Why do people join the military? Is it because they want to kill someone legally?

Question

Wow, what an angry response by some people! If that isn't the reason, an alternative answer to just calling me a moron might be more productive.

Answer 1

I did 6 years (2 tours) and saw one combat action. Military isn't just all about killing. Naturally we train for war, but we also did services for the communities we lived in. In Germany we'd pick up trash in the town we were stationed in. We provided security at the 1996 olympic games in the olympic village, In germany we sponsored German American fairs, worked with children in the community, spent our pay in the community and bolstered the community's economy. In all my service years I was forced to squeeze the trigger only once, and then I shot to disable, not to kill. There are many, many reasons why people join the military, but one of them is not just so they can kill. Nobody wants to pull that trigger. after action we have to answer foor every round we pulled off. If that round was not justified there is hell to pay.

Answer 2

It is almost impossible to get a good paying job without a college degree. It is also hard to get a job that is willing to pay for your college. The military offers these options.

Every soldier, even the privates get 30 days of paid leave a year, free medical care, free lawyer assistance, and a lot of other benefits. All that is required is a high school degree, some physical stamina, an ability to follow orders, and a mind that is sharp enough to understand the details of your job. Which can range from how to drive a tracked vehicle to how to computer repair. The job also offers a range of promotions, on the job training, and advanced training—which is required to get into the higher NCO and officer ranks.

The various academes (West Point etc.) offer a degree program that is considered every bit as tough and substantial as a degree from an Ivy League College. All of this education is free, paid by the taxpayer; which is why it only the best are allowed to attend—and a candidate requires Congressional support.

The military offers almost any job that can be found in the civilian world, from cook to airplane mechanic.

Yes, the military offers jobs where a person can kill someone, but the idea is to only kill soldiers—militarily targets. Snipers are trained to kill someone, “One shot—one kill,” but they are not well liked among the other soldiers who consider them to bloodthirsty.

The military is so much more than just killing. The National Guard provides refuge support, national disaster help, construction support, and fire fighter assistance. Their current job on the border is one of support. They are not there to arrest or kill illegal aliens they are there to help control a problem (one that may only be seen by G.B. and his boss D. Cheney.) The largest construction firm in the United States is the US Army Corp of Engineers. They are the principle contractor on flood control for the entire Mississippi River and they built the Panama Canal. The President’s medical health is entrusted to the doctors of the Navy and the Army. The Secret Service can choose among the best doctors in the world and they choose Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Walter Reed Hospital to care for their greatest concern. Walter Reed is well known for its medical research and its ability to spur medical development. I don’t mean biological warfare; I mean malaria treatment, the entire blood donor and blood bank system, and the improvements in artificial limbs for amputees.

I am not saying that the military is all roses and flowers. Soldiers are required to serve all over the world. Their superiors can control many aspects of their life—far more than a civilian employer would be allowed. There are long hours, with not overtime pay or extra time off, long missions at sea, or in the field, and long separations from home and family. I am just saying that the military is not just about killing people; it is about so much more.

Answer 3

That is a fair question. Most people join the military as teenagers and most of them are boys. Most teenage boys enjoy violent video games and sports. My friends that joined were a little gung-ho, but I doubt they really wanted to kill someone. They really do enjoy shooting the weapons and the awesome firepower they are given. Just like cops some of them love the power that comes along with the weaponery. Only a very small minority of socio-pathic people would actual join for the reasons you've given.

Answer 4

People join the military because they feel a moral obligation to do more than just sit on the side lines and armchair quarter back a situation. Most of us want to serve our country, do our part to protect the freedoms won through the blood shed by our ancestors, and get out with a sense of having done more than just flap our gums.

Answer 5

no people don't just join to kill lol

Truly it's more and more a poor man's army. A lot of people join because they might not have many choices afforded to them, some people do it because it runs in the family, some people have the choice of prison or the army, and some just want to serve their country( that is a very noble thing to do).

Answer 6

My reason was that I was in college, majoring in hangovers, wasting my parents money and I knew that I needed some kind of kick in the ***.

Today, I hold a BS in mechanical engineering, I'm making more than enough money to be comfortable, and I hold an unshakeable belief in the idea that the US is one damn fine nation to live, if not the best.

I guess the Navy was the kick in the *** I needed.

Answer 7

The military is not about killing people. It's about protecting our country, our people, our property, and our freedoms.

Some people feel compelled to do something to contribute something significant to society - they become members of the clergy, policemen, firefighters, counselors, mentors, volunteers, and soldiers.

Please do yourself a favor and talk to someone who is in the services. You couldn't post questions, answers, and opinions here if they weren't there protecting our freedoms. And, even if it were allowed in some monitored, redacted, and censored version, it would be in German.

Answer 8

What kind of question is that?? People join the military to help protect our freedom, just like the soldiers that fought in past wars (WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam). If it wan't for these brave individual where would we be today?

Answer 9

I doubt killing people is high on the list of recruits. A desire to serve our country, learn a skill, travel and to find structure in their lives are probably top reasons.

Answer 10

I joined he military because I realized that I should shoulder some of the burden for the freedoms that I take for granted- these freedoms are, to me, worth fighting for and, ultimately, worth dying for. I was also able to parlay my service into money for college.

So, to answer your second question, no.