By: Cunningham

            So, you’re thinking about serving in the military to begin your career?  I know.  You’ve seen the commercials on TV where they attempt to tap into your ego, get you all pumped up about how much of an honor it is to ‘serve your country,’ and glorify how to ‘Be all you can Be.’ And while the pay, benefits, and tuition for school may be tempting, be sure you’re considering everything. 

 Be aware that your local military recruiter is a salesman searching for young people that don’t question or seem a bit unsure or lost as to what they may do after high school. Trust me when I tell you that your recruiter isn’t telling you everything there is to know or following up on everything they’re promising you.

 In fact, right after you swear in and sign your contract to serve time with the U.S. Government, anything your recruiter promised you; any schools you may have qualified for; or any tropical, geographic location they said you’d have priority to is thrown right out the window. From there on, your ass is theirs and you will do whatever it is they want with you.

 Also be aware if you do choose to enter into the military, during the preliminary process you have to swear in TWICE — once after your physical exam and once again after signing your contract before shipping off to basic training. If you refuse to swear in twice,  it’s a no-deal.  They’ll still try to scare and bully you into going by telling you something like, “It’s too late. You’ve already ‘swore in’ a contract with the United States Government…” Blah, blah, blah – don’t be fooled!

 This is what happened to me: The officer, hurrying along, was handing me my contract papers to sign and explaining to me what each of them was in reference to. While he was handing them to me, I was setting them off to the side and not signing any of them. After he was done, I mentioned to him, “I noticed they didn’t include the ‘A’ School that I had qualified for and was promised.”  From there, the following is our conversation:

 “Oh, don’t worry about that, yeah, see? We’ll make sure you get your schooling after you get out of basic training.” 

I said ,“No, if it’s not in my contract before I sign it, I’m not going.”

He quickly replied, “ Well, we’re not going to re-write your entire contract just so that you can have an “A” school.” 

I said ,“Okay. Well then, send me home.” 

He replied quickly, seemingly irritated and more harshly now, “ No, we can’t do that because it’s too late. You’ve already sworn in for a two-year contract with the United States Government by which you’re now obligated to serve.”

My response was, “ No, I haven’t signed any contract yet. And also, I know that I have to ‘swear in’ one more time before I ship off to Basic Training to make my contract agreement legal.”

Finally he said, “Well, we’re not re-writing your contract and are you sure you want to go home?”

I said ,“ Yes. My entire reason for signing up is for the school and tuition money the military is offering for my service and if this isn’t in my contract, I’m not going.” 

He said, “Ok, we’ll get you a bus ticket back home.”

And that’s what I did.

 Moral of the story:  Nothing is as it seems or set in stone. You may think you’re promised to have or are going to get one thing or another, but they can simply rearrange anything ‘promised’ and threaten you with a dishonorable discharge if you dispute.

 The military may be a good option if it’s peace time. But during times of war, be aware of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and that the war may not end after you’re out and back home. Here’s how:

 The following information is provided by:  Progressive Avenues

www.progressiveavenues.org

info@progressiveavenues.org

THE SAGA OF THE AMERICAN GI

Join the Army – Kill Overseas – Become a “Hero”— and then kill yourself

 “More than 1,000 troops have killed themselves over the past five years in a suicidal wave. The steepest hikes have been in the Army and Marine Corps, the two services providing most of the troops for nation’s two wars. A recent independent report ordered by Congress found the Pentagon’s suicide prevention efforts inadequate.”

 — MARK THOMPSON, “Top Admiral: Military Suicides Will Keep Rising,” Time Magazine, 9-30-10, http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/09/30/top–general–military–suicides–will–keep–rising

“War is hell” remains the common command justification for the high suicide. Don’t buy it. The suicide rate is higher with the wars from this decade than during any other war, including Vietnam.

 “Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was talking of the military’s ability to fight future wars Wednesday when he suddenly changed gears. ‘We had five suicides in the Army last weekend,’ the nation’s top military officer abruptly volunteered. ‘And,’ he warned, ‘such horrors are only going to grow.’”

  “All of the pathologies of war – PTSD, crime, domestic violence, suicide – are tolls that must be paid long after troops have left the battlefield. It has become obvious that mere billions of taxpayer dollars cannot really blunt a war’s psychic trauma. It’s almost painful to watch senior military leaders–so used to prevailing–try, and fail, to defeat this latest scourge. And warning it is only going to get worse.”

 * INDEPENDENT VOTER NETWORK (IVN)

 http://www.caivn.org/article/2010/05/12 us-military-besieged-record-suicide-rate, The toll of military suicides last year was the WORST since records began to be kept in 1980.”

 “The SURGE in suicides, which have risen FIVE YEARS IN A ROW, has become a vexing problem for which the Army’s highest levels of command have yet to find a solution despite deploying hundreds of mental-health experts and investing millions of dollars.”

 “Military suicides make up about 20% of all suicides in the U.S., suggesting that the problem is worse among the armed forces than in the general population since veterans make up only about 7.6% of the population.”

 “The suicide rate among soldiers who have deployed to [war zones] is HIGHER than for soldiers who have never deployed”

 “For every death, at least FIVE members of the armed forces were hospitalized for attempting to take their life.”

THE U.S. MILITARY RENEGES ON ITS RESPONSIBILITY

 The military needs the cannon fodder, although it certainly doesn’t need the support of the American people to wage the wars. And, if the result is that suicide numbers kill a greater percentage of our soldiers, so be it.

 THE MILITARY MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE GI TO HOLD ONTO HIS/HER HUMANITY

 The fact that the military establishment is trying very hard to deal with the high suicide rate just doesn’t pass muster, and it must be held responsible for each and every death of its service members. Unpopular wars are unpopular for a reason. The strategies and tactics, the training or lack of it, in which the U.S. military engages, lead its members to rot in hell due to their cruelty and disdain for human life. Drone warfare and house-to-house searches create more enemies and more problems, and it is inevitable that the casualties will be those who directly and indirectly inflict the wounds.

 Anyone with advice or suggestions providing other insight please offer with your comment and discussion…

 My advice: Think long term before you sign!