Why didn't you serve?

[Deleted]

Because I'm not going to fight a war I didn't start.

I will not die under greed and deception. I will not fight a politician's war for them, if they want to fuck over the world then they can jump into a pit together and fight each other, not send pawns to do their dirty work for them all under the name of "patriotism" or some other 'ism.

[Puralis]

While I considered military service, I ultimately decided that my pacifism would make me a liability. I also believe there are other ways to serve the greater society. I decided to become school counselor and do my part to help students develop into well adjusted and productive adults.

[Santti]

I was going through depression (still am, after 10 years), and was given a choice if I wanted to go or not. I gave it a thought and decided it was best if I didn't. My depression has a habit of getting quite a bit worse at times and I might get somewhat suicidal. The suicidal part hasn't happened for a long time now, but it did back then. I was afraid I'd shoot myself.

Hearing from my friend, the army sounded kinda fun, and at times I have regretted my decision to not to give it a try. I could have left at any time if necessary. But not going was probably the wisest choice. Probably.

Oh, and I also have no interest in going god knows where to protect the interests of god knows who, far, far away from my country and family. If my country was actually in danger, I probably would have at least tried the army.

[Poppincaps]

I will gladly join up when the United States is actually being attacked.

Pretty much this. We're not in a full scale war so there would be no point and I'd rather work on a degree and start my career.

[Skroe]

I tried to. My story is interesting.

I did Air Force ROTC for two years (Sophomore and Junior Year) and did field training during one of the summers. I didn't need the money or anything. I did it out of patriotism. I absolutely loved it. Even two years made me a much better person, much more organized and precise about how I did work. From that perspective, it complemented my academic career exceptionally well.

However my Academic commitments grew to be too much. I was studying Computer Science at one of the best schools in the world for it, and it was costing me $50,000+ a year, so it had automatic priority. THe work load grew and grew. That in itself wasn't the hard part. The hardest part was that my university didn't offer Air Force ROTC. To do it, I had to cross-register at a university across town. This was fine my sophomore year, but in my junior year, when I basically lived in the cluster (a lab) to get my work done, it became untennable.

When I had to drop it, it was extremely reluctantly. I had to choose between ROTC and finishing my studies because I couldn't be in the lab until 5am, then go to PT at 6am, and then go to class at 8:30. My detachment commander, a Colonel who I still think the world of discussed me enlisting after school and then going to OTS as an alternative route, but I ended up getting my masters, and by the time I was done, I was 27 and a half, which at the time was older than maximum age to enlist (it is 39 now because the Air Force is looking for tech professionals).

There isn't much of a military tradition in my family. I'm form the North East. My mom is a therapist. My father is a doctor-scientist and was too young for the Vietnam draft. My great-uncles and a grandfather all fought in World War II and saw combat, but that was the extent of it. The military was never something that was a part of my life, especially in the pre-9/11 era (I was 18 in 2001). Enlisting or going to an academy, in that time (the 90s), wasn't something a lot of Americans thought about.

The road not taken... even still, it was for a short time, one of the best experiences of my life. I can't understate the positive benefit it gave. My college experience changed completely how I think about problem solving... how I think and organize at a very fundamental level. My Air Force ROTC experienced taught me a different kind of order and organization. The notion of uniformity in execution to make solving infinitely scalable has had a pretty profound effect on me. I remember getting yelled at for holding a water bottle the wrong way during inspection. It sounds silly but as the Sergeant put it, the Air Force has to fix 2000 F-16s the exact same way so that one that takes off in Pittsburgh can land in Germany and an entirely different crew can maintain it because it was fixed a specified way. Training for that starts on the smallest things. That philosophy has so many applications to my career, I can't even begin to enumerate them.

If you're in College, I strongly recommend ROTC.

[Celista]

Most of the people on this site are millennials, ages 20-40. So I am wondering why you haven't served your country? I'm old so thats my answer...and i don't like dying. For the people that have, thank you for your service.

At one point you could have served so that question still applies to you

I almost enlisted, actually. I took the ASVAB and apparently I got the highest score ever at that office, they asked me how a female knew so much about automotives lol (my dad had a side automotive business growing up...worked on cars with his brothers through high school...really though I just guessed the answers, not sure how much info I absorbed from him). There was a medical enlisted position available that I was interested in, at the time I was pre-med in undergrad as a freshman.

Then I decided I hated my premed coursework and we were in a war. So I changed my mind after passing my physical and before I signed the paperwork.

[Auxora]

Only around 15% of Americans served, but lots of reasons. Many simply don't want to. In my case I went to college which took priority. With the US not fighting a major war I have heard recruiters are being very selective, and active service in many cases are pushing people to not re-up. There are only about 2M in service even counting reserves, and without a major way going on they just don't need millions of people lining up to serve. The country is better off with those people getting an education or starting a business and helping the economy.

[Leakage]

Coming from someone currently active duty, it's always interesting to see "normal" peoples views of the military and what they interpret it as.

Most people in the military won't see combat. Even during Iraq not everyone was deployed. If you WERE deployed, that didn't mean you would see combat. Your MOS could just sit inside the base all day and stand watch while maintaining your gear. I know people that have been in for over 10 years, have been to Iraq/Afghanistan, and have never been shot at.

