He was in the reserves, and he went... They never did.

People who say why, without ever knowing why, should shut the "F" up. I certainly don't know why, so I give a "tip of the hat" to those who do, and shut the "F" up.

OK, if you say so. Maybe officially, but in spirit, you come across as something less devoted.

It's hard to imagine a person who's not a vet saying that James, who is a vet, isn't really a vet, just technically one.

This is the kind of person who bashed Kerry's purple hearts.

I would also point out that I know a lot of people in civilian jobs that work for the retirement benefits and don't enjoy their jobs. I also know people who retired recently from teaching that didn't want to because they would have lost some aspects of their promised pension benefits (so were they teaching for the joy of teaching or were they doing it for the pension?).

I do have no doubts that during tough times recruitment is high and retention is also likely high. I just find from our own experience with the military there is rarely one reason somebody joins or stays, and it is a large combination of factors some ranking in importance over others-economic down turns likely move closer to the top of the list, but I seriously doubt somebody who really doesn't have any interest in serving in the military is going to join solely for the pension package.

You realize I'm a veteran, right?

OK, if you say so. Maybe officially, but in spirit, you come across as something less devoted.

You're saying that people who put in their 20 aren't doing it largely for the sake of getting 50 percent of their base pay for the rest of their life?

I never tried as to be presumptuous enough to figure out why any individual made any decision. They do what they do; and I try not to attach any motivation that led to the outcome.

But most wouldn't stay in twenty or thirty years without the pension.

Hell, I would not devote twenty to thirty years to any organization without at least, some reward to honest behavior, unless I worked in Washington.

But, I am not sure that this is the primary reason why all people serve. Maybe, unlike, some people who consider it pure drudgery to serve, with a pension as payback: maybe some people see it as first, an opportunity to serve their country.

You need to get out of Washington and stop living your life with the narrative put forth by the democrat party and endorsed by the MSM.

If you respected military veterans as much as you do the WaPo and NYT, you might change your mind.

You realize I'm a veteran, right?

You're saying that people who put in their 20 aren't doing it largely for the sake of getting 50 percent of their base pay for the rest of their life? That's why my dad did it. Not that soldiers don't enjoy their service, feel part of something larger than themselves, and so forth. But most wouldn't stay in twenty or thirty years without the pension.

Lots of decisions in life are contingent on circumstance. As circumstances change, so do the decisions.

Things change, can't tell you how I felt back in the early seventies, fresh out of the United States Navy, with feelings that I left something I loved and entered into a world I knew nothing about.
Soon learned, it's not that much different, do the best you can and you will be OK.

Going into journalism, for example, was once seen as a smart move. With newspaper crumpling before our eyes, choosing that as a career may be self-limiting.

Used to be--as recently as last year--that the smart college grad was going into banking or on to Wall St. Over 80% of my son's friends who followed that path after graduating last year are now looking for new jobs.

When I was in university, newly-minted PhDs were considering themselves lucky to find jobs pumping gas (oops, that's not available any more) or teaching kindergarten. Not their first choice, by any means, but a roof over the head and food on the table make for compelling arguments.

Yeah, most of the retired and disabled veterans I know are living in the lap of luxury and are living their post-retirement in complete mental comfort.

That's an absurd statement and you are too smart to indulge yourself in such foolishness.

Military Veterans are not some poor fools, incapable of living outside a highly structured life, committed to seeking the easy path, and ignoring the fact they stand and fight for fools like you.

My younger bother and I spent a total of twelve years serving the United States Military back in 1960's and 1970's.
He later became an executive with a Telecom company, retired, and went to teaching high school as a Math teacher.(Algebra, Calculus, and Trigonometry.) He still does. And myself, I went on to form my own company, and I am still in business.

You need to get out of Washington and stop living your life with the narrative put forth by the democrat party and endorsed by the MSM.

If you respected military veterans as much as you do the WaPo and NYT, you might change your mind.