Link: "The tragedy of the American military" from The Atlantic Monthly

There's absolutely no way the youth of today will ever approach the youth of WW2. Those folks survived the depression, won a World War and came home and didn't ask for pity and to be taken care of. Instead they did things like building an Interstate highway system. To those folks "work ethic" wasn't just a catchy term, it was a way of life they had known all their lives.

Today's youth think not having a gigantic smart TV or a cell phone is a hardship. We have some great young people today, but not nearly enough of them.

TommyMac said:

There's absolutely no way the youth of today will ever approach the youth of WW2. Those folks survived the depression, won a World War and came home and didn't ask for pity and to be taken care of. Instead they did things like building an Interstate highway system. To those folks "work ethic" wasn't just a catchy term, it was a way of life they had known all their lives.

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The Greatest Generation had one major shortcoming: childrearing. Their children have proven to be the worst generation.

Speaking of the civilian-military divide reminds me of my experience in basic at Ft. Benning. I preface this by saying I don't think there was a concerted effort to create such a divide. The civilians probably dealt with thousands of young knuckle-heads a year and the Drill Sergeant talk was probably just part of the building back up process. Also, I don't know that my experience or feelings were shared by all that went through basic....

With the exception of one individual, every civilian we dealt with at Sand Hill, from those that handed us our uniforms to the barbers, was unpleasant. Really, they were jerks. On multiples occasions, the Drill Sergeants told us how special we were for having joined the Army. The basic theme was always how we were better than our peers, who were back home, hanging out on the block, smoking dope and playing video games. On top of that, basic at Sand Hill was no cake-walk. By the end of basic, with the exception of my immediate family, I really disliked any person who had not gone through what I had just done. It didn't take me long to get over that, though, once I got away from the isolation of basic.

I fear that the next great war our military wins will be within the borders of our own country.

crimsonaudio said:

I've seen this statement floating around for years. It's true, and really, it ought to be.

I fully believe that if / when we ever face an enemy as powerful as we did in WWII, the people will respond to the war effort - the lackadaisical attitude often displayed by the general public is due primarily to the fact that we haven't been involved in a war that was for our very existence in 70 years - just lots of involvement in other parts of the world against (what should be) overmatched opponents.

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Things aren't that different now than before WWII. Until Pearl Harbor nobody wanted any part of it. Our military was weak unlike today. I believe in our young people and our country as a whole. The problem is the lack of leadership from our generation.

TIDE-HSV said:

They may not have asked for it, but let's not forget the GI Bill. Untold thousands of vets got college educations who otherwise would have just returned to the farm. It transformed the face of this nation...

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Still seems like mighty poor pay for what they had to endure. Think about island hopping in the Pacific, Normandy, Anzio, etc. We could never repay that debt.

TommyMac said:

Still seems like mighty poor pay for what they had to endure. Think about island hopping in the Pacific, Normandy, Anzio, etc. We could never repay that debt.

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We repay our debt to them every time we honor their sacrifice. They will never be forget in time but we will.

I still dabble in the arena and I see Patriots every day. I also see a swollen conservative party that waves a flag most have never served.

I think the term is Chicken hawks.

Maybe I am taking the direction of the thread the wrong way, but as someone who has served I get a little offended by those that believe we are owed something just for our service. Was it "service" or not? I get rubbed the wrong way when I get reprimanded my fellow veterans for not taking advantage of some of the things that are offered. My service was nothing compared to those that had to endure active wartime. I don't think I am owed anything. Although it wasn't the primary reason I joined, I believe it is more accurate to say I owed some type of service for the opportunities I have in this country.

Those who were affected negatively in a great way need to be taken care of properly. That isn't what I am talking about.

crimsonaudio said:

I never served, but I disagree with you here - you signed on the dotted line and were willing to go fight if necessary. That earns my respect.

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I do appreciate that. I just get turned off by some of the organizations that have almost (maybe not almost) turned it into an industry.

Being a vet and being conservative is me, most of the vet's I know are conservative. No one owes me anything, I do appreciate what I did get out of it, I got more than I gave. Heroes don't come home.

tide power fan said:

Being a vet and being conservative is me, most of the vet's I know are conservative. No one owes me anything, I do appreciate what I did get out of it, I got more than I gave. Heroes don't come home.

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OORAH!

tide power fan said:

Being a vet and being conservative is me, most of the vet's I know are conservative. No one owes me anything, I do appreciate what I did get out of it, I got more than I gave. Heroes don't come home.

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I agree, and thank you. When I joined the Army I thought of it as something I owed my country. I did it because of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, and it was my duty as an American to help keep those freedoms alive for all Americans, both present and future.
Many people thank me for my service. I tell them "You're Welcome", but imo I was simply paying a debt, back and forward. Freedom is not free. Let's never forget that..

Service is its own reward.