Tribute Memoral Wall at the Marine's Memorial Club in San Francisco
Source: Photo by Cecil Corwin
DISCLOSURE
Now, I know what you're thinking already but this isn't that. I'm not bashing the military or America. Also, I don't want to scare you because the Army isn't scary. If you sincerely want to serve then it's awesome!
So what's this about? Let's put it this way: if you want to buy a car you can go to the dealer and stare at it endlessly. You can walk around and around it, maybe even kick the tires. But remember: tires can be changed. If you want to make the right decision, you have to look under the hood. You have to do your homework. This article will help you do that.
Also, I will focus on the Army because it's the only branched I served in. I can't speak for other branches. To be fair, I have another article titled "7 Awesome Things About the Army Your Recruiter Will Never Tell You". Take a look at it after you read this one.
Finally, I refer to the soldier as a "he." I know there are many female service members. I am proud to have served along side them. I do this only to keep things simple and clear. Thank you for understanding.
10. Identity theft is a threat and it's just as bad for veterans
Let's get this out of the way right now: identity theft is rampant for service members, veterans and their families.
If you haven't memorized your social security number by now, you will within the first few days of in-processing. Throughout your entire military career, it will be used so often on so much paperwork that you will get numb to it. It's even on your dog tags! Why? There are so many people in the military that the quickest, easiest way to identify everyone is to do so by number. You'll notice a lot of private sector companies do this as well. What a lot of companies don't do is use your social security number.
With any form you fill out, a criminal can get your name, social security number and maybe date of birth. If the last isn't on the form, the criminal can go on Facebook for it. In minutes you can become an identity theft casualty. If you're fighting in the latest war, you won't know for months! Your ticker-tape parade will be bills and more paperwork--this time with the credit bureaus and collection agencies. Oh, this doesn't end after your time is up. It's just as easy to nabveterans.
But why go for a single target when a criminal can carpet bomb millions of hardworking, taxpaying Americans at once? Computers are stolen from the homes and cars of government officials so often that the media thinks it's old news. Do any of them get thrown in prison? Fired? Disciplined? No. Also the government has never been shy about hiring contractors to handle office work that contains such sensitive information. I don't know if this makes it better or worse for our troops.
So why does the Department of Defense insist on social security numbers? If anyone ever figures that one out, please post it in the comment section below. A soldier was once issued a "serial number" that served the same purpose. No more. Now, he's fighting on two fronts.
Stopping Identity Theft: 10 Easy Steps to Security
Just because you're not a soldier doesn't mean your not a target. This will help keep you safe.
9. The Army is not adult daycare - This attitude gets people killed
One of the things I despise most is the idea that the Army serves the soldier. The Army doesn't serve you. You serve your country by joining the Army. Fortunately these people are few because Basic Combat Training (BCT) does an outstanding job of smoking that idea out of their heads. But they're out there, making life for other soldiers far worse and sometimes more dangerous.
Now, the Army does have benefits that help soldiers and families throughout their lives. These benefits are not available anywhere else so it makes sense for civilians to join the military for them. That's not what I'm talking about. In fact, I highly recommend you get involved in all the programs you can. You will be a better soldier now and a better civilian afterwards. You will make America great!
What I am talking about is the idea that the Army is just a job that's impossible to get fired from. A steady source of income for anyone who can twiddle his thumbs and stay out of sight. Usually, I don't care what people think. However, this kind of attitude usually leads to sub-par performance.
A soldier might get out of shape, might forget minute but important parts of certain procedures, might not take inspections seriously and so on. Everyone else in the team now has a larger load to bear.
Friend, the days of "Beetle Bailey" are over. It's funny to see it in a comic strip but to see it in real life is disgusting. If you're the guy who thinks the Army is Club Med for slackers, then the rest of this article will scare the living you-know-what out of you.
The Best of Beetle Bailey
If you know what a newspaper is then you know who Beetle Bailey is. Beetle Bailey is funny. Like all comics and comedy, it pokes fun. Take a peek the next time you pick up a newspaper. If not, take a look at the book here.
8. It will destroy your soul
Cracked.com offers an outstanding article, 9 Types of Jobs that Will Destroy Your Soul. I must warn you that the language is rough but every word of it is true. Every soldier has experienced at least seven of these roles at some point during his military career.
I will not re-write what the article says but I will tell you that every soldier can, at any moment, become:
- The punching bag: face complaints but can do nothing to help
- The walking dead: sleep deprivation, irregular hours
- The laughing stock: job everyone makes fun of you for
- The cog: endless, mindless repetition
- The rat in a cage: a manager responsible for those he has no authority over
- The assistant cromulationist: highly-specialized job that is impossible to explain
- The Bob: job that makes everyone else's harder
- The girl: "lone representative of your gender in the workplace" (this applies to female soldiers)
The reason you will face all of these situations is that there are so many different specializations, ranks and tasks. You and your team must to work together in order to accomplish the mission.
This article is hilarious. If you are a civilian you will appreciate it but if you are a soldier you will live it--every day.
Catch-22: 50th Anniversary Edition
A lot of things about the Army doesn't make sense. Catch-22 pokes fun at them and the bureaucracy that involves any large organization. It's a classic.
Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco California
Source: Photo by Cecil Corwin
7. You are on call 24/7 - Even when you're not
Ever wonder why service members tell time differently? For example, it's not 11pm, it's 2300 hrs. This is because war never sleeps. Those who think otherwise have another thing coming. Battle is about maneuvering units and materials at a moment's notice to secure tactical advantage. This can easily happen at night and easily make no sense to you.
No matter what your rank or specialization, the Army can wake you up at 0200 hrs and make you guard a port-o-potty in the middle of nowhere thousands of miles from any national security threat. All you'll have to protect yourself is a broom and a canteen. You have no say in the matter and nobody is required to explain anything.
You're not even safe on vacation. Oh, did you know the Army also includes weekends and holidays as vacation days? That came as a shock to me. When you go on vacation, you are expected to fill out a lot more paperwork compared to a company in the private sector. The Army wants to know where you are even when you're on vacation down to the hotel you're staying.
Why? In case of national emergency, the Army has to know where you are so it can summon you if they need you. Even if you are far from your base, you may be contacted to report to a closer one. This is highly unlikely but it is a soldier's responsibility.
On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story
This work shows how thinly spread a service member can be. This may not happen to you but there is no guarantee you will be safe from it.
6. Your First Amendment rights are gone - It is the cost of protecting everyone else's
Most service members easily accept this. I did. Even though I knew what I believed in, I also knew it wasn't fair to use my uniform to push it on anyone else. The people who love to sell their beliefs wrapped in a flag with a pretty yellow ribbon on top will be annoyed to see that their rights to free speech are tossed right out the window.
Don't get me wrong, you can always be an armchair activist. Maybe even go to a few events. However, the second you identify yourself as a service member, you're in deep trouble. You fight for America, you don't speak for it.
Still the Army seems to favor Christianity. "Oh Lord" this and "Praise Jesus" that. This shouldn't surprise anyone as the United States is populated by many Christians. As a Christian myself, I never did take it personally. However many other soldiers--Jew, Muslim, Atheist, etc--to this day are forced to put their beliefs in the back seat while fighting for a Constitution that guarantees religious freedom.
There is even a non-profit, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, that fights for the religious equality of American soldiers in the US military. But don't bring it up at any of the "prayer breakfasts" you might find yourself at. Think that was a joke? Join and see. Just don't spill the salt.
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