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I made this post while watching a movie where a commander tell his soldiers to get out of their fox holes and run into enemy fire. A lawful command. I'm just thinking is taking down Saddam worth your life? Was Nam worth your life?
You only have one life.
Maybe if instead of 20 year olds we send 60 year olds to war? You still have a lot of life to live.
And every soldier killed is one less person collecting a social security check. Jk, sorta. Why is it 60 year olds sending 20 year olds to war? Why don't they go fight?
But I do respect and appreciate you.
I don't remember what I was listening to but this guy was talking about how anyone who goes to the service thinks they will be brave in the line of fire but not everyone is. I bet those cowards never dreamed they'd go to war. My whole childhood I feared a war and draft at my age and God damn when I turned 17 bush invaded Iraq. I protested against the war. I was in college.
We had 50 year olds and some in their older 50s that deployed to "Desert Storm". Previously they were civilians, but they put back on the uniform when Saddam decided he was the Son of, Brother of Adolph Hitler.
BUT, all the men that I knew of were either high ranking Non-Commissioned Officers = "NCO's" in the rank of E-7 ( Sergeant First Class ) or Warrant Officers. Most were warrants though.
Both were in technical fields = Communications, Medical, Mechanic such as heavy vehicle repair, electrical repair, intelligence... and other mind boggling fields ; and none that "I seen" that WERE RECALLED, were trigger pullers. They were all in technical fields.
Warrant Officers walk on water, no one in their right mind would mess with one. Warrant Officers are truly considered....."Experts" in their field = Aviation, Criminal Investigation, Intelligence, Medical, Vehicle and Tank Repair, Infantry, Field Artillery.....and other career fields.
For Warrant Officer = Last track I had when I was in. Army, you had to be an E-6 ( Staff Sergeant ) or be an E-5 ( Sergeant ) promotable, on the promotion list to E-6. And you had to have either
5 or 6 years in your career field if I am correct.
You had to submit a packet, be eligible for a security clearance ( no criminal activity - no excessive debt / late bills - no domestic violence's - NO HISTORY of drug use and no punishments / judicial or non judicial article 15s ), and your career field had to be within strength...meaning it cannot be overflowing or over strength with Warrant Officers. Warrant Officers now.....is a competitive field.....and it is very hard ; extremely hard to knock one off of the totem poll.....even for a Commissioned Officer. Warrants can get by with a lot of stuff, even arguments.....that others cannot.
Warrant Officer class is very hard, both physically ( Physical Training ) and academically. But once you get that silver bar with a black square on your hat......Batman and Superman can not touch you, even with Underdogs help. But with a Warrant Officer bar on your cap......comes mounds and mounds of responsibility. Mounds of it.
Shadow 355