Have You Ever Considered A Career In The Military?

[ecnarf]

Basically I'm doing this as a little experiment. I play in the military band for a reserve regiment in town and all the military people there have all but handcuffed me and dragged me out to basic training in their quest to get me to join the military.

 

I have to say that before I started playing in that band, I had never given any thought to a career in the military. It had never really crossed my mind. But having looked at it, I am seriously considering becoming a military pharmacist, even if it's just to join the ROTP and get through university without debt. I don't see why not - the Canadian military pays rather well, I'll still be a pharmacist (working on a military base), and chances are I'll be doing humanitarian/relief work along the way.

 

You'll notice that in recent weeks, the armed forces have ratcheted up their ad campaigns, especially during world cup soccer matches. I've found that overall, careers in the military aren't considered so unusual in the U.S., but due to the small size and lack of funding, and the fact that the CF are constantly the butt-end of jokes, you don't find very many people considering careers in the army in Canada. So answer the poll and give a written answer if you please.

[supercanuk]

I probably did at some point in my very early age but i never took any inklings to do so very seriously. I have always not been a fan of the regimentation, the indoctrination ( as i see it, obviously not everyone will), and is personally not for me.

[ecnarf]

For the record, I wouldn't want to be in the military as a lifelong thing. A guy who was serving in Afghanistan 2 years ago told me to never date someone in the armed forces. He has a wife and two kids and was over there for six months. Harsh.

[Sparq]

Yes. Air Force. Initially as a way to get free pilot training (helicopters, since that costs technically $40,000 and in all practicality, $1,000,000). I'm not qualified for that, but I started looking at the Army instead. Some of the Combat trades actually, particularly Combat Engineering. Putting it crudely enough to make myself sound like a stereotypical grunt...I wanted to get paid to blow shit up.

 

At any rate, I ended up giving college a second chance. I don't know whether I regret it or not. Yet.

[mself084]

You'll notice that in recent weeks, the armed forces have ratcheted up their ad campaigns, especially during world cup soccer matches.

I watched 80% of the games, all on sportsnet/tsn/ctv, and didn't once see an ad for the armed forces. what channel were you watching?

[garsk]

yeah, i thought about it. but lack of funding, and that i wanted to get a education (other then one from RMC) made me not go in. but if there was a serious war, i would join in.

[sodamntired]

i am currently living in the states...came down for college and have been here since...but i grew up in Canada.

 

anyway, I considered joining the military because the pay is great and they make sure you're life has goals and you have something to do. but after talking with my dad, who is a vietnam era veteran who had his ID stolen from the laptop that that guy from the VFW lost. (remember that?) he told me that my medical problems would prevent me from being accepted. so that's my boring story.

[Monochrome Rainbow]

I considered it to have them pay for my education.

[garsk]

well, for those who said that they might have, what could the military do to get you to change your mind?

[HoboFactory]

The thought has crossed my mind a few times, but I never seriously considered or planned on it. I just don't see myself doing that, especially for a nation I'm not very fond or proud of.

[Azalroth]

I thought about it back when I was 14/15, mainly to get into the technology side of things and not have to worry about college debt. Also my Dad used to be a Sergeant loading up F15's and making sure they run smoothly. He worked with the bombs that were loaded onto the planes. So the whole following your father's footsteps thing was in play, but then again I realized I hate authority and didn't want to do it.

 

That and I'm already a cog for the machine to use to make it run that much better, lets no be apart of the machine's edge.

 

But...if there was a major war, I might consider joining in and just turn into a suicidal grunt blowing up shit. hehehehe explosions.

[ecnarf]

I didn't realize so many members here were fond of blowing shit up.

[garsk]

well i think every school child has thought of blowing up his school, but for senseless destrution, yeah, there is a lot of us in here.

[Sparq]

Destruction gets a bad reputation. It can be as much an art form as anything else. And at least for me, there is a certain grim facination associated with the tools of war.

