From: Brian Phillips (deepbluehalo@earthlink.net)
Date: Sat Aug 31 2002 - 04:15:01 MDT
All,
I tried to sit on it.. I really did. Maybe because
I don't think of myself as "military" so much as
I happen to be in a uniform and "classified"
as active-duty. But this last thing made me sit
up and respond. I'm chalking it up to therapy...
Jeff Davis <jrd1415@yahoo.com> wrote..
Fellow veterans, and "those who only stand and wait",
At the start of this thread, Brian D Williams
<talon57@well.com> wrote:
> My personal belief is that to have equal rights one
> should pay an equal share of the costs.
<snip>
> And you continue to be a free person thanks to the
> efforts of others.
<<So, what exactly was this "high price" that you paid,
Brian? Conscription? Combat experience? Wounded?
Disabled? Gulf War syndrome? Friends killed or
wounded? Separation from family, friends, wife and
kids? Mess hall chow rather than Mom's home cooking
or Pizza Hut?>>
Let's see. Separation from family yes. I can't use any of
my favorite intoxicants. I'm forced to exercise regularly.
I have to wear a this badge of imbecility called a
uniform... and I have to take crap from idiots all day
long. And I can't leave without losing my citizenship or
things almost as bad. The last two are the worst parts
really.
<<When I wore the uniform (US Army '68 to '70) they
trained me, housed me, clothed me, fed me, provided
medical care, and told me what to think. I expect
they did the same for you. Except for that last item,
where is there a price paid? (Boot camp, mythology
aside, is every boy's dream: summer camp with firearms
and hand grenades (but where no one gets hurt)).>>
Wait a second. Things have changed buddy. Boot camp
was horrible. The jerks made you stay awake, screamed
at you for nonpurposes such as petty sadism, and refused
to let you think. It was NOT a summer camp (I timed it
to go through in the spring when the non-AC barracks
were at optimum temperatures) and there were NO GUNS
GODDAMIT! The closest I got to a firearm in basic was
those idiotic laser tag rifles they made us play with (while
wearing gas masks) it was high foolishness. Not to mention
they refused to let you wear ANY corrective lenses while
doing this then screamed at you for missing.
<<From your history of posts I gather that you were in
the Marine Corps during the Gulf War. What EXACTLY
did you do/happened to you that you consider you paid
"a heavy price for [your] citizenship"? >>
Actually I fear I may have paid an aweful price.. my honor.
I'm wearing a uniform that says I'm an official parasite.. and
it sucks a lot.
<<And while I'm askin'--Yo! Lorrey!--you're fond of
mouthing off re your patriotic credentials--show us
YOUR scars, recount for us your heroic deeds, help
us--the unworthy bleating helots gazing up upon our
betters in awe--to appreciate the great
sacrifice/heavy price you paid, and by which you
secured your claim to first-class Heinleinian
'citizenship'?>>
Um.. hmm.. heroic deeds. Well I finished my first
degree. I've decided that I am stealing back all the
tax money they took from me or ever will. It's
a grotesquely self-serving justification but it's
the least worst option I think. They
are going to pay for 50-75% of my doctorate.
I've been forced to give them more time as a
better alternative than being on the tip of the spear
deployment wise. This plagues my conscience but
it seems better than helping Marines kill ragheads
that are fighting mad for perfectly good reasons.
I don't want to help missile techs obliterate villages
by mistake either. I made a bad decison, as I
am convinced everyone in the service did.
It's not pleasant.. but the alternative is a dishonourable
discharge and I selfishly refuse to harm my future
by taking that route.
Maybe *some* of the veterans on the list
ascribe to a Heinlinesque view of citizenship but
one of the few extropes who is currently in feels
that anyone who passed on the chance to be a
military they cannot resign from at a moment's notice
for disagreement with the national and military policies
is a REAL hero.
And anyone who disagrees with that can just
f**k off.
(the other) Brian
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:16:35 MST