Brain-washed by Army???

Question

im not speaking about any country or army in general. My boyfriend is in the army, we were planning to move in together soon. and he's moving out of state for half a year for TRAINING! i would understand if it was a mission - but training! Do you guys think whoever joins the army, gets a strong ego from being in the army and puts their job first before family.

thats what they said today:

" I am solider I am a warrior and a member of a team I serve the people of the -------------- and live the Army values I will always place the mission first. I will never aceept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficent in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself. I am an expert and a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of -------- in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom"

but he doesnt have a job in the army, its 1500 per month that anyone can do

plus he has a adpoted child, who he's leaving

BUT SEE AFTER HIS DONE HIS TRAINGING.. hes planning to get another job not in the military

Answer 1

More or Less the guy changed his Priority's. I woudn't say he's brain washed. Many people who join the army, the grunts anyways, do it because their not sure what they want to do with their lives yet. More or less the army commericals you see show that you are just a jerk nobody before you join the army. (Recently I think they used a rock being turned into a diamond when you become a marine). Anyways, When they join they feel like they are part of a Team and part of something special and they can embrace that. Which is great because usually they end up getting training and structure in their life that they can use later on in life. However, its very easy for people to cling to a group, whether it be the army, a church or a new counter-culture (ahem, hippies).


If the guy doesn't have any control of where he's going you can't blame him, when he signed up he knew (or should have known) what his duty would entail to him. Keep that in mind yourself, as when he signed up you signed up for a boyfriend in the army, which means he is going to away alot. allllllllot. So you better trust him allllot. My girlfriends in the army and she says most army guys, whether they have wives or girlfriends back home don't care when their chasing tail.

Answer 2

For a soldier, putting the 'needs of the family' ahead of the 'needs of the military' can actually be counterproductive. By following the legal orders that he/she receives, a soldier is fulfilling his duties, protecting his people (including his family), and maintaining a career that will generate income and benefits for the entire family.

It is not simply a job. If you quit your job without notice, it usually doesn't endanger anyone. I could quit my current job, and no one would be endangered. There's a difference, and if you plan to stay with him, you need to accept & understand that.

And a six month training program is nothing. My follow onschool training was 18 months. And he's going to be training sohe can do his mission without getting hurt, dead, or causing the same to another soldier. Don't begrudge him the time he has to invest for his training.

It's not brain-washing. He simply has a new set of priorites, and he understand the importance of completing his objectives. In other words, he's a man now.

Edit: And it may currently be $1500/month that anyone could do (not true, by the way, people wash-out of basic training EVERY DAY), but his training doesn't end when he graduates basic training. His training doesn't ever end, actually, so get used to it. And you say he's leaving behind a child. Are you saying he's abandoning the child, or simply that he is going to be away for a while? And unless he's in the reserves, you do know there is no guarantee of where his permanent duty station after training will be, right? It could be overseas.

And if he is a reservist (which I'm guessing from one of your edits), you do realize that he can be fully activated, at any time, even as soon as his training school is finished? And he'll be gone and won't be at that 'other job'. And don't think it can't happen; I just lost an employee that got called up from reserve status to active.

You need to get used to the new reality, and fast, or else you might be left behind as well. From your other questions (unless they're B.S.), you're only 17 years old. You shouldn't even be attached this closely to this guy right now. You're too young and inexperienced to know what you want. Stay in school, go to college, get a degree, and then see how you feel about him. From your other questions (assuming they're all the same boyfriend) you have way too much baggage, and he really doesn't need that when he's trying to concentrate on his mission. And by the way, nice job belittling him, saying that anyone could do his job. Nice way to support your man and instill him with confidence.
I predict that within six months, he's no longer involved with you. You aren't supporting him, he'll be out of state, and there is plenty of competition out there. If you want to keep your boyfriend, stop being a thorn in his side and support him.

Answer 3

I feel bad for your boyfriend because I see a dear John letter in his future. It takes a certain kind of person to be a military spouse and from your question I don't think you're going to handle it well. You need to learn a couple of things. First and foremost is that training is what will keep your boyfriend alive. I'm sure you want that. A few lonely nights is nothing compared to him going to war untrained, getting killed and then you being without him forever. Also you have to realize that they do not get to decide when they come and go. There will be many nights where you are alone being the mom and the dad . There will be many holidays spent without your boyfriend and you'll have to celebrate later. There will be many nights you have plans and at the last minute they have to stay for another class or another range. This is just the way things are. Better learn to deal with it or do him a favor and leave him now rather than when he's in another country literally just trying to stay alive.

