Have your deployments and military service changed the way you view the world?

SSG Shavonde Chase — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 13:09:47 -0400

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 4 at 2016 1:37 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 13:37:00 -0400

Yes, it's helped me to better understand our own culture... it's strengths and it's weaknesses as well as see things through the eyes of other cultures.

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Nov 4 at 2016 1:48 PM

SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 13:48:00 -0400

I served for 20 years and I have been deployed for almost 16 years of my 20 years of service. Starting out in Germany in Zindorft at Pinder Barracks. Then to KUWAIT and Desert/Shield and Desert Storm/ Two tours back to back to Korea after going to Fort Carson 4 years in row with multiple tours to Kuwait as well. Went to Fort Lewis Wash for about 4 years and went to OIF after that spent time in Iraq and turn back to united States where I was apart of 2-315th 72 BDE TSBN FA trained units for convoy operations in OIF/OEF and deployed to Iraq again. How did I few these deployments I got to learn the cultures very well even while in combat because you had to learn the basics to know what the hell was going on around you. Learn your smart book we were always told. Dealing with Korean people during a major flood that was really bad. Trying help people who didn't want you there and being in Iraq when people wanted you dead where you went. You was always a target you never knew while out on patrol. You had to blend in with the culture and the surroundings. When I lived at home I did not have a car and all my friends did, but never played with friends who had cars just skateboarded and never worried about a car until I joined the ARMY. I didn't even know about beaches "really" I never went to spring break or that cool stuff. Now that I have got to see the world been deployed and been to combat I won't give a day to go back, because you never know when your number up. I think my deployment days are over, I would love to have a civilian deployment just to have it on my work record. But they a few in sum to come by in security. Now it time for my little girl to see the beaches and the world if she chooses to see the world. She will make her choices. For now I have my shadow box to remind me of how the world used to be to what the world is now. The world is crazy now and I would not want to be deployed now, everyone be safe and come safe. Last thing I would want to say, It not like I feel sorry for the way I saw the Iraqi people living in trash huts they were the same people placing IEDs along the roads for food and some cash to get by but just going down the road seeing how some people lived so rich and almighty and some living the way they did really made me sad, but you have to look whole different direction in combat because back home we have people living that way in the streets and we aren't even at combat. Really makes me think about how we all view the world these days.

STEPHENS'

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Nov 4 at 2016 3:37 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 15:37:46 -0400

Most Definitely, Having gotten our Nations Highest Clearance very little information was denied me. That in and of itself gives you an Indepth Education. I handled the Communications and Messages for Significant Parts of History, Military and Otherwise. O-Brancher On-Duty for the Rescue of "Alfa Foxtrot 586", Off-Line Encryption Operator for "Blind Mans Bluff". My Exposure to the Asian/Pacific Island People in Hawaii. Learned what it is Like to be a Minority "Howly". Lived in London with the Evil "Socialist" Medicine, National Health Service *SARCASM MUCH* (IT worked just fine for me). Enjoyed a Street Party of Approx 15,000 Protesters for Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament surround my office (Not to Worry Very Peaceful Group, Modern Day "Hippies"). Also having 15,000 pissed off Muslims surround my office Calling Us BabyKillers after the Bombing of Libya in 86 Prairie Fire/El Dorado Canyon. Knowing the Real-Story about Iran-Contra, I handled those messages too. Re-Learning what it is to be a Minority when I transferred to Washington, DC where the Majority is African American. Also learning to Schmooze, learning Politics to get what I wanted in DC. Learning about Volcanoes Real Up Close and Personal Like, I'm a Mt Pinatubo Survivor. Learning Persian Culture after Spying on Iran in 91 and 96.

Response by PO3 John Whiteman made Nov 4 at 2016 4:04 PM

PO3 John Whiteman — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 16:04:46 -0400

They have made me appreciate what I have as an American

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Nov 4 at 2016 4:09 PM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 16:09:01 -0400

Yes, without a doubt. I'm not sure you can live and work any where in the world and not realize how fortunate you are to be an American citizen. As others have said, just being exposed to other cultures gives you a whole different perspective on the world as a whole. Any tourist can experience other countries but until you are stationed there, live and work with the locals and really see what goes on with the society you don't realize how different a countries way of life is from the American way of life. For example, around 1971 I was stationed in Thailand. We routinely took the local bus from base to town. One day we came around a curve and the bus was stopped by police, who had also stopped all other traffic, so that everyone could get off and watch an execution being carried out in a vacant lot off the side of the road. Think I'd been in country all of 2 months, but sure made me think, wow not something you see back home. That was 45 years ago, but I can still recall it and know it gave me a whole different perspective of the Thai justice system.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 4 at 2016 4:32 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 16:32:04 -0400

