Remember when the military was taking all comers into the service?

[Baitball Blogger]

It didn't seem like they had any filters. But here's one they should start out with in a questionnaire to determine if the candidate recruit is qualified to serve and deserve our full respect for doing it:

1) There is a pandemic in your country. And the only thing that you're asked to do as a civilian, is to wear a mask. How do you respond?

Sacrifice is strange that way, isn't it?

[Autumn]

1. I live in a military town. Every time I have been to the store I see military personnel

in their fatigues NOT wearing masks.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. I know. Funny how this concept of sacrifice became a political whip that the right used

to beat us into silence and submission. But, it clearly has been used inappropriately. Another example of sangre ajena. It's like they hijacked the moral ground from the deaths of soldiers, to keep us quiet from criticizing the politicians that put them in danger in the first place.

Now, we can see that the term sacrifice is very subjective.

[sl8]

9. You might consider calling the local base and asking what their policy is regarding mask use offbase

Start with the Public Affairs Officer or equivalent.

If the base doesn't have a policy requiring mask use off base, take it further up the chain or to the local newspaper or radio or TV station.

If the base does have a policy requiring off base mask use, report the individuals you see without masks, perhaps warning them first.

On edit:
Have state or local civilian authorities required mask wear?

[Autumn]

11. No mask mandate in stores, just suggested. I just stay away or back up when I see someone

without a mask.

[marybourg]

2. I don't think your initial premise is true.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. I do remember that during the second Iraq war they were looking for soldiers

that were, questionable.

[JonLP24]

5. I served in that Iraq war

I did need a waiver to get in. I had a juvenile charge for THC resonated tin foil -- I thought juvenile records were sealed but the military was able to look that up. I don't recall any questionnaires, my recruiter seemed willing to do anything to get me to join including teaching me how to drive.

As far as sacrifice one of the ironies is we give up our freedom to "fight for freedom".

[Baitball Blogger]

8. I was raised on a militay base.

Many of the fathers were racists. That was more than forty years ago. Has it gotten better? Or did the next generation get better at hiding it? Based on the people I know from high school, they're not trying to hide it.

The military, and especially the Army, was the first to get an integrated "work" force. Yet, conservatism and the ugly side of conservative politics still is deep in the corp. So, we may have some commissioned and non commission officers who are Liberal, but that is not the vast experience.

What does that mean to us in the civilian world? That many conservative retired officers connect with white small communities that are trying to retain their segregated images. Or try to assume a white culture, as close as it's possible in this day and age.

Which brings us to your statement: "As far as sacrifice one of the ironies is we give up our freedom to 'fight for freedom'."

I can tell you from my experience that for too many of these retired officers, that statement really means, we gave up our freedom for the opportunity to define the parameters of freedom that apply to civilian communities that they live in.'

It's like they are trying to reconstruct the stratified communities found on a military base, where they enjoyed abject obedience. And of course, the perks of the commissioned officers.

But, we digress.

The bottom line is, that sacrifice for "freedom" should mean that they are willing to lay their lives to protect our welfare. That means that they should have qualities that will allow them to face danger from foreign aggression, as well as make the sacrifices they need to do to keep us safe in this country.

[MineralMan]

6. Well, I remember the Vietnam Era draft - very well, indeed.

I saw friends get drafted into the Army. Pretty much all of them ended up in Vietnam. Nameless, faceless draftees.

When I dropped out of college in 1964, I lost my student deferment, of course. I knew that it wouldn't be long before I got a draft notice. So, I visited a USAF recruiting office, took the exam everyone had to take, and arranged with the recruiter to enlist when my draft notice showed up. The USAF never participated in the draft, but relied on recruitment for staffing, even during that war.

It was a conscious decision on my part. I knew that the USAF would find something for me to do that didn't involve shooting at people or being shot at. In exchange, I would give up four years of my life, rather than just two.

The draft notice came. I enlisted in the USAF the same day. I ended up being sent to a Russian language school and spend my four years doing things that required being proficient in Russian.

Meanwhile, draftees from every walk of life were shipped off to Vietnam. It seemed like a no-brainer decision at that time for me.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. I always give wide berth to Vietnam soldiers, because of that draft.

Because it was a political conflict that involved that draft, we had as many different opinions from the soldiers that fought that war, as there were soldiers.

Yet, it's no secret that the way some civilians responded to the Mai Lai Massacre, calling soldiers "baby killers", it was the start of the push to shame civilians into accepting decisions from POTUS that put our military service men in danger. That's how I see it.