What do you think your military enlistment proved?

My military service did not prove a thing to me. To others, it proved my loyalty and love for my country.....

I didn't enlist to prove anything to anybody.

Thanks to my enlistment in the Army from 1987 to 2008, I was able to stand on my own two feet, provide for my family, get a college education, and succeed in life.

My uncle was a Vice Admiral in the US Navy. My father was a SFC in the US Army, and my grandfather was a COL in the US Army. Despite having offers from family and friends to arrange quick access to Officer Candidate School, I enlisted in the Army without any promises of anything. I was determined to do something on my own. I'm happy with how things worked out. My family was initially upset that I had not immediately gone to OCS, but later became proud of me. My uncle was proud that I became a Mustang, that I became an officer after first enlisting. And my Dad was thrilled to be the first to salute me and get a silver dollar from me after he helped pin on my bars at my commissioning ceremony. My enlistment taught me to work hard, not make excuses, and face things head-on. I learned a lot about myself, good and bad, and learned to deal with those realities.

It proved that I'm patriotic and not a coward. I volunteered for the draft in 1969 durring the Vietnam war. I never wanted to stay in the Army or any other branch of the service,but wanted to do my share. I was a combet infantryman, a grunt. I carried an M60 in the bush wit the 5th. Mech in Quang Tri Vietnamin 1970. I'm glad that I served and have no complants about it. Some like to make a career in the military. I didn't.

It proved That I could do things that I had never envisioned. that I could be part of a group that depended on each other for survival. That I could hump several clicks a day with a full pack and an M60 with 300 rounds. To this day I think that it's odd that a 18 year old midwestern kid could do all that and engage in combat and survive

It proverd to me that I'm better than I thought I was and still am to this day.

That i could be part of a team, even if I thought some were AHs, even if they thought I was the AH, we could work together to do a job, or we all got butts kicked (and nobody wanted that).

One thing I believe military service helped achieve was a thorough, even instinctive, feel for chain of command. Not just recognizing to respond "yes sir" to a superior but almost automatic understanding who is, and who is not, a superior. Can you imagine someone who is a co-equal or even a subordinate suddenly giving orders? (I don't mean a simple request like "you are in the way, could you move?" but actual orders.) It happens quite often in everyday civilian life. For example, recently in a church support group one member, who was just a member like the rest of us, would stand up and take over a lecture from the facilitator (and the facilitator let him) and make "requests" which he fully expected to be obeyed as orders. And totally bewildered when I politely (at first) would say "no." (The facilitator also was quickly replaced, I might mention.) Basic "she's in charge, you are not in charge" type orientation.

It proved that I was willing to do what 93% of Americans won't do.