Is it OK for any nation (the US definitely included) to rely on the the majority of it's military service personal to come from the middle to lower classes of its society.
Or should it be the responsibility and duty of all peoples to serve their country is some manner?....akin to the Israelis.

Originally Posted by: vikesrule 

Yeah, but if you made the rich kids serve in the military, they'd definitely be sent right to ROTC.
You can't expect these spoiled little fuckers to actually tote a weapon can you? And who would want those little candy asses
in their unit anyway? No, the soldiers need to come from the lower and middle classes, where the people with grit reside.
Most wealthy people spoil and indulge their children.

Originally Posted by: DakotaT 

And the fact he's wearing red and blue and has stripes on his shoulders makes him special how . . . ?

It's a job, people, and he's well compensated for it. He probably makes more than most of you.

Originally Posted by: Nonstopdrivel 

That doesn't mean that they don't deserve to be honored or deserve better care when they come home, for instance, but they're just not the godly, flawless heroes, in my eyes, that US society appears to make them out to be.

Originally Posted by: Rockmolder 

My biggest problem with the Marines is still the light blue dress pants. For some reason it makes me think of the French or other silly things. The rest of the uniform I actually think is cool. (or, should I say, the rest of their uniforms). But I wish Foster or one of you other Marine types would explain the silly pants.

As for the more substantive point. I've always been 4F. As someone who has never served, I don't feel competent to judge the relative worth of military careers and such. I'm glad I have the armed services in general, and the Marines in particular. But beyond that, I'll leave the debate up to those who have served. (I've often wondered what would happen if only those who have served at the rank of colonel or below (but not higher*) were allowed to approve military budget requests.)

*General officers,whichever branch, are a general exception to my unwillingness to criticize. The occasional "historically important" general notwithstanding, my feeling is that generals are just upper management/politicians who get to wear jewelry on their chest for Most Strategic Arrangement of Office Supplies on a Big Desk and Biggest KissAss to Useless Elected Politicians awards. Execs and politicians don't get a pass just because they have stars.

Maybe if they have a CIB. But how many generals have those?

Originally Posted by: Wade 

a. Very strange to be around so many of our troops in the last couple of weeks, knowing many of them may be put at risk overseas soon. The loss of 30 in the downing of the Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan nine days ago resonates with many of them, obviously. I asked the leader of our tour across America with the USO, Leigh Edmonds of the USO, to try to put into words the juxtaposition of having these fun days at NFL training camps with the knowledge that life in the military can be so dangerous. Here's what she wrote:

"As the Peter King Mobile USO Tour made its way to Detroit and Green Bay early last week and laid plans to bring smiles to the faces of our troops, another USO team was making its way from Virginia Beach to Dover Air Force Base to assist our USO of Delaware staff and up to 30 families of our nation's fallen as they welcomed home the 30 service members killed in that tragic helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

"Our mission during those two days was to work with the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers to make sure that regionally-based service members had an unforgettable experience with each team; the mission for my co-workers from Virginia and Dover was to deliver comfort and a steady presence for the wives, mothers, fathers, children, etc. of the Navy SEAL community, some of which we have served in much happier times.

"The only way that I can explain this is to say that it brought the USO mission full circle. Our ultimate job at the USO is to bring smiles to the faces of our military and their families. It's the fun times that we have with troops that the public is most familiar with (concerts, large homecoming celebrations, family events, etc.), as that is generally what the media covers. It's the tough times, however, sometimes the absolute toughest, when smiles are hardest to muster, that the USO is needed the most and where the USO is at its very best.''