Posted on May 11, 2018
SGT Joseph Gunderson
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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?
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CMSgt Security Forces
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Edited 6 y ago
The worst part of retirement for me was moving from an organization (military) that demands accountability, responsibility, transparency and fosters pride into a civilian world that shares none of these values. City and county government is a prime example and seems to be full of people that focus on one thing and one thing only, a paycheck. In other words, I am blessed to have served in the military.

The worst part about having served was not being there for my family when they needed me.
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SSG Jesse Denton
SSG Jesse Denton
2 y
CPT, I think you will find the majority of city and county employees in smaller cities and more rural counties to be good civil servant and working for less that the norm in salaries, a tradeoff for job security. When you get to more densely populated cities and suburban areas the attitudes are frequently quite different. The more people in the area, the worse the attitude frequently.
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SFC Dshaun DuBois
SFC Dshaun DuBois
2 y
I can relate to your statement and totally agree.
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Sgt Joe Savino
Sgt Joe Savino
2 y
sorry so off base I was one of those public servants you want to look down at also a vet. I didn't go into it for a paycheck and sure as hell didn't get one while working at it(FLA 1988-1998 started 8k ended 18k). But Y did receive a life saving award, saved well over 30 lives in my ten I did start a trend of law enforcement getting EMT certified because more times than no the patrol man is first on scene, when medical help in an hour away. All due respect sorry that's pure horse manure . If you cant walk a mile in my shoes then you have no right to judge. In my job i faced nepotism that promotion was only if you married into a family, faced daily corruption and abuse. In the locker room , Then went out to work a 8-19 hr day. My days off were not my own they were the days i sat in court. When i got out after ten i turned in 8 months of vacation time accrued. a month for each year. I never got to take a vacation because man power was always short. If you have zero concept of what your talking about its easy to throw doubt whole lot harder when you sit thru you hundredth holiday sitting in a cruiser patrolling knowing the best you'll see is leftovers or a compressed turkey roll when you get in. Both have the same morality we all try to save the world in our own ways , The lesson of it all is you cant save the world , you have to settle to fixing your own tiny sliver of it. We both wear boots for the same reason we walk thru piles of horse manure from people who just don't have one clue what the other does.
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SPC Jennifer Clever
SPC Jennifer Clever
>1 y
Agreed. My job at the VA is as close as you can get, in my opinion.
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LTC Tom Jones
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Edited 6 y ago
Spending 22 years on AD followed by 26 years in the JROTC classroom believing that my service/efforts were in support of the notion that this country was indeed "a city on the hill" a.ka. "a shining light" that the rest of the world could depend upon and should emulate and then watching it erode into partisan politics, foreign adventurism, "America First" hubris and a swelling population of young people who generally "haven't done anything or been anywhere" but expect the world to be handed to them on a platter. A nation where adult women go on parade dressed as their genitalia and full professors celebrate publicly the death of a former FLOTUS and deal with the fallout with the ultimate profanity. Tell me we are not a nation in decline. A cathartic rant for sure; thanks for asking. SSG Warren Swan SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SFC Stephen King COL Mikel J. Burroughs CPT Jack Durish SPC Margaret Higgins CSM Charles Hayden SN Greg Wright SFC (Join to see) LTC Stephen F. MAJ David Vermillion SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas LTC Eric Udouj
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MSG Bob S
MSG Bob S
>1 y
Perfectly said LTC! If I may, I’d also add the proliferation of social among the ranks and the general population at large as being a large factor in the division of our society
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CPT Patrick Butler
CPT Patrick Butler
2 y
America First is the path to restoring sanity, responsibility and liberty. If a candidate in your voting district is America First, you have your answer.
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SPC Lyle Montgomery
SPC Lyle Montgomery
2 y
Ltc Tom Jones I agree with you. You give a good perspecrive.
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SFC Robert Escher
SFC Robert Escher
2 y
SrA Michele Burgman - No that in itself is a racist remark? All races ( not just the politics of one) are racist. Whites are no more racist then blacks are or Hispanics or asians for that matter.
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LTC Stephen F.
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Edited 6 y ago
The worst part of my military experience has been serving directly under senior leaders who believed that standardization of requirements and training schedules was more important than supporting the soldiers and their family members SGT Joseph Gunderson. I have fallen on my proverbial sword a few times for my soldiers.

Overall I am proud and grateful for serving in U.S. Army uniforms from November 1974 to May 2008. The soldiers I have led, served with and under by and large have been honorable and responsible.
Thank you for mentioning me LTC Tom Jones
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright Cpl Joshua Caldwell SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
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SGT Jodi WittBailey
SGT Jodi WittBailey
>1 y
That is a wonderfully lengthy career, Sir. Thank you for your grit in service.
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SSG Scott Bregi
SSG Scott Bregi
>1 y
Although I agree with your statement, The Mission always comes first, no matter what.
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CPO Nate S.
CPO Nate S.
2 y
SSG Scott Bregi - The mission is what is at hand!

It is the family as much as immediate access to "beans and bullets" on the battlefield that provides the Warrior Fighter the strength to support there "foxhole buddies/shipmates" (their immediate family of sorts) in the near term in the heat of the battle, and to know that what they are doing means something to them in relationship to their family back home. It is the family, a wife, children, parents, a grandmother along with your adopted family in the field that sustains you! So, family and mission are not separate, they are linked.

Therefore, senior leaders who dare to care yet demand individual accountability for preparedness to carry out the mission are those for whom I seek to serve! Always have!!!
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