 

I had initially looked at Artillery and Armoured as well (basically any combat trade other than basic infantry), but this was at the time where some high level decision maker, in his infinite wisdom, decided to decomission the perfectly good Leopard tanks we have in favour of overpriced, under-armoured, under-armed, less mobile LAVIII MGS systems with the explanation that tires scare the locals less than treads. Welcome to the kinder, gentler army of the future.

 

They can't fit the Leos on our cargo planes either, true, but they can just BARELY get an MGS on, and we don't have that many Hercules' to begin with. We ship the things by sea anyway. They should have done like the Aussies and bought used American Abrams tanks and more Hercs or a few Starlifters. IF they really had to replace those Leos...

 

But I digress. Actually no I don't, because I don't have any topic to get back to.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Sparq

[Guest jsunC]

I didn't realize so many members here were fond of blowing shit up.

why d'ya think fireworks are so popular

[ecnarf]

Destruction gets a bad reputation. It can be as much an art form as anything else. And at least for me, there is a certain grim facination associated with the tools of war.

 

I had initially looked at Artillery and Armoured as well (basically any combat trade other than basic infantry), but this was at the time where some high level decision maker, in his infinite wisdom, decided to decomission the perfectly good Leopard tanks we have in favour of overpriced, under-armoured, under-armed, less mobile LAVIII MGS systems with the explanation that tires scare the locals less than treads. Welcome to the kinder, gentler army of the future.

 

They can't fit the Leos on our cargo planes either, true, but they can just BARELY get an MGS on, and we don't have that many Hercules' to begin with. We ship the things by sea anyway. They should have done like the Aussies and bought used American Abrams tanks and more Hercs or a few Starlifters. IF they really had to replace those Leos...

 

But I digress. Actually no I don't, because I don't have any topic to get back to.

People often whined how the Canadian military was using ancient 70's German tank technology, but those things are just as good as the A1 Abrams, according to a Discovery Channel show I watched last week.

 

As a kid I was always fascinated by military technology. Being able to fly the CF-18's would be absolutely incredible.

[HoboFactory]

To me it's always seemed that being in the military would take of fun out of blowing stuff up because it becomes a job.

[Sparq]

Yep...the Leo C2s have been modernised. The new turret carries the same gun the Abrams uses (smoothbore 120mm last I heard).

 

Another thing...MGS with the same gun cannot fire the anti-tank sabot rounds. It wrenches the turret off its rings.

[supercanuk]

Yah, i like to blow things up like any other red-blooded Canadian person, but really i dont like to blow up people, just possibly buidlings, (empty ones). I wouldn't want to make it my job to blow people up, cause it wouldnt be fun, more dehumanizing.

[garsk]

well, you just gotta think of the people as people who want to kill you, i think that might make the job a little bit easier.

[HoboFactory]

well, you just gotta think of the people as people who want to kill you, i think that might make the job a little bit easier.

Well sure but much of time it isn't true.

[supercanuk]

Even so, mistakes are made, and even one mistake, like killing an innocent can haunt you the rest of your days. Plus the other horrific scene's of other massacre's by friends and colleagues ( may or may not happen) that you could be witness to, would also suck.

[Azalroth]

This is true, how many causes of post war stress are there?

[Moonlight_Graham]

I would not trust my life to a government unless i had total faith in them, which is pretty impossible. The only time i would join the military is if our country was under attack & there was some sort of crisis where i felt i needed to stand up for my country (ie: WWII).

[supercanuk]

I would not trust my life to a government unless i had total faith in them, which is pretty impossible.  The only time i would join the military is if our country was under attack & there was some sort of crisis where i felt i needed to stand up for my country (ie: WWII).

I'm an anarchist as most ppl know here, and if there was another Nazi threat, id probably fight. To me that is pretty huge, cause even though i hate the situation we are in right now politically, a Nazi threat would be a lot worse. Which is why we should all fight corporatism, it's the dawn of a new facism i swear!

Edited July 12, 2006 by supercanuk