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[–] 12 points 8 months ago* (9 children)

The one small consolation is that we don't have a military draft, and most young people who pursue the military have a family with military service background. However, the other largest cohort are young people with no family support structures at all, so they give their lives to the war machine to try to do things like get an education.

Still, people choosing to enter military service is way down and more US citizens than ever fail to meet the fitness standards and requirements.

So, it's not really "your kids" unless you chose to push them to military service or were such a bad/absent/dead parent that they had few other choices.

Now, if they try re-instating the draft, than this meme will be a lot more accurate.

This of course is not meant to minimize how insane this push for war is, nor how damaging it will be to those who are in military service, for whom this meme is very accurate.

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  • [–] [S] 19 points 8 months ago* (3 children)

    I work with 100% veterans and active duty. I have thousands of clients, all veterans or active duty.

    The vast majority of people do not join because of family tradition. The vast majority join for the absolutely insane benefits that come along with service.

    Many of them also join because it is basically their only/best option.

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  • [–] 10 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    I won't dispute your lived experience, I just know that I have read about families with prior military service being more likely to have children who similarly prioritize service. Thanks for being a support for them.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    The vast majority join for the absolutely insane benefits that come along with service.

    Many of them also join because it is basically their only/best option.

    Unfortunately yes, and in some cases a whole people of a place send themselves to serve in exchange for those benefits, like American Samoans to recruiting stations as much as Nepalese to sign up hoping to become Gurkhas.

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (4 children)

    There is a draft. Every man in the country is signed up for it. They just haven't used it since Vietnam.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    You make it sound automatic. No, they make you sign yourself up for it. Just to rub it in "we own you," I guess?

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