First a little backround on me. I was Discharged 9 years Ago because I had problems at home that I couldnt let go in Basic. I recieved an Entry Level Performance and Conduct Discharge. I was young and very immature. My family life is good, dad served in Vietnam in USAF. I am trying to reenlist. I work in Anesthesia Support at a Level One Trauma Center in a great University.

I think the military is great whether you want a degree with a job that transfers to Civilian Life or make a career of the Military. I am trying to get back in as a Radiology Specialist but plan on making a career out of the Military.

What is the real reason you hate the Military? I think that there is more to than what you said about waiting for your OCS or whatever. Not to mention you try to get people not to join. Do you like your freedom or do you think everything can be solved with a hug? If you think we can solve everything with hugs then be my guest and hug Mr Habib with that explosive strapped to his chest. Did you not feel for those people who died Sept 11th? Do you care if our country is overrun by hostiles or illegals who kill your neighbors. If you hate what we stand for then go to Iraq or Iran and go sit down and try to talk things out.

I hope I get the chance to go back into the Army Medical Corps and save a brave soldiers life who is fighting for our freedoms than save the life of a person in the civilian world who tries to undermine everything we as a country stand for. I know the risks involved of going back into the Army at this point. With the way gangs are, at least if I go to Iraq I know who my enemy is and have a vest and helmet.

To those thinking of joining, stand up for what you believe in. Stand up for our rights and way of life. Ensure our freedom.

To the Vietnam Vets, thank you for bringing my dad home safely. If you did not I would not be alive.

I will make a list to make it easy, since many on here think im a POS, looser, I want to make my points very clear.

1. There is nothing wrong with a military or defense of our nation, its the manner in which the military "does buisness" so to speak. When I do anything I have a focus and anything that diverges from that focus gets put on the back burner or taken off of the stove, meaning if I sign up to be a pilot my focus is to fly not do huge ruck marchs or be treated like pond scum (this to be elaborated in another bullet) so when I was told to fill out a dream sheet as an officer candidate I was not happy, I was going to fly or walk and that was all there was to it, if someone cant respect or understand that, then thats on them.

2. You can learn alot about any orginazation by the way the higher ups treat thoes that they dont have to treat well, ie NCO's being autherized to chew out enlistees on the drop of a hat (cavscout described E-4 and below as mongeral breeds, that statement should explain itself). Also basic training was hazing, plain and simple, no matter how you want to justify the abuse its still abuse.

3. If you want to go into medical corps thats your choise, if you hate civilians thats your choise as well, but I dont nessicarily hate individual military members, I hate the system and how the military condones hazing, and I dislike individual military members who take advantage of there rank like drills or TAC's or over zealous combat arms or infantryman, you dont have to be an asshole to get the job done, and im only going to tolerate someone acting like that for so long.

4. There were contract discreptencies, I signed for 6 years to fast track through basic and OCS and go to flight school but lone and behold to go to flight school was an extra 6 year commitment that I was not prepared to make, so by the military not disclosing that fact just wasted a bunch of money and everyones time.

5. Grandeous statements like "ensure our freedom" and "Stand up for our rights and way of life" dont satisfy the deep passions of the heart like myn is flight, there is nothing like going into a power on stall and recovering out of a spin with some linkin park playing in your mind or the thought of flying upsidedown loops. Of course someone without that passion would never understand. Anything that is not pointed directly at that goal is a divergance of my focus and is a waste of time. If I can serve doing what im passionate about thats fine otherwise I will just buy my own plane and do my own thing that way I can ensure I get there.

So someone with little or no direction will probably be fine in the military, or someone fortuante enought to be sloted where there passion is will do fine as well. Its when the military tries to force me out of my passion to "meet the needs of the army" is when I walked away.

God fills the void but the passion of your heart is a really good extra kick, God knows that and his will for you in this life is not to go without.

quote:

Originally posted by rppearso:
I will make a list to make it easy, since many on here think im a POS, looser, I want to make my points very clear.

Dude,"looser" is spelled " l o s e r.

what an enlightening statement firstborn. I think these would be good points for discussion, since the question was asked of me.

You are welcome.

Rppearso, yes my question was directed toward you but everyone had the right to make a comment. And a few points about what you sad.

