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Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

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Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#101

Post by toolz »

scott_usa wrote: post #86
toolz wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm relatively confident I can, even as an outsider, give you some insight on their situation. All my closest friends were in the military in different branches even and they all shared a pretty similar story. They spend years of their life excluded to mostly just people in their team. They chant words of brotherhood and tell tales of hardships and emotional struggle. They daily reaffirm to each other that their only…

Based on your comment below, tool, it appears you have a real axe to grind. "So I'm supposed to pay tax dollars for your salary and then give up my seat on a plane because you're working just like the rest of us?" Your 'closest friends in the military' are giving you a skewed view of reality, and I am sorry for it. 1)It sounds like your friends were not in combat so their experiences are not comparable to the author'…

It's interesting how easily I can point out the willing bias in both of our comments. Either way, you're probably right about the majority of veterans doing just fine. That's why I lead with the qualifier of veterans who lead with their title. No one leads introductions with "I used to service vehicles.", except in very relevant situations. While being a veteran for some people (as you say likely a small minority) is a token to deserved respect.

"I didn't fight for your freedoms so you could do XYZ" is not an uncommon phrase on social media for me. I've never heard "I didn't build houses for 20 years so city council could draft up unsafe regulations" or anything resembling the veterans mantra.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#102

Post by ethbro »

ethbro wrote: post #83
pkorzeniewski wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard, spending the precious hours of your short life on things other than what you're really passionate about Isn't this true for the vast majority? Most people take jobs not because they're passionate about them, but because they need money to pay bills and buy stuff - simple as that. Some earn more, some earn less, but at the end of the day almost everyone would like to do something else. Even in IT, where wag…

I think about the people who work in fast food chains. Their entire working lives circumscribed by a binder written by people so many levels above them that thinking about it risks vertigo. Decrease labor costs. Increase productivity per worker. Decrease food prices / increase profit with savings. *Footnote: Make working just attractive enough so that people will apply in sufficient numbers I think about what kind of…

Really, downvotes but no comment? Touch a nerve?

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#103

Post by emp_zealoth »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #97
carboncopy wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with your statement. I think the clamoring for entitlements and awareness is driven by veterans advocacy groups, not the veteran community as a whole. In my opinion, it's a reaction to the neglect and apathy that veterans of previous wars experienced, most recently the Vietnam War. (If you want to be depressed, read about the maltreatment of WW1 vets in the US.) The veterans groups fight for entitlements beca…

> I think the clamoring for entitlements and awareness is driven by veterans advocacy groups, not the veteran community as a whole. In my opinion, it's a reaction to the neglect and apathy that veterans of previous wars experienced, most recently the Vietnam War. I think this is true, but kind of missing the recent "veteran outrage" that has been going on in the community. For example, the stolen valor shaming is tot…

I have to agree that Stolen Valor nonsense got out of hand (although i have say pretending to be a vet is disgusting) However, even though i have rather ambivalent opinion on military (especially the modern one), mistreatment of monuments regarding human sacrifice is disgraceful. I am a hardcore atheist but I'd think to me it's as bad as having kids play on an altar to religious people. Just don't do it. Show some token respect, we all would be better off. (I do not refer to the person above, just to whoever does aforementioned stuff!)

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#104

Post by sibmike »

fapjacks wrote: post #94

You know what I think every time I see an article like this? Did you really go to Iraq? Because the Iraq that I saw made me thankful as shit that I basically won the lottery of living in the developed world. Got some first world problems? Who cares. I have a CIB, too. But you know what I hate almost more than anything? People that shim their CIB into a conversation hoping to add more weight to their words. Life is ro…

That is sure some good writing because it touches so many problems our generation face. I would like to point out the question mentioned, why are we different from the great generation?

So here is a little love story about a vet from the great generation. Grandfather had 6 gunwounds and worked all his life on a coal mine in Siberia. He also was the happiest man I ever met.

