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Not being a class struggle bigot or anything, but I tell a lot of well off families that their sons who have lived privileged, elite lives would really benefit from being in the military, getting up close and personal with lower classes, seeing past peoples superficial appearances. That their good education would help the military and that years later they would look back at their service as one of the best parts of their lives.

Unfortunately, I usually get blank, are you crazy look.

It's something you have to want to do. In terms of development, its hard to replicate the kind of experiences and camraderie you get by marching 20 miles with a 70 pound rucksack on your back with a group of people. I sometimes tell people you only really get to know others after you've suffered with them. That's something that gets missed alot in today's world.

I also think you don't really get to know yourself until you've had to suffer for a while, till all the layers of bullshit we surround ourselves with get peeled away and we find what we are actually capable of and who we really are. I think that's really the experience that you get by going through a military training camp and that's what actually changes people.

For people who are more likely to be making decisions that affect large groups of people (children of wealthy families) I think they should go through that so they know themselves and some of what they will be putting others through (not saying that its ONLY wealthy people that make decisions, but I think its more likely).

Not being a class struggle bigot or anything, but I tell a lot of well off families that their sons who have lived privileged, elite lives would really benefit from being in the military, getting up close and personal with lower classes, seeing past peoples superficial appearances. That their good education would help the military and that years later they would look back at their service as one of the best parts of their lives.
Unfortunately, I usually get blank, are you crazy look.

Yeah. I get the "Why should I thow away four years of my life?" routine. They completely miss the point.

Starting in 1951. I put in three years, eight months and 24 days (roughly) in the USN. I look back on it with neither fond nor negative memories, but I do realize that it was the best thing this pink-cheeked 17-year-old did at that time, compared to my peers. I learned a Helluva lot about peple and the world pretty fast.

Not being a class struggle bigot or anything, but I tell a lot of well off families that their sons who have lived privileged, elite lives would really benefit from being in the military, getting up close and personal with lower classes, seeing past peoples superficial appearances. That their good education would help the military and that years later they would look back at their service as one of the best parts of their lives.

Unfortunately, I usually get blank, are you crazy look.

Well, you're not getting one now. ;) Our son, who is 17 and has lived a pretty easy life, is going into the Air Force when he graduates. We are very proud of him. And you're right - since our son has decided to go into the military, people have come out of the woodwork to tell him of their experiences in it, whether they were in for 20 years or just 4. It obviously had a great impact on all of them. I espeically get a kick out of the older men who talk about their service as if it was just a couple of years ago.