[lookout123]

but back to the original idea of this thread - why would one choose to be a soldier?

i ponder this one every day, but have been focusing on it even more the past couple of months. i've got 8 months before yet another enlistment is over for me. contrary to what many think, we don't just blindly reenlist because there are no other options.

my situation is causing me considerable heartburn right now. i've got 13 years in, and i love it. i love what we do, i love what we stand for, i love the common ground that we share in the unit. i love that in the military you can cement incredibly strong bonds with other people in a very short amount of time - it only makes sense when there is the ever present knowledge that one way, or another you probably will be around this person for 2 years. when the buildup to the war in Iraq was going on it was suggested that we shouldn't wear our uniforms off base as a way of avoiding possible conflict and attention. most of us said BS and wore them anyway. we are who we are, whether anyone likes it or not, we are needed. to sum it up, i am very proud of my involvement with the US military.

the flip side of that is that i've lost clients in my civilian practice because A) they are anti-military (only 1 family) B) because they are afraid of me getting called up and they want someone else to handle their money.
I miss a lot of time with my wife and son due to my military obligations. they live with the thought always at the back of their minds that i may get called up for 2 weeks or 2 years. my wife doesn't say much, but i know that it worries her.

financially? i lose $400-500 every day i spend with my unit instead of in civilian practice. when i get activated for 2-3 weeks it can erase as much as 2 months worth of productivity because of my business cycle. if i get activated for 3 months (which is sure to happen in the next year or two) or longer i will lose @1/3 of my clientele permanently, not to mention that my military pay is only about 15% of my civilian expectations. so obviously we don't do it for the current pay. maybe it is the retirement? probably not - you can't collect a check until you are 60, even if you retire at 45, many don't live to collect their first check as small as it is.(about enough for a car payment)

so considering all of this, why do I still do it? it is hard to put into words. to paraphrase Lt Gen Hal Moore (ret): it isn't for my country, a flag, mom and dad, and apple pie. we stay and sacrifice for each other.

i'm concerned that so many of my generation think that the military and use of force is only for the storied past. it concerns me to think that many see what is happening today and don't believe that there were opponents, dissidents, and hardships surrounding every single combat operation the US military has been involved in. it concerns me that too many of my generation aren't willing to stand up for anything, because of a misconception that pretty words and diplospeak can solve anything and everything without a shot ever being fired.

that is all on my mind, but more pressing is the fact that if i don't reenlist this time around, due to transfers and promotions, there is no one trained and able to run my shop should i leave. they would make do, find someone, or train someone and in the long run, be just fine - but the thought of leaving these people that i haved worked for and with in the lurch so that i'm not inconvenienced by another deployment... it just grates on my very being. i'm not sure if i can walk away with my head held high if i do it that way.

so if you were at all interested in why someone would choose to be a soldier... that is a little glimpse into the reality of what at least one person thinks.

edit: the paragraph talking about "my generation" is not meant to disparage anyone who hasn't or won't serve. not everyone is cut out for the military and that is why i have and will always oppose mandatory service.