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Oct. 4th, 2006 04:17 pmDuring my recent brief foray into political arguments, I made a comment on somebody else’s blog. The individual (an American living in Canada) quickly replied, announcing how glad he was to “help resisters” (I assumed military personnel) fleeing into Canada. It’s his blog, and I doubt I’ll change his mind, but it did get me thinking. There have been a few high-profile cases of “conscientious objectors” from the US Military. Most of those have been greeted with glee from the radical anti-war folks, but the response from people with military experience has been a great big yawn. I decided to explain why.
As background, I spent a little almost four years on the USS Jack Williams (FFG-24) a guided missile frigate based in Mayport, FL and later Pascagoula, MS. This was from 1990 to 1993, and during my tour, we didn’t see any combat. My ship was “fully crewed” at about 220 people, but rarely had over 200 actually assigned at any given time. During this period, I saw:
- An 18-year veteran, faced with a six-month deployment to the sunny Mediterranean, developed a sudden and medically baffling back problem. Said back problem didn’t prevent him from cutting his grass, but did mean he couldn’t deploy. It was a career-ending problem, (because he couldn’t be promoted) and would result in him retiring at a lower pay.
- A young man with 4 years in the Navy (let’s call him “Ishmael”) had developed some disciplinary problems resulting in him getting two Captain’s Masts. At the second mast, the CO told him (twice) that, if he came up to the Mast again, we could and would kick in out of the Navy with a dishonorable discharge. After the proceeding, the Captain bet me $5 that Ishmael would not show up for the ship’s upcoming 15 day cruise. I lost that bet, and Ishmael got kicked out.
- A Petty Officer (equivalent to an Army Sergeant) with 6 years, faced with a 6 month deployment, had his wife break his arm by sticking it in a doorjam. Least, that’s the only way we could figure out how a “slip in the shower” resulted in two compound fractures of the arm – his weak arm, not the one he used. Since he’d hooked up with his wife when her then-husband was out on a six-month cruise, we figured he didn’t trust her.
There were several other such events, averaging two or three guys a year. My point is this – even in a peacetime military, about 1% of those in the service will get so desperate to leave that they will try to be kicked out. And in today’s volunteer military, we just don’t have any “Corporal Klingers.” You want out bad enough, goodbye.
Well, if you are desperate enough to shatter your arm, why exactly wouldn’t you suddenly become a conscientious objector? Not only do you not have to face the pain, but you get on TV, and (just maybe) a smart lawyer (provided by some anti-war group like these folks) can get you out of the military without a dishonorable discharge.
Don't get me wrong. There are truly people who are opposed to war, and they shouldn't be required to fight. But if you don't agree with war, why in the hell would you volunteer for the military?
As background, I spent a little almost four years on the USS Jack Williams (FFG-24) a guided missile frigate based in Mayport, FL and later Pascagoula, MS. This was from 1990 to 1993, and during my tour, we didn’t see any combat. My ship was “fully crewed” at about 220 people, but rarely had over 200 actually assigned at any given time. During this period, I saw:
- An 18-year veteran, faced with a six-month deployment to the sunny Mediterranean, developed a sudden and medically baffling back problem. Said back problem didn’t prevent him from cutting his grass, but did mean he couldn’t deploy. It was a career-ending problem, (because he couldn’t be promoted) and would result in him retiring at a lower pay.
- A young man with 4 years in the Navy (let’s call him “Ishmael”) had developed some disciplinary problems resulting in him getting two Captain’s Masts. At the second mast, the CO told him (twice) that, if he came up to the Mast again, we could and would kick in out of the Navy with a dishonorable discharge. After the proceeding, the Captain bet me $5 that Ishmael would not show up for the ship’s upcoming 15 day cruise. I lost that bet, and Ishmael got kicked out.
- A Petty Officer (equivalent to an Army Sergeant) with 6 years, faced with a 6 month deployment, had his wife break his arm by sticking it in a doorjam. Least, that’s the only way we could figure out how a “slip in the shower” resulted in two compound fractures of the arm – his weak arm, not the one he used. Since he’d hooked up with his wife when her then-husband was out on a six-month cruise, we figured he didn’t trust her.
There were several other such events, averaging two or three guys a year. My point is this – even in a peacetime military, about 1% of those in the service will get so desperate to leave that they will try to be kicked out. And in today’s volunteer military, we just don’t have any “Corporal Klingers.” You want out bad enough, goodbye.
Well, if you are desperate enough to shatter your arm, why exactly wouldn’t you suddenly become a conscientious objector? Not only do you not have to face the pain, but you get on TV, and (just maybe) a smart lawyer (provided by some anti-war group like these folks) can get you out of the military without a dishonorable discharge.
Don't get me wrong. There are truly people who are opposed to war, and they shouldn't be required to fight. But if you don't agree with war, why in the hell would you volunteer for the military?
