Is there anything you wish civilians understood about military service?

likesmartupliftinghelpful
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Frankly, the only thing that I wish civilians truly understood about military service is how mind-numbingly boring most of it is.

Forget the Hollywood hijinks, and even some of the more accurate media portrayals—Omaha Beach from Saving Private Ryan, or basically the last two-thirds of Black Hawk Down, for example. The adrenaline and (literally) life-or-death that might go on during one’s military career, however long or short that career might be, is a fraction of the time spent in the service.

like

That it is not a job, it is a calling, a duty. On the other hand, it is one of the few institutions in our society where an average person can go in and work-their-way-up to the highest levels. In fact, the military actively supports the upward mobility of the troops, of all ranks. Also, the educational benefits are better than anywhere else I have seen.

That combat veterans do not return the same person, whether they have visible scars or non visible worse scars. It stays with them till the day they die. Daily for many.

That military service can improve ones life if dedicated to it. Regimented, disciplined, educated in the little things to survive that most don't know.

Further education will get paid for.

I wish they understood that there is a brotherhood that you can't match except with a 1% bike club which many are veterans ( sorry this part is special to me)

CONFIDENCE

PATRIOTISM

PROUD TO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY WHETHER IN WAR OR PEACE.

That we aren't monolithic, I've encountered quite a few folks that seem to think that due to my service, I must think and act a certain way.

The majority of things never go to plan to begin with. Yeah, we have timelines, requirements, contention plans and stuff like that. But 99% of what happens isn’t covered by some operational risk management that we do. It’s all just reactive, not proactive.

That the movies get us very wrong. I’m an officer, so I obviously don’t experience many of the hardships our under-appreciated enlisted Marines go through, but the principle remains.

That despite having learned to live within a very strict and highly regulated organization, we are not mindless robots. We have diverse opinions. Oh and that speeding ticket you got off post, you are going to answer twice for.

I wish they understood that everyone that joins the army does not go to combat. There are so many different jobs on an army base

My family specifically thinks I can just get up and go whenever I want. In the army, I have to get approved weeks sometimes months in advance unless it's an emergency

So many people think that navy sailors are so serious and that's the farthest from the truth. We joke all day

I've heard people say that people join the army because they're not good at anything else. You will find some of the most talented and multifaceted people in the army.

That doing the 20 isn’t as easy as it seems. If you’re actually motivated and a high preforming professional your coworkers can bring you down because they get paid the same amount as you but they don’t do nearly as much work.

Related Posts

likehelpful

Hi Fishes,
Could you please shed some light on Manager(M3) role in L&T insurance domain.
Appreciate your review

like

Hi Fishes,

I have 7.3 YOE and my Tech Stark is SAP UI5/ Fiori Developer.
I currently have 2 offers in hand, one from
Sopra Steria, Technical Lead 2B - CTC 18.6 LPA which is completely fixed and the other offer is from Capgemini, Manager C2- CTC 18 LPA(Variable 10%) and joining bonus 50k.

Please help me by suggesting which one I can go forward with.

Thanks !!

like

Happy Monday , happy flying ! Ahh what the heck, fml.

like

Hi fishes when this onboarding document gets approved by onboarding team my doj is next week and when we get link for onboarding in hcl

Post Photo
like

Hello fish, I’m wanting to move from London to Singapore at Manager level in operating model design. Anybody have any recommendations of companies (aside Big4) that are sponsoring visas at the moment, or good international recruitment agencies? Seems highly network driven from what I’ve seen.

Who was around in 2008/2009 at big 4? Specifically in advisory? How were those practices affected during the layoffs? Any insight to ease some of the worry/unknown would be greatly appreciated.

likehelpful

So what’s happening in the local shops? Layoffs? Hiring freezes?

