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Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

chrisseaton.com

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Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#411

Post by nradov »

oneoff786 wrote: post #401
nradov wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Putting American military boots on the ground in Ukraine would likely escalate to WW3.

Bring it motherfucker Edit: but bravado aside, I think no, it would not. I think Russia would just back down. If they were willing to escalate, I think we would have seen a nuke in kyiv by now Edit edit: and it is worth it to show we are willing to stand up for such things. We cannot afford to roll over to anyone with nukes

Russians would likely shoot at US forces in Ukraine. Then what? I sympathize with the Ukrainian people but Ukraine is not a US treaty ally.

If you're brave enough, the Ukrainian military is accepting volunteers. Other foreigners have already enlisted. Go join them. And I'm not being snarky: if you really believe in the cause then I sincerely think you should do something about it.

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#412

Post by earleybird »

chrisseaton wrote: post #337
throwaway0x7E6 wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well alright, I stand corrected still tho, senators' and millionaires' sons aren't the E-rank grunts driving the trucks

No they’re the young platoon leaders putting themselves in harm’s way.

The reference was to "Fortunate Son".[0]

[0] https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/john-fogerty-a...

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#413

Post by throwaway743 »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #398
throwaway743 wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So mutual assured destruction is what you're advocating for? That's some big brain shit

Ukraine has been attacking targets inside Russia, why haven't they been nuked yet?

Because they don't have nukes. Once a nuclear armed power faces another, then you'll likely have MAD.

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#414

Post by advisedwang »

hitekker wrote: post #332
giaour wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if this was your intention, but your comment comes off as extremely dismissive. If you are joining a fighting force, you absolutely should consider where and how you might be deployed should your unit get mobilized. There is a tremendous difference between doing an active tour of duty in a foreign country and being called up domestically, and it is fine to use your own moral calculus when weighing the tw…

It's fine to dismiss boring flamebait. The top-level comment is dressed up to sound curious but basically falls in the same category of questions that the GP and OP called out as thoughtless.

FWIW I was asking because the 3rd paragraph describes the Yeomanry as being founded to prevent invasion and "formed to serve only within Great Britain" and so I was curious if it was a special-purpose unit still (and I asked about civil disturbance as clearly at some point that was a function, but perhaps later civil rights changes prevent the use of the army for policing like in the USA).

But it doesn't really matter what my intention with the comment was, clearly I touched a nerve and most folks are replying on the ethics of the issue. That probably means that it is actually an interesting topic of discussion.

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#415

Post by yodsanklai »

photochemsyn wrote: post #131

The most important thing to realize about military service is that you sign away all your citizenship rights (free speech, etc.) when you sign up for the service. Hopefully you won't be used in ridiculous debacles like the 2003 Iraq Invasion, based on lies about WMDs pushed by Washington (and see British role as well), but you'll have no say in the matter. The other thing to realize is that, at least in the USA, they…

> I'd heard too many Vietnam vets tell horror stories about how they'd been treated by the military.

Not forgetting horror stories about what they did to Vietnamese, Afghans or Iraqis...

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#416

Post by doodlebugging »

emmelaich wrote: post #390
doodlebugging wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No disrespect intended at all in my response. I know it is a divisive issue. Looking at the history though you would want to be a revisionist historian if you were to be phrasing it in that manner. It was a contentious issue even back then. I have described why it reads as it does as it is important to understand that in reality, those who drafted the amendment went through multiple revisions before arriving at the f…

You probably know a lot more about it than me. I'm not even from the USA. I was using the DC v Heller 2008 case and various commentaries on that.

I'm no expert on any of this. I'll have to look up that case for context. Thanks for the discussion.

