Marine friend planning to go AWOL. Advice?

That's a silly arguement BPB. Astronomers have never been in space, does that mean they have no authority on to speak about it?

If I have never had AIDS, does that mean I have no authority to speak about it?

I spent 18 years of my life living on military bases so I have an idea about what being a soldier is about. I don't think I need a lecture from YOU about it.

What has to be remembered here is that the young man signed a commitment to serve in the military.

Your recruiters may exaggerate, may play up the good and play down the bad but in the end, you are choosing to sign a document that binds you for a term of service to this country. The militarys purpose is to fight and get shot at by the enemies of this country and anyone who claims that they didn't know that going in is probably being deliberately obtuse. In signing those documents he gave up a LOT of rights that you and I take for granted every day.

In exchange, you get lousy pay, lousy hours, lousy working conditions and lousy food.

I remember during my time in the Army, a bunch of us sitting around discussing why we joined in the first place. Some had the same reasons (college money, family traditions, no place better to go, etc) and others had more unique reasons.

I don't know the reasons that your friend joined in the first place, but what he needs to remember is that the military takes a VERY dim view on soldiers who desert (especially during wartime) and that Leavenworth is a prison that you do NOT want to see the inside of.

I am friends with a gentleman who served as a guard in that prison. Any civilian prison you can name cannot come close to the harshness of Leavenworth on its occupants. Your friend needs to weigh in his mind, the possibility that he will not remain free for very long in todays global electronic web and that he may spend quite a long time there.

I already tried to sign up for the last one, Centroles. I got rejected due to hip problems. BPB like to keep bringing up the fact that I never served, like it's some sort of dishonor of mine.

May I suggest you become a merc since you have such a war hard on?

They won't reject you.

No thanks, I have a family now. I'll just sit back and watch it on TV now.

Are you kidding me? All this bluster and posing and Sgt. Fury rhetoric and now you have a family so you'll sit back and watch it on tv?

My God, someone help me, I can't breathe.

Are you kidding me? All this bluster and posing and Sgt. Fury rhetoric and now you have a family so you'll sit back and watch it on tv?

My God, someone help me, I can't breathe.

Why does BPB post everything twice?

I have no idea why that has happened my last few posts. It is something new and I don't know why.

Speech impediment (that's PC for "he stutters"). ;-)

Seriously, he's either using the back button, reload after posting or he's pressing submit twice.

It must be the back button thing, although I'm not aware of refreshing. I'll try to be aware of that.

Well, yeah, that makes all the difference in the world. Let's vote on every battle.

You want to know something really funny BPB? My friends think I am too liberal! Put that in your patchoulli oil and burn it...

I asked my Old Man (USMC) and he was appalled. He picked the service that prides itself on being honorable above all else. He could not have signed up without knowing the potential consequences. Neither could he have finished Basic nor took the oath.



Every Marine who enlists has spoken these words. They don't provide wiggle room for disagreeing with the President. Marines don't practice democracy; they defend it.

On a lighter note. Why not consider other options?

Oh too funny Bill! M.A.S.H. was one of the all time great sitcoms and Klinger one of the all time wonderful characters.

I really am trying to imagine though, how would the Marines in my family react to a corporal in a Scarlett Ohara outfit?

http://www.vancourier.com/015104/news/015104nn1.html

suzy

The link above may help the fellow gain some further information re AWOL to Canada. I sympathize with the poor fellow, but a trip up here may not be as happy as it would have been thirty years ago.

ps...but I'd also advise him to ignore the remarks above about 'duty to the Marines'...his first responsibility is duty to his own conscience.

"his first responsibility is duty to his own conscience." - Blatham
Interesting thought. You may be right.

Don't forget that this young man HAS BEEN doing his duty and upholding his oath up to now.
Now he wants out. He can't take it anymore. He may turn out to be a section 8-er, if there's any such thing, and I'd hate to even see that.
And, come on, McG, This is no WWII! The whole nation and most of the world pulled together for that, and rightly so. Many would not call this a "just" war. Afghanistan, probably. Not Iraq, not now. Maybe part of his disgust is that he doesn't believe there's glory in killing or risking life and limb for what turned out to be a lie, for which the president has not apologized or admitted to. I could see that, and to me, that's valid. Join a war to fight for something you then learned was a lie? How about if the Marine oath could be broken with the same consequences as the president of the USA telling the American people and their allies a big fat lie? Sounds fair to me. He joined because he was a very young man with a drunken, self-involved mother and maybe he figured it was his best option, or maybe a way to gain her attention. However, she didn't pick him up when he came home the other day; she was working. sigh.
Fedral, "you are choosing to sign a document that binds you for a term of service to this country. The militarys purpose is to fight and get shot at by the enemies of this country and anyone who claims that they didn't know that going in is probably being deliberately obtuse." But he doesn't claim not to have known that. And he was barely a child when he enlisted.
OccomBill, Honor, shmonor. There are many ways for men to be honorable. A year in the mideast cuts it for me. That's pretty darn honorable already, IMO. I wonder if the Klinger way would work?
BP, "Tell your friend he will be a man no matter what he does......all John Wayne wanna be comments aside..... " I agree.
I don't know what to think. The decision is his and whatever he does will not make him less of (OR more of) a man in my eyes. He's a great kid. I just don't want him to get hurt, and there's great potential for that no matter what decision he makes. He wanted to change his life. That, he did.

Thank you all for the input. I may forward this to him (Is it possible to print these pages)? and I will also see what else I can find out regarding other resources and options.

suzy
Up at the top of your browser window, click on 'file', then choose 'print'. That will get you the full page that's visible to you. You'll have to do that as well for page 1 (as this is page 2 here)