Comments on: Do You Consider The Military A A Respectable Occupation/career?

By: Joe Good Guy

Joe Good Guy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000

The men & women defending our freedom, whether officer or enlisted….deserve the respect of those enjoying the freedom being provided!! PERIOD!!
Don’t care if it’s a “rock” Marine, or an Admiral w 20 years in….anyone who says different (while entitled to their opinion) (see above), just doesn’t get it……that is what it has taken to keep us free.

By: Jared G

Jared G — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000

Lotsaopinionsa, I am an enlisted Soldier. The fact that you do not suprise me. Some people understand what sacrifice is and some people don’t. Some people have different values than others. It find it sorry that you value money so highly. That is where we differ. For most enlisted Soldiers it is not about the money. I at one point was considering West Point, I applied and decided against it because I WANT TO BE ENLISTED. I would rather be with Soldiers than over them. (P.S. I’m sorry if some enlisted guy stole your girl when you were out)

By: brian a

brian a — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000

To Lotsaopinionsa:
I can understand your position from the stand point that the Officer has gone through at least four years of college and what can in many ways and is probably designed to be such go through harder training, but that in no way should lessen the respect given to enlisted. They actually have harder jobs since what seems to be the general chain of command is that officers give order and enlisted men follow them. While this is just a general guideline, I see a number of reasons to respect the enlisted personel more than officers.
A) They do have harder jobs and are given less benefits as service members.
B) There is not as much promise for practicality in terms of a career as an enlisted man or woman while officers recieve better pay and other form of compensation.
C) Even for those who grew up in a small town, did not have many advantages in life, and probably were not college material, those people could have easily chosen to work in a steel mill, construction yard, etc. where they would be in a union have the benefits, “the whole 9″ as they say. Rather they chose to make a sacrifice for their nation in a job that could potentially injure or kill them(while those same things could happen in a shipyard, servicemembers are put directly in a line of fire intended for them).
Besides, most enlisted personel that I have met are actually quite intelligent. They all deserve our respect and believe me we owe it to them, regardless of their intentions or circumstances.
It is no disrespect meant to officers, my opinion is just that there are common reasons to respect both officers and enlisted and there are reasons to respect both above the other one at certain times.
By the way, I’m 19 and I intend on becoming a Marine as an officer after I graduate college. I figured that was relevant information.
Semper Fi, Viva Le Liberty!

By: G-Man

G-Man — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000

I consider it a privilege to know that they are risking their lives to protect me. That is why I am joining the Navy. I personally regard our military forces in the highest regard.
God Bless our Troops.

By: sminthia

sminthia — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000

Putting a yellow magnet on the back of your car isn’t the same as saying “Good Job” to a soldier (or sailor ) when you see one in real life. No, they’re not getting the respect they deserve. I was in the Air Force for 4 years and it’s killing me how stupid and lazy civilians are. I’m doing everything I can to get back in.

By: thegoods

thegoods — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000

I’m a Navy guy and I’ve always respected anyone who has served. I also agree that everyone should serve our country in order to reap the benefits of living here. Oh, we are sailors, not soldiers =), good luck.

By: lotsaopi

lotsaopi — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:51 +0000

I respect officers and higher officers. I don’t really respect enlisted men. I appreciate what they do for the country and for us in general, but I don’t really respect them as people who I would look up to necessarily. If I met some knucklehead Marine at the bar, I wouldn’t think twice about him. There are a lot of enlisted young guys in my town and most of them are morons.
But if you are an officer or career officer and worked your way up to Captain or Admiral, then that is something to be proud of, and that deserves lots of respect.
Run of mill average soldiers don’t get much respect. Also don’t expect a lot of money. $100,000 / year isn’t much after 20 years of service.
______________________________________…
Additional comments:
I agree that fresh out of college 2nd LTs are pretty much useless for a while like any kid out of college at their first job. The question is, do I consider the military as a respectable occupation/career. And and answer I gave was that if you are good enough to work yourself up the chain of command, then yes. If you are the average grunt, then no. I agree that it’s a hard job. I agree that it’s a lot of sacrifice. But it’s not a great career for most which is why most people retire after 3-10 years. Very few make it their life careers.
Also, enlisted men CAN become commissioned officers. All it requires is for them to get their 4 year degree. And in case of enlisted ranks, yes, if you make it up to Sargeant Major or up in that area, then yes, you put in your dues and you are due respect.
And by respect I don’t mean the general respect for all mankind and respect your neighbors and respect your neighbor’s dog kind of respect. I mean respect like “damn, I sure do look up to that guy and he’s the man and I’m sure damn gonna listen to what he has to say because he knows what he’s talking about” sort of respect. And by that definition, I don’t respect your average knuckle dragger privates.

By: GT500

GT500 — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:50 +0000

Absolutely. Every man and woman in uniform serving in the US military gets my highest appreciation and respect. They give up their freedoms to protect and ensure ours.

By: Slider72

Slider72 — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:50 +0000

Personally, I have great respect and admiration for the men and women in our military.
Anyone who makes a living out of ensuring other’s safety deserves our respect IMHO.
I wish you the best of luck in the Navy!!!

By: John

John — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:29:50 +0000

I think you are going to get a positive answer from most everyone here since this is pretty much a pro-military forum. Members of the military receive more recognition and respect now than they have any other time except after WW I and WW II. If you think they don’t you should have been around during Vietnam or in the mid 80s and the budget and military cut backs and jobs were not very plentiful. This started to shift drastically during DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM when half of the average citizens knew someone that was activated and called up to serve and has now continued into now with the current operations, activations and deployments.