Well this thread is purely optional to reply to if you don't feel like discussing the matter or can't without throwing around negative energy, intentional or not.

I'm not sure if other countries come across this or not, so whomever wants to respond, I'm genuinely interested in a response.

Okay, Military. This has been on my mind for quite some time and always seems to come up with any new friends I have who have joined the military or family members for that matter.

Now many may call it brainwashing in the military or not, but that actually isn't my issue here. The issue I have is when military, new or old suddenly tells me, I should be appreciative of the military, cause while I'm sleeping in my nice warm bed, they are out there risking their lives to keep me safe.

My issue is just the logical view. The military doesn't keep me safe at night as I sleep in my warm bed. If someone decided to launch a nuclear missile or whatnot to where I live, there's not going to be any super soldiers who will jump up and redirect the missile to a new location and I will wake up not knowing how close I came to death, there's always some aftermath as it has to explode somewhere if launched. if there's a burglar that breaks into my house and points a gun at me, the military is not going to be there to keep me safe. And if I'm walking down the street and ppl start getting gunned down it's not the military who will solve the case. As I said very literal

Also I'm not really certain that the military fights for my freedom. I mean, I admit if we didn't have the military, then the battles would be on my front doorstep and it'd be me who loses loved ones by a mine or by gunfire, so yes I do appreciate that. But our freedom also is hinged on possibly corrupt governments with money as a goal rather than the quality of life ppl have to live. There's concern on money matters, but not so much on health issues, except generally in state.

And also, do you believe in the government who sends you out to wars or out to training exercises and so on

So yeah, I just wonder what do you think? For those in military or out of it, do you think that you kept ppl safe at night or fought for our freedom and not for politics placing ideas against ideas?

And also how do you define what you fight for? What is your ideal freedom that you wish or wished to achieve for america or for your country?

Hope to hear some good responses

For America the military is necessary to keep it safe as a superpower. Their army scares others and allows them to step on the toes of lesser countries without worrying much. So, yes it keeps the country safer. America has brought itself to a position where it can't afford to show military weakness .. a good thing it also has the best army in the world huh

Belgium has an army of 30.000 soldiers .. and to be honest, they're not very well-trained or well-equipped, with the exception of our Paratroopers. Basically we'd be run down by almost any other country if it ever came to war. Luckily Belgium never made military enemies and it lies safely protected within the center of the European Union so it doesn't need an impressive military.

Is Belgium safer than America? I don't know, for now we have less criminality and little worries with terrorism but I doubt that'll stay that way. If someone seriously wants to wreak havoc in Belgium they easily could .. where as in the US they'd have a much harder time.

Either way, the military is not about keeping people safe or not safe .. it is about maintaining the current situation. If America disbands it's army there will be chaos and much less safety until things balance out again.

People who bitch and whine that you don't appreciate the military need to get their mouth sewn closed. I could say the same about any service done by anyone in any country. Do you appreciate the people who serve you fast food? Do you appreciate the janitor who keeps things clean? Do you appreciate the sewer workers who keep the bad smell away? It all boils down to that's what their job is. By all technical means, when a soldier of your country is out protecting your land, you're in that land making sure it keeps operating smoothly. And I'm sure that soldier knows this well enough not to bitch about it, and is glad that you kept things running smoothly while he was away.

That aside, I went to college with someone who's in military school right now getting his educational stuff done so he can be shipped off where ever. I've thought a bit about how I might even want to be of use in such a way. I don't know if I'd be able to handle certain aspects of it, but it isn't a possibility that I've shot down.

Sorry if I sounded like an ass at all. If anyone wants to continue discussing, I'm not mad at any of you for doing so :p. *sighs* I'm such a ranter sometimes.

Well. This is probably not the best day for my response, as I am more emotional than lucid right now. My own shortcoming, I just ended up on the wrong side of a business deal with a damn israeli....grrr.

