Don't Join the Military | Renegade Cut

[@renegadecut9875]

[provides facts and statistics, cites sources] "Well, that wasn't MY experience, so you must be lying. My experiences are universal!"

[@big_sea]

yes

[@Eendeebo]

We all know the only way to counter an argument backed by well cited sources is anecdata, duh

[@claudettes9697]

😂😂 smarty 😂😂

[@thomaswilson1016]

From a veteran, thank you for putting out this video.

[@Lesbean_Burrito]

Classic American Individualism/Libertarianism at work. Everyone lives in a vacuum! Anti-scientific at its core.

[@TeamRiosart]

My younger brother died at 19 in Iraq because he was recruited at his high school at 17. I almost signed up also and was in the JROTC program at my high school. So fucked up that the recruiters lies to kids to die alone a far away country. I miss my brother.

[@andrewfosu4437]

Sorry about your brother man.

[@AbdonPhirathon]

I am sorry for your loss, man. I was there in ‘08 as a 19yo, so this story hits really hard.

[@sagisdoodleverse9696]

Exactly. All the dirty work by the young who is tricked into it

[@komlat253]

Sorry about that .kinda makes me feel lucky that I grew up an anti patriotic dad and civil rights activist grandmother. I was in rotc but never payed any of the recruiters any attention altho they always wanted to talk since i was by far the most active in the class ..

[@bluetickbeagles116]

I’m very sorry for the loss of your brother. I’m sure your a bright young person whose potential can be used in a civilian job that offers room for career growth and critical thinking skills. The military offers very little of these.

[@DevareayWilliams]

I’m a veteran, and both my parents are veterans. Now that I’ve been out of the service about 10yrs, I understand why my parents didn’t want me to join. Anytime I know someone who wants to join, I do my best to advice them against it, especially if they are a woman. Everyone women I served with had been SA’d, raped, sexually harrassed or some combo of all three, and none of their predators got seriously punished. I know marines that got kicked out for smoking weed and being too out of shape. But never for victimizing another human being

[@Jarod-vg9wq]

Doesn’t the DOD(Department of Defence) know that all these sexual harassment and abuse will get more people to leave and or not join.

[@haighostu7364]

in 2009 I was broke, couch surfing, and depressed. got hooked by a recruiter that promised my money problems would go away if i joined. I was sexually harassed, socially ostracized, and failed by the va. my fellow soldiers spent about as much time bragging about the atrocities they committed in afganistan than developing some sense of commraderie. after i got out, I became one of the many homeless veterans in our grand USofA, with exacerbated mental health and substance abuse issues. it really, really wasn't worth it.

[@saadvon]

literally. like 5 female soldiers were complaining about my csm SH-ing them all the time to no avail, but a guy had to go through a halfyear remedial course for doing shrooms T_T

[@FearlessSon]

I'm surprised the other male marines who *weren't* sexually harassing their female comrades didn't wrap the offending marine in a blanket and beat the snot out of him with a stern warning to cut that shit out.

[@FPSIreland2]

@@Otherwise88 what a joy, get shot at to have the ability to fix the wound…

[@kenirainseeker539]

For people that hate being "PC" they sure did come up with a lot of PC terms for things like torture

[@Lesbean_Burrito]

The way powers weaponize language to obfuscate immoral actions is insidious. It's what cowards do.

[@darknessesdarknesses2492]

"Enhanced Interrogation Techniques".

[@audreymaize]

Hahaha these are the same guys that have the Punisher logo attached to their truck and their bulletproof vest.

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

And I oop

[@Saturnia2014]

​@@audreymaize Not realizing or simply not caring that the punisher is a PTSD ridden broken man who hates crooked cops lol

[@progressmaker09]

My ex-marine dad lost his 💩 when I was eighteen and the Marines called me trying to recruit me. He said, "I already served and was brainwashed so you didn't have to be"

[@hhhhhhhfjjrjrjrjrirh148]

I thought you said at 8 LOL

[@doctormudbone4432]

Based dad

[@richardrose9943]

My dad said the same thing to me I didn’t listen and now regret it

[@GruesomePizza1992]

I grabbed my nephew and shook him billy Madison style when he said “Tio I want to be a soldiers like you!”

[@MarioUcomics]

Good dad right there!!

[@haiasieel6099]

Got a call from a recruiter two years ago, laughed my ass off and said. Dude, I'm 40, how desperate are you? Then hung up.

[@alyssajones4368]

Lol

[@trivard]

My dad had fallen for the propaganda. One of my older brothers was in the US Navy but left early. My dad kept chirping that if my brother had stayed, he could have retired in a few years. He suggested it to me, citing the tuition reimbursement and all of that jazz and my mom had absolutely none of it. She told me that we only get one life, and asked if I really wanted to die. Solid advice from a mom who sometimes was not the most solid of parents.

