I read an e-mail to the effect that Howard Metzenbaum supposedly said to John Glenn "How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?" It sparked something in me. What do you think?
2007-02-12 02:23:28 · 18 answers · asked by sminkacat 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
This is a great question. For a few people in the military their jobs don't transfer well to the civilian world, making some people think that being in the military isn't having a "real job." My opinion is that it is MORE than having a job equal to the civilian world. It is a life-style, and a career for a lot of people that serve. To demean the men and women who serve by saying that they aren't in a field that is a "real job" puts them lower than people who work under-the-table to avoid taxes, and that's wrong.
2007-02-12 02:29:10 · answer #1 · answered by Ammie 3 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Well what an a hole for saying such a thing (not you, the other guy). My son is in Iraq and tells us that he rarely sleeps and is working on something at all times. I don't know of any "real Job" out there where the hours are that grueling with as little pay as they get. All military personnel are truly "working" and it is the noblest of professions. They sacrifice time, family, love, mental stability, health, and sometimes their lives for the sake of country and freedom. It is demeaning to all of our troops to think that what they do isn't a real job. Metzenbaum needs to spend a few months at a FOB and then he can decide if it's a real job. Foot in Mouth syndrome.
2007-02-12 11:10:02 · answer #2 · answered by Geenahh 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well, I have been in the Navy for 20 years and there are advantages and disadvantages to this. From my perspective, I have worked in many locations and adverse situations worldwide which I feel gives me a perspective that many do not have. As far as my job being "transferable" to the civilian world, it is not like it used to be. Only about 5-10 percent of jobs are not "transferable". Most of the nontransferable jobs are weapons systems jobs that just have no civilian equivalent, but even those jobs have something similar or they can go work for the manufacturer of the specific weapons system making big $$.
As an electrician in the Navy Seabees, I work on the same commercial and industrial circuits that electricians in the civilian world work on every day, but with more pressure and less in the way of hi-tech tools. So, if an employer needs a motivated self-starter, that can do more with less and under tremendous pressure, then you have a known quantity with a military technician. As far as Officers, they deal with many personnel problems on a daily basis that a normal businessman would cringe to think about. In addition to the regular running of the business, a military officer is charged with responsibility for the servicemembers housing, families, punishments, punitive action,
and then there is the dodging bullets thing. No, it is not a regular job, it is an extroidinary job.
2007-02-12 10:42:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 0⤋
I've seen the transcript. Howard Metzenbaum is an idiot. He has been living in the Never-Never-Land of Capitol Hill so long that HE is the one who has no concept of what a real job is. Military members may not do the same things that people in the civilian sector do (many of us do, however, contrary to popular belief), but that sure as heck doesn't mean that military members don't work as hard or as long as their civilian counterparts. Those of us who wear the uniform are on call 24/7, so people who have cushy banker-hours jobs have no concept of what our responsibilities are. They also don't appreciate the fact that we can be called upon at any time to defend this nation so they can continue to have their cushy banker-hours job and live their day-to-day lives without having to worry about an enemy militia swooping in and taking everything they have. Not only do military members work at least as hard as those in the civilian sector, our lives are not all about us. We all believe in something more important than living to satisfy our own needs, and we also realize something that the vast majority of spoiled brat Americans don't -- FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. It is bought and paid for by the blood of Americans who are brave enough to stand up and say "I love my country and the freedom it grants so much that I'm willing to fight for it and die for it." So anyone who says that anyone who has ever served in the military has never had a REAL job doesn't live in the REAL world.
2007-02-12 10:37:12 · answer #4 · answered by sarge927 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Suburb is right on in his answer, my husband is currently active duty Army. Right now he is in the field in which he spends 24 hours, no coming home and is only allowed a shower every 2-3 days. He does not get overtime for this. When he returns home, he will do PT (physical training) in the mornings at 6:00am lasting until around 7:30. Then he will go to work, and work from 9am until usually at least 6pm. He is not allowed to weigh over 170lbs for his height. He can be deployed at any time, for any length of time, even if his contract runs out while deployed, he will be put on stoploss. I think in some ways the military is great in others, not so great. So anyway, to sum up my answer is no. Its not like a regular job :-)
2007-02-12 11:02:26 · answer #5 · answered by misty n justin 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Regular job? You mean like 9-5? No. Im x-military and have been deployed many times, often for months. I have worked 7 days a week sometimes for 12-14 hours a day. What civilian does than at a regular job? These are ignorant statements by people who have never served a day in their lives. The no nothing of country, sacrifice or service before self.
2007-02-12 10:37:19 · answer #6 · answered by suburbandude 2 · 8⤊ 0⤋
I read that speech, Metzenbaum should be beaten and jailed.
P.S. I KNOW being in the military is superior to having a regular job. I served eight years and have been medically separated and am now working in the private sector. I've been on both sides.
2007-02-12 10:38:03 · answer #7 · answered by Centurion529 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't get anymore real than the military. You get up when they say get up, you eat.....pee...poop.....wipe and go to bed when told to. The military is much like prison life. Real job? I think that any man or woman that wants to serve in a government position should have to have at least 4 years of active military service with at least half that being a foreign tour and have received an honorable discharge. Just my opinion!
2007-02-12 14:55:11 · answer #8 · answered by Dr Mac 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it isn't, because civilians with a good head on his shoulders can make 2-3 time what he makes in military pay.
2007-02-12 15:55:57 · answer #9 · answered by WC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The military is nothing like a job.
2007-02-12 11:11:37 · answer #10 · answered by Yak Rider 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