How has a sense of humor helped you in your military career?

SMSgt Tony Barnes — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:35:15 -0400

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Aug 17 at 2015 10:37 AM

SGT Ben Keen — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:37:18 -0400

A sense of humor helps in life in general. I think serving in the military has helped me realize that not everything is as bad as one might think when it first happens and there are bad days in the office and really bad days in the office. You just need to learn how to deal with them.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 10:38 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:38:15 -0400

Well, I'm still alive. Many others are also. Sounds like a positive to me.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Aug 17 at 2015 10:44 AM

SSG Warren Swan — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:44:47 -0400

Kept stress lower, and gave an outlet for pain. Otherwise there would've been a lot of throat punching going on.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 10:46 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:46:28 -0400

It made my deployments bearable and helped maintain my sanity, which I suppose indirectly helped my career in the long run. Seriously, words fail to express the shear volume of homoerotic humor soldiers experience down range, or at least that was my experience.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 10:46 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:46:38 -0400

My sense of humor has kept me from getting into more trouble than what I already have gotten into.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Aug 17 at 2015 10:53 AM

CW4 Guy Butler — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:53:13 -0400

Still alive and not in Leavenworth, so...

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Aug 17 at 2015 11:01 AM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:01:03 -0400

OMG, How has it not. It helps you communicate often mundane, over technical, redundant info to your SMs and helps you interact with anyone on any level. Throwing a tasteful cartoon into a PP presentation or telling a joke as part of a staff call brief just takes the edge off a bit - when and where appropriate of course. Being able to laugh with others makes you seem human. Being able to laugh at yourself shows that you are. Chow in the field during a rainstorm - even God has a sense of humor - and timing.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 11:21 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:21:40 -0400

SMSgt Tony Barnes I'm a 32 years old Private and my English is worst than Tony Montana's in Scarface, I'm a joke in uniform, lol!

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Aug 17 at 2015 11:38 AM

MSG Brad Sand — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:38:43 -0400

I would have been murdered or arrested if not for a sense of humor.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Aug 17 at 2015 11:38 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:38:48 -0400

Kept my sanity!

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Aug 17 at 2015 11:44 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:44:41 -0400

Actually it's part of the mix that helps keep the dragon in it's cage. My sense of humor grew more when I dealt with strife, nasty things in the badlands, etc. My boys grew up on it and they'd enjoy bringing a new friend to hang around on the front porch to get "processed". So I'd encourage everyone to enjoy looking for the funny sidebars in life. There's lots of studies out there that says laughter reduces stress hence adding time to your life. Funny thing. A number of these kids still call us Mom and Dad to this day.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 11:49 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:49:32 -0400

A wise man once said "you can't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive."

Humor is great for coping with some uncomfortable situations but can also be used to ill affect. Having a sense of humor and trying to make jokes about everything are two very different things that I've had a hard time explaining to others at times. I think it is most important to be able to laugh at ourselves when we mess something up (especially if it really is funny). This alleviates the tension and prevents those who were trying very hard NOT to laugh from feeling bad about it.

Response by SGT Christopher Churilla made Aug 17 at 2015 12:31 PM

SGT Christopher Churilla — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:31:16 -0400

I think it is absolutely critical to laugh at things; it helps relieve stress. Granted, there is a time and place to be serious, but there is also a time and place for humor.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Aug 17 at 2015 12:57 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:57:44 -0400

It got me through OTS.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 17 at 2015 12:57 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:57:48 -0400

I am pretty proud of my Finance Detachment. I was told by the brigade commander that I had to conduct a field problem, it was in December in Kansas, at zero degrees. We practiced stand to which was kind of revolutionary for REMFS lol. The morale was high as we recounted at night the silly but safe things the soldiers committed during the day like a female soldier had tripped on a tent peg and landed face first in the snow, or a vehicle operator who took off forgetting his camo netting was connected to his vehicle. At night the young soldiers entertained us by dancing with chemlights. Despite the weather, our morale was sky high.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 1:02 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 13:02:05 -0400

Laughter is better than tears, especially since I had my tear ducts removed when they replaced my heart with a canteen. Sometimes I miss working with the new boots, they'll believe anything.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 1:16 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 13:16:21 -0400

Just a small taste of what I find funny.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 1:34 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 13:34:03 -0400

I used to have a really bad anger problem, was stressed out all the time, and very easily agitated. This caused me to end up yelling at people, throwing things, and even punching walls/doors on a few occasions. With some help from some anger management courses, I have learned to use humor as an outlet. My anger problems are gone, my stress is significantly reduced, and I can handle things much easier now.

