Can anyone 'do better' than serving in the military?

SFC Josh Jackson — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:31:50 -0500

When I was on recruiting, I would occasionally run into someone who would tell me that they could do better than the Army. Aside from filling me with indignant rage, it got me to thinking. People like this fundamentally fail to understand what it is we actually do.

We, and by that, I mean everyone who wears the uniform, perpetually create American society. It is not an exaggeration to say that we are the wellspring from which everything in the American experience emerges. Everything that 311 million Americans have in their lives ultimately comes from us. Every right, every privilege, every opportunity, everything that they either cherish or take for granted, value or squander, only exists as a direct result of our efforts to protect and preserve the American way of life.

Peace isn’t a naturally occurring phenomenon. You never hear about peace breaking out in some part of the world. The conditions for prosperity do not sustain themselves. The creation of material wealth is not left undisturbed without cause or reason. George Orwell once said, “People sleep peaceably in their beds because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” Although an oversimplification, the idea is absolutely correct.

Our way of life continues through its various iterations because there exists a group of Americans who value its perpetuation more than their own lives. A small percentage of the population recognize that the American way of life – and everything that happens as a result of it – is something that must be defended and is worth fighting for. Peace doesn’t occur as a result of the absence of conflict. It is created by a group that has shared values, - shared love of life, liberty, and prosperity – and the willingness to fight for those values more ferociously than their opponent.

I have spent the last 20 years of my life contributing to that fight. I have had the rare privilege of both having the ability and the perspective necessary to be able to contribute to that fight. There are some who do quite well with the prosperity that we provide. But I have been part of a group that does nothing less than continually recreate the United States of America every single day. That is what we do, and no one can do better than that.

What are your thoughts?

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 11 at 2014 10:46 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:46:24 -0500

While I do not think that the military is for every citizen, I know that it is one of the fields that sacrifice the most for our country and her continued prosperity. With that being said, there are many other professions that are needed for that success to continue, ie Medical, educational, civil justice, etc. While I do think that the military can offer a good background in these fields, I do not think that people who chose these fields are not contributing to society as much as the military. Sure, the sacrifice is probably not even close in comparison, but these professions are just as important. Personally, I graduated college and went into education. After a while of teaching, I realized I wanted to set an example by joining the military. I come from a long line of military members and always directed my class to recognize "true heroes", I realized I wanted to "walk that walk" as well. I guess it just depends on how you view the rank of professions. Without security, we wouldn't have a country where the other professions could continue and add to our civilization. However, without these other professions, what would we be fighting for?

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Nov 12 at 2014 7:33 AM

MSG Wade Huffman — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 07:33:04 -0500

The answer to this question rests entirely in the personal goals and values of the individual. As stated by SPC David Pool , the military lifestyle is most definitely NOT for everyone, and for those who desire to settle down in one place and work a typical 9-5 job, then they most likely CAN do better than the military and I respect that choice. If their personal goals and values are more aligned with those of the military then I would say they would be hard pressed to find a better opportunity than the military.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 8:26 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 08:26:13 -0500

This makes me motivated! Well said SFC

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Nov 12 at 2014 8:45 AM

TSgt Joshua Copeland — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 08:45:22 -0500

MSG Wade Huffman hit it on the head! It is all about personal goals. I could make far more money as a civilian doing the same type of work, but my goals and personal desires a line with the military and specifically the Air Force that the extra 25-50K a year in the civilian sector simply cannot replace.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Nov 12 at 2014 8:55 AM

SFC William Swartz Jr — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 08:55:54 -0500

Unfortunately there are a lot of people, from members of the "Baby Boom" to the slackers of Generation X to the Self-entitled individuals coming of recruiting age now, that view the military as a whole as a last resort. It takes all sorts of individuals to make up the greatest military on the face of the Earth, and our service and sacrifice is not for everyone. Far too many people now a days do not have a personal stake in our nation, thanks to the service that we in the military provide, that they tend to look down upon us as the "lower rungs" of society. especially within the enlisted ranks. They fail to realize that for the most part even our enlisted Servicemembers are better educated than their peers, have better self-discipline, are more goal oriented and better workers. The family members and friends of our Servicemembers know what kind of people we in fact are, but the further away from those closest to us, the perception changes. I too ran into a few parents and kids while on recruiting that felt this way, some could be "shone the light" others were so dead set against anything I could present to contradict them that it really didn't matter in the long run.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 9:28 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:28:20 -0500

I am dismayed that I can only upvote this once.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 10:40 AM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 10:40:39 -0500

Having seen both sides of the house as "Active Duty" and "Reserves," I can't imagine anything I'd rather do than be in uniform.....

