Posted on May 11, 2018
What is the worst part about being a service member or veteran?
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I know that we are (or should be) proud of our service. I, like many, believe that my experience in the military made me a better person and is definitely something that I am glad to say that I had the opportunity to be a part of. That being said, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Although there are various positives that go along with having served, the world is not perfect and because of this, there are always negatives that come along with things. What is the worst part about having served or presently serving in the United States military?
Experience
Military Career
Combat
Relationships
Resiliency
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 188
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Hmmm...interesting question. For me, the "worst" part is looking back and asking "what if". Personally, I think it's a shame we only get the maturity, wisdom and knowledge to be "great" warriors ...once we're too old to go back and use it. There's at least two or three major choices I "could've/might've" made back then that would have led to a much longer/better career (perhaps)...and things that seemed "impossible" then, that now seem pretty freaking attainable. In some...no many ways, I'm a far stronger, smarter, faster (well, ok-at least as fast) tougher "me" now, and that's always going to generate regrets.
At the end of the day however, I remind myself that even my WORST day now ends with my sitting in my chair, drinking my beer, griping to my wife...and that will always be better than my BEST day as a young Squid.
At the end of the day however, I remind myself that even my WORST day now ends with my sitting in my chair, drinking my beer, griping to my wife...and that will always be better than my BEST day as a young Squid.
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Veterans.
PO1 Brian Austin
PO2 Eric Schlatter - Especially when berthing was directly beneath the flight deck....lol
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MSgt (Join to see)
It does seem to be getting a bit out of control with people claiming disabilities. If you are honestly injured in the line of duty and need help by all means get it. If you have natural wear and tear from life why should you get a check every month for that?
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Some of the wear and tear is military-related, no doubt; guys doing 20 mile rucks, guys pulling Gs, they all will likely have some back and knee issues. People in aviation often go partially deaf. But if you spent 4 years in command centers, sitting in comfy chairs and air conditioning, don't act like your service broke you.
SPC Erich Guenther
LT James Jones - Just my observation but I think some of it on the Infantry side is not necessarily job related but rather is the unsupervised military as well where safety took a back seat during wartime. On the Army side the whole combatives classes got out of control and a number of folks got bad life long injuries from that. Just my opinion from reading internet post after internet post about them. In almost every case I read about no real NCO supervision and the class was running on auto-pilot. I ran into another guy online from the 82nd Airborne deployed twice once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. Driving his humvee back from the washrack in garrison at Ft Bragg and something they had not bolted down in the rear securly collapsed onto him while he was driving and he rolled the humvee resulting in a later Medical review board and getting discharged. Got to wonder how that whole accident happened, folks rushing to get done so they could get home faster probably. The guy left disabled with a spinal injury.
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Lack of RESPECT from our own Country and the Ones we Protect !!! They are willing to Help other Countries with Money, Homes and FREE Education !!! Then CLAIM that we DIDN'T earn the RIGHT to RECIEVE any of it !!!
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I wasn't crazy about being a grunt in Vietnam. Shooting and being shot at wasn't exactly my bag. I did what I was told and got out of there OK. After returning stateside I had trouble getting used to the Regular Army. My platoon sgt was a great guy and so were my fellow soldiers, but I had a butter bar who was fresh out of OCS and he was a real asshole. He seemed to go out of his way to make my life miserable. He told me that I could not wear the subdued CIB patch on my fatigues, which I was allowed to do. I told him that if he could wear the stupid airborn patch on his, then I could wear the CIB on mine.That started it all. Any way I ETS after 7 months and got the hell out of the Army with my full rank of E4 I am proud to have served but no way in hell did I want to stay in. I have had a successful career as a union Millwright.
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I Loved Serving & Was Proud To Be A Member Of Our USAF... The ONLY Reason I Decided To NOT Make It A Career Was The Income .....I Served From My 17th Birthday -- 06/29/61 - 06/10/65... During My Tour In South Korea, I Drew Base Pay, Hazardous Duty Pay, Isolated Hardship Duty Pay, & Over Seas Pay, TOTALING: $173.00 Per MONTH....And Had About 3 Years Time In Grade As An E-3 With No Promotions In Sight .... I Couldn't Afford To Re-Enlist, And It Looked Like They Couldn't Afford Me , Either....
Back In Those Years, It Wasn't Unusual For Ranks Up To & Including SSGT, To Receive Federal Welfare & Food Assistance Programs To Help Support Their Families......
Back In Those Years, It Wasn't Unusual For Ranks Up To & Including SSGT, To Receive Federal Welfare & Food Assistance Programs To Help Support Their Families......
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
Cpl Jason Lang -
OOPS,
Mia Culpa Corporal,
I Was Just Making A Comment And Not Meant To Be Disputing Any Others.
If I Insulted Anyone Or Caused Any Disagreements,
I'd Like To Apologize For Any Misunderstanding
OOPS,
Mia Culpa Corporal,
I Was Just Making A Comment And Not Meant To Be Disputing Any Others.
