Rafael Caetano wrote:

> Eric Takabayashi <etakajp@yahoo.co.jp>:
> (...)
> > Ask a recruiter what they have to offer. I know. They
> > wanted me to be all I could be, aim high, be one of the
> > few, the proud, or enjoy "job opportunities, skill training,
> > money for college and travel in today's high-tech Navy". War
> > in the Mideast or against the former Soviet Union on
> > the nuclear battlefield during my time, was never,
> > ever mentioned.
>
> If they don't mention it, it seems a bit dishonest. But unless you
> were living under a rock, you would know that such wars weren't
> unlikely.

Again:

We are not talking about "chance", "likelihood" or "unlikelihood", as if
it were about getting pregnant, getting cancer from smoking, or getting
into a car accident with the seat belt unfastened.

For the soldiers who have been to the front, are on the front or will be
sent to the front, it is a CERTAINTY. They have the right to be upset or
have second thoughts or regrets.

> > Note firefighters can quit if they regret their decision,
> > and I do not believe firefighters would be treated like
> > criminals for going AWOL.
>
> One more reason for not joining the army.

My two bread winner homeowner family (not I) had money for my schooling
and other kinds of training. The Japanese government sponsored me into
Japan, even paying for the plane ticket. I found my next job and home
while still on the tax-free, secure government payroll. In Japan, I
finally started saving money for myself, and I now have the most
comfortable working conditions and best job I have ever had. I can sit
on my ass to think about and look into becoming a cook, self sufficient
farmer, English "teacher", factory worker, landlord, writer, translator,
breeder of exotic pets, starting my own business, or any other dream I
have.

I see now is not a good time to operate a Subway sandwich shop.

Other people are not as fortunate. They don't have parents working (or
have no parents, supportive or otherwise), they don't have a good
education, and they don't live in the comfort I do, to make as
"educated", "well informed" decisions about their lives, while the
military offers them nearly everything they could ever want. Food.
Clothing. Shelter. Friends. Self esteem. Health coverage and life
insurance. Even actual opportunities for the future.

Wow.

My father and maybe half the men on my father's side of the family
served in uniform, including one family where all four of the adult men
were Marines. As a high school student, I wanted to join the military,
and after a trying period in my first semester of university (when I
also got arrested), it was my mother who talked me out of applying to
the Marines which I had been looking into for some time. I'd even bought
books about the experience. I still believe military service would have
done me good, and it would have been a good time to do so.

> > > Do you believe that the wars (or conflicts, call it what
> > > you like) that US has fought were all in the defense of
> > > the American citizens?
> >
> > No. Why do you think I would believe so?
>
> OK, just asking. Because you said "(...) The soldiers have sacrificed
> their freedom and ordinary lives, even when not at war, because they
> may have to defend the lives and freedoms of people like you[Bryce]."

Yes, because they may one day have to defend me personally, and thank
God for them being around. Hostilities with North Korea could suck for
people like me in Japan, though Middle Eastern do not endanger me.