Eh... what am I saying? Ha-chan won't even be able to pass the physical, if all she says about her poor health is true.

oh come on, give her a break guys. If it weren't for people like her, there wouldn't be anyone fighting overseas, meaning that there would be no soldier fighting, meaning there would be peace. Now who would want that.

Everyone but you.

That's a good point . . .

w...

I somehow doubt that your sarcasm belies a genuine altruism...

*whimpers* Oh, don't remind me of my health! My conselor said I might have a big chance of being accepted, but that I'd have to resign to not getting a field assignment... Hell, I don't mind...

And, thank you, Theives...

hmm, my art teacher's son just joined the air force but the other way around: after being a part of the military for a certain amount of time, he can go to college with the government paying tuition for him. very smart if you're physically strong enough to take it and don't have the money you need for college, i think.

thats the general veterans college fund or whatever, its setup for people that think of college as an afterthought once they leave the military. the ROTC scholarship is the far harder to obtain, though better benefits.

Tuition was one reason why I wanted to join the Canadian Armed Forces. They pay for all your education while you're there, and they even give you a reasonable starting salary. After a while, you can start specializing in specific fields. I figured that I could always be a paramedic of sorts if I'm not suited for the battlefield.

If I were you, I'd definitely reconsider. They're really hurting for troops right now, so they're being forced to activate reservists into the field, some of whom are far too old, and others who have chronic injuries that would otherwise restrict them from combat.

Serving your country is only as noble as the people at the top. And right now, the people at the top are anything but.

At the age of 10 I wanted to be a fighter pilot. My poor eyesight and blood-count has shattered that dream. Since I plan to be a nurse/doctor, I'll do what I love the most: healing people and comforting them. Not bad, really...

I wanted the ROTC Scholarship because I'd get the advanced training that I'd need.. the money was secondary, to be honest...

so does the ROTC scholarship let recipients go to the whateer college they want to go to/get into? like regular colleges?



and when's the last time the Canadian Armed Forces were sent into battle?

@Quistis: Asian parents... *shakes head* My mom wouldn't let me take defense classes because it's dangerous.

@Bling: DON'T join the military. I agree with Bacon (For once). Don't become "A dog of the military" especially when that man is in charge. Don't die for your country. 1. Because it won't make a difference in the general stream of history. Dying for a cause never helps. It is better if you LIVE for that cause. Otherwise you would be a pawn sacrificed for no greater good and life is way too precious to be used so carelessly. 2. There's no reason to die for the USA right now (If there was ever a reason). No foreign country is invading us. Death isn't everywhere. The war we are in right now is, in my eyes, a commercial campaign to promote the prez. There is no reason we should still be in Iraq. And this war with terrorism... don't get me started on that. 3. If you are put in battle, it won't be a romantic, glorified battle like in the movies. It would be chaos enough to make you lose your reason. 4. Not only that. You'll have to deal with the rigorous military training where they force you into this mold and erase your personality.

Please Blingy, don't go. You're way to precious to us in our big forum family.

now that i think about it i've never even considered joining the military... if i must be paid to kill others, i'd rather be a triad hitman or something (better pay). how does ideology change the end result of taking a life? eh... as you can see i'm not a person that believes in patriotism as that leads to nationalism which leads to far worse things....

...but if you join the military, you'll get to do the exact opposite. Funny how life works, huh?

Ideaology, my dearest brother, is what distinguishes us from the basic instincts of animals... It's what makes us more superior. u_u Although it's pathetic that people have twisted ideals now...

Pika-chan, you're so sweet... *hugs Pika*... But I grew up in the military mode of life... I know what I'm doing...

Exactly.

And Angel, I agree with telepika, and everyone else, regarding this military thing. At least wait till Bush is dead. Better yet, make that happen yourself.

I won't get sued or anything if Bush ever sees that sentence, right?

That's a load of crap. You can consider a wolf's 'eat, fuck, kill' lifestyle an 'ideology'. Ideology is simply a refined sense of instinct. It's rationalizing and doing things that are counterintuitive that seperates us from the animals.

And no, you DO NOT know what you're doing. People who blindly walk in their parents' footsteps never know until they've actually gone out and gotten their hands dirty.

Chances are, I'll be sent to USS Hope... it's Navy Hospital ship, but they get docs/nurses from all other branches...