If I Insulted Anyone Or Caused Any Disagreements,
I'd Like To Apologize For Any Misunderstanding
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SPC Lyle Montgomery - If it makes you feel any better, I spent 6 months in boot camp due to an injury. 81 days in Medical Rehabilitation Platoon, (MRP). Because anyone who is in MRP is there because they're either sick, injured, or both, the Drill Instructors can't punish you physically. So they punish you mentally....and they are VERY good at it!!! On more than one occasion, I was in tears, pounding my skull against a concrete wall, and questioning my own sanity. After I was healthy again and left MRP, I always wondered if this qualified as the POW portion of SERE school......lol...lol.... The point being: your boot camp / basic training could have been worse.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney - Don't worry about it. That's why I prefer either face to face talking, or talking over the phone, because it is SO EASY to have a misunderstanding in print. I'd be willing to bet that MILLIONS of friendships and relationships have ended because of misunderstandings in text messaging on cell phones. But then...I still have misunderstandings. So it must be me. I guess it's a good thing I never went into politics, or became a lawyer.
A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
Cpl Jason Lang -
I Was In The USAF, Our Basic Training ALMOST Beat The Cub Scouts Basis Training,
I Was Warned About USAF Basics By 2 Brothers Who Had Already Been There.
They're Advise Was To KNOW The T.I,'S Job Was To Push You & Keep Pushing You Until You Might Break, Then Push A few More Times Just For Giggles.
EXAMPLE Of "How To Think About Basic":
One Morning Around 4:00 AM, Our T,I, Came Busting Through The Barracks SCREAMING
Get Your Asses Out Of Your Bunks & At Attention At The End Of Your Bunks "
And, Of Course, We Did As We Were Told.
As He Slowly Walked Up The Floor, Inspecting His Troops & Interrogating Them For Their Appearance, I Start Quietly Chuckling.
Upon His Arrival In Front Of Me, He Screamed Out: "AIRMAN, Just WHAT Do You Think Is So Damned Funny At 0400 Hours"?
To Which I Replies: "SIR, It's Just Past 0400 Hours Which Indicates, To ME.
That You've ALREADY Been Up For At LEAST 2 Hours In Order To Be HERE By 0400 Hours, SIR.
He Crack A Small Smile Then A Larger Smile, Then CRACKED Up, Followed By The Entire Barrack. .. To Survive Basic, Get Into Your T.I.s HEAD,,,
Then Screw With Him.
He'll Actually Love It Because It's Rarely Accomplished.
I Was In The USAF, Our Basic Training ALMOST Beat The Cub Scouts Basis Training,
I Was Warned About USAF Basics By 2 Brothers Who Had Already Been There.
They're Advise Was To KNOW The T.I,'S Job Was To Push You & Keep Pushing You Until You Might Break, Then Push A few More Times Just For Giggles.
EXAMPLE Of "How To Think About Basic":
One Morning Around 4:00 AM, Our T,I, Came Busting Through The Barracks SCREAMING
Get Your Asses Out Of Your Bunks & At Attention At The End Of Your Bunks "
And, Of Course, We Did As We Were Told.
As He Slowly Walked Up The Floor, Inspecting His Troops & Interrogating Them For Their Appearance, I Start Quietly Chuckling.
Upon His Arrival In Front Of Me, He Screamed Out: "AIRMAN, Just WHAT Do You Think Is So Damned Funny At 0400 Hours"?
To Which I Replies: "SIR, It's Just Past 0400 Hours Which Indicates, To ME.
That You've ALREADY Been Up For At LEAST 2 Hours In Order To Be HERE By 0400 Hours, SIR.
He Crack A Small Smile Then A Larger Smile, Then CRACKED Up, Followed By The Entire Barrack. .. To Survive Basic, Get Into Your T.I.s HEAD,,,
Then Screw With Him.
He'll Actually Love It Because It's Rarely Accomplished.
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I’ll never regret serving with the best people our country offers. During my time from 1972 -1994 we had a lot of issues that impacted us. The end of the gold standard, Cold War, Vietnam draw down , multiple changes in service policies , reduction in force imposed twice, involuntarily reclassification of MOS, ( because they oops reduced the force and had to rebalance their NCO Corps) same with the Officers . We had several rounds of Race training, ran short of parts for maintenance after multiple budget cuts. Reinvented proficiency tests several times for common core training tests, MOS proficiency training tests. Weight testing and multiple gyrations of APFT testing . There is never an end to changes imposed regardless of common sense. We were and are compelled to accept those changes then and now. Even in retirement those changes still have a long reach. Still, I’m proud to have served my country for 22 years in peace and war. Proud my so served 27 years, and his son, my grandson is currently serving on his 4th year with the US Marines!
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I didn't go to boot camp till 89', but I am still aware of, and remember just about everything you mentioned. Tears me up inside. But my service is about the only part of my life that I feel good about, so I'll never allow ANYONE to make me feel ashamed of it.
SPC Lyle Montgomery
MSG lambert It isn't that different in civilian life. As a Union Millwright I saw many changes in my craft. You just have to deal with it
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The worst part is the sorry ass politicans making decisions for the good troops doing the work. Two good examples of this are the debacle exits from Vietnam and Afganistan. It is not the troops that screwed things, It is the worthless politicans from both partys. I am glad to have served in Vietnam as an Army infantryman and have no regrets. My generation has lots of health problems but we have a good VA system in Omaha. I know that the current Gulf War vets have health problems and will into the future. God blett all service people and vets.
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