Why aren’t you currently serving in the U.S. military?

By "jocks" I don't mean someone who watches or participates in sports (I do both obviously), but a general macho mentality that I don't care for.

 

You don't like TYPE A personalities

 

Jocks? In the Air Force? They of the 'we only do PT inside, in air condition' or 'we played ultimate frisbee again. 3rd time this week. I'm smoked.' or 'whew, that 18 minute two mile time limit for 19-25 year old males is just brutal'.....................


If a more wreteched hive of scum, villany, band geeks and computer nerds exists in the military, I've not yet found them.

 

I'm 54. I came semi-close to joining in 1977, but all of my vet friends ganged up on me and convinced me that a male feminist, anti-homophobe, ex Vietnam protestor would lead a miserable existence in uniform...

I certainly am aware of disadvantages to missing a common and validating experience. (I mean "validating" in the sense that those who played the game have bring a greater weight to comments on the rules...)

 

I'm not american.

I did serve in the army though, cleared minefields in northern Iraq with the engineers during the time of this operation: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/provide_comfort.htm

That operation prioritized humanitarian aid, and brought with it sufficient military power to ensure it happened safely and at the time I did believe the US might be able to play a role designed for UN. I guess I was young and naive.

 

I had always heard that about them but didn't believe it until I worked at WPAFB for 3 years as a contractor and saw it first hand. Hell the PT I did in the Navy looked hard in comparison. That is not saying much either.

 

Ah! I like that description. Yes, I am pretty much the opposite of a Type A personality, even though I would love to acquire many of the Type A skills -- specifically self-discipline, motivation, etc.

 

youre aware that they changed the requirements about a year ago.

basic training graduation requires a 1.5 mile run in something like 12 minutes, and thats also the standard for the annual PT testing...

that said, rather be fat and happy and (relatively) safe than running and getting shot at. but to each thier own...

 

Join the military !

 

If you mean the character from Catch 22, while he did fly planes, I believe the novel was set during WWII, which I think would place him in the 'Army Air Corps'.

If you mean the bigsoccer poster.......no idea.

 

Yea it's a bit of a catch-22, isn't it? I would love to become more Type A, but to do that I'd have to hang around the very people whose Type A personalities I can't stand

Plus all the other reasons that I listed still apply

 

I decided that I could not even kill a bird, let alone a human.

 

I'm waiting impatiently for Damon Esquire to weigh in.

 

I've got a yellow streak down my back Dorothy and Toto could stroll down.

 

And yet the AFA can kick Army's ass in football any time it wants.

I tried to sign up and get a pilot's slot out of college, but I had two strikes: 1) colorblindness that I might have been able to get past with a flight test. I was able to do it for my private license; and

2) believe it or not, that had this incredible spike in recruitment on the heels of Top Gun (even though that was Navy). As a result, their standards for college GPA spiked for about two years to an incredibly high mark. It really pissed me off, because I just wanted to fly heavies anyway so that I could move on to an airline later on.

Oh well. Without the money to get an airline transport license on my own, and without the free military training, my life went a totally different direction.

I hate Tom Cruise.

Looking back, I do regret not serving, although the army held no interest for me, the marines scared the crap out of me, the Navy was a scary proposition at that age to be on a boat for months at a time, and I had little interest in the AF if it meant sitting on the ground watching others fly.

 

To answer the original question, because I didn't enlist.

 

Looks like I, liberal lefty from europe, am the only one here to actually have served in Iraq. The irony.

 

*ahem*

 

My excuses

 

Of course. That's because the Air Force Academy football players don't have to, you know, enter the airforce. For some reason WestPoint retains their antiquated tradition of having their players actually serve....

FWIW, most of them tend to choose field artillery for a branch.

 

Not even Barb?

 

As a former squadron 16 member, this brings back memories of doing push-ups in the endzone each time USAFA scored...and in 1988, the WAC was one high-scoring conference...lots of push-ups...

 

So after all that, we don't even get any use out of "team Jesus Christ?"