He was sent to army because he was dating the wrong girl, my grandmother. Some local "boss" wanted to merry her so he sent my grandpa to the army. After three years of service grandfather had been offered to go to a Militar Academy, thats when he got a letter telling him that he had a daughter. It also stated thet grandmother went to work on coalmines on Shpitzbergen (google it), so her parents and little daughter get additional food supplies.

So he rejected the offer, droped out of the force and went back to Siberia. The army was not happy about it. He didnt get any military benefits, no badges, no pension, no documents of where he's been or what he's done. Only 6 gunwounds on his leg, arm and torso. When he got back he's made a fake electricians papers and got a job on a local coal mine. When grandmother found out that he is back she returned home in a few months. They got married and had 2 more kids. My granddad worked on the same coal mine for the rest of his life. They lived and died in the same 500sf wooden duplex. Coal heating, cold water 300 meters away from the home, WC in the yard. He drove one single motorcycle all his life. They have never had a phone, so he walked to the post office once a week to talk to his daughters.

How come he's been the happiest man I've ever met? Well, he loved fishing, his yard, cards and his family. He died a few years ago. His daughters had to fly half the world to get to the funeral. One lives in Tuscany, Italy, another in Santa Clara, CA.

What made that generation great? Maybe they did what had to be done and were happy about it. Perhaps they never expected much from life and tresured little what they had. Sure they had something our generation is missing.

PS: Grandfather's sister told this story to my aunt only after he died. He's never mentioned army or the hardtimes.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#105

Post by AndrewKemendo »

kelukelugames wrote: post #98
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A civilian is someone who is not a uniformed member of the Armed services. There are civilians who work for the branches of the military (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force) but they do not (typically) wear the military uniform, do not (typically) fall under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, get paid on a different scale and have different legal standing. Commissioned officers and Enlisted members are two sides of th…

Really? I always assumed people needed college degrees to become offers. And enlisted men were ones without. Also to clarify, I don't mean civilians on a military base. My question is "Is it hard for people like me to relate to enlisted men than the ROTC officers, etc?"

Sorry I should clarify: Officers do need a college degree prior to commissioning.

To your question: I don't think so, but it largely depends on the person.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#106

Post by AndrewKemendo »

emp_zealoth wrote: post #103
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think the clamoring for entitlements and awareness is driven by veterans advocacy groups, not the veteran community as a whole. In my opinion, it's a reaction to the neglect and apathy that veterans of previous wars experienced, most recently the Vietnam War. I think this is true, but kind of missing the recent "veteran outrage" that has been going on in the community. For example, the stolen valor shaming is tot…

I have to agree that Stolen Valor nonsense got out of hand (although i have say pretending to be a vet is disgusting) However, even though i have rather ambivalent opinion on military (especially the modern one), mistreatment of monuments regarding human sacrifice is disgraceful. I am a hardcore atheist but I'd think to me it's as bad as having kids play on an altar to religious people. Just don't do it. Show some to…

I think there is a difference between mistreating a monument and just not having self-awareness.

The way I look at it, if there are kids laughing and playing on a monument, that is a better representation of freedom and security than any amount of pillars or stone could ever represent.

Re: Driving for Uber as an Iraq War Vet

#107

Post by AndrewKemendo »

justonepost wrote: post #100
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #74

Sorry, but as an Iraq veteran myself I am getting tired of Veteran whining. Yes, we have significant issues and yes the VA and all the parties need to do a better job taking care of us. It took me 9 months alone to get my disability rating and VA benefits card - and many wait much longer - which is time that they aren't getting treatment. The broader population only know about these issues through Jon Stewart or from…

Yikes. Way to betray your brothers who risk their lives for our freedoms. For me, I can only say I'd never have the balls to sign up for the army... These guys do something we can't pay for directly and maintain our standard of living, so we must find other ways to reward them. Certainly when one of them is lonely, I'd hate to think anyone .. especially a fellow veteran, would call it 'whining'. I feel the same way a…

To be clear, having issues with fundamental care of our veterans is not what is in discussion. We should absolutely be outraged at poor care of our defenders military, firefighters or otherwise.

What I object to is the "APPRECIATE ME FOR MY SERVICE" attitude that is running rampant in the vet community.

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