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The Soapbox: Rants and Commentary:
RUN AWAY from that life!Composed by Richard Prince(Ric_bass@yahoo.com)Well now, I have just seen a report in the local newspaper (Arizona Republic) stating that the military is having trouble recruiting. Moreover, that the military leaders cannot figure out why. Seems the Army is now taking high school drop-outs, the Navy can't send out as many ships because of lack of manpower, and the Air Force has started aggressive recruiting for the first time in years. It seems to me that the reason for lack of manpower is obvious. Take your basic high school senior. What is the biggest worry he has right now? Will he be accepted to the college of his choice? Perhaps. Will he be able to get a job and his own place soon? Maybe. Will he get a zit before the prom and then Suzy won't allow him to fondle her in the car afterward? Most likely. So, we take Joe Senior here and we expect him to want to join the military. I am the voice of experience here. I spent ten years in the Navy before my program was cancelled, my job eliminated and I was shown to the door. Imagine also my surprise when I learned that because of my wonderful military income, that I qualified for FOOD STAMPS!! This is the kind of pay you get for defending your country?? I am afraid so. So pay is definitely an issue! I have been asked by a few friends with teen-agers what I think of the military. I can only explain my feelings based on my personal experience. But, I will tell if they want to know. And I say RUN AWAY from that life! Now I am sure there will be some gung-ho types out there that will disagree with me. However, this was my experience and these are my opinions. If you do not like them, read a different message. I think the problem here is the fact that most 18-19 year olds don't relish the thought of being given a gun and sent off to Somalia, or Iraq, or Kosovo, and from the latest news I have read, the bleeding Congo! And of course the military shoots itself in the foot. My case is a perfect example of this. My field was highly specialized. There were less than 1000 of us in the entire Navy. The failure rate of students in our courses was better than 50%. We may not have been Einstein, but we were not stupid. Due to the nature of my work, I am not allowed to say exactly what my job was. Let's just say it was performed from underground bunkers spread around the world. After the breakup of Russia in the mid eighties, we were told that our jobs were secure and that we had nothing to fear from the downsizing of the military. NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING THE MILITARY TELLS YOU!!! We all went about our daily tasks as usual for a couple more years. Then they started closing our facilities down. But we were assured that they were upgrading our equipment and the older facilities were no longer needed. And they did upgrade the equipment and sent us all to refresher training. Where we all got a great education in obsolete computer systems. Then about a year later, they opened a new facility with new computers. Be still my beating heart! Life seemed to be going good and my job never felt more secure. ANYWAY, about six months after opening the new facility, we were told our job would be eliminated on 1 Oct. 1997. SHOCK!!! Whatever happened to "Your too valuable to the Navy, after all the president is briefed on your job EVERY DAY". Perhaps he got tired of the briefings? Well, the mad dash began to find new jobs. Guess what? There weren't any! Unless you were a junior seaman with only a year or so in. Or a high ranking Chief Petty Officer almost ready to retire. The rest of us groped and clawed around for months looking for something, ANYTHING to avoid being removed from service ( they call it R.I.F. or Reduction In Force ). But to no avail. My Captain looked over all the forms I had submitted ..i.e. waivers, requests.. Stood up and said "There is nothing I can do for you, but I wish you good luck in the civilian world". WHAT????? I had ten years in!! I was halfway to retirement!! But my pleading fell on deaf ears. Seems there was no way to stay in. I even called my congressman. No luck. So it was that on 27 Sep. 1997, I boarded a plane for home. I was officially discharged on 27 Oct 1997. Exactly nine days short of ten years in the Navy. This is when the fun REALLY began!! I thought perhaps of joining another branch of the military. I tried the Coast Guard first, figuring they were sort of like the Navy. No dice. They didn't want me. The Army didn't want me and the Air Force wouldn't even talk to me. I then began my search for civilian employment. I found there were several barriers. First of which is I wasn't really qualified for anything. I came from a family with six children. My chances for going to college right out of high school were pretty slim. Dad didn't have much money left after supporting six kids for that long. And due to the nature of my work within the Navy I was not allowed to tell prospective employer what I did for a living for ten years. Seems a few of them actually thought I sat around drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes for all that time. Then there was another side to the coin. There are a large number of leftover hippies who now own businesses that still don't like the military. I actually had one demand that I "Get the hell out of …" his office. Therefore, the part of the TV commercial that says they will teach you a trade is true. However, that trade may not apply to anything outside the military. I mistakenly thought that my computer and management experience while enlisted would be a helpful factor. I was wrong. I guess you have to have a piece of paper stating that you took Windows 101 for it to count. So here I sit. I have a job. I now sand furniture for six bucks an hour and try to find more gainful employment. I have been living at my in-laws house for two years now because I can't afford to move out. So, be careful and think long and hard about signing that paper. Oh yes, don't let them con you by calling it a "CONTRACT". It is nothing of the sort. You might go far in the military. Then again, you might end up sanding furniture and living with mom and dad. All the best to you. |
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