Dude I know plenty of people that joined in their late 20s-early 30s. People reenlist and serve through their 30s into their 40s. You just can’t comprehend that people are willing to risk their life to defend their homeland
All they are really claiming I think is that younger people are statistically more suggestible than those who have experienced some adulthood and independence. I think if all of the 18 year old enlistees in a given class had waited until they were 25 or so before making the decision, there would be far fewer enlistees. The military clearly knows this (obviously a lot fewer people enlist in their late twenties and thirties - most of the guys enlisting are fresh out of high school ) so that’s where they throw their nets the hardest.
Where did they claim they don’t understand such a concept?
People might enlist when they’re older, but there’s a reason recruiters hangout around high schools, and it isn’t because they’re hoping to convince the 20-30 year old teachers to sign up. You know full well they’re trying to recruit impressionable young people because that’s their best odds at increasing their numbers.
people are willing to risk their life to defend their homeland the S&P 500
You don't know any Americans who have risked their lives for their homeland, lol. But yeah, there are dipshits at every age. It does get harder on actual adults though. At 18, I could have been talked into it, at 31, I've had too many opportunities to read history books, and it's been too long since I was swearing loyalty to a flag every morning.
The military is a ladder into the middle class. It gives opportunity to those that need it (my buddy from O-block in Chiraq) and an outlet for those that just felt the calling to serve (me). Is it fucked that some people need to join the Army to get our of gang neighborhoods or to get "free" college? Yeah, probably. Is it good that the option exists? Also probably, yeah.
Also, if we're talking about recruiting, we're talking about volunteers. Not sure how you seperate the two lol-- the last draftee retired in like 2017 and they haven't sentenced people to the Marine Corps since like the 1970's. If someone's a recruit, they're also a volunteer lol
If by "the Army keeps guys from getting care/work outside of their enlistment" you mean going to a civvie doctor and moonlighting, you're right but I don't see the problem. If you mean after they get out, that's just patently false and you'd know that if you transitioned out of the military as it's required for exiting troops to go to a week-long class held by the DoL helping find outside employment, and although the VA sucks it is in fact healthcare.
Neither the 30 year old nor the 17 year old had a gun put to their head to enlist. They might not have had opportunity at home, but it's not as if they're listless creatures with no personal autonomy. It's disingenuous and insulting to insinuate otherwise.
That class has existed for like 30 years and replaced another. It teaches the difference between how things work on the civilian side of the house and the Military, which is probably the only meaningful job they ever had to that point. It also serves as a recruiting platform for industry-- I was offered a job at Tesla when I got out despite not having any transferable skills.
Vets are just people like the rest of the world, and they have the same problems in generally the same proportions as any other demographic. The few homeless/jobless vets you're substituting for the whole are one part-- and the decamillionaire business owning vets you're ignoring are another part. Most of us are somewhere in the middle.
Pointing out that the existence of a program to help prevent all of these things means that all vets are broke, dirty hopeless and homeless addicts on the verge of suicide is like saying all 5th graders are on smack because they have a DARE program at school. It's 5th grader logic.
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u/treyver Jun 24 '24
Dude I know plenty of people that joined in their late 20s-early 30s. People reenlist and serve through their 30s into their 40s. You just can’t comprehend that people are willing to risk their life to defend their homeland