My experience with politics in the military is nobody talks about politics in the military. I've had more than a few really old-school commanders who wouldn't even register to vote because they felt so strongly about the separation of civil and military authority.
Generally, I don't talk politics in the shop but I've never hidden mine if the subject comes up. And nobody ever gave me shit about it one way or the other, other than good natured "you commie fag" sort of thing.
I also don't expect civilian politicians who haven't served to understand the military or its peculiar lifestyle.
I've also spent lots of time working with 1/1 SFG, was an enlisted Joe in a "tip of the spear" element, and was part of a deployed infantry BCT. And you know what? Those guys don't really talk politics.
Also, their supply sergeants and support personnel are part of the fucking team and nobody treats them any differently because they aren't long tabbed. Because the fucking insurgents don't give a fuck if the lawyer in the back seat is long tabbed. The blast overpressure from the fucking IED doesn't really give a fuck either. And because of the nature of the missions we are doing in SW Asia, the lawyers and supply sergeants go outside the wire all the fucking time.
And unlike this fuckhead, I've actually prosecuted violations of Article 134 (Wearing unauthorized insignia, etc.
"Mike Simpson has served over three decades in the military as an Airborne Ranger, a Special Forces Operator and as a Doctor of Emergency Medicine assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)."
(1) Most guys I know from that community take a certain pride in being a "quiet professional," and if they don't have to tell you what they do, they usually don't. Also, (2) most SF guys aren't real big on being in the Regiment.
Oh, and JSOC is about as "in the rear with the gear" as you can get. It is a 4-star command headquarters. The people there are super-smart, and the vast majority of them are former operators. But they are also out of the game, for the most part.
This. Look, the vast majority of the people I flew with all those years were conservative. But guess what? Nobody gives a fuck and hardly anyone ever talks about it at all. Mission days are too long, stressful and hard to waste valuable brain synapses worrying about what any fucking tool currently occupying the White House thinks. Brief missions, kill terrorists, refuel, land, debrief, sit alert 10 fighter, sleep, eat, shit, jerk off, repeat. Got no time for discussing when the Congress are going to stop being a bunch of no account assholes.
I did 17 years and work for the military as a civilian now and I can only think of a few guys that were openly political and we all hated them because of it.
Most enlisted guys were poor, joined to get away, and hoped at the end they would get something out of it like college or worst case a pension if they drug it out forever. A lot of them wanted to get away from the back water they hailed from just to see what the world was like.
From the Chief of Staff on down, the military sucks. You leave with some great memories and some life long friendships, but on a day to day basis it's fucking awful and everyone knows it. Politics or religion just makes it worse and no one wants to hear that shit. We kinda knew what we were getting into, but it's worse than you think.
I did 17 years and work for the military as a civilian now and I can only think of a few guys that were openly political and we all hated them because of it.
Most enlisted guys were poor, joined to get away, and hoped at the end they would get something out of it like college or worst case a pension if they drug it out forever. A lot of them wanted to get away from the back water they hailed from just to see what the world was like.
From the Chief of Staff on down, the military sucks. You leave with some great memories and some life long friendships, but on a day to day basis it's fucking awful and everyone knows it. Politics or religion just makes it worse and no one wants to hear that shit. We kinda knew what we were getting into, but it's worse than you think.
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Shut the fuck up. Do as you're told and shut the fuck up. You exist to protect me. Go do it. I am bored with your chit chat.
Most enlisted guys were poor, joined to get away, and hoped at the end they would get something out of it like college or worst case a pension if they drug it out forever. A lot of them wanted to get away from the back water they hailed from just to see what the world was like.
From the Chief of Staff on down, the military sucks. You leave with some great memories and some life long friendships, but on a day to day basis it's fucking awful and everyone knows it. Politics or religion just makes it worse and no one wants to hear that shit. We kinda knew what we were getting into, but it's worse than you think.