Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech • Hacker News Board

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

#461

Post by aethros » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:13 AM UTC

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…

> In addition, the 'educational assistance' is barely enough for a two-year vocational training program, certainly nowhere near enough for a full four-year college degree. It's better than nothing, certainly, but the advertising and the reality have a big disconnect.

This is entirely false. I served my commitment on active duty and then went to college using the Post-911 GI Bill. I got 9 semesters (4.5 yrs) paid for with housing allowance as well.

I dropped out of school before I joined the military, and had $10k in student loan debt with nothing to show for it. After serving, I graduated with a CS degree, and a job lined up as a software engineer. I am truly grateful the opportunities I was afforded through my service.

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

#462

Post by monocasa » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:15 AM UTC

YATA1 wrote: post #455

monocasa wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jeeze, not just 65k, but 65k household as your neighborhood's median.

Because that is reality. $65k is where the richest quantile for neighborhood median household income starts, by census tract [0]. The linked report was compiled by Dr. Shanea Watkins, a policy analyst specializing in empirical studies. Unless you have sources that claim otherwise, my original claim stands. [0] http://s3.amazonaws.com/thf_media/2008/pdf/cda08-05.pdf

Or that just means that upper class doesn't start at the boundary of the top quantile.

I'm sorry but no stretch of the imagination has upper class as a couple making 33k/yr each. That's absolutely absurd. That's $16.50 an hour with no overtime.

Looking at it, upper class typically is the top one or two percent of the population.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_upper_class

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

#463

Post by Diesel555 » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:15 AM UTC

ryan_lane wrote: post #458

Diesel555 wrote: post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You're not allowed to say disparaging things about anyone in your command chain, which goes up to the president. There's also limits on your political speech, in relation to making political statements in favor of candidates. You are right, there are more restrictions for me. I'll change my evaluation of "you sign away all your citizenship rights" to mostly false. The OP made a rather encompassing assertion. I stil…

> I'd be curious to hear the facts behind this assertion. The regulations are pretty clear on how to qualify. I've never seen someone qualified then denied. https://www.history.com/news/gi-bill-black-wwii-veterans-ben... https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/11/5/22765623/veterans-aff...

The first article is for a completely different benefit. The GI Bill from WW2, the Montgomery GI Bill, and the Post 9/11 GI bill are completely different things. To be clear - the article reports on a great injustice and it's sad to read about. I had no idea. Thank you for showing it.

The second article is specific to the reserves and guard. The main point I gather is that the process of evaluating time served is flawed and caused mistakes which made members a) lose their benefits even if they were currently using them and b) place the burden and costs on the service member to resolve. I'll restrict my statement to active duty only.

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

#464

Post by onion2k » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:22 AM UTC

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…

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.

8% of the US population are veterans. 34% of the US population have a bachelors degree. That suggests to me that quite a low proportion of people use the military as a route to education.

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

#465

Post by weakfish » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:29 AM UTC

YATA1 wrote: post #452

wolverine876 wrote: post #395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for providing some citations. The military.com link is to a military recruiting ad, and Heritage's business is generating talking points and 'research' for conservative/Republican policy (look at their front page). Here's a report saying that 79% of US Army recruits come from families with service members. [0] IIRC, the military is overwhelmingly rural and does not recruit in major urban areas - which matches…

>The military.com link is to a military recruiting ad military.com is a news and information website that covers topics such as benefits to military members, veterans, their families and those with military affinity. Even if there are links to recruiting, this does nothing to refute the facts. >Heritage's business is generating talking points and 'research' for conservative/Republican policy Reality has a conservativ…

I think it’s fair for the person you’re replying @ to point out the heritage foundation is a self professed conservative think tank if you point out that you believe the NYT is not trustworthy. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a conservative think tank but it’s important to consider how data presentation might be impacted by the person(s) presenting the data. Which is in line with your suspicions of the NYT.

QED.

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

#466

Post by periphrasis » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:30 AM UTC

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

You are advocating conflict escalation and expansion that will drastically shorten the decision tree that ends in the permanent end of human civilization in its present form. Given that the Ukrainians -- with Western material, financial and intelligence support -- appear to be capable of destroying the combat power of the Russian Army in the field without a direct NATO intervention, what you're in effect asking for is to take on the literally largest conceivable risks for minimal added benefit beyond feeling tougher and stronger and like you're doing something, all without personally having to leave your chair. Forgive me if I don't think that's a good trade off.

And as an aside, my personal view is peak nuclear escalation risk is in another 3 or 4 weeks when Russian forces in the east and south hit a similar point of exhaustion/forced withdrawal that we just witnessed in the north. I don't think Putin is going to react well once the news finally penetrates that his miscalculation has destroyed his army and revealed him and the Russian state to be laughingstocks.

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

#467

Post by cmrdporcupine » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:31 AM UTC

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…

I was more than around, I was part of the protest movement along with millions of others.

What's happening in Ukraine is entirely different.

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

#468

Post by cmrdporcupine » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:33 AM UTC

oneoff786 wrote: post #402

seti0Cha wrote: post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Media literacy seems like it was a lot worse back then. I’m not convinced I would ever support the invasion of another country. I’m not supporting the invasion of Russia. I’m supporting the defense of Ukraine.

I'm fully on board in supporting Ukraine, but the quality of the coverage is no better. I don't often watch TV, particularly American TV, but I was down at a friends recently and he had CNN on and I was like... yep, same old same old, just as bad as it was in the early 2000s. Sensationalistic, simplistic, and highly biased.

Beats the Fox News bias, but still bias.

But, I'm neither liberal or conservative. I'm a socialist, and mainstream politics is pretty alien to me on both "sides."

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

#469

Post by cmrdporcupine » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:35 AM UTC

oneoff786 wrote: post #431

nradov wrote: post #411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The United States is capable of getting involved even if Ukraine is not a treaty ally. I am stating a geopolitical policy preference. Yes, that involves some US soldiers dying.

It doesn't just involve US soldiers dying, it probably means some cities turned to cinders.

There's a line you cannot cross, and wasn't crossed in the entire cold war as bitter as things got-- and that is NATO troops on Russian soil or vice versa.

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

#470

Post by ethbr0 » Tue, Apr 05, 2022, 2:35 AM UTC

watwut wrote: post #263

ethbr0 wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd consider deploying the military to be a much higher bar of trust than building and maintaining roads and tax policies, providing healthcare and education, etc. What happens when roads are destroyed or barricaded for tolls, taxes aren't paid, or healthcare and education are withheld from anyone who isn't a white man? (to offer a few hypotheticals)

I am more ok with destroyed roads then with expansive war or atrocities and so on. Those cause way more harm. I not ok with racist education. By I am even more not ok with army being used for racist project - and that one causes more harm. Also, by current legal standards, soldiers are supposed to refuse orders if those lead to genocide and such. It is so after Nuremberg after WWII. I am very fine with the rare Russi…

When push comes to shove, it's about power. F.ex. the desegregation of Arkansas schools [0]. If don't have force to command, you don't have authority.

My point that the very existence of laws (any laws!) is predicated on access to force.

Without force, you can only have those rules to which everyone voluntarily agrees, and continues doing so.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Nine#National_Gu...