What is something that you wish that more people understood about the military?

That we operate as a team, not lone Hollywood style heroes.

1. We never let each other down.

It didn't matter what color of skin, nationality or religion you were, you were my brother. The only way that I would ever let my brother down, would be when I breathed my last breath. Because until that happened, I would always fight for them.

2. We always picked each other up.

When one of us was down or upset, the others would pitch in to make sure that soldier had the motivation he needed to stand up and get back in the fact, not because they needed to, but because they actually cared enough to.

3. Our lives become intertwined.

In Afghanistan and Iraq, our 1 and 1 1/2 year deployments throughout the conflict meant that we were physically detached from our family's. This led to many interesting conversations about family. We did not do so to feign interest, we did so because it kept us connected.

4. Whether we liked it our not, we did what our leaders (which the general public would refer to as manager or a boss) requested.

We learned early from our service that a chain of command and a rank structure is the most efficient "management model", if you will. It is not designed to satisfy each soldier individually, it is designed to accomplish the mission. Many times, the desire to make each individual happy, you will eventually piss everyone off.

5. We are not "killers and murderers".

We were sent to perform a job, and we did it. Our government required of us to accomplish a mission, and you cannot accomplish those missions with Nurf Guns and plastic knives. We were professionals doing our job and keeping each other alive.

6. The phrase, "you have never defended my freedoms, especially by fighting in Iraq", is incredibly offensive and shows a greater level of ignorance of how the world works.

Every man and woman who has, is, or ever will serve this Great Nation has, is and will be fighting for your freedoms. Every one is a hero, a hero that wakes up every morning sacrificing a great deal of their freedoms by serving in a military that stands to every day and tells all other nations that "we are ready for you, and you will not take our people or our Constitution and freedoms.

In closing, there are many people who walk around to day, and when their boss asks them to do something, that laugh it off and threaten to sue because "it looks and feels like he is targeting me."

Soldiers have lived through orders that they didn't like, but they did them, and they grew as men and women.

We didn't sell each other out, and we understood that our "bosses" weren't there to make us happy, they were there to get missions accomplished. It was our job, the NCO's job, to keep morale up while accomplishing the mission. Admittedly, there were many times it was a chess game, and also a few that were much like checkers.

Our Nation and our freedoms are most certainly being protected by the very existence of our military.

If you want to prove it; get rid of our military and see just how long it will be until we are overrun by Russia, China, heck, maybe even Canada.

I am, of course, joking a bit with using Canada, but I am sure we all get the point.

The very people who criticize our military and our National Defense budget, will be the first ones cursing when our military is no longer considered a World Power.

That what they see on the news and read about in the newspaper isn't everything.

But unfortunately as immersed as society is in social media and news constantly at your fingertips it would be irrelevant and useless to try and explain any different to them.

I don't like it that people think because i'm not active duty that I'm no longer a Marine.

As I have noticed throughout my Military career (as short lived as it may be compared to some of you ergo, thank you for your Service), the most prominent response I get when being complimented and/or being locked in a heated discussion is how these people seem to believe that we enlisted to fight (and enjoy) the conflict/violence on the battlefield, the paychecks and the travel. Yes, I do believe that there are some members out there who somehow get the utmost joy out of the killings and what I mentioned above. However, I cannot and will not believe that they are averaged in with the vast majority of the Military population.
Most do not enlist for the deployments or the paychecks. For the personnel who truly believe that we are using our title as United States service-members for our own personal gain, shame on you.
For those doing such a thing, shame on us.

I think one of the biggest and hardest things for most civilians to understand is why we serve. I think many often construe our service with the destructive nature associated with war. We're neanderthals blood lusting for war. The truth is that under our austere appearance we are just like the rest of society - we love, feel pain, have dreams and really desire peace probably more than most.

That we we were all just people doing a job, not some glorified heroes trying to save the world.

One of the things that I wish people could understand that most of us don't do it for recognition or praise. We do it out of a sense of duty and honor.

That most of us are here because we chose to be here and not because we "couldn't get a real job"...

I wish people at large understood that we can learn just about anything, quickly. Wish they also understood that our certification, experience, and training that sounds kinda like the civilian thing is close enough and we can do it well with out much transition.