General Discussion

BlueMTexpat

(15,368 posts)

40. In my experience, I discovered

Wed Aug 3, 2016, 05:58 AM

Aug 2016

that a LOT of career military officers in the Pentagon are a LOT less hawkish than the armchair warriors (chickenhawks) who want to go to war at the drop of a hat.

They know war from the ground up and know what sacrifices are required.

You were very lucky to have the dad you did!

I have, however, known many ex-service women (and men, for that matter) who used their military service to become better human beings (higher education benefits, skills training, etc.) and fortunately never had to serve in a war zone. The military itself is not intrinsically bad and is a necessity in today's world, so I have great respect for all those who serve/have served honorably even though I myself am anti-war.

It is those politicians and government contractors/subcontractors who use the military callously and for their own ends who make it "bad."

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How many of us DU'ers belong to a gold star family..... [View all] mrmpa Aug 2016 OP

Not me. My dad came back from Nam. kestrel91316 Aug 2016 #1

correct Skittles Aug 2016 #3

I'm not, but a lot of us were in uniform and... TreasonousBastard Aug 2016 #2

Me... lapfog_1 Aug 2016 #4

Evening... DonRedwood Aug 2016 #11

Gratefully, all of my loved ones survived. KMOD Aug 2016 #5

I think only one person in my extended family ever went into war sakabatou Aug 2016 #6

Second cousin WWII Justice Aug 2016 #7

My cousin was killed in Iraq. skylucy Aug 2016 #8

Thank you for sharing DonRedwood Aug 2016 #12

One soldier but not reported as a military death trixie Aug 2016 #9

My mother lost her older brother in WW2 and my grandparents' wounds never healed. pnwmom Aug 2016 #10

hugs DonRedwood Aug 2016 #13

Lost my Uncle Bud in the Battle of Tarawa, WW II. Body was never recovered. colorado_ufo Aug 2016 #14

My dad trained Green Berets during Vietnam DonRedwood Aug 2016 #15

It sounds like you had a wonderful father who did his best for all those young men. pnwmom Aug 2016 #25

Also want to mention my Dad. colorado_ufo Aug 2016 #16

Just one more post - colorado_ufo Aug 2016 #17

This message was self-deleted by its author auntpurl Aug 2016 #18

Thankfully, none of my BlueMTexpat Aug 2016 #19

Just to add: BlueMTexpat Aug 2016 #20

I've stated before......... mrmpa Aug 2016 #32

In my experience, I discovered BlueMTexpat Aug 2016 #40

I am in the middle of 5 generations who served TexasProgresive Aug 2016 #21

Thank you to everyone who responded and to your families for your service. Justice Aug 2016 #22

Blessedly, no. Staph Aug 2016 #23

I do not (nt) bigwillq Aug 2016 #24

My Grandmother was a Gold Star Mother liberal N proud Aug 2016 #26

First Cousin.... Peacetrain Aug 2016 #27

My dad's oldest brother died at the battle of the Bulge. My wife has an uncle still on the Arizona. tonyt53 Aug 2016 #28

My uncle was killed in WWII meow2u3 Aug 2016 #29

Distant cousins lost a son early on in Afghanistan. GreenPartyVoter Aug 2016 #30

On my dad's side, Loki Aug 2016 #31

Not me. Dad was too old for the wars and brother too young. lostnfound Aug 2016 #33

We all do UTUSN Aug 2016 #34

2 cousins, one uncle and my aunt Kaky - raven mad Aug 2016 #35

My dad survived WWII and Korea mountain grammy Aug 2016 #36

I nearly died once in combat, and again at the evac hospital pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #37

My partner's uncle was killed on The Indianapolis. Hassin Bin Sober Aug 2016 #38

My uncle- son of Italian immigrants - died fighting for America in WW2 in the Pacific wishstar Aug 2016 #39

This is small consolation, I know... pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #42

My Uncle John was 21 when he was killed at Guadalcanal. redwitch Aug 2016 #41

My BIL' s stepfather Ex Lurker Aug 2016 #43