Happy Veteran's Day!
It's Veteran's day and I'm a veteran. I spent 6 years in the Navy doing some really cool stuff. I operated nuclear power plant and all of the systems associated with the plant. The really cool stuff, however, was not the technical aspects of my job. I learned a great deal about people in harsh situations.
You see, we'd spend months under water away from our families and friends. Needless to say, this tends to make one emotional and particularly irritable. Our favorite past time was simply pissing each other off. This might entail ridiculing one's physical appearance, rimming his coffee cup (details later), or planting the seeds of doubt in his head about his significant relationships. Given fertile soil, the seeds would sprout into all out neurosis. Ok, that would be sort of a backfire in the whole engine of hatertainment because it would mean that this newly crazy fucker would be pulled from duty and one of us would have to cover for him.
One time, while ridiculing each other, the conversation slipped into a deep theological discussion. As these often do, it became heated, ending with my Chief (the guy who was in charge of me) yelling at me and telling me to never talk about my faith again. I will remind you that there are no civil liberties for those defending them.
That's really the irony of the military; you are giving up your rights for the rights of others. I know that's very idealistic and naive given our current political state. But ultimately, it get's boiled down to this; you give something you have so that other's will have something they desire. Now that desire may be oil, power, or a legacy if you're resentful and peevish concerning our current state. However, in other situations this exchange is freedom for freedom and life for life. I find this honorable.
I don't miss being in the Navy. I think it was a good experience. I truly learned a great deal about myself. In fact, there was something simple about that life that was very attractive. However, it's now someone else's turn. Happy Veteran's Day.
You see, we'd spend months under water away from our families and friends. Needless to say, this tends to make one emotional and particularly irritable. Our favorite past time was simply pissing each other off. This might entail ridiculing one's physical appearance, rimming his coffee cup (details later), or planting the seeds of doubt in his head about his significant relationships. Given fertile soil, the seeds would sprout into all out neurosis. Ok, that would be sort of a backfire in the whole engine of hatertainment because it would mean that this newly crazy fucker would be pulled from duty and one of us would have to cover for him.
One time, while ridiculing each other, the conversation slipped into a deep theological discussion. As these often do, it became heated, ending with my Chief (the guy who was in charge of me) yelling at me and telling me to never talk about my faith again. I will remind you that there are no civil liberties for those defending them.
That's really the irony of the military; you are giving up your rights for the rights of others. I know that's very idealistic and naive given our current political state. But ultimately, it get's boiled down to this; you give something you have so that other's will have something they desire. Now that desire may be oil, power, or a legacy if you're resentful and peevish concerning our current state. However, in other situations this exchange is freedom for freedom and life for life. I find this honorable.
I don't miss being in the Navy. I think it was a good experience. I truly learned a great deal about myself. In fact, there was something simple about that life that was very attractive. However, it's now someone else's turn. Happy Veteran's Day.
posted by Scott at 8:24 AM
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