Enlisted Military Ranks as one of the worst jobs

You have any idea what the ratio is? I'm sure there are a small handful who do serve but my point was most rich kids don't serve in those types of jobs instead leaving it up to the poor and middle class kids. Rich kids are busy going off to college.

 

True. I mean, if I put myself in a rich kid's shoes...parents paying for me to party at college, get a sweet high paying job...why turn that down to clean shitters and wash trucks in Iraq for low pay if you were blessed with rich ass parents?

 

That is not true. I served with plenty of kids that came from wealthy families, both enlisted and officer. Especially after 911. In fact, we had one kid that comes to mind immediately that served because he had a check list of things he had to fulfill to get his inheritance money from his Grandfather, who was extremely wealthy. Serving in the military for 6 years and getting on Honorable (RE R1) discharge was required.

The fact is, people who serve in the military come from all walks of life, not just the barrio. You are painting a very incomplete and false picture of those in the military.

 

If you read post #51 that should clear up any misconception regarding my posting. I do maintain that I'm sure there are is a small handful of kids from rich families who do serve but all in all it consists of lower and middle class people.

 

Pat Tillman and Glen Coffee- NFL players that left to serve after 911.

 

Well there are more now than a couple of hours ago who now know.

 

I would not say that at all. When I first joined, I had insanely high ASVAB scores, and the Navy Recruiter kept trying to talk me into going to the Nuclear Power Program, with an option for the Annapolis Prep School (2 year program to prepare prospective cadets for the Academy).

But I turned it down, joined the Marines, guaranteed MOS of Infantry. In boot camp was once again offered the Annapolis program, turned it down again.

And trust me, I fully understand the differences from "back in the day" and now. My first hitch was 1983-1993. Got injured, caught in the troop cuts, got out.

Then in 2007 I joined the Army. This time a bit more "Intellectual" MOS, PATRIOT air defense system. Did that for over 5 years. And yea, the differences from my first time and now are amazing. Most of the NCOs I knew then (including myself) would probably get Court Martialed if we tried some of that today.

Now, I am in my 50's and slowing down. So am currently doing 25B, IT. But has been an interesting career. Served in 2 branches, 4 different jobs, and have served on the bases of all 4 services (Navy still has the lead at 7 years between 2 bases).

 

Military rocket science takes brains too.

Don't want to shoot down the wrong plane.

In our group of 50 worms at Quantico, one of them went into the nuclear physics program.

He was a skinny bowl legged worm who complained about everything.

 

Indeed !!!

I found out by reading the biography of John Paul Jones, by Evan Thomas.

https://www.amazon.com/John-Paul-Jones-Sailor-American/dp/0743258045

 

The military isn't a "job", it's service to your country.

 

Ben Franklin was an amazing man


France and its people played an important part in Franklin’s life, even though he was in his 70’s when he went there to live and work as America’s first Ambassador to France. Franklin learned the language and etiquette of the country, both of which endeared him to the French people and helped him obtain military aid for the American’s struggle with England. Franklin was considered a celebrity by the French because of his scientific, philosophical, and political writings, and he became a favorite guest of the courtiers to King Louis XVI. He lived in Passy, just outside of Paris, where he entertained some of the greatest minds of Europe. There is little doubt that without Franklin’s dedicated service in France, the colonists would have lost the war with England. Franklin loved the French people, and the French people adored Franklin in return.

• France was the site of the first experiments proving Franklin’s theories of electricity.

• In 1772, prior to Franklin moving to France, he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences. He also received honors in the academies of sciences and arts at Orleans and Lyons.

• In 1776, Franklin arrived in France as the American Ambassador.

• Franklin obtained multiple loans to finance American troops fighting the British.

• In 1778, Franklin negotiated and signed a Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States.

• Franklin was instrumental in sending the Marquis de Lafayette to train American troops in 1778.

• Franklin attended the Montgolfier brothers’ famous first balloon flight in 1783.

• Franklin established a printing press and publishing operation in Passy.

• In 1783, Franklin signed the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war with England.

• Franklin left France in 1785 to return home to Philadelphia.

• After Franklin’s death in 1790, the French National Assembly declared a national month of mourning in respect for the man that they called "the genius who Freed America and shed torrents of light upon Europe."

Franklin received honors from a number of French societies and academies.

• Paris Academie Royale des Sciences in 1772

• Paris Academie Royale de Medicine in 1777

• Academie Nationale des Sciences, Belle-Lettres et Arts in Lyon in 1785

• Orleans Societie Royale de Physique, d’Histoire Naturelle et des Arts in 1785

 

Absolutely. Had a good friend that was a 64C/88M (Truck Driver) and he joined the Army in his late twenties. After a year of being good friends I knew that he was all cerebral. He was the wrong soldier to be driving a truck.

