Scanning My Sector
He needs to put on his big girl panties and deal.
And, the NY Post writer should read your post.
"(OK - that might be a little snarky, but whiners ask for snark - we play by Big Boys and Girls Rules - don't whine.)"
Snark away. This ain't pee-wee football here, it's actually the Army...
Was he somehow led to believe this was some sort of REALLY well-funded airsoft tourny?
C'mon Captain, take it easy on this guy. I think that most would agree that the IRR recall is pretty close to a backdoor draft. His recruiter told him it would only be 3 years, and 17/18 year old kids are bad at reading contracts. Besides, you're better than that. You appear to be a man of incredible fortitude and commitment, and it is beneath you to take shots at an enlisted joe who did his time and just wants to go to college. Not everyone is built like you. This kid did enough. Now it's someone else's turn. To your point, the reporting here sucks and I am glad guys like you exist to tell the rest of the story. Stay safe.
"His recruiter told him it would only be 3 years, and 17/18 year old kids are bad at reading contracts."
Then letting them graduate is a freaking crime. To absolve them of their obligations because they are too stupid/lazy to read what they sign, or to investigate the realities of service, is insulting.
The kid enlisted. He's come home a couple times... DRAFTED soldiers in WWII didn't get to see home for YEARS. And they died by the hundreds every single day, by the THOUSANDS.
This kid has done alot... But there are people worse off than him, peopple with a wife, and little kids back home who sign back up. Who get their orders and go without a word of complaint because it's their JOB.
It's likely they won't clear him for service with his hearing and knee.
But even if they did, he KNEW - or SHOULD have known - what the score was. If he's going to be whiney about it, I can suggest a couple of details for the dear boy... Like cooking the latrines for one...
He is simply no longer happy with the terms of the contract he signed and is having buyers remorse.
Hmmm... yeah... well it seems that this "buyers remorse" demonstrates the true character of this guy. A lot of kids, and not so young "kids," seem to think it is OK to whine about the contracts they have signed when it requires them to accept responsiblity for the agreements they have made. It seems everyone wants and out when it becomes "no fun" and I blame bad parenting for this.
Hang in there and see you soon!
Trailblazer; Are you suggesting that the contract should be flexible, after signing? In the signees favor? To be fair to all, that would open the door to a contract extension. The guy is a whiner, 100% whiner, regardless of what he has done, how heroic he may or may not have been. He signed a contract, and if he wasn't mature enough to read it then his mommy and daddy should have had the family lawyer explain it all to him BEFORE signing. B-6 was far to soft on him. This is an issue between him and the service; why do we even know of it? He took his whining to the street and now he'll have to live with that decision, just as he'll have to live with his enlistment decision. Got it?
nuf sed
Based strictly on the merits of an enlistment contract, this guy should report as ordered and deal with whatever comes his way. However, the average army recruiter knows better than to explain the details of a contract to a young, idealistic guy. They intentionally hide the fact that there is a binding 8 year MSO, no matter what the active term is. Instead, they get a kid pumped up about doing John Wayne-style heroics while earning great money and chasing girls. This is what sales is about - you sell the sizzle, not the steak. Well, doesn't anybody think that the army may be at least slightly responsible for this guy's situation? How can you all sit there and say that one tour in Afghanistan isn't enough? Doesn't anybody think that maybe we ought to get his classmates to do a tour, and leave this man alone? We're focusing our energy on the wrong people. This kid volunteered, got banged up, and served honorably. He may be a whiner, but that's ok with me. He's a war vet who got hurt, and now is trying to finish school and make something of himself. That's good enough for me. Find someone else to take his place. Isn't it time we asked the rest of his generation to sacrifice, instead of making him do someone else's share?
"Well, doesn't anybody think that the army may be at least slightly responsible for this guy's situation?"
No. Not for one second. Unless someone had a gun to his head when he signed the contract, and when he took his oath, he made his choice of his own free will. That he was injured is an absolute and irrefutable horror, but he was an adult making a major decision.
And frankly, I'm more than a little pissed you're insinuating that his recruiter (and by extension all recruiters) are lying, scheming lil shits.
While I enjoy the idea of getting this guy's classmates to sign up for a hitch, we have a 100% volunteer military. Those who choose to serve, serve. If they are unhappy with the conditions they knowingly, willingly, and in many cases eagerly agreed to (even if they didn't take the simple, oh so simple step of reading what they were signing), then perhaps they have thus gained a valuable life-lesson they can carry with them for the rest of their lives - RTFM!!!
as for the medical and mental evaluations prior to deployment: I can speak first hand (well, first person mom) to this. 15 months ago my son -- who was regular Army -- was all set to do his 2nd deployment with 3ID but his evaluation concluded otherwise.
and contrary to this young man's contention (and the Post's writer's obvious ignorance or bias), soldiers talk about their 4/8 service commitment all the time. It is not some big secret no one talks about -- even if the recruiter didn't highlight it in yellow for him. This is not a reason, it is an excuse (to whine).
I wish Mr. Raymond well, but hope if he is found fit for duty that he sucks it up because those he serves with deserve his full loyalty and attention.
Commenting by HaloScan