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 12:39 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 12:39:57 -0500

On point SFC Josh Jackson. I love the Orwell quote.

I think that with this subject you are touching on perspective. As it is said, "everything's relative." So, what does one mean by better? More money -- a better salary? Sure, you can do better than military pay. More geographic stability? Sure, the Army moves people often.

Now, if the thought is, "you couldn't do anything else", then I take issue with that statement. Military service is quintessential public service. Low pay (relatively); high risk (war, death). But our reward isn't in our pay. It's finding fulfillment in service to the greatest nation in the world.

Ironically, when I was in basic, my drill sergeants perpetuated this idea. "You have college degrees and you enlisted, huh? I guess you couldn't do anything else." That attitude enraged me.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 12:51 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 12:51:45 -0500

SFC Josh Jackson I've posted about this on Facebook thread, but some of my points apply here as well.

Our society has become increasingly selfish since the '80s and '90s - the key questions have become "what's in it for me?" We have moved decisively away from "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" - many people, including military personnel, find this sentiment humorous (at best). I heard a retired Army officer explaining to a young Army officer explaining that the Army is a career and should be managed to his benefit rather than where he can make the most significant contribution. To this retired officer it's all about the money. To the young officer, it's about service and where his talents and interests could allow him to make the best contribution.

That's in the military - where we are asked to put our lives on the line. Is it possible to compensate that commitment highly enough? We compensate sports and entertainment figures astronomically more highly - somehow, I think the civilians working at the Pentagon have more dangerous jobs. The rest of our society has happily embraced a culture of greed, and lets face it - the military is not financially lucrative. If it all comes down to money, you bet that many (although not all) young people can "do better" than serving.

The military cannot compete financially with the civilian world - and we should stop trying to make it sound like we can. Rather, we should market ourselves using approaches that speak to what makes us different - service. I'm thinking of a by no means exhaustive list (I may be paraphrasing):

Be All you can be
I do more before 9 AM than most people do all day
Life, Liberty - and the Pursuit of those who threaten it
The Few, the Proud
We don't accept applications, just commitments

Side point: There's a bit of confusion between your title that refers to "...'do better' than serving in the military" and your post that refers to people saying "that they could do better than the Army." Any Marine could tell you that of course they could do better than the Army - the Marine Corps. Most Sailors and Airmen(women) would tell you that the Navy or Air Force are better. This sounds picky, but I do get tired of a tendency among Army personnel to consider that "military" and "armed forces" are synonymous with "Army." I know that the Army has done the bulk of the fighting in our last 13+ years of war, but the other services do make significant contributions (note where I am posting from, for instance).

Response by MSgt Robert Whitehead made Nov 12 at 2014 6:14 PM

MSgt Robert Whitehead — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 18:14:24 -0500

You can do well in uniform.
You can do better at what you do in uniform.
While you are in uniform, you can do good.
I submit, however, that if what you want is to become better that you are by being part of something greater than yourself, you can't do better than to serve in uniform.
... although as long as the Air Force is around, you can definitely do better than the Army. ;-)

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 8:07 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 20:07:34 -0500

I agree 100%, SFC Josh Jackson. I'll bet you were one hell of a recruiter!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 9:41 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 21:41:41 -0500

To imply that someone can't do better than the military is to imply that being in the military makes you better than those who aren't. This idea is absolutely ridiculous. What's "best" for any given person changes on an individual basis. What brings out the best in a person? How can an individual best benefit their nation/ideals? The military isn't always the answer to that. I'd much rather have a brilliant person in a STEM field work in and advance that field than join the military and waste their talents.