Why to parents encourage their kids to join the Military?

Question

I just dont understand why some parents encourage their kids to join the military, knowing they'll probabily die.

Is it because they love their country more than their kids?
Is it because they want to save money during the holidays with one less person to buy a gift for?
Is it because they are so ashamed at their kids that they'd just rather have them die, instead of finding a real job?

Military = Losers

I would never let my children join the military. I love them too much.

Answer 1

I'm with you totally. I think some parents are selfish and would rather gamble with their kid's lives than pay for them to have an education. So the encourage them to join and the kids are too young and ignorant to understand how high their chances for death in am illegal and immoral war are. Shame on these parents.

Answer 2

Oh naive Lisa.
Things are seldom as easy as you're trying to make them sound. I grew up in a military family and for as long as I can remember, I was encouraged to go into the military. Why? Because it was a way to a better life. Also, my mother was an immigrant and I had a desire to serve the country that had given us so many opportunities. Although Bush and the War in Iraq have taken away some of fervor to serve, I still think the US is one of the best nations in the world. Now, just ten years after getting an ROTC scholarship and then an HPSP scholarship for medical school, I have less than 30k in debt and I'm now a MD about to start residency. Not bad for the daughter of an NCO with tons more dreams than money.

Don't be hard on those in the military, there are so many reasons why people go into the military and some of the best people I've ever known have been servicemembers.

Answer 3

So, here is my "uneducated, toothless, hillbilly, redneck looser" opinion.

Everyone dies. Get used to the thought. Some of us "Losers" prefer to think that maybe we did some good in our lives before we pass into the great unknown. So what if the only thing I did was join a force so intimidating it kept pirates from sinking the cargo ship your computer was shipped on. So what if those shipping lanes are still open delivering food and materials to third world countries, keeping little children fed. So, who cares that we also helped get rid of a genocidal creep? I do, my parents do, also my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and relatives to numerous to list. If you really care to know how parents can encourage their kids, Ill give you some background on me.

Age 18- I was dumb and had a newborn baby. Got kicked out of college, and had no future prospects. I couldnt see working at a fast food joint, barely making enough to live on, and not being able to support my boy. I joined the Navy. Spent 2 years going to schools, and being PAID!!! for it.

Age 28- Im now making $50k a year on a job I just started in Jan. The guy who is 3 weeks younger than me, who went to college, is making $30k, and if he doesnt get his act together will be fired for the 7th time. Yea, you read that right. In the last year alone he has been fired 6 times.

Am I special? No, I was a United States Sailor. I would PROUDLY encourage all 5 of my boys to explore EVERY option available to them. When they come and tell me that they want to join, I will sit down with them and TALK to them about what they are wanting to accomplish, how the military is going to help them get there, and what benifits they are going to recieve that a "real job" WONT offer them. And BECAUSE I love them, I will support their decisions.

In my "uneducated" opinion, any parent who cant support their 18 y/o kids decision has failed as a parent.

Answer 4

People die crossing the street to get milk. I don't have kids, but assuming I did, I would rather they died fighting for our country, than living without the values I learned in the military. I've always felt that the best way to tell the kind of person someone is, is to see what they are willing to fight and ultimately die for. I, for instance, have served in the military for 15 years, and I would give my life to protect the men I serve with and lead as readily today as I would have when I joined up in 1991.

But, ultimately, they have the final say. All I can do is tell them when they get to junior high that mommy and daddy are spending your college money on a boat, so unless you work really hard and get a scholarship, I'd start working on my pushups.

Answer 5

All the parents I've known have been against their children joining the military.

But, in cases where the family does encourages their childrens I could see a few reasons. Maybe the family doesn't have the money to pay for their childs education after high school, the military provides benefits, plus some schools with discount their tuition, for military members. The military also provides healthcare to soldiers and job security. If they're going to replace you for one reason or another they will retrain you so you can keep your military job.

I know right now in Michigan the economy is very poor, people are moving out of the state to find jobs. Being in the military the have job openings only available to military personal. This makes job hunting easier in some cases.

Also, there is the case of an unruly child which they can send to boot camp for training, but not quite military service, to help give discipline to the child. Preferably before getting in trouble with the law.

And I take offense to the military being losers because I am a Guardsmen myself.

Answer 6

You have no right to call the military or people in the military losers. The reason you're able to sit there and type that bull today is because they fought for your freedom for you not to appreciate it. Why don't you just go somewhere that they're constantly fighting and have censors on everything. Maybe you'll appreciate what they did and continue to do for our country.

