The Gadfly
Senior Member
- Feb 7, 2011
- 2,190
- 614
- 48
In my opinion, anyone who prefers military life to a comfortable civilian life has serious psychological issues. I put four years in the Marine Corps and I never met a single individual who could have done better as a civilian but re-enlisted instead. In fact, I had no idea what my prospects were as a civilian but the day they handed me my DD-214 was one of the happiest days of my life! And that is no exaggeration.A soldier-hell, even a Marine- knows exactly where his pay comes from and that it is not nearly what he could be making in a civilian job.
I did my time and paid my dues but in my opinion military life SUCKS!
I can name you one who did; does the name LT Iilario Pantano ring a bell? Guy with a NYU degree and a high-flying NY career, who went back in the Marine Corps (had to get an age and dependent waiver to do it, yet) after 9/11. A model Marine officer, by most accounts; ended up prosecuted for war crimes for killing two Iraqi insurgents mostly on the suspect testimony of one slacker SGT (who sounds like YOUR kind of Marine). Cleared by an Article 32 investigation, though I doubt you approve. Just for the record, based on accounts of the incident, I'd have shot those two insurgents myself, without so much as a second thought. I shot VC and NVA for less, and do NOT regret doing it.
Pantano resigned his commission, and left the service, which I'm sure makes you happy; I guess REAL patriots (and professionals) who kill too many enemy are unacceptable to people of your stripe, many of whom were ready to have LT Pantano hung, and still consider him a murderer. I'd say we need a lot more like him, myself!