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Semper Fi
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Semper Fi |
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Huan Yi Member Ascendant
since 2004-10-12
Posts 6688Waukegan 
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Pat Tillman… Today I hear the Mayor of Chicago’s 29 year old son is going into the Army and, despite his MBA, as an enlisted man. Michael Jordan’s brother who has thirty years in the Army has asked for a one year extension of his enlistment so he can go with his unit to Iraq. With the recent fighting there has been a wave of announcements in the media of local young men who have been killed, mostly Marines, all young from middle class or affluent suburbs, who, as their friends and relations tell it, consciously enlisted knowing the potential consequences. What’s going on? The Marine Corps especially has never pushed the job training incentive to induce enlistments. Every man is a rifleman. It has gone without saying, that in war time you’re not enlisting to begin or hone your skills for a career outside. You come in, you’re going where you can get killed. And yet, still they’re coming. They don’t have to, no one is making them, there’s no need to go to Canada, and yet they’re coming in. Why do you think they’re doing it? |
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| © Copyright 2004 John Pawlik - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
Easy. They believe in something greater than themselves. |
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JoshG Member
since 2004-11-16
Posts 127TX, USA |
agreed |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Ali understands |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
First, of the Marines that I have had the pleasure to meet, they all consider that particular part of the Service as a brotherhood of very special men... As Ali said, They believe in something greater than themselves. And I will up the ante a bit and suggest that they have a higher sense of self...and would do anything for their country for all of the best reasons. |
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~DreamChild~ Senior Member
since 2001-04-23
Posts 544in your dreams |
well i dont know exactly going on in this scenario, but i would agree with the others.  |
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Ringo 
since 2003-02-20
Posts 3684Saluting with misty eyes |
First, I would offer my apologies for not replying to this earlier... As to my thoughts: The reason that men.. especially young men... join the service KNOWING that they will eventually be called upon to kill or be killed is because it offers them a challenge to face (Are they man enough to handle it??) and there is always something romantic in a young man's eyes about going to war, and such as that. We grew up listening to our grandparents, and the stories of the "greatest generation" (which I believe they are), and the stories of our fathers and how tough it was. We want to live the ideals and the serice and sacrifice of our grandparents, and prove that we are as tough as our parents. Although young men join the service "knowing" the risks, the NEVER truly know the risks until they are either hiding behind a barrier praying for it to stop, or they are putting rounds down range praying for it to stop. As for MJ's brother... he doesn't want to leave his unit... his brothers when the time gets tough. He knows that members of his unit might possibly get killed, and he is hoping to be able to stop that from happening. He has no, in my thoughts and experience, any desire to fight, or prove himself rather he chooses not to leave his brothers in their time of need. To put a final phrase on it that it much too wodely used, and at this time very much appropriate, "If you had to ask, and were not there, youy simply would never understand." In the wooden chair |
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Huan Yi Member Ascendant
since 2004-10-12
Posts 6688Waukegan |
Ringo, I would readily agree that stories from a generation before had an impact on the motivations of young men enlisting in the 60’s, but as to now the Vietnam War curbed if not killed any “romance” that might have once associated with such a decision. I think 9/11 had more to do with the change. As to MJ’s brother's “brothers” I again agree. |
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