[@dirtbikehussle61]

If he would of done all 20 years to retirement he would of been in the in-active reserve for the rest of his life. Dodged a bullet.

[@11broomstickk]

You were never going to die in the navy. You wanted an easy excuse to stay home and you took it, and there’s no shame in that honestly.

[@ezgreviews6775]

@@11broomstickkyou never know it’s a different world

[@monetduren8208]

​@@11broomstickkthats. No matter what branch of the military you joining. You are risking your life for bs amerikkka country. You signing a peper contract with your name. Literally signing your life away to death. She did the right thing leave her alone. Women are abused and raped the most. Military and going to war is for men NOT women

[@junelaananke7138]

​​@@11broomstickk The Navy is objectively one of the worst branches to join. They have the highest suîcidê rates due to the deployments and the highest séxüal assault rates for the same reason. Women with "submarine" in their title don't even go on submarines because they would be rãped and couldn't do anything about it. They're so bad at planning they changed their uniforms from the blueberries to the avocados because people kept getting lost at sea. They also have the most bottom of the barrel standards, I have met dudes who joined the Navy who couldn't even read, if you're going to join a branch it would be the most stupid to join them or the Marines. Why you would dickride them of all branches I can't be fucked to understand. - Sincerely, an ex sailor.

[@danielhergert7446]

I almost joined out of high school. An old guy I was close with told me it was a bad decision. He was a Korean War vet who saw firsthand MacArthur get 80% of his unit killed before Truman kicked him out.

[@Semfer_]

I have not heard this story?

[@hyperion3145]

​@@Semfer_ I think he's referencing MacArthur being beaten back to the 38th parallel by China, the casualties were absolutely disgusting. The Chosin Reservoir alone saw MacArthur lose almost 60% of the units under his command. It literally wiped away any success he had up until that point even with things like the Inchon landing.

[@theswagman1263]

don't forget the 20% of Koreas entire population wiped out by US strategic bombing

[@strangebrew1231]

MacArthur was relieved of command because he was publicly talking against Truman's policy. MacArthur wanted to push past Korea and continue taking territory from China. Truman wanted to not expand the war

[@Residence0fUtopia]

Damn tell us more please 😢

[@BadQuanta]

My father is the reason I didn't join. He's spent 25 years in the Navy and repeatedly told me not to do the same when I considered it.. I'm grateful to him.

[@powerbadpowerbad]

Your father wants the next generation to do better,good advice.

[@TheCastedone]

He toughed it out

[@jetsetradio7715]

If you want to sail the seas there is the Merchant Marines (which is civilian) and it's possible to work on a civilian ships like cruises outside of MM. You'd be making more to as a civilian on a ship in most cases and if you rather do something else you got plenty of options. Least to "see the world" there are other ways beyond the military just keep in mind 70% of it is water :^)

[@bluedotdinosaur]

I'm glad the military is panicking over recruitment. It's hard to hide the damage they do to their own members in a country that refuses to provide healthcare to its people. Younger people can at last see that, and even if it's the only angle they swiftly and obviously understand, it is enough to knock the knees out from under recruiters.

[@geraldfishers807]

My local recruiters office sexually harrased high school girls. Maybe their training is crap on purpose. Maybe it's done in hopes to fine recruiters or snag away their bonuses.

[@gmailacct9496]

It's nothing like they portray it through propaganda

[@standforhumanitariancauses4756]

How about the damage they do to other poor people overseas, all for the benefit of military industrial complex and oil companies?? Huh?? how come you don't question that??

[@MasterTSayge]

Im a 12 year military veteran and i urge a lot of young people NOT to join the military service. Military life sucks and you get absolutely NO SUPPORT as a veteran. Military has the most TOXIC LEADERSHIP you'll ever experienced. DON'T ENLIST!!!

[@bluemoon1115]

My SO was sexually assaulted as a "hazing ritual" to "welcome him to the brotherhood." He had already been assaulted as a child, and the incident while he was in the army just added to the pain. After he got out, we both told anyone who'll listen not to join the military if you wanted to take a chance on being assaulted, bullied, or deal with constant toxicity from higher-ups or peers who were brown-nosing for higher positions. It's really sad.😔

[@Dipp182]

It's a funking atrocity, and i hate the popularity game everyone plays.

[@ynot323]

These are the 2 reasons why I didn't join the military. Reason 1 I was in JROTC during my freshman high school year. I absolutely hated it! Reason 2 my dad is a Vietnam vet. He was drafted into the army. Army infantry with multiple tours. He witnessed a lot of death and destruction. He told me "don't join the military and get caught in a white man's war like I did." I went to college instead. I'm glad that I did

[@bradley-ck2nb]

My oldest brother is why I didn't join. He did two tours in Iraq. He was infantry. Left the army with Nazi tattoos and CPTSD. Didn't take him long to find neo Nazi organizations to pal around with once he got out.

