Service Vs civilian

[hyatt76]

I served in the Army..attached to the AirForce Finance...WW2 ....horrible hand to hand combat...blondes. redheads, brunettes..thanks again ladies.

[ronrdrcr]

I have 7 years invested in the Coast Guard so far and loving every minute of it.  I started out on Cutters catching drug runners in the Caribbean (over 10,000 lbs of Cocaine siezed) and Chinese migrants in the Pacific.  Right now I sit in a Command Center and plan and organize search and rescue missions.

Ron

Semper Paratus!

[ronrdrcr]

I'm the only coasty here     

Not anymore

Ron

[jaybet]

Served 13 years in volunteer FD, 8 as an EMT, 6 of those years as Chief officer, 3 as Chief.

[tman]

Navy- Nam  era

[Sponsor]

[Hazcat]

US Army, 10 years, NBC, paratrooper, Drill Sergeant

[DDMac]

So THAT'S where the now famous Hazcat moniker comes from. Should have guessed. Glad they taught you how to make an honest living on the outside. Keepin' Florida safe!
Mac.

[DDMac]

Reality check. On WRAL TV there is a Saturday broadcast of "The Brain Game", where area High School teams compete to answer questions in math, science, history and government. The teams whized through the math and science questions, then came government.
"What is the highest ranking medal awareded to members of the military in the United States?"
SILENCE..., followed by a faint, "Pass".
Other questions were asked and answered, then the moderator returned to the medal question.
The team finally came up with, "General?".  General, they answered. How can intelligent citizens, old enough to be in the military, be so detached? Insulated from critical history.  Because they are free to choose, and human nature being what it is, they prefer the most comfortable path.
With all reliance on Divine Providence, this November they will once again pass. 
Mac.

[2HOW]

Mac, your insight is blinding. I hate it when someone comes up with a truth Im trying to bury in my brain. But the truth is the truth . Its a sorry state of affairs, piss poor schools and elected officials that arent worth hard ball.

[MikeBjerum]

Graduated from high school and turned 18 in a family that could not afford any more schooling and in a situation where many other generations would have automatically entered the service.  However, this was during a time when we just pulled out of Viet Nam, and the military did not want me (or anyone except a select few) either.  I actually fall into an age group (about six months in length) that is not registered with Selective Services.  Today I wish I had tried harder to get in, but after one attempt and two passive inquiries and being told they did not want someone with my "skills" (translation - lack of education or skills) I gave up.

Two years later I became an EMT-Basic with our local City owned volunteer ambulance service.  I went on to serve there for 17 years including eight years as training officer and four as director.  I was unable to join the fire department because of living outside the area the set for members to live within, however I worked with them unofficially and helped with their training for many years.  I also got my part time teaching license and taught everything from Basic First Aid and CPR to EMT-Basic with advanced variences.  I also taught Fire Fighter I,II and III, specialized rescue (Haz Mat, water, high level, high angle, confined space, and anything else we could come up with from actual experience), and stayed involved with the departments for as long as I could after my new career made it impossible to actually serve daily.

Even though I still wish I had been in the Military and feel I missed something to this day, I appreciate that the type of service I have done is recognized in this poll.