Posted on Aug 6, 2015
Are today's military members less loyal than those during the Cold War era (circa 1980s, early 90s)?
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I ask this question because someone mentioned it to me the other day in a conversation on base. I thought, "hmm, I wonder if there is a difference? Are the military members today different form the 80s in terms of their dedication and loyalty to the mission and one another?" Keeping in mind the vast changes in society, technology, lifestyles, etc. in the last 35 years, are there any real differences between the members of yesteryear and today's troops? I'm always careful of the "back-in-the-day" mindset because the thinking (mine included) is often clouded by nostalgia. It's the old "nostalgic for one's youth" phenomenon I try to keep myself aware of and not fall into that trap. Ok, what do you guys think?
Mission
Loyalty
Posted >1 y ago
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Less loyal? No. Less patriotic? No. Less nationalist? Absolutely. They grew up in a globalized, pluralistic and highly connected world that's much larger than some lines on a map. That means "because America!" is no longer a valid and reflexively accepted justification for everything.
That brings some challenges, but I think, overall, it'll make us stronger.
That brings some challenges, but I think, overall, it'll make us stronger.
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SSgt Khanh Pham
I like that you showed the distinction between loyalty and ignorant. Being more informed and thinking about the entire picture vs the box call America, does not make the thinker less loyal.
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Loyalty? Nationalism? My Career started in the Mid 70's ended in the Mid 90's and the Navy that I served in for the Most Part it really never was about Country, Nationalism, Parading the Flag. It was more about we were Professionals, Technicians and a Team. I once heard a well versed Veteran put it "We don't fight for God and Country, We Never Did. We fight for our Shipmates, The man beside us that went thru the God Awful Training of Boot Camp and all the Professional Schools that Follow. We Fight to take care of our Mates that we know intimately, we live together in tight quarters that civilians can not immagine".
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
To put it shortly my "Loyalty" was to the Crew of the California, The Crew of the Arkansas. My Loyalty was to the Naval Security Group and my Fellow Cryptologic Technicians.
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SSgt Khanh Pham
The truth that ripples across culture and war. When the bullets are flying, loyalty becomes simple. You either live or you die, and the guy next to you got your loyalty if he increases your chance to survive.
In the larger context, we have circles of loyalty in our life, family, nation, ideology, etc. No one wear these on their sleeves, so loyalty can only be a type of uncertainty at best.
In the larger context, we have circles of loyalty in our life, family, nation, ideology, etc. No one wear these on their sleeves, so loyalty can only be a type of uncertainty at best.
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I would say that when the rubber hits the road, they still get the mission done. We just have more distractors (cell phones, facebook, etc) and ways to get/share/produce information at a moments notice. What we should realize though is that most troops have the same motivators: time and money.
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There could be a difference. It lie's in the concept of 'Truth/Justice in the American way. That's for me anyhow. Point being. I'm sure most members of our nations Armed-Forces , both past and present. Love our country and support our way of life. The disconnect comes in when we start to understand that 'WAR is a Racket'. And we may be called upon to do the dirty work of the super rich , super connected business people that force the world to move in the right direction. Sorry to say i was disappointed to come to learn the truth about world affairs and the current state of affairs that exist in the world. Never the less. I do LOVE me country and think most do. And so the mission and job will get done one way or the other.
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MSgt (Join to see)
Those that join the military, I believe for the most part do it because they have a great love for the idea of our 'American Freedoms' that we have developed from the start of this great nation. Some of course, do it only for the school benefits (this was exposed when the first gulf war came to be); some join just because they need a steady income and medical benefits. If they stay in long enough, I think that sometimes their loyalty changes and becomes more dedicated then when they originally signed up. But mostly, I think it goes back to how they were raised and whether or not they were raised with the morals of integrity, ethics, and the ability to do the right thing and not fall into peer pressure. Without those three basics - you would have a lot more treasonous individuals looking out only for whatever financial gain they could get.
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Sgt (Join to see)
You could be right , who knows. I hope it falls down to a few percents with respect to your being right. Like 1 or 2 or 3 % tops , i hope. Thank you for the reply.
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I would have to say yes. This generation is all about themselves and less to the mission or military. Sad to say.
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Sgt (Join to see)
Very hard on the men are you. I don't feel as strong as you do about the question to say something strong like that. * One guy could say in reply , Just what in the hell is the mission ???. Who is the target ???. But look , all in all. We need a few guys like you. Some one that is hard on the men. It's OK.
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MSgt (Join to see)
A lot of if depends on their environment and how they were raised before joining and what their reasons for joining were.
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I have seen many changes in attitude having grown up in the military, served, married a serviceman , and have a son who also served. I think that every generation has different levels of loyalty and it tends to be based on what is happening around us. It also depends on each individual's values and beliefs. My son, for example, grew up with parents, uncles and a grandfather who all served and he is very pro-military, with a strong sense of loyalty to the military community. We have shared our thoughts on the subject of loyalty and agree that there are times when it seems like loyalty is down, but it can be seen throughout the years.
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If the members of this website are any indication, I'd say we have nothing to worry about.
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