Long story short the dude learned 5 languages plus his skill set and retired from the Army out in Maryland and would not tell me what he did, he now contracts with the State Department.

 

I had a friend who was an enlisted linguist in the U.S. Air Force during the early and mid 1960's who fluently spoke and read five foreign languages, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Berber.

Since he could read, write and speak Berber he was based at Wheelus Air Base, Libya which was the largest USAF base outside of the CONUS before the Vietnam War.

To make a long story short...after his tour of duty in Libya he was assigned to some SAC base in the CONUS, got the **** beaten out of him at some bar by the town bully. After getting out of the hospital he checked out a .45 M-1911 from the armory went into town and shot the town bully dead.

A couple days later the officer who was the OD on the night of the murder was reading the newspaper where it mentioned a murder and all they knew was that the town bully was shot by a .45 and the officer remembered the airman who checked out the .45 pistol that night of the murder. So the officer dropped a dime on the airman.

The airman was found not guilty and the town wanted to give the airman a medal for killing the town bully. The Air Force saw it differently and the Airman Air Force career was over.

The CIA was really quick and grabbed the airman's ass where he found himself sitting in a cubical with a yellow hilighter reading foreign newspapers and magazines for ten years.

 

The 'rich' serve in the same proportions of their numbers as any other demographic; there are 'fewer of them' in real life, so yeah, there 'aren't many' serving. They also serve in other capacities, like the Foreign Service, civilian contractors, and in 'unofficial' capacities, providing intelligence and favors and go-betweens with other 'rich' people in foreign countries. There are many more 'back channels' and private networks than 'official' ones. Historically, many of the 'rich' are the first Americans in a war, while the country is still dragging its ass in political rivalries between isolationists and those who support early interventions. The early interventionists are proven to have been right almost 100% of the time.

 

My first roommate at the BOQ when we were lieutenants was a carrier pilot.

He explained that the arresting cable catches the tail hook while you are powering-up the plane just like in a touch-and-go.

If you stop you did it right.

If you don't stop you just keep on going and try again.

He said by the third try you are soaking wet in sweat.

Most pilots land their planes eventually.

 

I only knew one rich kid when I was in.

We were both lieutenants. His dad was a corporate CEO. He was a CPA and a supply officer.

He probably could have stayed in for general but he got out after about 10 years and went into the civilian world like so many of the rest of it.

 

I would guess that only the military had the right to trial.

So the town/county could not prosecute.

It may be that the court martial found him guilty but aquitted on extenuation.

Yes, discharged for embarrassing the USAF makes perfect sense. That is a classic grounds for discharge.

Stories change with the telling.

 

All of the events except taking the .45 happened off base. He was tried and found not guilty in a state court, there was no court martial.

If you rate a .45 and check out a .45 from the armory isn't a violation of regulations as long as you return it to the armory.

But taking the weapon off base would be a violation of regulations where you could find yourself standing before the man with an Article 15.

 

I played my role in Article 15s by typing each of them up to be signed and in some cases, I entered into the morning report said punishment. A loss of rank went into the morning report.

But my CO rose from enlisted to OCS and when I worked for him, he got promoted to Major and left as CO.

I think he was very fair to the men. For a married man, off post, late 15 minutes, I think he would have given him 2 weeks duty outside his normal job and perhaps loss of some pay. Now the XO when he took command, he was a super AH to the men. Some officers think they owe it to the troops to all but skin them alive. If you lightly punish the EM and alert them to next time, it will be very very hard, that might shape them up.

Ever had that cop stop you and let you off with the warning?

 

The thing is that anyone enlisted in the military cannot be charged by a State.

No matter what the crime.

They can only arrest and turn the service member over to the military.

I handled a homicide like this in San Diego as well.

 

Many stay in the Reserves; I doubt he resigned his commission, don't know many who do. The 'rich' comprise about 0.1%-0.5% of the population, so you actually meeting one is rare in itself. Most of what are considered 'rich' are merely middle or upper middle class, like CEO's.

 

I would guess lower-upper most likely.

In marketing in college back then they segregated classes into lower, middle, and upper.

And each of these 3 has a lower and upper.

Upper/upper is usually inherited money.

Lower/upper is usually earned money like a CEO.

Upper/middle is usually professional.

Lower/middle is usually just college.

 

I wish that was true but it's not.

US Marine to Be Tried on Murder Charges in UC San Diego Students' Deaths
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loc...ths-of-2-UC-San-Diego-Students-413186063.html



Marine Convicted of Sex Dungeon Murder -> http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/21/marine-on-trial-for-sex-dungeon-murder