The topic of the thread is: Republican Jewish Coalition Bars Ron Paul From Debate: âHeâs misguided and extremeâ . It should go back to the topic, which is: Republican Jewish Coalition Bars Ron Paul From Debate:
Republican Jewish Coalition Bars Ron Paul From Debate: âHeâs misguided and extremeâ
- Thread starter achilles28
- Start date
Quote from 377OHMS:
I wandered into a USAF recruiters office near Hollywood and Vine. I was 17.
They had me take a serious of tests. Then they looked puzzled and asked me to come back and take the AFOQT and some language and technical aptitude tests.
Then they came over to my house and explained that I had scored extremely high on asian language aptitude, they highest they had ever seen. They wanted me to go into a special flight and attend classes at the American Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey to become a simultaneous Chinese interpreter, the most difficult language course in the military. They wanted me to delay enlistment for 6-months so I could enter a flight with similar people.
I thought they were nuts. I had flunked out of Spanish in highschool. I had never perceived that I had any language skills and could barely speak proper English. So I asked what jobs they had that would allow me to enlist the next day. I left the next morning for boot camp and became a radar guy working on Phantoms.
Later in life I ended up doing some business travel to Asia and noticed that I seemed to learn asian languages conversationally in about a week lol. After having dozens of asian girlfriends I started to think those tests actually meant something.
I love Asian woman so much I married one. I cannot say I had the same success learning Taiwanese, in fact, I pretty much suck at it. I originally signed up for Hawk Missile technician (mostly because it sounded cool and seemed to be something I could do on the outside) and somehow my recruiter (who at one time was on the Silent Drill Team out of Marine Barracks 8th and I), convinced me to go infantry. In true Forrest Gump fashion I was like "ok, that's a fine idea". At 17 I was not equipped to think for myself but I guess that was kind of the point.
I graduated boot camp as the honor grad, picking up PFC along the way. Did MCSFCo at NWS Earle guarding "special weapons". Then I went to the FMF (Fleet Marine Force) out at Camp Pendleton and got busy being a grunt (mortar man). Two years of that (and a deployment to Okinawa) and I was ready to get out. I didn't really have anything planned though when I was informed about counter intel. Counterintelligence in the Marines is unique in that they are one of the few MOS's that you cannot just get. They have to accept you and I was found to be acceptable.
At the time counterintelligence operations (identify, locate, and neutralize the enemy espionage, sabotage, subversion and terrorist threat) were not a huge deal (at least, compared to post 9/11) so I was one of about only 225 active duty Marines who were "CI guys".
It was cool because we were allowed relaxed grooming standards and even received a clothing allowance for suits. I got to do some things in the Gulf and my last year I taught at the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC) in Dam Neck, Va. Good times but it was time to get out. They always said if you don't love the Corps, get out. I liked it a lot, but did not love it, so I got out. I guess it finally occurred to me that I wanted control over my life again.
Many of them do have sons and grandsons in the service.
Wanting Congressmen and Presidents to fight the wars they approve has been an argument for decades. Even if it could be emplemented it won't stop the likes of Putin and dictators in the world from starting conflicts around the world that draws in other countries including the U.S.
I remember an old Twilight Zone episode where the the leaders of two nations about to go to war were going to fight to the death instead to determine the outcome of the war without others losing their lives. I think the losing nation attacked anyway in the end.
This is what they don't seem to get. A chicken hawk, by it's very definition, deserves contempt. They advocate others putting their lives on the line for goals and objectives they want, but are unwilling to sacrifice for. They are users in the truest sense of the word because they run around cheering for something that they themselves will never participate in. And they laugh about it. And they joke about it. And they make it like a game where they are the cowboys and the other guys are the Indians.
What they fail to understand or empathize with is that no matter who "wins", the conflict itself is corrosive. It brings out the absolute worst of humanity; many of the survivors never return in tact, either emotionally, spiritually, or physically. Entire generations of human beings are lost...and these chickenhawks cheer for it.
Being a chickenhawk has nothing to do with whether one wants to go into the military and serve their nation or not. Being a chickenhawk means you lack empathy for your fellow man, and would spend their life in a heartbeat if it meant a few bucks extra in your pocket. Because when you get past all the propaganda, war (waged aggressively) is always about the same thing...money.
I remember in the documentary on the Civil War that the wealthy could pay for another person to take his place if drafted, leading to the saying "Rich man's war, poor man's fight."
And YOU should go back to your $100 "journal" and pick up where you left off.
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=221311&perpage=30
A least I put my ass on the line to serve my nation. I was civilian trained so I did not have to join the Army, but at the time I thought I needed to. I thought I would be serving under Al Gore, the rest is history, but I still did my job.
I am getting sick of these incessant battles. I want to buy an SR22 some day, do you think it is a good aircraft?