Google Engineer: What I learned in the war

Thank you for your words and your service. I too was in the enlisted ranks spending 6 1/2 years in the Army in Combat Arms (Scout) and Special Operations (PSYOP) and then was granted early discharge to start fall semester at UNC in 1997.

The article does a great job with the mention of accepting diversity. Understanding ethnocentrism was one of the fundamental teachings from PSYOP and enlightened me in ways like nothing else.

Codeslush's words ring true and reflect what I would say regarding another poster's comments about capitalizing on skills. The Army allowed me to capitalize on life. My sacrifices were miniscule for what I think I gained with my service. We are fortunate that military service today in the U.S. is voluntary and as such is a very personal choice that is often misunderstood by many (even friends and family).

Be a generalist and open to any opportunity. If you are good at what you do and are dependable you'll make great connections with all ranks whether their enlisted or officer(commissioned/non-commissioned or warrant). And if you really excel there will be plenty of opportunities to work directly for (and yes with) O-6s and higher and see an entirely different military. If you're able and willing, the world by way of the military can be simply amazing.

I have always been a techie and still remember being playfully bashed for carrying around my Sharp 286 laptop after rotation back to staging at Hohenfels in Germany. The next hot startup, the successor to Geocities -> Friendster -> Myspace -> Facebook and the next bubble will be waiting for you to provide your date of birth and phone number whenever you're ready. Social media will still be around and solutions will still need to be solved. What won't wait for you is your youth and the opportunities that are tied to it.

I would choose the same path all over again today if I was 18 (or even 30) and wondering about what life might have in store for me. Toujours Pret!

Maybe it's because so much of Silicon Valley is left-wing, and the military is more of a right-wing institution.

Well they get a special amount of respect for two reasons. The obvious one is that they offer to give up their life in the service of their country. The second reason is, in the past it's been viewed as a far less lucrative career. So while we might all be making a ton of money in Silicon Valley- these guys are in Afghanistan risking their lives (irrespective of your support of a particular war, the sacrifice is still being made). Also, there is still a lingering guilt over how servicemen were treated returning home from Vietnam. That still informs how the military is viewed as being owed a bit more respect than say an investment banker.

I'm not certain a soldier deserves more respect than a doctor, teacher, fireman, policeman or engineer. I'm not even certain a soldier gets more respect than many of those occupations listed. Soldiers do not ask for respect. It is given to them. I don't know why, but let me throw out a few possibilities:

1. It's a national holiday. This draws national attention to the sacrifices made - even in post WWII invasions. Perhaps, more than any other career, more lives have been lost, or negatively mentally/physically altered, by military members. I don't know the stats here - so it's an assumption.

2. Maybe it's related to the sacrifices made by soldiers. I'm not limiting this to just the soldiers that get killed or seriously wounded either. Are you aware that lower ranking enlisted members (the majority that will do 3 to 5 years and then get out) are at, or very near, poverty level? They don't do it for the money.

3. People admire/respect bravery. This goes for police officers and firemen too. This, I think, is why a lot of women like a "man in uniform."

4. Many American families have lost loved ones in wars dating back a long way. They recognize the sacrifices their ancestors made for the country. These memories and feelings carry forward generations.

I was writing this response before jboydyhacker chimed in.

So to address your latest comments:

1. Soldiers don't always agree with the battle they are fighting.

2. You shouldn't respect anyone unless you respect them. If your choice is to not respect a soldier, that's your right!

3. It's quite likely if an Afghani hacker who joined the Taliban wrote the article mentioned that it would get great press - somewhere. Maybe not here, but somewhere. Had I written this particular article, it would not have made front page. In fact, it would not have received 3 upvotes. People respect the GOOG as much as they respect the soldier. Combine the two, and...this is what happens. There - your engineer just got some respect! ;-) I will bet my next paycheck that if an Afghani hacker joined the Taliban and then came to America, worked for GOOG and published the article referenced - yes, it will make it to the front page of HN.

4. I am at war against my company's competition every time I try to convince someone our software solution is better than the alternative. I believe in what I try to sell. If I went to one of my competitors tomorrow, I'm sure I would fight just as hard for them. Does that translate to an answer for your Viet Cong argument?

Mostly good points (except one see below). Thank you.

fwiw it was a genuine question. I am not trying to be anti American, anti US army etc. I am very pro American in real life and get flak for that attitude hereabouts.

I was just puzzled to wake up in the morning and find a fairly content-lite article on the front page of HN. It does happen occasionally, but this one felt really weird to me.It doesn't say anything particularly interesting (imo). Other cultures are different and working with a diverse set of people teaches you tolerance? Well duh.

Fwiw I suspect what Dan really learned from the war will be discussed only over drinks with his fellow soldiers and not on any public forum.

"I am at war against my company's competition every time I try to convince someone our software solution is better than the alternative."

I suspect using the word "war" as a substitute for "competition" obscures the point. Reductio ad absurdum that means every investment banker (say) is a soldier and so worthy of respect.

"If I went to one of my competitors tomorrow, I'm sure I would fight just as hard for them. Does that translate to an answer for your Viet Cong argument?"

No :). Because my point was not on whether the Vietnamese soldier fought for his country as hard as the American soldier would do for his. That is a given (or close enough).

I am not sure if a Vietnamese (or Afghan or whoever) wrote such a content free article, it would get upvoted so heavily. It seemed to me ( I freely admit I could be wrong) that the upvotes for this article stemmed from some kind of patriotic impulse than because its content was intellectually stimulating, or even relevant to the community.

I am (or was) surprised at this (imo very content lite) article being on the front page of HN and getting so many upvotes and (perhaps unjustifiably) attributed it to the (imo) excess respect Americans have for their military.

Your reply helps me understand better. Thank You.