Your Opinion of the Military

I respect anyone who chooses to be in the military. If they do something bad, I assume they were a bad person and chose to do a bad thing. I don't blame their job or title. Not everyone can or wants to get a college degree. I've met a whole lot of idiots with degrees and I've met incredible people without degrees. Not everyone can get a degree. Whether it be their (book smart) intelligence level, lack of time, lack of money, or they plain don't want to o think they need it. You do not have to hold a degree to be intelligent and contribute to society.

And you can still be a bigot, jerk, bad person...and have all the degrees in the world.

I think the military is probably prettying like a cross section if society. Good elements and bad elements.
My husband is USMC and I think he's a man of integrity and character. But I also know Marines that are whack.
So maybe my hubs would be the msn he is with or without his military background.
I know degreed people that are great and degreed people that are A-homes.
I'm grateful that there are people called to the service because it's a career many don't want.
You can't label "all" military ABC or XYZ.
This is like asing 'what do you think of accountants' or 'what do you think of people that work out?'

Honestly, I couldn't care less if they have degrees or not. I know some do and some don't. I have a couple of advanced degrees but I never had the guts to go anywhere and fight and live in the conditions soldiers do and undergo the training they do. So they all have my utmost respect and gratitude no matter how they got to the military or why. We are typically supporters of charities for wounded veterans too bc I can't think of a more deserving group. I never personally hear anything negative about soldiers. Sometimes things get in the press for shock value. I certainly hope most Americans are respectful and grateful. I think they are...

Our service men and women are amazing - they are the ones that make it so people can complain about whatever they want and have negative opinions. I come from a long line of military service members (dating back to the civil war and possibly further), so it's all I know.

I grew up a Navy brat (my dad was a pilot) and he grew up an Army brat (his dad was a pilot, his mom was a nurse). My brother joined the Army Infantry and my husband is retired from 21 years in the Navy as well. It's all I know. I don't think I'd know what it means to NOT be surrounded by military.

I am so thankful to everyone who is in and supportive of our soldiers and sailors...it's a tremendous sacrifice for so many people.

Honestly, ignore the ignorance. I guarantee you anyone who has anything negative to say about the military has absolotely no ties to it, and they should be nothing but grateful for what millions of others have done for them.

KM

Thank your husband for his services and sacrifices to our country! VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!

I grew up a military brat - US NAVY!! Married USAF - twice! LOL!! Enlisted the first time (and yes, MANY enlisted men and women have bachelors degrees - they just chose NOT to take on the officer issues!) and the second time? An Officer. I've lived both sides of the military....enlisted and officer. I was a Civil Servant in the Embassy in Brussels, SHAPE and the Warrior Preparation Center in Germany.

I LOVE our military members! Like with ANY crowd, you will have a few bad apples.

CNN? I wouldn't give them a second thought. Consider the source!! Really! Consider the source!

So what is my opinion! They are people who sacrifice for others....and they are AWESOME!!!! :) Tell 'em thank you every time I see one and get a chance to talk to him/her!

When you talk about "the military," you're talking about thousands and thousands of people! So you can't make a blanket statement. Some folks have opinions based on their own experience: they did/didn't know good/not-so-good military people, etc. Some go by what they hear from the sources that are most important to them. Keep in mind that the media organizations also have mindsets.

In actual fact, there are people worth respecting and some who are not, as individuals.

When we moved here, we moved to a "military town" (well, it was a town back then). Some people said, "Oh, you'll love it - military folks are the best!" Others said, "Keep your doors locked and watch what parts of town you walk in." What did we find? Both. Some people are worth respecting and some are not.

There is also a difference between an opinion of the military as individuals and an opinion of the military as an organization.

So don't worry too much about the put-downs. Perhaps the best you can do is encourage the soldiers you know to be the best they can be, both in character and in education. (Mark Twain wrote, "Some people get a good education without going to college; the rest get their education after they get out.")

My younger son is an Army Major, so of course I have a good opinion! But I know there are some enlisted/officer people I might not think highly of; and, if I were to forget that, my son would remind me!

People have the same sort of generalized opinions of the teaching profession, the ministerial profession, the medical profession, the selling profession, the ditch-digging profession (with those big machines), and the taxi-driving profession. One would do well to remember that they are based more on impressions than knowledge.

I hate stereotypes. (See NYMetromom above for an example.) Saying everyone in the military is uneducated is like saying everyone with a college degree is snooty. There's diversity in just about everything.

Please avoid reading comments to any articles online. You'll find that's where the worst in society hangs out. I've found the comments section is a sure-fire way to make me feel depressed about the state of humankind.

The vast majority of people respect the work of our military and don't think of them negatively. Don't let the comments of the losers who post article comments at 2 am get to you.