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#417

Post by Terr_ »

wolverine876 wrote: post #379
sputknick wrote: post #8

I spent five years in the Air Force. Posts like this are really helpful, a lot of Americans are disconnected from members of the military, especially in the upper classes where people do not need to serve, or in fields (like tech) where people can often find less intrusive ways to pay for college. My favorite part of the article is dispelling the myth that in the military senior people bark orders, and don't ask for…

> a lot of Americans are disconnected from members of the military, especially in the upper classes where people do not need to serve, or in fields (like tech) where people can often find less intrusive ways to pay for college. I think that's a serious problem. Americans have little idea how the US military works and tend to form extreme opinions, either glorifying it or villifying it - the former especially in the l…

The flip-side is that with mandatory manpower for military adventurism, politicians and the military leaders who advise them have fewer reasons to temper their aspirations.

> Part of the problem is the narrow population from which the military recruits.

I wonder if this relates to how military service (not civilian-contractor roles) appear to have a bit of an, er, "sign your soul over and hope for the best" mechanic.

I dimly recall some event where some state was offering a "Try it for a year" promotion for their National Guard service, and the guy on it ended up being stop-lossed over to Afghanistan or Iraq.

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#418

Post by rpmisms »

pyinstallwoes wrote: post #403
oaxacaoaxaca wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>None of that is true. All of that is true about my Army experience lol. If I could go back and do it again, I'd definitely choose Air Force. I agree that the military can be a positive experience and it's a good idea for some people, but the caveat with my endorsement is that you gotta carefully choose the branch and the job. I almost chose linguistics, but for some silly reason chose mechanic and paratrooper, and w…

So you’re allowed to choose your job? I thought it wasn’t guaranteed what interests you had vs what you are placed in.

If you're smart (get a good ASVAB result), you'll have a lot more leeway in jobs.

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#419

Post by Diesel555 »

photochemsyn wrote: post #131

The most important thing to realize about military service is that you sign away all your citizenship rights (free speech, etc.) when you sign up for the service. Hopefully you won't be used in ridiculous debacles like the 2003 Iraq Invasion, based on lies about WMDs pushed by Washington (and see British role as well), but you'll have no say in the matter. The other thing to realize is that, at least in the USA, they…

As I read this post I kept thinking you had a rough time in service. This doesn’t match my experience at all. Then I saw at the end you didn’t serve, made assumptions based on stories, and had an axe to grind.

> The most important thing to realize about military service is that you sign away all your citizenship rights (free speech, etc.) when you sign up for the service.

False. I can say the same things as any citizen outside of my uniform. I am a US citizen with rights. I signed away no such rights.

> The other thing to realize is that, at least in the USA, they'll do everything they can to deny you medical benefits for injuries suffered in basic training, and this will persist after you get out

False. I have had access to every medical care I’ve needed, for free, for myself and family. This includes four major surgeries. I can go to an ER for free any time we have an issue. Zero stresses over medical expenses here.

> the 'educational assistance' is barely enough for a two-year vocational training program, certainly nowhere near enough for a full four-year college degree.

False. The military completely paid for my undergrad and masters at a high quality university (50k+/yr). Zero loans. They subsidized a second masters in software engineering. After all this I still have my full GI bill that I can use for myself or pass off to my kids for their undergrad.

> If you're a teenage with zero alternative options and are completely desperate for a way out of an urban slum nightmare or a poverty-stricken rural life, the military is there as an option.

Or if you wanted to serve with every opportunity in the world in front of you, the military is an option.

Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech

#420

Post by [deleted] »

seti0Cha wrote: post #387
oneoff786 wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. I’ve grown up starkly anti military due to the kinds of fights the American military has fought in my lifetime. It’s been evil. Plain and simple. And yet, I’m glad we have a strong military given happenings in Ukraine. I would strongly support putting boots on the ground. To have the training necessary to join the volunteer defense forces in Ukraine or something similar resonates as a valuable, important skill.…

Were you around for the buildup to the second gulf war? The rhetoric against Saddam Hussein was not terribly different in tone than that against Putin. People were similarly outraged and many people wanted us to invade because of all the awful things he did, e.g. his treatment of the Kurds. In fact, pretty much all the major conflicts that have happened in my lifetime have been accompanied by a call to action based o…

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