What Being a veteran means
 

It seems some people on here have been critical of veterans, they I guess didn't serve, it's not about countries against other countries, it's not about war mongers.
There are several reasons to join, I wanted to do something different, being on a submarine was something very few people will ever get to do. We never fired a shot, except to practice. We carried out our orders.

If you have a problem with the current wars, no shit? You think vets wants wars, are you fucking insane?

But as anyone that has served, you are changed from the experience for the rest of your life. You know how to work with others, because your life depended on it, not just because of a war going on, but because it's just plain dangerous. I got submarine pay while I was in, which is Hazardous duty pay. You think my job was safe?

And for those that didn't have the balls to join and see the world and do something bigger , I feel sorry you didn't get the chance to experience that.
As I said in a different post
My daughters ship, the USS Ronald Reagan CVN 76
You know the cruise ship that broke down? They saved 4,500 stranded passengers
http://www.10news.com/news/25677866/detail.html

or maybe the Philippines 2 years ago
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=38237

And there is more


So pick your fight carefully, Veterans didn't pick the fight, they finished it


PS, I'm not going to argue with anyone on this or any other post about Veterans again, give them anything but respect and you lower your standing as a human being

America, fuck yeah!

I know this is going to get nothing but neg rep... but its an honest question. It's one of the things that bothers me in these discussions.

Why is it OK or acceptable to put the kids who enlisted to go to almost certain death fighting Germany in WWII or the Japanese in the Pacific in the same ballpark as those who "just wanted to join up to get an education" or whatever?

I have huge respect for someone who joins the military in a time of war with the intent to fight and die if necessary for friends, family and beliefs. But thats not the same kind of "hero" as the guy who joined up in peacetime and worked in the mail room during the 9 and 1/2 minute invasion of Grenada and I personally don't believe its worthy of the same type of respect.

No, sad to say veterans picked most of the fights. Respect someone who goes and kills innocent people just because their country said they should? Someone who doesn't think independently? Someone who fights to push their ways on people that don't want them by killing everyone who disagrees?

By your logic we should respect all soldiers, including the Taliban soldiers, Nazi soldiers and Iraqi soldiers. Do you respect Nazi soldiers? Do you respect the Al Qaeda soldiers who flew planes into the Twin Towers? After all, they put their lives on the line for what they believed was right.

10% of the military fights for their country... the other 90% serves their country.

I served my country. I did not go to war. Those in the military who serve are the one's who respect the fighters the most.

It's more than just America, it's all veterans.
I got a chance to party with the crew of a german ship in a harbor I was in once, damn that was fun, it's amazing just how much beer a human body can drink!

A submarine is sure small. It can sure get crowded on a submarine.
A submarine can go under water undetected.

Hell I always say thanks to the men and women of our military everyday! Wish I would of joined when I turned 18 but nope I joined the fire dept and was a paramedic/firefighter for 13 years! Best job I have ever had! It would of been great to have been in the military! If it wasn't for my health and kids I would join now! *shrugs*

The military is a good place to get the training that you got for your job. Doing what you do deserves honor as well

You do know that your daughter is getting fucked ten times a day on that thing, right ?

Good for you, you signed up voluntarily to the armed forces. But don't for a minute think you are somehow better than everyone else. If it wasn't for civilian engineers, naval architects, welders, riveters and a slew of other tradesmen, that precious carrier of yours wouldn't even exist.

It is a good question really as most of the people I know who joined the army did so purely for the advantages rather than any desire to defend the country or sacrifice themselves.

I was addicted to several job types in my life i wanted to try. That includes working for Ericsson ( i did that, worked as projects controller ) and now ( as i love Cast Away movie a lot ) I want to try Fedex Truck Driver job. I guess i'm just tired of IT and want real life job.

Pretty well paid and honored jobs in America. Pays a little abovepoverty level here.

When my sub was in dry dock, I partied with the dock workers all the time. Most of the dock workers were vets

as my son puts it....


A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check
payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and
including, their life.

That is beyond honor, and there are way too many
people in this country who no longer remember that fact.

thats true for some...for me I joined because I believed that if I were going to enjoy being an American that I owed the country something back. Every generation of my family served in the military since they arrived in the US, 4 generations on my paternal side and 3 on my maternal. I was proud to wear the uniform and honored that I was allowed to serve


it sounds so quaint and even a little corney now but I honestly felt (and still do) that I wanted to give back to the country that is my home.