Anyways, as to your remark about if a nuclear bomb is shot at america, no I don't keep you safe. I keep my pilots safe. I give them a good reliable aircraft so that they can fuck it up again so i can fix it again. I am a 15 series. The 14 series are the guys that keep the patriots up and running which are whats going to save your ass if a ballistic nuke is fired upon us. So don't thank me for keeping you safe, thank a 14J or 14D or whatever.

No government is perfect. We may love the army. But we may also dislike our government and the way its run. You see the army is its own department in the department of defense. We are seperate. yesh the pres declares war and the congress underpays us. but we are the army. we love it. its a good life. because of the other soldiers. As a soldier, I will do my job. Do I think we should still be in Iraq? Yes but not nearly in the forces we are. America is doing what the United Nations should be doing. And our army is where the UN Peacekeepers should be. But America can be more effecient than the UN at getting things done quickly. And america can afford to be rude to other nations. Thats what the UN uses us for. Do not for one second think that G8 doesn't rule the world. Because they do for the most part. They control 72% of the worlds economic resources. And an astounding 85% of the world military power.

Also the National Guard, coughnastygirlscough, was there for katrina, ivan, ike, the iowa floodings and the chicago floodings, the earthquakes and the wildfires of the west coast etc. The police keep the streets safe. And the firefighters, NG only comes in for the big bad things.

As to why I fight? Well in my job I don't have to fight as often as infantry, but we still fight, and when I do. Its not for you, or freedom. Its to make sure my buddy next to me gets home safe. The worst thing a soldier can ever say to a person is, "We regret to inform you..." I fight for the people on my right and left because I have grown and bonded with them, they are my brothers and sisters.

No the iraqis can thank me for their freedom. The pilots can thank me for their birds.
but to be brutally honest. I am just trying to better myself and gain more honor for my family.

Well said, Yetaro.

thanks man. i appreciate it.

Yay we has a discussion

Zan: You bring up a very good point on America not affording to show military weakness and having such a reputation helps to keep us overall safe as many don't want to mess with us, though I think it's more just leaders weigh exactly how much damage would be received if war broke out. And I'm like yeah that I do know and kinda get kept current on as my sis is army and my bro in law is navy.

Snaps: Yes on all accounts, I do appreciate them as most of them are jobs my friends, family, or I've done I've not met anyone who hasn't appreciated soldiers. Question their environment and way of thinking maybe, but it takes a lot to put your life on the line, for whatever reason you began a military career.

Yetaro: Definitely a good answer, and in depth response ^_^ I can see your point a whole lot more clearly than why I felt compelled to start this topic.

Reason behind this topic was not cause of my questioning the usefulness of our military, or even on how safe they can keep us at night, though I still have my opinion on that. Reason behind this was the soldiers themselves, not all mind you, just a fair portion, who treat civilians like their the idiots of this century. Pompous, arrogant, I'm better than you, soldiers really grate my nerve, as if we should worship and back them 100% for their glory in fighting to keep us safe.

One thing, not every civilian is capable of being able to fight for our country, especially if they come into the military with a disability. I myself did want to join the Air force, or the navy. Was in NJROTC for a year and all that. I liked the sense of unity, and would gladly have signed up after high school like my sis. Only I had asthma, was 4'11", wore glasses, and a multitude of other reasons they said, I shouldn't join the military. Suggested I work in like office as recruiter or something.

Anyway, I was a fan of military lifestyle, until I met soldiers who acted like we did nothing for our country, save cower under our seats and pray the almighty soldiers will save us. As if we were worthless and always gloating on how the only reason we could sleep in our beds at night, was because of them out there risking their lives to keep us safe and deluded in our own world that nothing was wrong. Yeah, that went down about as well as charcoal in a persons mouth and nose. I'm like, although it's not all, there are very many civilians who could become as good as any soldier if not for a disability of the body or mind, or for a troublesome past. There are many reasons one doesn't get to go into the military, some good and others just annoying. Such as a parking ticket

But yeah enough of my rambling heh. I can see both sides of a soldiers story, but don't mean I should like being treated like scum and nothing just cause I wasn't accepted

There are good and bad people anywhere. you shoot yourself in the foot when you generalize any group. I work with some douchefags. There is one truth though, civilians can never understand what its like unless they are prior service or will go through. Some military personnel think that it creates division between us and civilians. They just have a harder time coping with it. Believe me, soldiers do live in a different world. On post, life is so much different than off post. Its like off post we are just visiting a foreign place, while on post, we feel safe and at home. When you are travelling and you run into another soldier, its a relief. Because as soldiers, we are changed. We no longer think like civilians think. We think different. For some, its difficult to cope with.