-I believe you would mke a great lawyer. you knack for turning a persons words around to fit your bullshit is amazing. I have no problem saving civilians lives. My problem is people who are all pissy like you because you did not get what you wanted and so now you bitch and moan like a baby.

-The military is the military, it is not a school where if you do not get what you want you can go and drop out. The military has to meet the needs of itself to ensure that we stay the United States and not become a republic of Whomever. Yes sometimes things take time, this is a Government that has an amazing amount of people trying to make things run. Sometimes you may have to wait.

-The whole "hazing" issue. Yes people yell, do you think that if you have become a pilot and you got shot down that your captures woul be nice to you. Maybe give you three hot meals a day a nice suite at a 5 star hotel and a warm fuzzy bteddy bear for you to sleep with. Or do the same for somebody from the Infantry. Do you want somebody beside you protecting your ass that does not know the first thing about being in a stressful situation?

-The training you go through is designed so you can think properly when you are exhausted and stressed way the hell out. If not then we would put alot more of our people in body bags because people like you would lose a screw at the first sign of trouble.

-The military is a means for defending our way of life. Not a free ticket for people. Yes people you get yelled at and pushed to the breaking point but this is all for the good of the people next to you and the ones you love! Let me tell you Medicine is not all fun and games like some TV shows depict. Neither is the military. In both cases if you screw up somebody can die! You will get yelled at! It is so you pay more attention. War is not like a game there is not reset, pause, four lives, or save points. You screw up, game-over! Maybe not for you but, somebody will pay the price for your screw up!

-The military is not just for people who cannot go to college. They want people who can think. The need medics, intelligence, etc. Its not just all gun-ho! Talk to people who have been there and done that. Talk to relatives. Do not take advice from somebody who did not want to wait five minutes. Things take time in life. Military is no different.

You have a lot of good points but the main issue that no one has been able to answer yet is still hidden in your message.

You can't quit... but you dont want someone who cant hack it because someone might get killed. An ELS is very hard to self initiate.

So that is the question I pose to you, why force someone to stay that does not want to be there?

I had this same attitude in basic and granted I got tons of "special" attention but they still passed me, I had the same attitude in OCS and they told me I could stay in but I had personally had enough and left, but I weeded myself out, they dident weed me out. Maybe they know that people like me will weed themselves out and that is the extent of the quality control.

Some people like me, do not honestly know what they want. That was my problem when I was in 9 years ago. Between the problems at home and my immaturity at the time, I recieved an ELS. Now, I am about to get my waiver so that I can finish what I started. I recieved a voicemail from my recruiter to call him. I called and found out that even though it is not asked for to get my waiver, which my waiver was submitted a week ago, they want a copy of my HS Diploma, College Transcripts, Birth Certificate, and SS card. I hope that this means I am in, I will find out more tomorrow.

I want in not because I will get more money or to go and kill people. My reasons are as follows:

-Serve my country and hopefully repay those who protect my family and friends

-Hopefully make a difference in the life of somebody that helped bring my father home safe

-Become a stronger person

-Prove to myself that I can do this

I am the type of person that because I walked away, I feel like I gave up. That plays on me night and day. It makes me feel even worse when I know my father served. Not everyone is cut out to serve. Remember though it is a honor and not a right.

The reason they try to get you to stay is because of the money invested. Maybe there could be a better way of knowing if you can hack it, or maybe we should have just finished what we started! I hope I get the chance to finish!

Mr Biggz....its a step in the right direction that you have taken. Kudos to you and hope you are successful this time around. The military doesn't give too many second chances.

These days, we can never have enough qualified medic's.

I would rather not finish what I started if it means getting someone else or myself killed because I cant cope. If there were ways to be say support first and a soldier second you might be able to get people that can not hack the field but have an unbelivable skill in some other area, they do it with doctors and lawyers why not other support type fields?

There really isent that much money invested in someone just going through basic, maybe thats why they are not harrasing me. I can see if you have all kinds of training in X, Y or Z, but deciding you dont want to be in at the basic training level is the best time to leave because they dont have that much invested in you yet, yet that is when they harp on you the most about AWOL and quiting, etc.