I have several friends that have served in all the different branches. My buddy that was in the Marines was in Somalia, Honduras and other places before actually fighting in the first gulf war. He talks about what he saw in the fighting, but he says the things that stick with him the most is what they were able to do in Somalia. His group brought in food and help set up refugee camps and for a lot of the people they helped it was the first meal they had in days. The warlords in that country would take any food that the aid groups sent and hold it to use as a political tool. My buddy was part of the group that helped break that up to some degree. He actually shipped out of that country about three weeks before the infamous Black Hawk Down incident happened.

He talks a lot about helping people in various places and how proud he was to have served. I have mad respect for him and all my friends that served. For that matter I have great respect for anyone that serves in our military. When you sign up you may have any one of a million different reasons to do so, but you never know when a war might break out. Take for example all of those kids that joined up in 2000. They might have just wanted to get some money for college or do something different and see some of the world. I'm sure they had no idea that the events of 9/11 would happen and they would end up in a war. That is part of the deal and it is why everyone who served deserves respect. One day you might be mopping a floor and hanging out in a barracks, the next day you could be in some god-forsaken shithole fighting for your life.

I would have joined after high school myself, but I have asthma so I couldn't get in.

No it can't.

Every vessel has a unique signature sound and acoustic detection has been going on for decades. More recently with quieter propulsion it's also been laser measurement of disturbance to the water and studies of changing magnetic fields.

Shhhhh.. We still don't talk about that stuff much.

AMP, you got a pretty cool son

Joing the army does seem to be a thing that continues through families the same as teaching, nursing, and the police.

Actually it can, that is what I did, forget what you saw on the history channel, read up on convergence layers in the ocean

Besides, if they were ever to find us, their ship would already be burning


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...red-faced.html

from a generation that didn't have to enlist, please enjoy your day.

Exactly! Soldiers deserve no honour. Being a mindless indoctrinated sheep who kills other people - simply because his commander or religion told him to do so. Killing innocent people in order to enrich his own corrupt leaders. Using force to prevent his own leaders from being held accountable for their crimes. Participate in bullying the rest of the world, steal the natural resources, suppress populations (own + foreign) and keep them as slaves.

The guy holding the gun is just as much part of the problem - as the criminal who orders him to pull the trigger.

Since when has it been respected to work for the Mafia - which the military ultimately is?

I've never seen the history channel. Sub detection was my dad's job..

much respect to all vets here

we got past detection all the time

You owe your country, you owe yourself, your family and your friends a long and prosperous life.

You owe the politicians who send all the young men and women to fight and die for profit absolutely nothing.

Sadly the 'wars' today have nothing to do with justice and honor.

Actually, during normal ops, a US Boomer was the highest reporting priority, then the Soviets, then the French, then any other non US subs, then US subs other than boomers.

We used to watch you guys all the time, just didn't always have to report it. ;p

My parents drilled in to me that it was every person's duty to go and serve their country for at least 2 years, so much so that I believed, for a while, that the constitution demanded it.

So, it was quite natural to have the Navy in my choices right alongside colleges, factory work, surf bum and rock and roll star ;p

We reported all the time, we weren't hiding from US forces. When we used the convergence layers, we were damn quite to anything. It's just the nature of how sound travels. Our sub ran so good that hard turns didn't even get the screw to cavitate

I just looked at it as an adventure

Thank You for Your Service from an Army Veteran who has been shot at and missed and shit on and hit. We tend to disagree on things from time to time but on this issue you and I are in total solidarity.

Peace be with you my brother. :thumbsup :thumbsup

Why do veterans always act like they did the world a favor by serving in the military? I haven't served but if I did it'd be because I wanted to serve, not because I felt like I should do the country a favor, if I got injured or died I wouldn't feel like the world owes me something because I joined the army knowing full well that that's a risk that comes with the job and I was fine with that.

Unless you were conscripted I think you should shut the fuck up IMO.

99% of the miliary are the dregs of humanity. They couldn't get a real job or get into college so they signed up to be told what to do. So we are supposed to respect those that couldn't handle a fast food job?

And where are the national holidays for people like doctors, teachers, fireman, police and so on, you know, the non dregs of humanity that actually contribute to our quality of life?

definition of an asshole, putting down veterans on veterans day

Respect your veterans...enough said.

And there's the answer to your question.

I'm not putting anybody down, just don't understand why we should feel like we owe something to people who volunteered to join the army.

I can understand if you were conscripted, or you took up arms to defend your country, but I don't feel I owe anything to people who volunteered to join the army so they can kill "gooks" / "ragheads" on their own free will. I have nothing against them, but at the same time I don't feel they should get any special respect or gratitude.