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Originally Posted by Skybird
It was meant to be a bit harsh, and I'll stick to every single word of it: for several reasons that owe their existence to what he said about himself, and the fact that joining the military never should be an easy decision. Direction you can find in many other jobs as well, and if serving is what he wants, there are firefighters, policemen, medics, ambulance drivers, SAR rescue flyers... Being soldier is different to any of these, so he better is sure about his motives and has no illusions about what he is getting into. Soldiers - warriors! - kill and get killed, in this all branches of the armed forces are the same, call it what you want, this is what it comes down to. And this is what you should be clear about and have no illusions or stupid self-deceptions about. Nobody should get persuaded or confirmed to join the military. He should come to that all by himself. Only once he is into it and finds it is what he was looking for, you support him in that role, as a friend. Confirming or persuading him in advance is almost criminal negligence.
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As much as I like skybird I am not even going to get in to this. This is Chad's personal issue. If he would like to contact me via pm I will describe in full detail the horrors of war and the likleyhood he will see them based on his choice of occupational specialty.
I am just trying to help him make a decision. As you said, skybird, the choice is his. I have related my experiences to him so he can judge whether or not it is right for him.
The reason I found your post a bit abrasive was because it sounded like an attack on his personal character. To me, it sounded like you were saying he had no friends and that his reasons for joining were wrong.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree there but I can assure you that, should Chad decide to ask me for advice, I will not omit any details concerning what he will encounter in his service, be it in a non-combat or combat arm of our forces
Firstly, saying that joining the military will result in one's premature death, even eventually, is nonsense. Most of the military never even sees combat. Once again I am happy to offer advice if Chad chooses to look at a combat occupational specialty.
I will not post details concerning combat specialties here. And I am sure that other members have even more horrific stories than mine. If Chad is interested I will tell him of my experiences.
Overall, your post seemed to indicate that he was intersted in the military because of personal failures. That is simply not true. From what I gather, our friend is simply looking for some direction and has considered the military, I will offer him all the advice I can on that option.