Our servicemen and women are beyond awesome. I have the utmost respect for them. Like any large group, you will get a few bad apples but that is not representative of our military. Thank your husband for his service and that you for your part. God bless you.

I appreciate our military. SO very very much. My dad was Army Air Corp, brother was a Marine, fil is retired Navy, ex was Navy, and hubby was a Marine.

As much as I appreciate them I'd like to see my tax dollars going somewhere else. Over 50% of our taxes go to the military. It's actually nearly 60%. That's a lot of money we could put into so many other things.

I'd love to live in a world where military intervention wasn't needed so much. I'd like to see all our serving people come home alive and well. So many people coming home without the ability to adapt back to civilian life, body parts missing, lives lost, mental anguish that will never go away.

I wish we didn't need them so much. Then they could live a life without suffering.

For their sacrifices I am grateful, for their families I pray they are able to be strong and hopeful and cared for by their loved ones employer.

I have two children who are ROTC scholarship students. We are not a military family, but we believe the military is comprised of honorable people who believe in freedom, protecting our country, and serving wherever and however duty calls. It is not an easy job or an easy way of life. We also know that there are a few who aren't so honorable, but we believe they will be disciplined appropriately.
My kids will pay back their hard earned scholarship funds with time. They are ready, willing, and able. We are here to support them every step of the way.

I am thankful for all the military men and women from all the way back to the militia that helped fight for our freedom to even have this country.

I don't understand how people can be so rude and cruel to anyone that has served (no matter what their education level). I think they need to go live somewhere else and find out just how good they have it here (even now with things so crappy).

Other countries make it mandatory to serve once you reach 18 and some others are forced to serve.

First of all - don't listen to CNN - they are liberal and many liberally minded people don't have much respect for the military. Colleges and universities are filled with professors brainwahsing our kids that our nation is an imperialist evil power and the military is nothing more than the brawn to carry out those inclinations. It's all BS.

I LOVE the military. Most men and women I know in the military went in beucase they really didn't know what they wanted to do in life - but found a great sense of pride, education and camraderie in the military. They work hard, work as a team, get training that is often far more useful than the hogwash indoctrination from many of our universities (women's studies? fine art? philosophy?).

I am a college graduate - I took many of those classes - and I wish I had gone into the military upon graduation. I know many who have and used their eductation and skills to protect our great nation. Those who speak badly of the military really should be on their knees in thanks to our military that they have the freedom to say whatever they want.

I pray that your family is blessed abundantly in your husband's (& family's) service. THANK YOU!

Don't read that stuff. People who comment online randomly to news articles are a particular type of personality, to some degree. If you were to actually ask "the average joe", you would find a ton of support. I don't judge the entire military by a few bad apples, or by some people who were in a crossroads in their lives. My grandfather, father, and two uncles all served in the military. I thank people in uniform for their service when I meet them out in public.

I'm with you. I'm an Army combat medic with over a decade in service. I don't get the nasty attitudes and judgments from those who have never served or known anyone currently serving.

I look forward to reading the responses here. Thank your husband for his service, and thank you for your support.

Well, the army put my uncle through the Harvard MBA program so I don't know why people would think this way.

Not to mention, not everybody should be in college imho. What's wrong with being in the military for a few years first? I admire their discipline and fortitude. Alot of kids in the civilian world drift along aimlessly, even if they ARE in college.

My concerns with our military are actually with the civilian decision-makers.

My relatives who have served are the best, so of course, I have a very positive opinion! They have served with distinction and continue to use their military experiences and education in their current lives and occupations.

As for the opinions of others. I worked in a profession (teaching) that is often commented on, and if I separate myself from the comments, I find:
some have a bit of truth to share, some are ridiculous, some are meant to be mean-spirited..... you get the idea. Whenever a commenter lumps all the folks in an occupation together, then it seems likely that the comment comes from a person with a strong opinion, which does not make it more valid.

I do wish that we had not closed so many military bases, concentrating the military in several states. The opportunity for non-military folks to volunteer, socialize with, and support military families has now been limited in some states.

With gratitude to your husband's service, your families sharing of him for all of us, and to all the others who serve in this important and honorable profession.

I think you've been hanging out with the wrong people. I was in the Army and stationed in Germany. ALL the E-4 and below enlisted would routinely get drunk and be assholes every weekend. Then there were the National Guard/Reservists that would come in for 3 weeks, trash our post, leave, and WE'D get blamed for the mess.

Yes, the NCO's, Warrants, and Commissioned officers have degrees. NOT the grunts. Many of the lower enlisted that I was forced to live with were fluent in ghetto and stupid. So, while you live in a nice house and have nice friends, it's a testimony to your husband's rank, and not even close to how the people that do all the "real" work live.