The military is a real job. They do more in a day than you'll ever do in your pathetic life. I'd be proud of my children if they decided to join the military. It's their choice and I'd love them no matter what. Just like I'm proud of my brother for fighting for this country in Iraq, and my boyfriend for having the guts to join the Air Force or Marines..which ever one he chooses.

I can not believe how disrespectful and ungrateful some of you people are. Get out of my country. THANKS.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS ♥

Shamus Omalley - can I like, come give you a hug? *standing ovation*

Answer 7

Amazing.... how people can still be so uninformed. 1) You're a hypocrite.... you can not begin to convince me that you have never lied for personal gain. 2) Encouraging one's children to enter the military, a noble profession, has nothing to do with the presidents ability to gain or lose anything.

Answer 8

Jack Nicholson said it best in "A Few Good Men"...

I have little patience for those who eat, sleep, and live under the very protection that I provide, and then question the manner in which I provide it. I would rather they just say "Thank You" or stand to post...

Do you have any idea how many young men died in order for you to have the freedom to denounce your military servicemen and servicewomen... How many have died to assure that ALL Americans are treated equally under the law... and how many have died saving the WORLD from monsters like Hitler?

The military is an honorable profession. How dare you suggest that parents who support their children's decisions to serve their country love their children less than those who somehow still control their adult children's decisions.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Answer 9

They are not "probably" going to die. That's just your uninformed view point. We've only lost 3500 soldiers in 3 years. It's sad, but we've had over 400,000 (different) troops there, at different time tables throughout the last few years.

Officers in the military start at above $40,000 a year, and at 20 years old, they are ALL responsible for MILLIONS of Dollars in equipment, and at least 30 soldiers even as a young 2nd Lieutenant. I don't think when you were in your early 20's you made $40,000k and lead a team of 30 highly trained soldiers, and were incharge of millions upon millions of dollars of equipment.

You were probably some medium income, clock puncher working to make somebody else rich. While the brave kids lead our country, unselfishly for YOUR freedom. Way to respect them and call Militar=Losers. I'd say most of our soldiers are probably going to go on to bigger and better things than you'll ever know Original Poster.

Answer 10

This kind of question, along with some of the answers.... this pisses me off. I am active duty military and I really don't understand how easily people can blurt out things they have no idea about. Adensaa, you said people join the military because they want to shoot guns and kill people. This will probably come as a huge shock to you, but their are whole branches of the military that have little contact with weapons, if any.

You really think that military men and women are all rep/con? Do you really believe that the men and women in our armed forces a just a gun toting group of hillbilly warmongers? Another shocker - not all military people support the war, we understand, we are on the front lines. What have you lost in this war? What have you sacrificed? You act angry about this war but you have lost nothing, nothing but the time you spent sitting on the internet vomiting your uninformed, unintelligent babble.

We have made the sacrifice, we have sacrificed our families for years, our bodies as we take shrapnel while covering you, we have sacrificed our friends. Not people we knew a little, but men that we have bunked next to for a whole year, sharing our entire lives with. Yet you have the nerve to sit there, distant from everything, with no possible consequences of your actions and attack those who cover you.

To all you who think you are better than us, the next time you think about how much you despise us, think about what you have lost from this war. Not some idea of how the world viewed you as a human, but what have you physically lost?

Disagree with the war, thats fine, I understand, but until you have been over their and seen it with your own eyes don't think that you have any opinion on the subject. You have no idea.

To answer your question. People do it because they are proud. Proud, and willing to believe that change can come but it does not come by sitting on your couch complaining about the war. Change comes from strong men and women who are willing to act. Perhaps our children will die if they go to war, but by the time they are 18 they will have lived long with responsible adults who thought of others before themselves, and hopefully, without our prodding, or encouraging they will have the goodness in them to choose a job that benefits others. Be it military, law enforcement, doctor, etc. I hope that when you have children, you show them more than a bitter, hateful individual who thinks that you can live your whole life without risk and change anything.

What good is a long life lived if you did nothing with it.

Answer 11

Parents encourage thier kids to join for the fact that there is so much positive that comes from it ,there are to many good things about the military to list them all ,most parents do not have the money to send their kids to collage,There is also the fact that the military teaches you alot about self respect somthing alot of kids do not know about.I do not think any parent would send their child in to the military to die thats just wrong.I am guessing you have never served in the military so..... if not please do not judge the men and women that serve our Country not a single one of these men and women are losers.They are heroes if you dont stand behind them feel free to stand in front of them.I would be very proud if my kids joined when they grow up!!!Does this mean that I want my kids to die?NO It means that I hope and pray my kids are loving caring people who are willing to stand and fight for there Country.My husband is fighting for you freedom to talk this stupid ****!!!Show some respect!!!