Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - How much respect do military members deserve?

omegapoint · 01-11-2010, 05:27 AM

For the record, I am a veteran of the U.S. Navy. I served aboard a 688 class fast attack submarine. That's right people, at one time I was one of the true studs of the fleet with the coveted "SS*" behind my name.

How much deference do YOU give members of the military?

None. I don't see why I should. Just because someone is in the military doesn't mean they are a superior form of being. With that said, I do respect them for the job they do, just like I respect firefighters, paramedics and other first responders.

How much respect do you initially give them?

The same as any one else who is not a parasite on society.

Whether you were in the military or not, has no bearing whatsoever on either your "manliness" or patriotism. From my experience, your average service member is neither more or less patriotic then the general populace.

As far as the Hadji statement goes, I have no problem with either the statement itself or sentiment behind it.This has nothing to do with the fact that I am a veteran, it's just the way I am.

laconic1 said:

"As "unpatriotic" as it is for me to say this many if not most of the military people I have dealt with in the last few years are incapable of thinking for themselves. Many, (honestly I would say 2/3) of the military people are the uneducated, unmotivated people you speak of. "

I have no idea who you have been dealing with but, to say that 2/3 of the military are uneducated and unmotivated is at best an ignorant generalization. The military is not the Borg, no one is assimilated to the point of being an automaton. This would be counter productive to the job at hand. Uneducated? How many people do you know who can operate a nuclear reactor? or repair a sonar system, a satellite navigation system (I can) or any other complex electronic or mechanical contrivance?. Do you really think that helicopters, jet fighters, tanks, ships and humvees work off of pixie dust?. The modern military is chock full of technically complex equipment that necessitates a highly trained, skilled and motivated workforce. Even the so called "grunts", those brave young lads in the infantry who have their asses on the front lines are by no means uneducated or unmotivated. Think unit tactics. Think integration to theatre wide operations. Think about trying to think while some asshole is doing their personal best to kill you. Now,think about how many people you work with who could handle that and then have a nice day!.

* Once you qualify ships, you are awarded your "dolphins", the breast pin that denotes this. The SS denotes the same thing on paper. Unlike "skimmers" aka targets, qualifying ships is not an option, it is obligatory for submariners. It was made explicitly clear to me (as it was to everyone) on first arrival at the boat that you either qualified or you were kicked out. The exact phrase used was " we don't pass trash,we throw it out".

01-11-2010, 05:27 AM	#5 (permalink)
omegapoint Upright Location: NorCal	For the record, I am a veteran of the U.S. Navy. I served aboard a 688 class fast attack submarine. That's right people, at one time I was one of the true studs of the fleet with the coveted "SS" behind my name. How much deference do YOU give members of the military? None. I don't see why I should. Just because someone is in the military doesn't mean they are a superior form of being. With that said, I do respect them for the job they do, just like I respect firefighters, paramedics and other first responders. How much respect do you initially give them? The same as any one else who is not a parasite on society. Whether you were in the military or not, has no bearing whatsoever on either your "manliness" or patriotism. From my experience, your average service member is neither more or less patriotic then the general populace. As far as the Hadji statement goes, I have no problem with either the statement itself or sentiment behind it.This has nothing to do with the fact that I am a veteran, it's just the way I am. laconic1 said: "As "unpatriotic" as it is for me to say this many if not most of the military people I have dealt with in the last few years are incapable of thinking for themselves. Many, (honestly I would say 2/3) of the military people are the uneducated, unmotivated people you speak of. " I have no idea who you have been dealing with but, to say that 2/3 of the military are uneducated and unmotivated is at best an ignorant generalization. The military is not the Borg, no one is assimilated to the point of being an automaton. This would be counter productive to the job at hand. Uneducated? How many people do you know who can operate a nuclear reactor? or repair a sonar system, a satellite navigation system (I can) or any other complex electronic or mechanical contrivance?. Do you really think that helicopters, jet fighters, tanks, ships and humvees work off of pixie dust?. The modern military is chock full of technically complex equipment that necessitates a highly trained, skilled and motivated workforce. Even the so called "grunts", those brave young lads in the infantry who have their asses on the front lines are by no means uneducated or unmotivated. Think unit tactics. Think integration to theatre wide operations. Think about trying to think while some asshole is doing their personal best to kill you. Now,think about how many people you work with who could handle that and then have a nice day!. Once you qualify ships, you are awarded your "dolphins", the breast pin that denotes this. The SS denotes the same thing on paper. Unlike "skimmers" aka targets, qualifying ships is not an option, it is obligatory for submariners. It was made explicitly clear to me (as it was to everyone) on first arrival at the boat that you either qualified or you were kicked out. The exact phrase used was " we don't pass trash,we throw it out". Last edited by omegapoint; 01-11-2010 at 05:35 AM..