But who cares? These aren't "free" benefits. There's a trade-off. Personally, I have mixed feelings about recruitment tactics in low-income neighborhoods. I HATED ROTC in my old school. I hated the "special" curriculum, the low standards for ROTC teachers...etc cetera...but...that doesn't mean joining the military so you can get a college education is a bad thing. Very very few people join the military while thinking, "F this country, man, I'm just gonna get some college cash! Yeeehaw!" All servicemen (and women) I know that joined the military partially for college aid are very proud to be serving their country.
Plus...if you're wiling to do a tour in Iraq to get some college cash, that says quite a bit about your determination to succeed in life.
imo
I am not saying they are free benefits. I am saying that the armed forces offer incentives to young people who are struggling financially. Most young people who are struggling financially come from single parent households.
The armed forces offer a way out.
Before I realized my hearing impairment disqualified me for service, I wanted to join the Navy (like my older brother did). I had my heart set on becoming a Navy Diver and then enrolling in school to be an Oceanographer. My brother learned that you cannot pick what you want to do in the service, the service chooses what they do with you.
Every branch of the service, in any government, will have those rotten apples who should never be anywhere near a tank, gun or weapon of any sort.
You got bored young men standing around with machine guns at checkpoints that spent way too many hours playing Command and Conquer, Call of Duty, etc. who heard over the wire that the enemy is about to attack, they just don't know when.
Then the locals, who despise an armed presence in their town, decide to go up to the soldiers flailing their arms speaking a language that can't be understood. Having been trained that the enemy have suicide bombers, there is a pending attack being planned .... you have a machine gun, what do you do? Does that crazy looking dude speaking a different language that is flailing their arms have a bomb? Or is he simply telling you to kiss his ass? Do you shoot an innocent civilian or an armed enemy combatant?
How does the Army weed out the bad apples?
There has been a report that a soldier tried to complain about abuse he witnessed his commanding officers do ... but nothing was done about it. His CO threatened his life. Thank God for facebook or none of this stuff would ever see the light of day. Of course, when it is exposed, the Army says all the proper things ... we don't condone it, blah blah blah. When it never sees the light of day, the Army does nothing.
For clarity, I am not knocking on single parents, I am not knocking on the military (if I were, I would be knocking on members of my own family).
