graves_09:

I don't need to watch the series. I gave 10 years of my life in service to my country. I am speaking from firsthand experience. You watch too much TV fella. And If I were you, I would not go on any night patrols with these enlisted personnel you choose to degrade and humiliate.

BTW I wonder how Patrick Daniel Tillman would feel about this.

Vince

Did you see the JHMS that some of the pilots were wearing?

I don't think graves was being degrading or humiliating service members...

most of the enlisted have high school educations, and while they are probably better educated than in the past, you still have a hard time getting a decent job with only a HS education...

a lot of them probably would be in menial jobs, not all of them, but many...

one thing is sure...after their experience, everything else will be easier and the great majority have excellent futures because of their military service and what they learn from it...

Unpainted Arizona:

You are obviously of the same mold as graves_09. I don't take kindly to people putting other people down. No matter how you say it. It is still a put down. These men and women who serve our country in an enlisted capacity are the military. You take them away and we are in deep kemchi. And to try to qualify this by saying "not all of them, but many" is still wrong. And to imply that since these same soldiers do not have a college education that they would be mediocre at best out of the military, turns my stomach. You do not have the right to judge these men and women.

BTW when was the last time you strapped on kevlar and humped the desert?

Vince

just started watching it

Fine, Vince, we get it. Each and every enlisted man would have been a huge success in non-military life. None of them would have gone on to minimum wage jobs or a life of crime; in fact, they all had offers to be a CEO right out of high school, but decided to go military as a public service. Somehow, being enlisted makes them fundamentally different from the civilian population with similar background and education.

zmike6:

Fundamentally, you don't get it.

Vince

Vince
Yes, I was citing examples that I had seen on a PBS documentary but i do not live in a box. i have good friends, relatives and others that i know the enlisted. All are good people and all joined because it was the best option available at the time. Some joined to get money for college, some for guidance and some to avoid family or other parts of their current life. Would they turned out all right without the military?, who knows but the path they were headed on was not the best. but they had the character to recognize that and enlist to better themselves. the military has a tough roll of shaping young men and women at the same time defend our country. to pretend everyone enlists only to fight terrorists and for patriotism is naive. that maybe a factor for some but not all. that is not to say they are unpatriotic, it just may not be the main reason for enlisted as it is sometimes preceived.


I am not sure what you mean by this but I'll ignore it.

That is my explanation and my thoughts, sorry if they offend, but i stand by them.

Anyway, that was another good installment last night. What was with the racist kid though? it sounded like he joined the navy not knowing he would be on a ship so he decided to misbehave and get kicked off? his defense of racism "that's how i was raised" is BS. it sounds like the navy is better off without him. did anyone else think it was weird that they would send him ashore on a helo? i would have thought that they would wait until port then boot him.

the relationship thing reminded me of living on a coed college dorm. don't date floor mates was the policy but their was no way to stop it. when love is in the air, rules go out the window.

also i couldn't believe how fast you career can go in the toilet. the man (petty officer 1st class i think) went from being recognized as battle group sailor of the month, recommended as officer material to being black listed and probably never again promoted. I realize he made a mistake but ruining your career by making one drunken episode... damn. i guess that happens in civilian life too.

I haven't seen any Vikings either, I guess they're gone from CVW-11 too? Awesome show though, no military stuff's cooler than Carrier Aviation IMHO.