On the day of Michael Jackson’s memorial Fox News (Relatives of Soldier Killed in Afghanistan . . .) reported about the aunt of a soldier that died due to wounds suffered from an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in Afghanistan the same day as Jackson died. The report was due to a letter the aunt wrote to the Washington Post decrying the coverage over Jackson versus her nephew and the other soldiers that died that day. But the sad truth is that soldiers die every day whether they are in the Middle East or on a stateside base.
I was born on a military base and lived eighteen years (of my father’s twenty years service) coming to know how the military works. Once you sign that contract and take that oath of enlistment (or re-enlistment) they own you. Let me say this again THEY OWN YOU. Even if your service time is up, they can and will extend your contract as long as they like. There is also provision, upon retirement, that they can recall anyone into active duty service. This is why I never wanted to go into the military and this is the first reason I would give to anyone who asked me my opinion on entering the service.
It also must be noted that the military does not slack in their duties. The contract that you signed up with initially may have changed when you re-enlisted. Sort of how widow’s benefits went from automatically getting them when the spouse dies to only getting them if there is a certain deduction made from the monthly paycheck and/or retirement check (which we could not afford). Be careful they are the sneakiest bunch out there and just like any government institution they move the goal posts when you’re not looking.
And I do not want to begin to hear about all those who signed up for the military because they were going to get a “free education.” Let’s face it. If it looks too good to be true. It isn’t. I’ve seen the posters offering thousands of dollars for education if you just serve those measly four years (see above comments on contracts). But the military does not just hand you thousands of dollars and say go get an education. First of all you must apply, get accepted, register and get a short term loan to cover the cost of tuition. Let me remind you the military will only pay for tuition everything else is up to you. At this point you make the military aware of everything so arrangements can be made for the military to cover the cost of the loan. You personally will probably never actually see that money. Hope you can get those text books on the cheap too.
Of course my favorite part of that recruitment poster is the amount of vacation time you get (Yeah, if you like vacationing in the desert!). The poster doesn’t even give the poor reader fine print to examine. The truth is that although you may get a certain amount of days of vacation every year it does not mean those days will be consecutive. And if there are special drills or training that you must attend (these always seem to pop up so last minute), good luck on that vacation you planned. Let alone those world stage tragedies that pop up out of nowhere which you must show up for or be considered AWOL (Absent With Out Leave).
But don’t forget you get free medical, dental and vision. This is so much more fun for dependents than for military personnel. Active duty (not retired) personnel get first dibs at the hospital. As a kid I could be hacking up a lung, but the guy in the uniform would get to cut (fair is fair). Waiting for a doctor at the hospital was like waiting at the DMV, but with people cutting in front of you all day long (DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT TRUST THE MILITARY WITH YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS – THEY WILL LOSE THEM) . But of course you are rewarded with seeing a shining new doctor who has no clue as to what he is doing or an old doctor who really doesn’t care. Yearly dental and vision visits were so much fun, because you had to call to make your appointment in the month of your sponsor’s birth month. At the first of the month we’d call and get a busy signal. Five minutes later we’d call back and all the appointments were filled (I swear to God). On another base, they mixed up my father and some other guy (who had a similar name but not SSN which is what they are supposed to go by) claiming that we didn’t know what month my father was born (aarrgghh).
But you do get to travel right!? Do you like the vast emptiness of an ocean, desert, or jungle (okay jungles aren’t too empty)? Is it your lifetime goal to go to countries where they hate you (even England) and you have a lovely target painted your back (your uniform)? Then the military is an opportunity of a lifetime unless you end up staying stateside your entire career and go much of nowhere (but maybe that is how you would prefer it). However, no matter where you live there is a small piece of advice (ONLY USE THIS IN COUNTRIES WHERE THEY BASICALLY DO NOT WANT TO KILL YOU ON SIGHT AND IN THE USA). Live off base the farthest away possible, because in the middle of the night you will be the very last person they call to come in and cover a shift!
Do not get me wrong I think the military is a worthwhile institution that we need to protect our boarders and our interests. I am highly patriotic and support the military one hundred percent. Today’s military is a matter of choice, unlike during the Vietnam Conflict when my father and his cousin ran head long into the Air Force to avoid being DRAFTED into the Army. If you have to go into any service I recommend the Air Force for the ability to stay alive longer (well unless you want to fly fighter jets then you must rethink that position). No matter where they are military personnel serve our country every day with their lives on the line. And for doing that I think they deserve a lot more of our respect and honor (ban protests at/near military funerals for one).
But getting back to my point (um, what was that again?). Oh, yeah the dear auntie. Military personnel (especially lowly soldiers) are a pawns in the chess game of the world. And guess what pawns do. Yes, that is it. They die. It is a very sad truth, but it is the truth. Military personnel are there to defend their country (and sometimes other countries) while dying in the process. So if you are considering signing up consider this, you are signing your death warrant. Is it worth it?
Nobody knows all the names of all the men and women who died for their country throughout history and frankly some could care less. Well, until it affects them directly. I am quite sure the aunt would be surprised at how many military personnel die each year in non-combat situations due to every day run of the mill accidents (both stateside and abroad). Would it have mattered as much if you nephew died in an accident versus in Afghanistan?
The world did not know your nephew, but he did not die in vain. I am truly saddened by your loss.