Just have to be careful when and where to use the humor. Some people don't like it to much, and it has gotten me in trouble a few times. Not as much trouble as the anger problem would have led me to though. Thankfully I got it in check before it did.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 2:27 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 14:27:39 -0400

As a cop for 23 years, you see some "special" things and can be treated "special". Humor sometimes is the only thing you have to keep going. Plus, for the most part, it's the only thing they can't take away.

Response by SGT William Howell made Aug 17 at 2015 3:53 PM

SGT William Howell — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 15:53:59 -0400

When it got serious I always cracked a joke. It was my way of dealing with stress. It did drive my superiors crazy though. They did not think I took things serious enough.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 4:24 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 16:24:44 -0400

If given a choice between laughing and crying, I'll always try to find the funny.

Response by CPT Chris Loomis made Aug 17 at 2015 4:26 PM

CPT Chris Loomis — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 16:26:12 -0400

I'm with CW4 Guy Butler !

I know when it's time to knuckle down and get the job down and to work my ass off.

And I know when it's appropriate to bounce off the walls like Daffy Duck and carry on like a stand up comedian.

There is a balance.

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made Aug 17 at 2015 5:35 PM

CMSgt James Nolan — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 17:35:12 -0400

Kept me from absolutely losing my mind. The things you will encounter during a long career require the ability to sit back and just say "wow".

Response by CH (MAJ) Thomas Conner made Aug 17 at 2015 9:01 PM

CH (MAJ) Thomas Conner — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 21:01:46 -0400

Prior to joining the Army, I worked in hospice and in an Emergency Room. While on Active Duty, I had to have four back surgeries, and told I was too broken down and was medically retired. Without a sense of humor and my faith, I would be another statistic in a suicide briefing!

Response by PO2 Steven Erickson made Aug 17 at 2015 9:47 PM

PO2 Steven Erickson — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 21:47:04 -0400

The recovery of my sense of humor AFTER leaving the Canoe Club saved my life.

Submariners are forced to live under the unbreakable "Law of Conservation of Happiness"

Once the hatches close on a submarine, happiness can neither be created nor destroyed, only stolen from one soul by another, leaving the original soul thirsting for happiness... forced to suck happiness from someone else. Barbaric.

Underway, all submariners become Fun-Sucking-Vampires. Some, like the SCPOs and MCPOs, are so skilled after centuries of Fun-Sucking that they become positively giddy with the stolen happiness of 2nd Class Petty Officers. E-4's and below become hollow shells of their former selves. Like wretched, decaying, rotting zombies, with no brains to eat but their own.

Truly, I say to you non-believers... "Night of the Living Dead" is NOT a horror movie... it's a documentary of submariner life after 86 days at sea...

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 18 at 2015 12:38 AM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 00:38:26 -0400

Tyler Perry hits my tickle spot. My navy king.

Response by SSG Michael Hathaway made Aug 18 at 2015 3:53 AM

SSG Michael Hathaway — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 03:53:35 -0400

I firmly believe you need to have a decent sense of humor in all walks of life, including or maybe especially in the military. I have worked a few different careers but so far in the 20+ years of work I have (military and civilian) I have experienced more stuff in the military that have either upset me or stressed me out so much that I just had to laugh about it all, if only for a minute or two. It's a good release to laugh about some of the BS we have to put up with.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 18 at 2015 8:34 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 08:34:56 -0400

My feelings weren't hurt when an Afghan offered to buy me from the unit I was supporting for 200 Afs and a goat.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 19 at 2015 1:39 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 13:39:35 -0400

Salam, Madam President Octavia Wells is saving tax payers money by not suing Mr. Barack in a federal court. Here is the court case: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1067418

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Aug 20 at 2015 6:40 AM

SSgt Terry P. — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 06:40:08 -0400

You're supposed to have a sense of humor?Why didn't someone tell me years ago?Now i have wasted all this time.