For those who work in Agencies, how do you accurately identify the work capacity of your Account Management team? I’m currently comparing against account billable/number of accounts, however, there are still discrepancies. I layer on time tracking, but smaller billable accounts will sometimes be just as demanding as larger billable accounts which create profitability issues.

like

What is the difference between PWC India and PWC US?
Got an offer from PWC US with Location Bangalore.
YOE: 2
Tech Stack : Salesforce

like
like

Please provide referral for
4.5 yoe Automation Tester
Serving notice period with only 15days left.

Kindly help.

like

I am looking for permanently remote position that is no tied to US time zone or is subjected to European time zones(flexible hours).

Any recommendations of companies hiring for data analyst or junior data analyst positions?

My work place is and has been quite toxic and lately micro managing "everyone". My health can't take it anymore.


NEED RECOMMENDATIONS:
Companies hiring remote data analyst.

like

Anyone have good books on private capital? Tradtional Private Equity, Venture, Growth, Search - even negotiating in the space. Just interested and looking for audiobooks. Thanks!

like

Can any one refer me for python developer or Backend developer role at Verizon. I have 4years of experience in python development and automation

like

Hi everyone! I hope you are all safe and well. I am reaching out here as I am getting desperate and feel defeated . Our company had lay offs due to internal restructuring and I was part of it . I have over 13 years of sales experience ranging from B2B to B2C and I am located in Toronto, Canada. My experience ranges from India, USA and Canada. I am looking for an Account Executive or a Customer Success role. Thank you for all your help in advance.
#sales #customersuccess #lookingforwork

like

Anyone familiar with sobi? Interviewing for a dir role in the US and curious how the company is and the culture is like.

like

Ideal Salary for 5.3 years of Experience person?
Tech Stack : RPA

like

Please share your best tips/process of building and prioritizing product roadmaps. Any templates or resources will be super helpful too.

like

Additional Posts in Military

What was your primary reason for joining the military?

like

Many movies romanticize the sacrifice of one soldier and leave them as a hero, but I have always thought that I hate that. Why would someone need to lose his life to be a hero? I believe the mere fact that we put our life at risk in service is enough to be a hero

like

How does one decide to take risks and apply for news job when the state of the economy and the world is ever changing. We know salaries are going up, but employers struggle doling out the cash. Is it better to stick where you are or jump into something new?

like

How different are the physical requirements for men vs women? I'm thinking of the Navy specifically but would welcome insights from any branch of the military, thanks

like

What's the biggest life lesson joining the military taught you?

like

What do you think you would be doing if you hadn't joined the military? I think I would have been a math teacher or a farmer

like

Take victories and defeats as equals! Nothing will teach young soldiers more than making mistakes in the heat of battle that almost cost you your life. If you're still breathing, there's something to learn. Listen to it.

like

If you were to choose a career different from the military, which one would you choose?

like

What's your favorite tactical vehicle?

like

Does anyone else feel like they have become too utilitarian and objective?

like

I just became a commander. I've always been a good soldier, but it's my turn to lead. I hope I do a good job. Any words of encouragement?

like

If I have double British and American citizenship, should I join the US or British army?

like

Are there a lot of openly gay male soldiers?

like

When (if ever) did you start seeing your drill instructor as a real person who felt compassion for the recruits?

like

My colleagues are bullying me for being gay. I thought that was against the law. Should I talk to a lawyer?

like

I don't know if it was only me, but I felt I couldn't truly trust any of my mates on deployment. Am I the only one?

like

I'm not sure if I love this life! I was entirely sure when I decided to enroll in the military, but after a few months, I felt exhausted. Could I have made a mistake?

like

We as the armed forces of the United States have a research department, but the greatest advances at the armament level come from private sectors, this could not be something counterproductive because if they sell a product to us, what deprives them of selling it to other countries?

like

I've seen some unfair treatment among the ranks. Advice on how to handle it?

like


Am I the only one who fears a third world war is among us? I've been studying the circumstances that led to WW1 and WW2, and let me tell you, we're not as far as they were. I hope the better judgment of people avoids such a catastrophic outcome.

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal