman traveled the country photographing and interviewing soldiers who had been injured in Iraq. Photos like Berman's don't show up in Army pamphlets.
  
  One of the soldiers she met was Robert Acosta, who had his arm blown off when he went to buy sodas in Iraq. Since Robert's return home he has become an antiwar activist and travels the country speaking.
  
  "I met one soldier who was living alone in a trailer, completely blind, without a leg, shrapnel wounds covering his body. He has no parents to take care of him and spends his days with young kids who ride around in circles on ATVs on a dead-end road in one of the poorest counties in the state. On the anniversary of his injury, he was found wandering at night through the woods in what local news reports said was an apparent suicide attempt. Do you think the army recruiting commercial that seduced this soldier into joining ever mentioned anything about blindness, amputation, or brain damage?"

  
  
  
• You May Not Receive Proper Medical Care
  
  
• You May Suffer Long-term Health Problems
  
  
• You May Be Lied To
  
  
• You May Face Discrimination
  
  
• You May Be Asked to Do Things Against Your Beliefs:

  By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
  
  A majority of Americans say the Iraq war was a mistake and more and more people are demanding the US immediately withdraw troops. But deployed soldiers must fight no matter what their personal beliefs -- or risk imprisonment. What's so honorable about participating in something you know is wrong?
  
  "Shortly after Chas joined, he realized the army was not the noble profession he had imagined. He found that the military was about dehumanization of the enemy and the soldiers themselves. Chas explained that this process started in boot camp with 'sick, twisted' drills, like Sniper Wonderland:
  
  'See the little girl with the puppy; Lock and load a hollow pointed round ... Take the shot and maybe if you're lucky; You'll watch their lifeless bodies hit the ground ...'
  
  'You're singing these things and you know they're wrong,' Chas said. 'But if you don't say it, you'll catch so much hell. You're scared to death and you have to say it.'"

  
  
  
• You May Find It Difficult to Leave the Military
  
  
• You Have Other Choices

  
  
  

[Guy Fawkes]

1. I'm no pro-war hawk...

but wouldn't it be a bad thing if people stopped joining the military? What would've happened if people didn't join up during WWII? Or the Revolutionary War?

[spag68]

2. Draft

That is the answer. common pool, no excuses other then physical. And by the way PEACETIME military is a great experience.
, at least is was 59-62.

[Joe Fields]

22. The draft does not reflect a common pool, unless the pool...

that you are talking about happens to be derived from poor people, be it black, white or hispanic.

[babylonsister]

3. This war was 'selected', not in any way like WWII.

WWII was righteous, this one has never ever been.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. WWII was also "selected" in terms of FDR making certain political,...

...economic, and military decisions designed to force Japan into attacking U. S. forces in the Pacific. This is pointed out very clearly in the book, "Day of Deceit", by Swinnett. Swinnett clearly demonstrated that FDR followed the outline of the McCollum Memo by moving miltary assets into the Pacific and cutting Japan off from the raw materials she needed to conduct military operations. Swinnett also proved that our intelligence community had broken the major Japanese codes by mid-1940...they knew exactly where Japan was moving her forces in the Pacific, and they knew this on a real-time basis.

FDR had earlier tried to push the U. S. into a war with Germany, but the major U. S. corporations either supported Nazi Germany outright, and/or were fearful of losses from a protracted war in Europe. There was also a great deal of resistance among the American people toward fighting another war in Europe barely a generation from fighting in WWI.

But, did America fight in WWII for the right reasons? Absolutely. The Nazi rulers had tried to eradicate the Jews and anyone else that got in the way, while Japan had done similarly horrible things in Manchuria and the areas they conquered in the Pacific. There was no doubt then, and no doubt now, that WWII had to be fought and won.

Now here we are 61 years after the end of WWII, and another tyrant has arisen, forcing the world to unite against him politically, economically, and militarily. We know what happened to the tyrants of WWII and the countries they ruled...let's hope America doesn't end up on the same historical trash-heap.

[babylonsister]

15. But there were 'right reasons' in WWII. I can't find any

(forgetting Hussein, who's no longer a threat) in this quagmire.

[Bigmack]

19. I hate to party-poop on the "Just War"...

but the US never went to war to save the Jews in Europe. Shit, Myron Goldbergstein couldn't get a hotel room in Manhattan or join the "Right Club" in this country.

It was all about economic control and markets. Hitler wasn't going to invade the US, and neither were the Japanese. The US economy needed (wanted) those Asian markets and needed NOT to be locked out of the European markets.

And Japan doing horrible things in Manchuria? Just a few years earlier... like 30.... we were killing about 200,000 Filipinos in the (ahem) Insurrection. Thirty years before that, it was the Native Americans. All that stuff about tyrants murdering thousands can be turned around back at the US.

My reading of history says that all wars... except defense from attack... are just exercises in Imperialism.

This country is no different.

[Hissyspit]

4. People should join for the right reasons. n/t

[Journeyman]

9. It's one of the great crimes of BushCo. . .

that they'll destroy the volunteer force. . .

I doubt that books like this will have an appreciable impact on US military strength, whereas the daily exhibit of idiocy which George and Co give ample witness for, and the rising death and dismember toll in an increasingly pointless conflict, will have a much greater impact.

[nonconformist]

14. Maybe they'd have to change their shoddy treatment of them

Like not use them for cannon fodder, pay them livable wages and stop cutting veteran benefits... the list goes on and on.

Of course, that's what I'd like to see happen. In reality, what will happen is a draft.

[Joe Fields]

21. You simply cannot equate the two examples you provided...

to an administration with a madman at the helm.

[wuushew]

23. If Amerika truly minded its own business, war would be extinct

In the past countries have gone to war over land, territory and resources. I submit that owing to the twin factors of modern military expenses and interplay of international trade, wars fought for resources with the sole exception of oil are largely a relic of the twentieth century and before.

We make enemies today because we exercise American power where Amerika does not exist. We do this on behalf of dubious political "allies" and mainly for the benefit of evil corporations.

The gains made by such actions would not compensate the aggressor country for losses in other areas.
What vast resources would cause a sufficiently belligerent country to cross our twin oceans and attempt to bring conflict to the continental United States?

I suppose our neighbors of Canada and Mexico could make overland attacks on us, but they would be dealing with a racist and lunatic population which compared to world standards is armed with a vast number of firearms. The reason for such a war would have to be quite compelling.


Many of the situations that the military handles now could be handed off to law enforcement agencies including terrorism which I consider merely just another criminal act. Between civilian agencies, our unofficial militia and our nuclear arsenal why do we need an armed force that consumes billions of dollars annually?

[DianaForRussFeingold]

5. Instead Join the Democratic party and Bring the Troops Home!

Support the Troops Bring Them Home.' First get Get rid of all the corruption in washington and take back our Whitehouse from the crooks..Then Join the FBI or Cia,Like Valerie Plame. Or like Joe Wilson who at one time was a Republican, do public service and become an Ambassidor and a HERO. Joe Wilson was Commended by Bush 1..In other words we need more Peace, less violence.

[spag68]

6. I'll second that motion.

[cynatnite]

7. Under better leadership, joining the military isn't all bad

but under this regime...no way. I wouldn't recommend anyone joining the military.

Either way, this doesn't set well with me. Kinda puts my gut in a knot.

[babylonsister]

8. I have a husband and 2 brothers retired from the military,

2 nephews in the Coast Guard, and another one who can't wait to go into combat, once he graduates from high school. Sigh. I hope he returns alive, w/o PTSD. What are the chances?

[NMMNG]

11. Right now, can anybody give 10 good reasons to join the military?

:shrug:

[Finder]

18. #1--To provide balance.

a good portion of our volunteer military today are there for reasons other than to defend the country. Too many christian militia types wanting to fight a crusade.

#2-The military is a good career choice for some.

#3-We need troops here when natural disasters occur.

#4-The military is often the first defense against tyranny.

#5-It is a viable option instead of throwing young people into jail for smoking a joint.

#6-Offers an opportunity to see many places around the world.

...

There are as many good reasons for joining as there are for not joining. It is not for everyone. Although I am against the current conflicts we are engaged in, the fact that we need a military doesn't change.

[Sir Craig]

12. One reason left out...

11. No guarantee that you will have a career in the service, particularly the Air Force.

There is this incredibly ugly and stupid policy called "Force Shaping" that has basically driven some of the best airmen out of the service, because there isn't enough money to keep people in while maintaining recruiting goals. Those recruiting goals are what this administration likes to tout, saying, "See? People are still wanting to go into the service. We still have support for our war, etc."

The problem is, they don't talk about all the servicemembers that are being forced out because of budget cuts. Instead, after six years of being sent to garden spots like Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., they get the boot -- no chance to remain and make a career in the AF. They are, however, given the option of "going green," which means trading your AF uniform for an Army one.

Lovely choice, that. To date I have not heard of a single airman taking up the Army offer. Instead they get out and hope that they can somehow convince employers that their six years of service means something, and the last I looked the job market still hadn't recovered from BushCo's ineptitude.

Another result of "Force Shaping" is that now our moderately well-trained airmen are replaced by totally untrained airmen, and if you thought there was plenty of time to get these pups up to speed, guess again. More and more supervisors are opting for early retirements (some as early as 15 years in), and with their departures goes the skill and knowledge to pass on to the up-and-coming youngsters. Why? Because they see the direction that BushCo is taking the military; with the sudden number of former generals coming forward and denouncing this administration's performance of its duties (and thereby threatening lucrative careers as military lobbyists), it is easy to see how that translates downwards.

No, it is very likely that you will be asked to risk your life and endure long separations from friends, family, and loved ones, just to be booted by a very uncaring government so they can save a buck. Screw this administration, and all the rubberstampers that allowed this to happen.

[Lasher]

13. Another reason

12. The Bush administration has reneged on the military's promise to provide medical benefits to veterans

I was drafted into the Army in 1969. The Army promised us that once we had served at least a 2 year active duty obligation, we would be entitled to VA medical benefits for the rest of our lives.

Enrollment Priority 8 veterans have been rejected if they first applied for VA medical benefits on or after January 17, 2003. So far they have not been throwing out any veterans who are already enrolled, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that occur before we're finally rid of Dubya.

Essentially, you are in Priority 8 if you didn't get wounded in combat or at least partially disabled in some other way; if you didn't serve a full 20 year obligation; and if your annual income is above the poverty level. It's more complicated than that, so here's a link for you to enjoy when you're having trouble sleeping:

http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/eligibility/epg_all.asp

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. 11. Being in the military is really, really, boring and useless.

Unless one enjoys the monotony of endless drills, being "led" by idiots, and going through utterly meaningless rituals.

Especially fun was the Sunday after payday parades when most of the participants were still drunk or mightily hung-over. The sight of tough-guy marines throwing up and fainting was especially stirring.

[genie_weenie]

17. Men (and women) have historically joined the military

for a number of reasons:
Money and a stable job is usually the number one option and this encompasses the whole gamut of economic depression, class background, no college money, post-military career benefits, etc.
Family Tradition
Sense of Duty, this is of course what many in the Government would point to, in order to support their exploitation.
The chance to Blow shit up Men have little chance to exert their aggressive tendencies in modern society
Misconception on What it means to be a Man

The last one unfortunately encompasses the bulk of my own reasons for joining the Marines. I seldom talked about it with those I served with (a select few could understand, most did not) but, I felt the need to have a Rite of Passage into Manhood ala the Ancient tribal peoples of the world, money also played a role.

Unfortunately, what I found was the continued exploitation by the State of it's "citizens" in order to secure power, prestige and control over as many people (including it's own citizens)as possible.

The real problem is the legitimacy the majority of Americans still give to the current regime, as though being in DC somehow makes them the inheritors of what the Founding Fathers accomplished back in 1776/1789. This is accomplished by many means: control of education, naked force, coercive laws, theft of property whenever the State deems it "needs" it.

I saw several *bad* things during my tour. Tactics used on service members to ensure their quite obedience (myself included), forcing untested medicines upon service members (The Corps was the worst when it came to the Anthrax shot, refuse and you guaranteed yourself a BCD or Dishonorable), outright lies concerning these wars coming from senior officers, some of which have been used as Republician talking points or Laura Inghraham's daily drone. I won't get into the Iraq stuff, but one dead person is all I needed to know we made a mistake.

I don't know why I wrote so much, maybe it's happiness because my guys just rotated out from Ramadi & Fallujah. I didn't go with them physically for OIF 3.5.

[NNN0LHI]

20. You'd think the simple fact that their Commander In Chief is a crackhead...

...whould be reason enough not to join the military right now.

Don

[Hissyspit]

24. kick