not so much the world but my own country, my experience in Iraq, what I saw and experienced was without a doubt mind opening, children begging for food, no shoes on their feet, no schools to go to, then I look at this country kids have to have the jordans on their feet, complain about the food they do get to eat, and drop out of school , people in this country would rather do nothing and still collect money, in other countries people want to work but cant get work, no education and no training, often its the whole family working to get by, here yes both parents may work but try getting your kids away from video games, cell phones just to help around the house while both parents work, this country has become soft where our children can take us to court because we don't give them their idea of nessicities, where not working is more leucritive than working. then there is infrastructure water, electricity, sewage, transportation. I believe every American should be extremely happy for what they got because there are people still living in the world in the early 19th century or less

Response by SFC George Smith made Nov 4 at 2016 5:34 PM

SFC George Smith — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:34:07 -0400

with out a Doubt... the views of Politics and the World Changes when you see what is going on in other Countries and work with Host Nation Personnel...

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 4 at 2016 5:40 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:40:13 -0400

yes and I used to be happier. I guess I'm "sadder and wiser".

Response by SSG Lemuel Genovese made Nov 4 at 2016 5:46 PM

SSG Lemuel Genovese — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:46:23 -0400

Absolutely. Roman Catholic leadership ran a mostly Buddhist nation in South Vietnam, they were a small minority of the total population. The French Indochina control of the region set the stage for this unsettling reality. What a genuine eye opener about how different civilizations try to operate in a war zone amongst distrust of the central government and The Regimes treatment of anti-war Buddhist monks.
Going to Saudi Arabia for deployment during Desert Storm was another piece of culture shock all by itself. Talk about being a pilgrim in a strange land...

Response by SSG Mark Franzen made Nov 4 at 2016 5:53 PM

SSG Mark Franzen — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:53:37 -0400

It Never crossed my mind I had been in Germany several times and State side and I never had nothing bad to say about anything.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 4 at 2016 6:01 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 18:01:42 -0400

No deployments overseas for me. However, before I joined the Marines, I had to explain why I was in 57 different countries, including Iron Curtain Russia, before I was 17. I was born at Clark AFB, Philippines, lived in a half dozen countries on the Asian Rim, *was* the minority during my "formative" years. In high school, I spent the summer between Jr and Sr years travelling Europe and Russia as a US Student Ambassador in the old People-to-People program that President Eisenhower had started a couple of decades before.

My time in the Corps taught me a lot about military leadership, having and acting on responsibility, and much more. My view on Americans has always been "weak". I grew up in a late family; Father born in 1916, Mother in 1924, all of my Grandparents in the 1880s. Grew up with semi-Victorian morals and manners. Parents and Greats all lived through the Great Depression, fought in WW-I (grands) or WW-II (parents).

The "kids" today (born after 1970) don't have a clue to what this country used to be like. Very, very sad. That is why I work with the best Leadership group in the world. Our mission: to make America great again, one family at a time! The utter lack of education our society has today dumbfounds me. It literally takes 1-3 years to educate a family.

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Nov 4 at 2016 6:26 PM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 18:26:31 -0400

Absolutely they have and the longer we serve since 2002, it is changing it even more and probably not for the good.

Response by Austin Hocutt made Nov 4 at 2016 8:28 PM

Austin Hocutt — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 20:28:01 -0400

This is coming from a civilian who wishes to join the Military here soon, so I'm really saying that from my point of perspective, military service would change how you view things, because when you become apart of the military. You adopt the culture and understandings and bonds with people, which just so happens to be apart of one of the greatest cultures. (Well used to be -Civilian culture has degraded-) So I could see that when it comes to this question. Most veterans are going to say that it has changed their way of thinking about well anything. Please let me know if I'm correct.

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Nov 4 at 2016 9:39 PM

SGT Philip Roncari — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 21:39:40 -0400

I only had one deployment (Vietnam) and my Military service only lasted three years (my first and last enlistment) Vietnam taught me to be cynical,Military service taught me I only could trust those that had taken the journey that I had.

Response by SFC Pete Kain made Nov 5 at 2016 3:36 PM

SFC Pete Kain — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 15:36:53 -0400

Not really, I had figured out the world pretty much sucked after the terrorist attacks in the 70's.
After 20 years of service it was confirmed.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 6 at 2016 6:41 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 06:41:00 -0500

I just wish that those that complain about how bad we have it in America (Colin Kaepernik) would spend some time in just a few of the countries that our Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, Marines, and coast guradsmen over the last 70 years or so. Do we have our own problems in America? Absolutely!!!!! But our problems are nothing compared to what is going on in other parts of the world!!!!! I definitely have a greater appreciation for how good we really do have it!!! God Bless America!!!!