CNN

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Or as I like to refer to it, Communist News Newwork, was gleefully reporting about the numbers of US service people who are committing suicide nowadays.

Some moonbat had written in to them to suggest that since the military is an all volunteer service nowadays that they ought to be able to un-volunteer army with a two week notice in writing. I'd like to see that woman. Her neck must be 6 feet long to be able to reach that far up her fat ass.

Combat troops always see their share of suicides. Warfare when you're in the middle of it is a matter of survival, both yours and your comrades. And you'll fight harder to save their lives than you will for your own.. But after the battle is over and you have time to think (about those you knew or not who did not survive) of how you did and might have to do it again tomorrow .........well it's enough to cause even strong men to falter.

While in Quang Tri back in '71 the unit across the road from us had two men who took their own lives. One with a .45 to the head and another who was attempting to shoot his thumb off with a m-16 but forgot to move his head out of the way after he laid his thumb on the barrel.

I have a confession to make. When I volunteered in '69 while the draft was still in force, before the lottery, my basic training company was chosen to be the test company for the volunteer army. Made sense because the majority of us were volunteers for flight school or other specialized training. Each of us had our own reasons I suppose, I just figured that I'd rather fly over the jungle rather than walk through it, and if I did get shot at least I'd go down in flames. (Stupid Child)

Every other unit at Fort Polk, Louisiana had PT every day. They had to quick time to the ranges and every other place they went, while we had PT about twice a week and walked every where we didn't ride to. Oh boy, you should have heard the drill instructors put us down, and I don't blame them. We were really getting over on all of the other units. The funny thing was that we took the commanders trophy for that cycle by a margin that made the other units look like sissy girls. I've always felt a little bad about that because I've never thought that serving your country should be an option depending on whether your parents had money or you just didn't want to be inconvenienced.

Having said that though, I am extremely proud of those wonderful young men and women who do choose to volunteer to serve in the military, and I pray nightly for their safety.

I've always been partial to Robert Heinlein's idea that the amount of citizenship you were able to exercise in relating to voting or holding office depended on your service . It seems a given that the more you desire to live in the land of freedom and opportunity the more willing you'd be to earn that right

I rather like the Swiss military service PLAN.

The best way to avoid a war is to be prepared to win at all cost and to otherwise maintain a position of neutrality.

I don't envision a future ahead that has no conflict in it. Certainly not with the divide between cultures as they are today, but a gradual move to less interference with other countries while holding the biggest gun on the block here at home and an attitude of I'll not mess with you unless you insist, but then I'll grind you into bloody dust and sow your land with salt, might go a little bit toward re-establishing a bit of civility to the world.

And Ladies, just so you know, I have no qualms about you serving if you wish, but feel that we need to preserve the only resource we have available to birth the future if we can. I note with interest that the Russians are having holidays now for the express purpose of every one spending the day trying to increase the population. A somewhat better idea than importing the least educated by not watching the borders.
That's a rant for another day.