[ACC24000]

Do you realize that the majority of people trained in medical fields, aerospace and nuclear power come from the military? People in the military are better-educated overall than the general public by the time we leave. We may often come into the service with no skills or money, but we aren’t dummies, as you seem to think. Most of us ‘can’t do anything better’ as you say because we come from very poor backgrounds, inner cities, the rural South, Indian reservations, etc. But we do go on to much better things after we leave, thanks to the lift the service gave us. I wouldn’t be in grad school now if my father hadn’t brought his family out of poverty using the US Air Force. Most of the Latino and American Indian middle class was created by the GI Bill.

In any case, what’s wrong with being blue-collar? There is no shame in honest work using your hands. I say with pride that my family and friends include farmers and construction workers, who earn every penny they make. There’s some open snobbery in your commments.

As far as being able to work together, believe me, the service forces you to get along with all types of people. It can also make a lot of young boys grow up in a hurry. Over-aged juvenile types don’t last long. I find far more people who haven’t grown up yet in college. The strangest misconception you make is about money. The military is ridiculously underpaid. As far as ‘power’, many veterans do go on to political careers, but it’s only because their communities respect them.

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Name : ACC24000, Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : W Lafayette, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, ex-Army, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

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