should the minimum age for enlistment to the armed forces be raised to 21 or possibly even higher?

reply to post by lewman


No,
Just that if they decide that a citizen isn't mature enough to serve their country under the age of 21 then he / she isn't mature enough to vote on the leader (commander in chief) who might send him r her to war.

I probably should have made that clearer in my earlier post.

Old enough to serve as a soldier, old enough to vote and drink in my book.

Not old enough to serve as a soldier, not old enough to vote and drink.

I could elaborate but you get the point.

reply to post by badgerprints


yeah i get your point no need to elaborate further. how strict are the alcohol laws in the us anyway, i remember when i was about 12 or 13(i probably looked about 15 or 16) i went to miami and the shops would be all ready to sell me beer and have it in a brown paper bag, but then another customer would come in and they would say id please.

reply to post by lewman


I think it is 21 to drink now. Back in the 80's I was in the military and could drink at 18 in some states. I was posted in a state that had an age of 18 for military and overseas after that so I was drinking legally from the age of 18 and never had a problem.

the government wants kids to join the military. this is for the fact that the can emotionally evolve them how they want them to be and to make them only see a life in the military. so yes as a general public i would say it would be wise to raise the age but the government would never, because thats how they get the best of generals by recruiting young lost troubled teenagers who need something to live for and thats what the military becomes for them

Oh boy do I want to comment on this topic.

As an old person I have the experience in life to rationalize making the earliest age to join the military as 45. Any age earlier would be a waste of good energy. It is wrong to have wars, if we must absolutely occupy by force someone's home no matter where that may be, then send in the old people. For example, if Israel steals land from the Palestinians, then send over us old guys and girls and we will peacefully conclude the offense. Personally I could keep them busy unplugging toilets. I know what is wrong and what is right and would have no reservations doing whatever it takes to clean house.

As for the young people, they should not participate in the military before 40, they need to live life to the fullest. Enjoy their children or not have any and have even more fun.

As for the older folks, let's not waste another great zoom car on the white haired old buggers when the young folks should have them.

It is just all backwards.

Originally posted by The_ZomarThankfully not even a minute of my life wasted on such a dead end "career"

I'm sure we are not missing anything special...

Wow, I served 24 years and wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. I enlisted in 1985 as a Private; made Sergeant First Class and eventually retired as a Major - completed Ranger School and the Q course not once but twice... I don't think there is any other career I ever wanted.

I have been places and seen things people wouldn't believe. I've jumped from an airplane at 20k feet and rode a horse through the mountains and desert of Afghanistan.

I have been both been bored to tears and stricken with fear on the same day; held a dear friend as he died in my arms, seen heroes and villains in action - cried with widows and presented a flag to an 8 year old orphan at a funeral. Best part is I would do it all over again today given the opportunity.

There isn't a mission I participated in that wasn't just and made the world a better place to be.

The military especially being a military officer is always in the top 10 respected professions in America.

It is hardly a dead end.

Most companies want to hire and actively seek retired or ex -military officers for their leadership programs and management teams; why because it’s a dead end?

No because they already have demonstrated they can be successful at something very challenging under duress and with tight resources.

Originally posted by The_Zomarit’s not hard to join the military... in fact it's quite easy.

Actually, only 3 of 10 people aged 18-21 in the United States qualify for military service most are either disqualified mentally (meaning test scores or education), morally (meaning being drug user or having past non-waiverable criminal behavior) or physically (usually too fat).

I'm guessing from your view of the military it’s probably best for everyone concerned that you chose not to participate.

reply to post by lewman


Good question. I cannot answer that. I will find out for you.