There are a ton of benefits that are appealing to young people and nobody really realizes it. You hardly have to pay for ANYTHING in the military. You get free housing, 3 free meals a day, free utilities, free dental and medical care. A lot of young people are stupid though and end their service with almost no money saved up. You can save a LOT of money while you're in. On top of that, you get free college thanks to the GI Bill and you can also use TA (tuition assistance) to work towards a degree for free while you're still active duty. Not to mention all the experience you get, all the qualifications and certifications that you get for free that cost thousands of dollars to get in the civilian world, etc.

It's not a bad deal.

[Deleted]

ah military, listening to someone that i probably don't like isn't going to work, also im sensitive to sensory overload.. to much happening around me and i shut down

besides fighting for a country thats been run by people who have no backbone and only care for their own election.. naah

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

Why would I? A vast majority of the population doesn't.
I didn't choose to because I have absolutely no interest in violence or this countries affairs.

[Olrox]

Never served as a younger person, but did interview with three of the four Judge Advocate corps in law school, Navy/USAF/Army; wildly different experiences with each one, Marine Corps recruiter didn't come to my law school at that time.

I'd have probably done it had I not gotten my "first choice" - there's pretty minimal military history in my family (and lo, in the US as a whole, as I was told it's a very low percentage of folks on the whole) so I have considered it, deployments and all, though I was told in the Marine Corps you are an officer first, lawyer second, which I assume is starkly different from the others, especially USAF and Navy. I still remember the Army JAG interviewer telling me pointedly that "a roadside bomb doesn't care that you're a lawyer or not." Very sobering statement.

Lot of misconceptions about the military in the US I think. I agree that we do have kind of a hero-worship sort of thing in our culture here, especially for the older generations, but I think people make a lot of assumptions about killing and the like, which surely varies per branch and role. I don't have any close friends who were soldiers, but I went to law school with marines, sailors, and airmen, and my best friend is still enlisted in the USAF - he's deployed three times in around 11 years, and hasn't shot anyone or been shot at; drew a sidearm once though. He's in contracting, which probably explains some of the proximity to combat stuff. At any rate, I think most folks, or at least a significant number, probably don't see a ton of live fire/combat/etc... but plenty do, and I imagine the majority are soldiers or marines.

[Kjanaprik]

There is no army here to apply to.

Closest we have is The viking squad(Víkingasveitin) and is made up of 50 people and is just a glorified police (they have guns) or the ICRU(Íslenska friðargæslan) which has 30 people trained by the Norwegian army and aids in UNRWA/UNICEF peacekeeping

[Theinquisition]

I actually considered it, however it was VERY difficult to enlist in the Canadian military (no jokes now ) in 1981-2 (Yes, I'm THAT old ) I passed everything, however they just weren't taking many people (at least not young kids with no background - if you were in your 20's and had a degree already - then sure) By the time I reached the level they wanted (at the time) it was no longer what I would have considered equitable.

I think I would have enjoyed peacekeeping though!

no jokes needed.

I've worked with Canadian soldiers while deployed, they are a very capable, dependable, and professional force.

[Mormolyce]

There hasn't been a war that I support in my lifetime.

[Rooflesstoofless]

I did...although I'm a Gen-X, I think.

I enlisted, eventually went to OTC, and then resigned my commission in early 2000 (long story).

I wouldn't want anyone to have to die for corporate interests thousands of miles from home.

[Theinquisition]

For a couple raisins:
We had just voted in a Republican President which I figured we would eventually mean we would be at war.
I didn't want to join the military, several of my friends did and I supported them but I knew it wasn't for me.
I figured if the nation truly needed people like me to fight they would reinstate the draft.

You do relize that many of our nations conflicts were begun or escalated by democrats right?

WW2

Korean War

Vietnam

just to name a few.

[Ratyrel]

I did replacement service instead. Worked with neglected kids. Thought me a lot of really useful things school really didn't impart.

[Theinquisition]

I'm a bisexual, vegetarian, anti-gun, non-religious, non-racist, libertarian hippy who enjoys playing tabletop RPGs, listening to classical music and exploring world cultures through food, dance and spiritual ascendancy. I used to model so I articulately groom myself, stay clean shaven and soak in baths and expensive lotions.

Would I last a fucking day at basic?

1. No one in the army cares that your Bi

2. We have special vegetarian MRE's so...yeah that's okay too.

3. Fair enough

4. Plenty of Atheists in the army

5. Everyone wears the same uniform, and there are lots of minorities in positions of power. For example IVe had several black commanders and CSM's

6. I was/am a libertarian and I served.

7. I played warhammer 40k while in, its actually very popular in the service.

8. who cares what music you like

9.What better way to explore world cultures than to experience it first hand?

10. military members are usually very well groomed.

So whats the problem?

[AeneasBK]

So whats the problem?

Your image in mainstream Hollywood?

In fact, no scrap that, just Full Metal Jacket. I mean, that's basically the army, right?

Right?

[Jakexe]

I had planned to do my trade degree in the army but they seem to prefer people with 2 working legs.