Reply #58: The American public, and youth especially,

[kitkatrose]

are apathetic for whatever reason. A lot of people don't think about what being in the military entails. I have a friend who's in the Air Force ROTC right now, and I believe is looking at a career military path, but I'm not sure. She did the jr. ROTC and decided to continue with program because of the family type bonds you can build. When I pointed out the fact that she could be going overseas to war, she just looked at me and said, "they can't send me over there, because with my intended career path (at this point it was chemical engineering) I'll get to pick my station." No other amount of discussion could persuade her otherwise. I don't think this it-can't-happen-to-me mindset is all that atypical. It doesn't make it right, but that's how it seems to be.

When the recruiters were knocking on my door and sending me all those letters, I didn't fall for the "oh, just give us two years of service, and we'll pay your college way w/ stipend." Aside from the fact that I don't like the military, I knew that there was the possibility of me having to go to war, which didn't sit well with me. But I don't think alot of teens take the time to see what consequences, negative and positive, their actions entails.

But the morality of American conflicts of the past fifty years has been in the news and our collective subconcious also. And if you making such an important decision with your life, you really should go out and inform yourself. How hard is a couple of trips down to the library? This is your life after all, and you should put more effort into it than just clapping your hands and chanting U S A.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? I know some people you need to drill this into. :)