'THERE SHOULD BE OUTRAGE' about misuse of U.S Armed Forces
Dom
Courant.com
‘THERE SHOULD BE OUTRAGE’
Not What They Signed Up For
Would Military Experience Be So Jarringly Bad If Everyone Had A Real
Stake?
By CYNTHIA MCDONALD
November 8, 2009
We are at war. Some of us go to war and the rest go to the mall. Here
are home, it is business as usual, work, college, parties, sports.
There are no victory gardens or ration cards. There is no collective
sacrifice. Many of our citizens display well-intended icons in support
of our troops such as flags, car magnets, yellow ribbons and bumper
stickers. Local officials supply dedications, memorials and tax
breaks, and work to offer local assistance.
This is all appreciated by our troops, our veterans and our families.
But what really happens to our soldiers and their families is poorly
understood by those without direct connection to those who serve.
Both of my sons served in our military, one in the Army Reserve and
one in the Army. Both served in Iraq. Fortunately, they are out but
the effects are lasting.
Our troops shoulder the burden for the rest of us. In the past, this
burden was shared through compulsory service. This brought an
understanding of military service and war to the populace. Our
citizenry was actively aware and engaged.
Here is the reality today: Our troops may be sent into combat many
times. Men and women are in combat roles. Their time between
deployments may be shortened. Their time in combat may be extended.
They may be subject to "stop loss," which means they can be held from
leaving the service beyond their contracted discharge date.
Once discharged, they can be called back to active duty for a number
of years as "inactive ready reserve." This is a back-door draft and
the psychological effect hits all of us.
People tell me that my sons "signed up for it." Although true, much of
their experience was not what they signed up for. I am proud of them,
but rather ashamed for our country after what we experienced.
Here is what volunteer soldiers experience:
The job they chose in the Army may be outsourced upon their arrival in
Iraq to private contractors who get three times the pay soldiers
receive. This puts soldiers in the infantry. They may have joined for
job training and experience in addition to combat, but they will get
little time in the job they signed on to learn.
Soldiers in the combat zone may be assigned to another unit. There
will be no unit cohesion. This means all the family readiness support
as promised is nonexistent. No one from the local unit will have
information about where your soldier is. No one will call you.
Newly arriving soldiers will serve with others who have had repeat
deployments, who have survived attacks with hidden and vehicle-
delivered explosive devices, and who may have psychological effects.
These may be the combat leaders. There will be little to no mental
health support for any of them.
When soldiers come home, they may find there is fine print in the
enlistment sign-on bonus for the student loan repayment program. The
$10,000 promised may only apply in limited amounts over a period of
years. To complete school, veterans may have to foot the bill
themselves.
Soldiers may find that the local commander can delay or deny
discharges despite recommendations from Army physicians. This keeps
the local unit "numbers" up. Good luck with this one.
Returnees may find there is no communication between Army medical
providers and Veterans Affairs medical providers. Care will be
disjointed, redundant, bureaucratic and overwhelming.
The local unit may also not understand the system. Records will be
lost, delayed or incorrectly filled out, or soldiers simply will get
no response — victims of the process may require help from someone in
Congress.
We see signs that say "Hire a Vet," but the 11 percent unemployment
rate for veterans exceeds the jobless rate for non-veterans. Most
employers do not give any preference to veterans.
Experience in combat and in the service likely will not be considered,
despite obvious advantages. How many 19- to 23-year-olds have had
discipline, responsibility and accountability under harsh, extreme and
dangerous conditions? How many had to make instant decisions, be
resourceful or adapt to changing situations under pressure? How many
have worked with foreign cultures and interpreters, and with diverse
social groups and occupations at such a young age? Surely this type of
life experience can translate to a job here? Sadly, it does not.
This devalues the veteran and fails to provide opportunity for our
troops who are shouldering the burden for us. My experience, with two
sons in the military, leads me to advocate for the draft. If our
country continues to fight extended wars, the burden cannot be
shouldered by the minority. If all families, neighbors and employers
had a stake, much of what is wrong with our military and with post-
deployment re-entry would be exposed.
One deployment, one rotation into combat is enough for anyone. Those
who survive should not have to go back. There should be improved job
placement, training and coordinated care for vets. There should be
collective outrage at home. There is not because there is no
collective engagement.
After all, "they signed up for it."
•Cynthia McDonald lives in Wethersfield.
edi...@netpath.net
> Would Military Experience Be So Jarringly Bad If Everyone Had A Real
> Stake?
Bullshit - mathematically. Any idea that a draft would give EVERYONE
a "real stake" doesn't add up when the military, by definition, is far
smaller in number than the general population. Just as during Nam the
draft didn't make the grandparents of draftees feel the war was stupid
or wrong, the draft today wouldn't either.
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/08/04/where-is-your-townhall/ is
the all-states, continually-updated calendar of "town halls."
http://www.Internet-Gun-Show.com - your source for hard-to-find stuff!
Bob LeChevalier
>Courant.com
>�THERE SHOULD BE OUTRAGE�
There is - about your misuse of education newsgroups for what you
obviously recognize as random political discussion, based on the other
newsgroups you crossposted to.
There really is no need to make all posts to the maximum possible
number of newsgroups.
lojbab
---
Bob LeChevalier - artificial linguist; genealogist
loj...@lojban.org Lojban language www.lojban.org
mrbawana2u
> Dom <DR...@teikyopost.edu> wrote:
> >Courant.com
> >‘THERE SHOULD BE OUTRAGE’
>
Bob LeCornholer has his panties all we-weed up.
Pubkeybreaker
It is a sure sign that a poster has nothing intelligent to say when
all he/she
can do is resort to petty name calling.
Grow Up.
liberal
> On Nov 16, 9:56 am, Dom <DR...@teikyopost.edu> wrote:
>
> > Would Military Experience Be So Jarringly Bad If Everyone Had A Real
> > Stake?
>
> Bullshit - mathematically. Any idea that a draft would give EVERYONE
> a "real stake" doesn't add up when the military, by definition, is far
> smaller in number than the general population. Just as during Nam the
> draft didn't make the grandparents of draftees feel the war was stupid
> or wrong, the draft today wouldn't either.
But the real issue was that those who supported the Vietnam war
refused to do the bleeding and dying. But they wanted those who did
not support the war to do the bleeding and the dying.
>
> http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/08/04/where-is-your-townhall/is
> the all-states, continually-updated calendar of "town halls."
>
> http://www.Internet-Gun-Show.com- your source for hard-to-find stuff!
mrbawana2u
> On Nov 18, 8:41 pm,mrbawana2u<mrbawan...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Nov 16, 2:16 pm, Bob LeCornholer <loj...@lojban.org> wrote:
>
> > > Dom <DR...@teikyopost.edu> wrote:
> > > >Courant.com
> > > >‘THERE SHOULD BE OUTRAGE’
>
> > > There is - [...]
>
> > Bob LeCornholer has his panties all we-weed up.
>
New to usenet, tard?