Another aspect besides the disinterest of Zoomers serving in the military is the massive number of Veterans such as myself that played GWOT games for nearly 20 years and cannot fathom recommending joining under the current regime. To join and fight for, what, exactly? Gay marriage in Uganda? Foreign borders in Israel? Boots on the ground in Ukraine to mediate a century-old territory dispute? Or die in Chinese waters and shores for an island that technically is a part of China? People don’t want to fight and die for mere ideas, they fight for blood and country and America can no longer be called a united nation, just an economic zone. Call me bitter or grizzled over the farce that has become the US Gov’t, but they aren’t getting any of my sons for whatever NeoCon project they dream up next. Dad served enough for them.
UPDATE
photog
I’m glad you commented Arthur. The veteran’s perspective is exactly the point. They’ve poisoned the well. They’re still able to get recruits for their Gestapo (FBI) because no one is shooting back at them. But I can’t imagine that morale is all that high anymore.
ArthurinCali
That’s the biggest issue I see with the 21st century GloboHomo (global Homogenization) project that the folks in charge of the GAE will run up against. As you correctly point out, they not only poisoned the well, they poisoned it then filled it to the top with cement. There isn’t anything left to draw from. Between the GWOT sacrifices that amounted to a waste of a nation’s youth and treasure for nought, to shoving every social fad down the military’s throat, and to top it off, demonizing the majority ethnic population as the source of every problem caused in the world…hell, it’s amazing anyone still signs up. Most that I talk to are only in it for one enlistment-and that’s just to get the GI Bill and associated benefits of having Veteran status. In general, no longer do folks join to serve, its to get served. Most won’t make it a career either as they have revamped the entire retirement system to essentially a half-hearted 401K design. It used to be put in your 20yrs and get 50% of base pay monthly for life. So even that enticement is gone.
TomD
I was 4 year enlisted during the Viet Nam era but make no claim to being closer than 1500 mile or so miles (Okinawa) to that hell hole. Most of my family, including my Father, sister, brother in law & wife made or intended to make a career of the military. My father got shot up pretty badly at the Battle of the Bulge and was medically retired minus a leg.
I used the GI Bill, as it was called then, to finance an engineering degree. The Marines also brought me to adulthood, which, frankly, I desperately needed.
I can’t tell you how much I hate the degradation of the nation and the military into this depraved unrecognizable state.