Should the military create a warrior class?

Why are stupid threads like this always coming back up.

No soldier should be put higher than any other soldier. All soldiers have jobs to do and the mission expects everyone to do his or her job. The infantry have to be fed and equipped in order to fight. Finally, if the S _ _ _ hits the fan, everyone is an infantryman.

no.

I am stunned, and not in a good way.

Just try to estimate how long you would last with the gear, weapons and ammo you purchased out of your own funds down at the local Bass Pro Shop and by the way pick up the groceries you will need down at the Safeway as you walk to the the battle. Good luck when you get to the water.

Well you just need to climb down off your high horse. This is a Team thing and you can't do your job without the rest of us doing our job. So knock that chip off your shoulder.

I don't agree. Nobody is more important than another due to their MOS. Kinetic operations alone do not win battles and wars.

I get where you're coming from. Could have been worded better though. An in-the-trenches Infantry career is short lived. Like the Marines, it's a 5 yr career model, maybe a bit longer for 11B these days. The body takes a great toll if you are actively participating on a daily basis. It's one of the reasons, turnover, you move up the ranks faster as an infantryman. Most come from rough backgrounds and active childhoods in rough sports that already left a mark on their bodies. Kinda "born for it" if you will. I had many D.I.'s from NAM who struggled everyday to meet the requirements trying to get in 20. Shot up, shrapnel laden bodies with worn out joints and organs leading 5 mile runs every morning just trying to make it to 38 or 40 yr old and retire. And they had the good jobs. They survived and knew they would, or could. Others thrust into 11B roles during the draft who weren't of that caliber rarely made it out. Living in the swamp and dirt, 25 mile forced marches with 100 lb of gear, weapons and ammo strapped to you, napping on rocks, blisters that have blisters birthing blisters, etc. If you had rank, you may have rode in a vehicle or were one of the select few that drove. We did it and complained little and never about our pain. We complained about not having support, supply shortages of clothing, boots and gear, hot rations that never showed up, mail runs that never happened. We went 35 days non-stop once with no break for a simple bath. These things that we undertook willingly because the enemy did. Respect for the punishing pace and toll on our body is what I think you mean to convey, like we do for competitive athletes. I know these things are what you mean that no one else sees. Our comrades in arms that are oblivious to it, if they weren't a part of it, such as the medics. The respect you seek is recognition of these extreme sacrifices separate and apart from the everyday non-front line combatant and non-combatant military forces. I get it, and I'll tell you that as in these posts below, very few do, even those only one level removed. They didn't when I was a grunt and they don't now, stop beating yourself up over it. It's those that know that matter. For me, I was breaking down after 4 years. Seeing it coming, I went ANG in other MOS's. Nothing as hard as 11B but not much better. Then finally, I went Air Force until I recently was able to retire at 60. My body is broken, sure enough. Most all my battle buddies from that time are gone now too, mostly of complications and sacrifices from those days. The toll it took on them was overwhelming. I struggle each workday to just move my degenerating bones out of bed in the mornings, but I still find the will to do it. Staying in til 60 helped me with the discipline I needed to keep going. Something my buddies lost. Sure, we recognize the contrast but it was our choice to do what others can't. The respect you seek will only come from others who traveled that road.

Well, I think that's what the Army calls them, a combat armed unit. We are the one in the trench, but we will not be able to stay in the trench without combat support and service support units.

Service support units' job you will never see. It takes the real dedication to actually do their job and get us the personnel we need, get promotion for our deserving troops, the correct number of paychecks in our bank account on time, food and supplies for our sustenance. In major command, they have to give our commanding general the right numbers of what he has and needs.

Combat support units are your besties when you are in combat, dropping shells when and where you need it, building bridges and stronger defense position-- unless you want to get the E-tool and start digging. Trust me it takes a lot of discipline to build or doing other sh** while being shot at. (May not recently, but... )

They can sit in the office and drinking fresh coffee all they want as long as they do their jobs right, I have no complaints. For me, I would have preferred an outpost as my office, my pen is 5.56 ball full metal jacket, and drinking instant coffee package in the MRE's made 10 years ago any day. Sh** never gets old, unfortunately, I cannot say the same about myself. I'm getting too old for this sh**.

By the way, in the picture, who is looking up?

They Did! It's called Combat Arms!