Thanks, everyone, for your concerns... it's touching. But like I said: I have no plans to get married; my family has my sister. Everything is in it's place... No one will miss my being here, not when everyone knows I'm out there making a difference... I love you guys SO much for caring!

as a canadian you can say whatever you want about bush, however as americans technically we can say anything about his death or whatever, its considered light treason... oppressive aint it?

yeah. i just don't believe in genocide. and i don't believe that we should be in iraq - we can't go into a country divided so greatly by religious ideals and impose democracy on them, it's practically forcing them into civil war. and right now the people attacking our soldiers are fighting to get us out of their land; i don't think it's something we can win. i don't think our soldiers should be dying there.


(granted, i know very very little about politics. so i may have this all wrong, if there's a wrong or right to this)

Call this high treason, but I don't even believe our troops should BE in Iraq at all... they should be guarding the home-turf and patrolling the seas...

Darn right, it's oppressive. You people should rebel. Tell them a Canadian told you so, and see how they react.


Tell me what ISN'T wrong in US politics.

You don't pick your assignments in the military. They get picked for you. I hope you realize that.

And being in the military does not equal making a difference. In fact, it's just the opposite. You become just another cog in a machine. Totally replaceable and unessential.

For god's sake, then why do you want to even risk becoming part of something that you know in your heart is wrong?

Wanna bet?

Hello, guys? My dad was THERE... he was able to switch places and locations... and he wasn't even an officer, at that.

Hel-LO, Sweetheart? I'm joining 4 to five years from now... God willing, that damned war'll be over...

Please don't worry too much...

That's true. Once you're in the military, you'll be forced to do things that go against your morals at least once. So why get involved in the first place?

And that war is far from over.

Has he ever been in active service during wartime? Things get very different...

My dad was in the 1st Iraq War and in the last one... he KNOWS how things run...

Gu~uys... stop weakening my decision...

yes it is true that in four years the iraq situation will be over, even if it isn't the US will just abandon it like other similar situations in the past (cuba, the chinese nationlists, etc). but however with the current state of political affairs it seems that we will merely be switching from one battlefield to another.

What was his rank?

He was enlisted, not an officer.

sorry, but if your resolve's being weakened, i don't think it was strong enough in the first place.

EDIT: oops, typo. thanks quisty

xrninja, did you mean you "don't think it WAS strong enough in the first place"? I don't understand . . .

I object: my resolution is NOT weak...

Buy everyone's pleas is touching me and telling me not to. If it were some random person, I'd flip my finger at him... but you guys are my family, here... it makes it hard not to even listen...

Alright, guys...she doesn't have to make a deceision right here and now...she has four or five years to think and pray about it even more...

*sighs* Thanks, Defining mind... I was getting too tired to bolster my position...

That's somehow terriffic and pathetic at the same time...

Blingy...

If you want to make a difference, go to college and aim for something higher. Be a politician if you want. Be a missionary but for God's sake don't join the military!!! And don't think that no one will care for you if you leave. Even if your parents have your sister no one can replace you. WE will miss you. Your decision affects all of us and I would hate to know that I could not stop a friend from making what I think is the biggest mistake of her life.

*lips wobble* Ohhh, God... I knew it! I shouldn't have told you guys what I was planning... ^n^...

I shoulda juss told you guys when I was there already...

And, yeah, I was considering taking International Affairs, in case I didn't join the military, which is pretty slim...

I agree with telepika. I want to make a difference... that's why I'm going to become a journalist. I want to have the opportunity to inform people so they can make better decisions. What you'll be doing if you join this military will be imposing a will on yourself and others that is not your or their own. There is nothing more morally reprehensible to me than that.

Agreed.

Just to stay on topic since we've been off for the last several pages, I wonder what rsF would say if he saw what his Pictures! thread became.

to think and to pray. Combined, you can't be more productive.

eh, i just thought i would throw these up here. i am the guy on the right where there are 2 guys, i am the one in the zuit suit. and the black and white pic my friend did for his art show, he did a few of them actually, it was fun modeling for them. anyways, just thought people would like to see a face with all my random babbling.






and i just think the train one is weird ... so i put it up there.

THANK YOU FOR PUTTING US BACK ON TOPIC. YOU'RE AWESOME.

Very nice pics. I like the train one, though it's weird.

aweeesome pictures! i love the snazzy suit. kudos for posting your pictures!

And thanks for taking my friends off my back...