Answer 4

Well that the very point of the military ever since it was ever created. Commitment and discipline.
Though during the Classical Age in the Mediterranean, a lot of the warfare there was nothing but marching in discipline. Nothing but standing in line and in formation to charge en mass. And it's scary stuff, you are on the first line ready to charge and the enemy has their spears ready. Every general would not want an indiscipline soldier that just runs from their lines, then everyone in the front line would join and go from their lines, then the next line would end up as the front line and see the enemy and leave also.
Heck, if you join the military, you know it's Service Before Self. If you don't want to leave your family and domestic life, the military isn't for you. You have to be committed to fight to your best and you have to expect that the prospect of giving your life in the process is possible. That's the military, if you don't have people dedicated to the military then you have no military.
Remember, there is no such thing as a democratic military, you don't get to chose, events and strategy chooses you.

Possible future 2nd Lt., USAF.

Secondly, I really don't like it when people say the military "brainwashes" you and everything. They just don't have the courage nor understanding of anything military. They are just afraid of something they don't understand and ultimately fear it by nature (or at least detest it). They don't understand that the military tradition has run through the course of human history, the military isn't something new, the equipment and strategies to change and update itself but I don't see why they just hate the military so much. They should study up on military science and history before they claim anything as brilliant enlightenment of something "evil".

Answer 5

The best thing you can do for him right now is to break up.

You simply do not have what it takes to be an Army wife.

People who join the Army MUST and DO put the Army before their job and their family. They do that so the rest of us don't have to. It is called patriotisim and self sacrifice. It is probably part of what attracted you to him in the first place. He's a stand up guy who can be depended upon and takes his duty seriously.

You seem to take America and all it is for granted. This apparently has not dawned on you yet, but NO COUNTRY is EVER guaranteed survival. If you don't believe me just try to call the East German Embassy.

If you can't understand this, your relationship has no future. Even during peacetime I've seen women marry career Soldiers and then say "OK, so when are you going to quit this silly Army thing and start selling insurance and paying more attention to me?" The were divorced six months later, and he stayed in the Army. During wartime the stresses are much worse.

I was mobilized for 2 1/2 years, missed the birth of my daughter, and my wife never complained once. Her brother is in the Army and she knows what it takes and has what it takes. When I de-mobed the General gave her a thank you note for all the sacrifices she made for me and for the Army. From what you've said here ,you don't measure up to that, and you simply don't have what it takes to be an Army wife, and he deserves better. The last thing any soldier needs is a whiny spouce at home making life harder than it allready is. For God's sake don't do that to him.

Answer 6

Well they have the different places for training for the diffent jobs in the military. So he was not lucky to live near a place where training takes place. This is normal.

Also, for all the liberals that would dismantle the service and just have the national guard, I am always saying we would be speaking German not Japanese if we would have not had a standing Army.

Lucky everyone does not think like you. No one would join the military, then when we got invaded then like a f*&^ing liberal you would be screaming where is the Army.

Answer 7

First of all you need to understand this one simple basic point, when someone joins the military they do not have a choice. Again, they do not have a choice, if the military says go to iceland for 4 months to train, guess what you have to go. Would you feel better if he didnt train at all, stayed home wiht you in order to make you happy, then went to war and died because he had no idea of what he is doing? The money and benefits he and his child will recieve will out weigh the small amount of time he is gone. You need to realize that just because he does this it doesnt take anything away from you. I honestly belive you are being very very selfish, get over it and grow up!

Answer 8

All he is doing is going to another place to get trained for his job. It should also be mentioned that he really doesn't have much choice in the matter.
Maybe you would be happy knowing that some jobs in the military require a school or a combination of schools that can last for over a year.

Answer 9

One thing that all must remember,that is the bottom line.It doesn't matter what his mos will be,In times of war you can be transfered to other mos's.Maybe from non combat to a combat mos,military occupational specialty.The bottom line is that you are willing to die for your country,cause.I think that the since of accomplishment you get from the training gives you the confidence or the ego.The brotherhood formed in training and in war probably takes over the family protection sense to some degree.After all you watch their back and they watch out for you.Self preservation usually out-wheighs species preservation.

Answer 10

all and sundry is "indoctrinated" at effortless preparation. Indoctrinated: to coach in a doctrine, theory, ideology, etc., esp. to imbue with a particular partisan or biased conception or point of view. it is a quite close synonym with brainwashing in case you go with to apply the time period, even though it is no longer extremely undesirable brainwashing for my area (having reported that, i'm contaminated too). Now lower back on your question: the guy can't save in ideas because he became no longer paying interest because he became drained. it is so uncomplicated as that. there is no longer a lot taught at effortless preparation that you'll't study from unclassified manuals which could be offered on the information superhighway. There must be no go with to erase his memory even if the technologies existed. Come on, it is the Air stress for crying out loud, he continues to be harmless nomatter how a lot preparation he receives. (good-natured funny tale, cool down plane junkies!)