My female friend had a birthday party that I was lucky enough to be on leave for. A guy who was a friend of a friend showed up. He was air force. He got drunk and started thinking he was the shit because he was in the military. I was wearing a hat, as i normally do so civilians can't recognize my haircut and mark me as a soldier, so he thought he was the only military man there. Eventually whitney couldn't stand it and asked me to take care of him. Ended in a fight, but eventually he was taken away by his buddy. there are good and bad everywhere. Sometimes we forget that we serve. That we are servants to the people. Its then that we end up like douchefag. Its something you can't allow yurself to forget.

I don't try to understand soldiers or their situations. As I didn't try to understand my bro or sis when they were military. Oh yeah, forgot my other bro was air force. Sheesh, all we need is a marine and we're complete. Anyway.

I accept is what I do. I accept that soldiers are different and they experience stuff in a different way. Even more so than my days as a warrior in past lives. But equality is what I sought. If I respect and accept you, don't put me down, just cause I don't understand that you live in this elite world that for whatever reason made you think being a soldier somehow makes you better than me.

The douchefags (Nice word btw ) Constantly seem to want to throw stuff in your face. I don't go around to every uninformed person I meet that I'm otherkin and better than them, cause I have awareness of energy and blah, blah. I can carry on a conversation just as normal, even though I often feel like a stranger looking in. I mean my friends I've grown up with, talk dresses and boys, ppl I've met talk dresses and boys, and energy work and tarot, and metaphysical planes, that'd have the uninformed looking at us like we lost our minds, or just stereotyping an explanation out of us, so either they understand or find it to be an enjoyable research project.

Anywho I digress. Of course there's good and bad ppl, and as I said above, not all, just a majority of soldiers I've met have really been douchefags. And way I see it, we all live in different worlds apart from others. Soldiers separate themselves from civilians or rather feel it, girls feel the difference between them and boys, Humans feel the difference between themselves and other animals, it's all an all around cycle. Soldiers aren't the only ones who feel isolated in a world away from a world. I mean most of us on here are otherkin, and though outwardly we can fit in seamlessly, it doesn't mean we feel accepted and some of us, can't even seem to find a way to fit in even outwardly, no matter how hard we try. So welcome to the human psyche, where in any given situation, one can feel apart from the norm and oft times find kindred spirits.

Is this getting long, I think so.

on end note, my bro always got drunk when he was in air force, and so did my sis in army, before she got married. It alters a mind and usually there's a reason for altering ones mind and that weird statement that makes one a douchefag comes pouring forth. Never an answer to why. Some have told me it's cause of losing a buddy you just spoke to a week ago, or because of boredom, etc. I never tried to figure it out. I just listened and comforted then tried not to snap their heads off as they inadvertently complimented my kindness and insulted me for being a civilian, hehe

Eh...I've come to the realization that the military members you hear about and meet in the street and the ones that strike you as complete a**holes are the same ones who are the turds of their units. The ones that give Marines a bad name are these very same ones. The turds. I don't ask that people appreciate what I do. Hell, I don't ask for much at all. If they do, it really makes me feel good. If not, ah well. This is my career choice. Those Marines that go out and make a fool out of themselves in public are the ones who are quickly reprimanded once they get found out. I, as a Marine, have a standard to uphold. I treat everyone I meet as though I were the only Marine they'd ever met in their life, because, chances are, I am. It is my job to make sure the standard of the Marine Corps and US military is upheld as that of an honorable one. I just wish there weren't so many morons.