Obama's Speech at West Point (Page 3 of 3)

Obviously, on a highly personal level, Patton, given what your mission is, your statement deserves respect.

But what you ignore is those who sign those contracts since the ending of the draft generations ago, still go into the recruiters office for a whole variety of personal reasons. Even the contracts they sign are different in their content though the oath remains the same, though different for officers and enlisted.

In addition, at this point, with two wars in progress, both deadly with the possibility of one growing far worse and the other possibly not coming to the promised end and instead re-igniting, the overall economic circumstances may very well be the basis for those without jobs, willing to risk their lives for no other reason than to be able to bring home a paycheck. 

And BTW, those promised medical benefits, with no pre-existing condition for families, including pregnancy, may also be a factor in the lack of difficulty at the recruiters offices today.

While there may be a valid argument between whether we are all
experiencing a recession or a depression, history would show it
was hardly uncommon during the Depression of the 1930s to
send a son to join up even for what the pay was then because with the unemployment in those days, it was one less mouth to
feed in the home.

In addition, considering the costs of obtaining an education the
come on with the New GI Bill, (assuming some day the VA will
get it worked out) might be very tempting to the young who
really, past video games, or those great commercials on TV, actually haven't a clue what the real thing is about. IMHO, for the excessive reality of so much more PTSD along with the repeated
deployments for the obvious reason, those who actually participate in combat and even some support troops are stretched really thin.

Look at even the unprecedented use of the Guard.  At the commissary at the former McClellan AFB, where the choice was to
keep it and the BX open and keep the clinics there as VA, I never
fail to be in line or run into young women, occasionally some using WIC or Food Stamp cards, whose husbands are deployed, many of them Cal Guard.

Just noting everyone who signs their name on the dotted line may
not be so for some patriotic reason and the system isn't really conducive to those who might not be prepared to fit in the concept of "unit cohesion." IE, actually think for themselves.

LOL, let's face it Patton, some of the reality available coming out of Iraq or Afghanistan, though little on the MSM is ever shown,
isn't shown down at the recruiter's office either.

In addition, the kind of patriotism ,you have regularly noted and
exhibited may be lacking in the current generation of the young.
Most especially those who are the progeny of those who served
involuntarily in Nam and even those who volunteered have in one
specific case very close to home, warned a singular grandson about the truth as he saw it.

Patton, while your personal perspective, may be from the standpoint of one who has made a commitment for "life" your's is that of the Guard and a specific and serious as well as necessary for survival job. One that doesn't relate well to those who are those involved in the primary purpose of the military, which is killing rather than life saving of those who are hired to kill when they face the other factor involved which is the risk of being killed, though when activated and deployed, the risk also becomes relevant.

However, from a historical perspective the current wars of choice
have seen the greatest activation of the Guard in recent history.

And your experience on a personal level, in many ways simply doesn't compare validly with the regular Army and even more so with the other service branches, with some exception to comparison to the Marines, who like the Army are dominated by infantry. 

There is also considerable difference between the officer corp and enlisted and even differences between those in the officer corp who are academy graduates and those who may have come up through the ranks or become officers through ROTC and/or joined already holding professional degrees and as a result been commissioned based on those.  Lots of variations as to motivation and the results after enlistment that realistically doesn't fit your
overall generalization as to those who stay for a lifetime, all have a greater commitment.

I would think, in particular, in the medical professions in the military that would be even more obvious. A couple of examples
being my current and past primary care physicians, both internists.

In the first case, and the older one, career and using that time to
be able to take advantage of the benefits provided, put in his time and then still have ample time left during his working years, with the benefit of an already earned retirement to take his experience and move into private practice.

Whereas, the current one, came from a family that would have never been able to provide, even with loans and grants, the financial requirements for medical school.  So he took advantage of the opportunities provided by joining the military and was rewarded with the education and then served out his agreed to
obligation, but not another day longer for the provision of the
education. BTW, he was more than pleased when he finished his
additional reserve obligation prior to being re-called as the current wars of choice became more deadly and required re-calls and/or repeated deployments.

And consider even more so a surgeon, who will experience opportunities, often never encountered in civilian employment outside an extremely busy trauma center.

I suspect you might disagree, but then that is what makes up opinions as well as life experience of those who comment.

Just thought I would add a few possible explanations to yours about those who sign up for a paycheck and/or the various factors that also are a part of those who choose to join the military.

Patton, my personal household experiences are limited to Air Force, but my professional ones as a Congressional military case worker span all of the liaisons at the Pentagon as well as contact with various commanders at forts and bases of all branches. 

They also include conversations over the past few years, with primarily women who are family members, who share such during the process of shopping at the local commissary and BX, many of which have husbands who are CAL Guard, as the headquarters is
located right here in the capitol of the IMHO, never again to be the
Golden State. 

While even though CA makes up the difference for state employees who are deployed with the Guard, that is not the case
with those who were employed in the private sector and the consequence at times appears to have created considerable hardship among some of those families, combined with the reality,
some come back to find those jobs that by law were supposed to
be held for them no longer exist. Not a pretty picture. But as you point out, I will never experience the differences when the active duty, reserve are Guard are in the midst of a firefight. 

So does any of this discussion that has now gone far afield from the general relationship to the speech at West Point, and become very personal, make a difference?  Maybe or maybe not.

But in the end Patton, as differences in life experience tend to reflect those differences in personal opinion, though posted on the other similar thread to this one related to Obama's speech at West Point, I think I'll stick with Joe Galloway's op ed about it and leave others, such as those, unlike you, who are always more than willing to send others, but never have been among those who might have even ever considered signing on  that dotted line, and never will, to continue if they might choose this discussion.  Thus my reference much earlier to "keyboard warriors."

Galloway, not among them, though a war correspondent and the only one ever to be awarded the military decoration for saving troops on the battlefield: the Bronze Star.  It's here for those who might choose to read and comment. 

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/galloway/story/80427.html