Anti-Bush Dissent thread

DUDE, your NUTZ!!!! Working on jets while they're running is dangerous. War games are played every quarter (3 Months) branch wide. War games with bombs dropped and guns fired. EVERYONE plays.

Working on ICBMs (Yes Nukes) is hazardous to your health too and they are on alert 24/7 365...

Bone

 

I have to admit that I don't have the statistics on military non-combat fatalities. I'm not even sure that they are available to the public. Maybe one of you web-researches can find some data. I do hear news blurbs about soldiers drowning in basic training accidents, military aircrafts crashing, navy personnel falling off of carriers, and such. Working with tanks, airplanes, large trucks, weapons, boats, and other hardware has to be inherently dangerous. Nobody can deny that. I don't know if proportionally that there are or are not more deaths than regular civilian jobs but I think it is important to remember that if you feel your job at 7-Eleven is too dangerous, you can always quit. On the other hand, if you feel that your unit is on the way to a dangerous part of the world, they don't let you turn in your uniform and go home. Big difference! That is why they call it service and not employment.
I honestly think the military would do better if they treated soldiers more like employees. If people didn’t want to be there, they wouldn’t be. You would have the option to leave and only be forced back if really needed. An idea whose time has not come.

 

The Pentagon has all those stats and they're under lock and key. They use a format to classify them like this:

Deceased
NSI- Non Serious Injury (Will recover)
SI - Serious Injury (May Recover)
VSI- Very Serious Injury (Will Not Recover)
III - Incapacating Injury/Illness (Bad Cold, etc)
KIA
DUSTWUN- Duty Status Where Abouts Unknown (POWs/MIAs)

B

 

Interesting idea but it would be very tough to do in today's military. A lot of people may not believe it but today's military is highly technical and there is a lot of money and time invested in training people to do what they do. There is a huge investment in pretty much every military individual. The military really does have good training and preparedness.

It would be tough to just let people walk away any time after that kind of investment so some kind of commitment is pretty much a financial and readiness requirement if nothing else. And that is not to mention the effect it would have on discipline, morale and many other less tangible factors.

There is a level of commitment that is needed when you take that oath. When the Commander calls you in and tells you that you are going to put your family and life on hold again to go to Iraq (or Afghanistan or Kosovo or Lebanaon or Korea or wherever depending upon the time in history), the commitment you gave is what fills that seat on the plane.

 

[QUOTE='Ol Silver]Tsk, tsk, tsk.. Pity the foolish.

Danr, you have to hold the record on these forums for being quoted the most![/QUOTE]
I have not contradicted myself there I do not see your point.

 

I have a MP friend and a Navy welder friend so I know what you are talking about. But a huge amount of military is desk jockey stuff.

 

There are more guys pushing papers than working on those F-16 (besides they have disco belts).

 

DANR, nope your wrong again. There are many more planes than the (Hollywood) F-16. Blockbuster has dropped those late fees so you should really expand your educational/world information base.

Countries with leaders like you at the helm don't stay countries long. I THANK GOD your spending so much time on this forum...

B

 

Almost with 100% certainty, though, that admin troop is not just trained to be an admin troop. They are probably also trained in field stripping, cleaning and qualifying on an M16 or other weapon. They are also trained how to survive and do their job in a chemical environment using chemical suits, masks, etc. They are probably also trained in self aid, buddy care, wound management, how to take care of themselves or a buddy if something violent happens, etc. They are also more than likely trained in how to do their job in a deployed environment, which includes the ability to set up a field detachment with tents or iso shelters or pre-fab buildings and other things that are dropped in from a plane. They may also be a security forces augmentee or trained in how to do base defense. And on and on. The military is almost never just knowing how to do your basic job, MOS or AFSC or whatever. There is almost always more training and skills involved than that and it is usually not just one off training but usually annual or more often. In fact, I can think of no job where there isn't. And the investment, responsibility and danger can rise accordingly even just from the training and preparedness.

 

I mention the F-16 and disco belt because I had a buddy who worked on nav systems on those. Long hours and an all together unpleasant job. And yes there are more paper pusher than mechanics in the military.

 

Ok they do war games and have another job. For instance I know a guy (he just got transfered out of Ramstien) who is an AF paperpusher and his other job is informing families of deaths . His other job is killer hard but not dangerous.

 

I hear people talkin' bad,
About the way we have to live here in this country,
Harpin' on the wars we fight,
An' gripin' 'bout the way things oughta be.
An' I don't mind 'em switchin' sides,
An' standin' up for things they believe in.
When they're runnin' down my country, man,
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.
If you don't love it, leave it:
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'.
If you're runnin' down my country, man,
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

I read about some squirrely guy,
Who claims, he just don't believe in fightin'.
An' I wonder just how long,
The rest of us can count on bein' free.
They love our milk an' honey,
But they preach about some other way of livin'.
When they're runnin' down my country, hoss,
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.
If you don't love it, leave it:
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'.
If you're runnin' down my country, man,
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.
If you don't love it, leave it:
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'.
If you're runnin' down my country, man,
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

-- Mighty Merle

 

My buddy Steve (the one who was moved from Ramstien) is not a tough guy. He is a family man and a sergent in the USAF. Dave (he guy who worked on nav systems on F-16)now teaches Humanities at a community college. Tommy (the Marine MP is young and I think of him as sort of a kid since I knew him since he was a child, but he is a Marine and therefore tough by definition.

 

"but he is a Marine and therefore tough by definition" Danr.

Finally a pro-American remark. Some positive energy. I hope Chomsky doesn't hear about this.

 

You have misunderstood me. Marines are tough yes and the US armed forces are a great opportunity for young people I have never said otherwise.

 

Definitely tougher than "Taliban Danr". I think my 14 year is tougher than Danr.

 

If he is in the Air Force and especially at an overseas location, I would bet he is familiar with almost every single thing I listed. I haven't personally seen any airmen who weren't although there may be the occasional anomoly out there. Actually, I will qualify that, it may be somewhat different if he is an officer. I am speaking as to the enlisted corps who are the backbone of the entire military system.

 

No you are the The Taliban. :goofer: :goofer: I am the good guy who is tough so ha ha to you Mr. Taliban

 

He is a Sarg (serg) he basically runs things (he is close to his 20).