I am so grateful for the men and women who serve and the sacrifices they and their families make for our freedom. I think they are under payed especially compared to our congress men and woman. Our system is without a doubt very flawed.
Also, everyone I know in the military is very smart. I never knew anyone who looked down on those serving.

I have such respect for anyone who makes the choice to put their life on the line to defend our country. We owe these men and women a profound debt. Because of them we are free.

Our son is Army National Guard and in the ROTC at college. So, I would say I disagree with what those pinheads at CNN have to say!!

Any time we see a service man or woman, we thank them for their service. We have also paid for several meals. Just our way of saying "thank you".

Nothing but love and respect for those who serve. My eternal thanks to you and your husband for his service.

- Navy brat and former DoD contractor

First of all, tell your husband & father thank you very much for their service. I am forever grateful. Did my father & husb serve a few years in the military? Yes, however, I would be grateful even it they hadn't. Why?
I was taught respect AND I am smart enough to know when I watch the news whom I have to thank for my safety and freedom.

So someone's life is only worthwhile if they have a degree? No!

Do you know how many people I have worked with that had a degree but were despicable, dishonest human beings?

Even if your husb didn't have a Master's Degree, I would still respect and thank him.

When I see military personnel out in restaurants, I thank them and try to buy their meal when I can.

How do ppl think they are able to sit safely in their homes? Pure luck?

What more ppl should do is learn respect AND teach their children respect.

It does not come down to being on the inside or outside as you put it; it comes down to being a decent human being. Having respect and being appreciative!

My opinion? The comments on CNN and other sites don't really represent "a lot of people" so I don't even go there. It's unreliable and irresponsible info-news-tainment, not even journalism.
And sure, there are some people who sign up for the armed services because they see no other options, or they want to make money for college.
But as a college educated person yourself don't you already know all of this?

I say the, 'naysayers' are just that and our military service members are wonderful, dedicated people who are willing to give all to us, americans and I am more than thankful for them.

It doesn't matter whether or not you are an officer, enlisted, work in the kitchen or are an pilot, if you are defending me, my family, my country then I give you respect!

I USED to be proud of our military until the sexual assaults started coming to light. I now look at the military like I do Catholic priests - don't trust 'em; don't want 'em around me or my family; would NEVER want any female I know to be in the military. It's just too bad that men can't learn to keep it in their pants!

I forgive the racist past of the American military. I love it. We need it. I feel such empathy for parents of military children killed in service.

I think that--just like any other career choice--military folk are a mixed bag. Some are there because their hearts/souls were called to duty. Some got tricked/suckered into it, looking for sideline benefits. Some fantasize about playing Shoot 'Em Up. Mixed bag, just like why some people join the police force or become teachers or nurses.

I am far enough removed from that world not to give real worry to certain things, but I think that there are certain things that we civilians should not be privy to. I appreciate and respect the fact that there is a population of citizens willing to tend to that stuff.

Let me first say that I am so thankful for our military personnel. I appreciate what they do very much.

Second I don't follow politics ( bad I know) so I don't know what cnn or stuff like that is saying. or if there is some agenda to bashing the military.

I also don't know many people in the military personally, a couple of cousins and some neighbors of my mom's. These people were young, didn't have clear cut goals for a career in mind, and it appeared, perhaps wrongly, that they joined up because it was the best of -not a lot of- options.

I think the military provides a lot of structure for youth that might not have that at home and need the direction that the military provides. and for those who don't have the cash or maturity for college right away I think it's a great stepping stone to then either continue on in the service or move to an education/ career out of the service.

I don't know of any people in my personal experience who had gone to college first, been settled in a career and or with a family that then went into the service. I also don't know of any West Point kind of career military families.

none of that lessens the important job these people do to protect our freedom, but maybe it will help you see where some of this might be coming from.

just a little aside
I happen to think the people I know that were or are in the military are super smart in ways i' am not.
on the other hand, I happen to be working with someone right now ( not anything to do with the militiatry )that has a masters degree and is dumber than a box of rocks so I don't always trust that piece of paper that says they graduated college. So the part about your hubs and first sergeant having 2 masters sounds good and in their case is probably legit signs of their smarts but there are others out there that I have no idea how they passed kindergarten let alone got 2 masters and special certification.

I have respect and commend those who join with the intention of being true soldiers in every aspect of the word. Being a solider is a verb not a noun. I do not feel I need to give respect to those who only joined for the 'free education.' I live in a very busy military area and respect those soldiers whom I see walking or driving around giving others respect especially whilst in uniform. It's the ones with the attitude "I'm a soldier I'm better than you and I don't have to wait" who drive me bonkers.

I have many friends and family who serve(d) and of course I am grateful for all who serve. However, to me serving does not mean staying stateside only and performing upkeep on a base all the while reaping the benefits of a soldier. I do not need to know nor care if a soldier has a degree or not. To me serving your country speaks for itself.