Originally Posted by Rochard

Obviously I make this shit up. It's not like I spent four years of my life in a Marine infantry unit or anything.

Not all soldiers have families, in fact, most don't. In the first four years of military service, only ten percent of our military is married - and that makes up the vast bulk of our military. Those that are married usually send their wives home to live with family - no sense renting an apartment if half the family is out of the country. When a unit goes out on deployment - for war or whatever - military towns are hit hard. When ten thousand people suddenly leave town on deployment, it's felt hard.

When we went on deployment, everyone took the insurance off their cars, put them on blocks, and parked them in a huge parking lot. All of the soldiers that do go don't spend money locally - they don't buy gas, eat out, buy cigarettes, and what not.

As for the contractors who make equipment... Do you think that when we are not at war we don't build tanks, trucks, planes, etc? I guess you think our military - when not off at war - hides in the barracks, lower the blinds, and play titiddlywinks? You understand that every day of four years I either drove or rode in a tank, truck, amtrac, or helio? Right? It's not like we go to war and suddenly place orders for ten thousand new tanks.