Hmmmmm, reading the posts, it strikes me that all the drawback comments are painting a picture of glass mostly empty and in a vacuum of sorts. As the vintage marine recruiting poster proclaims: "We never promised you a rose garden". There are lots of aspects of military service that would fit in the category of drawbacks starting with getting your head shaved on day one (or thereabouts) and professionals scream at you constantly until you are tempered with appropriate skills to perform under stress. But there is good reason for it, artificial stress in training gets you ready for the real deal and sorts out those who aren't willing or capable of performing in that type environment.........of course you could go into the marketplace...as say a stock broker...and work backbreaking hours with constant stress to perform without that training or purposefulness that goes with serving your country. Bottom-line: the military isn't the only line of work with stress or other drawbacks.
I worry that the posts are failing to mention that commitment to even a brief stint of military service involve duty, honor and service to country. Many are drawn to the "good stuff", but fail to realize that especially in today's Global War on Terror, there will be demands and needs of the service that require service members to be away from their home and families missing holidays like Christmas or special events all the while being in harm's way or extremely hot, tired, challenged, bored or deprived of traditional comforts. I have seen several folks turn in their wings when shooting started saying "I never signed up for this". I always wondered what they thought they were signing up for....in fact; one pilot told me he simply wanted to build time for airlines and figured he'd never have to put his life on the line or be away from home unexpectantly. With a new family and brand new baby, his head simply wasn't in the game and wanted to be home more than he wanted to be in the Ready Room. He was gone before the sun rose with everyone happy on both sides. Those of us who stayed and fought in Desert Storm have a bond and closeness that has endured for over a decade.
The folks who are contemplating this line of business need to go into it with open eyes. Your life will be on the line (nobody mentioned that as a drawback), but after 9/11 any American anywhere is at risk. Your family is part of the commitment as well as they will have to endure hardship and go it alone when you are deployed. Some take it in stride, some crumble under the stress. In our six man room during my JO days, 5 of us were newlyweds. 3 of us are still in those marriages. The other 2 would have divorced anyway and separation wasn't the cause. The families that do endure the hardships and drawbacks are quite something to behold. Most units have strong support networks that are virtually unheard of in the civilian world. It's part of the culture...you're not alone enduring the hardships unless you make it that way.
Last comment: when you look at drawbacks of military service, don't forget to look at the comparative drawbacks of the civilian marketplace. I was in it before the military and afterwards. The military does not "control your life". I hear that every once in awhile and wonder if the movies give a false stereotype. Surely, the military has a certain level of rules and regulations (and its own judicial system), but so do many corporations and some small businesses have even more absurdity and capriciousness in their employment conditions. It's not easy to simply "quit" the military the way you can in civilian employment, but nor can your supervisor or CO "fire" you on the spot (unless you really step across the line). All in all, military service is a pretty fair workplace with comradeship that is seldom found in civilian workplace.
I worry that the posts are failing to mention that commitment to even a brief stint of military service involve duty, honor and service to country. Many are drawn to the "good stuff", but fail to realize that especially in today's Global War on Terror, there will be demands and needs of the service that require service members to be away from their home and families missing holidays like Christmas or special events all the while being in harm's way or extremely hot, tired, challenged, bored or deprived of traditional comforts. I have seen several folks turn in their wings when shooting started saying "I never signed up for this". I always wondered what they thought they were signing up for....in fact; one pilot told me he simply wanted to build time for airlines and figured he'd never have to put his life on the line or be away from home unexpectantly. With a new family and brand new baby, his head simply wasn't in the game and wanted to be home more than he wanted to be in the Ready Room. He was gone before the sun rose with everyone happy on both sides. Those of us who stayed and fought in Desert Storm have a bond and closeness that has endured for over a decade.
The folks who are contemplating this line of business need to go into it with open eyes. Your life will be on the line (nobody mentioned that as a drawback), but after 9/11 any American anywhere is at risk. Your family is part of the commitment as well as they will have to endure hardship and go it alone when you are deployed. Some take it in stride, some crumble under the stress. In our six man room during my JO days, 5 of us were newlyweds. 3 of us are still in those marriages. The other 2 would have divorced anyway and separation wasn't the cause. The families that do endure the hardships and drawbacks are quite something to behold. Most units have strong support networks that are virtually unheard of in the civilian world. It's part of the culture...you're not alone enduring the hardships unless you make it that way.
Last comment: when you look at drawbacks of military service, don't forget to look at the comparative drawbacks of the civilian marketplace. I was in it before the military and afterwards. The military does not "control your life". I hear that every once in awhile and wonder if the movies give a false stereotype. Surely, the military has a certain level of rules and regulations (and its own judicial system), but so do many corporations and some small businesses have even more absurdity and capriciousness in their employment conditions. It's not easy to simply "quit" the military the way you can in civilian employment, but nor can your supervisor or CO "fire" you on the spot (unless you really step across the line). All in all, military service is a pretty fair workplace with comradeship that is seldom found in civilian workplace.
I concur w/ Shnugg - never seen that kind of instrusive thing, even in my VP/HSL days.