[@bubblybubbles4023]

​@@bradley-ck2nb That's so sad, did he show any signs of having interest in Neo Nazis before joining?

[@bradley-ck2nb]

@@bubblybubbles4023 when he was 17 he was robbed at gunpoint by a black dude and it kinda sent him into a very sad racist downward spiral

[@Saturnia2014]

​@@bradley-ck2nb Dude was robbed by one guy and automatically assumes every black person is like that. Really crazy, but I guess that's just human nature.

[@bradley-ck2nb]

@@Saturnia2014 very crazy

[@Recondite101]

As someone who recently graduated high school, I couldn't tell you how many times a class was subject to speeches from a military recruiter. I couldn't tell you how many times I've been called by marine/army recruiters. I couldn't tell you how many times my parents urged me to join the military. It's disturbing how normalized it is to harangue kids about killing kids overseas. Very grateful that I never signed up.

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

When I was struggling with my ADHD and scholastic expectations, my parents suggested I "switch tracks" to join a military school, thinking they'd fix my discipline problem I cried for hours the night they suggested that. I felt so broken.

[@ashcarrier6606]

Your parents urged you to join? After decades of Iraq and Afghanistan, your parents urged you to join? I was in the Army. If I was 18 again, right now, I'd tell the recruiter that the instant a foreign power lands an invasion force on America's shores, I'll be the first to sign up. In the meantime, I will not join in order to fight conflicts in other countries.

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

​@@ashcarrier6606 urged me to join after my brother joined the National Guard and got sent to desert training in Oklahoma and then got deployed to Kuwait I am so tired just relating that fact

[@jonydabzzallday6663]

Oof. It's even worse now. I'm 30 now. Sorry kid

[@hughcaldwell1034]

The US is f**king weird, man. My Dad was briefly in the army and has been in the navy for my entire life (and well before). I don't think he ever once urged me to consider a military career. Might be because I'm blind, but I don't think my sighted siblings really got pushed that way either.

[@jvondd]

As someone who is currently living in a military town, you have no idea how refreshing it is to watch this video.

[@andrewwright6898]

As someone living in an American vassal state (an Australian in Australia), I'm sick of us obediently following America into illegal and immoral conflicts. These conflicts are never about our, or the invaded people's, freedom or safety. This song is from an Australian band, 41 years ago! Australia is now even more entrenched in the American military machine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWHOY6iDrKd_g5o

[@RevolverRabbit]

@@andrewwright6898 nobody in America cares about Australia fam, if yall dont want freedom then stay slaves to the Monarchy. All we did was try to help yall get your freedoms and you didn’t want them, so not only do we not want to help anymore we dont want people like you that want their freedoms gone in any way connected with our country.

[@FishesFlyTillTheWorldDies]

I feel sorry for you

[@robertduluth8994]

Lots of STDS there no

[@AgitatedTaco]

What town?

[@acfirby]

Female veteran here. I signed up April 2001. Graduated HS the following month. Went to USAF basic in late July. Then 9/11 happened. The world changed. I was a Services Airman. I was not SA'ed. I was harassed and treated horribly. My active duty enlistment ended in 2005. IRR ended in 2009. I was called up for one day in 2006. That was just 3 hours of catching up with one Airman I used to work with and making sure my info was correct. Today, I don't recommend military service. Especially if you're a woman. If you want kids, motherhood and military don't belong in the same sentence. I watched the military moms missing out on their kids mile stones. They have babies and get deployed 6 months after having the child. No! Not worth it! I wanted children. I had my oldest son in 2010. I could never imagine leaving him to deploy somewhere for months. Hello depression. Had my youngest son in 2012. My life is better now. The recruiter will not go near my boys!

[@IIZZIIKK]

What about enlisting in the USAF with the intent to do Cyber Security? And also having done 4 years of AF JROTC and being in mid-late twenties with a masters degree already done?

[@US_Embassy]

@@IIZZIIKKI’m assuming you didn’t listen to the part that talked about the tuition and ROTC part

[@ogskullomania3119]

I did 11 years My body is fucked My head is fucked The VA hardly takes care of us And on top of that I’ve lost friends for literal no reason aside for the capitalist who reap reward

[@jamesmoran7511]

Sorry to hear brother. I retired with too many tours. My body mind and soul are not good either. Make sure you talk to someone. It doesn't make it better but it gets worse if you don't.

[@oroville12345]

So true I did 13 I am so messed up.

[@Maximum4power]

Sorry for your loss

[@jamesrios8438]

U got the 100% va disability

[@5Genjoyer]

I can vouch for the sexual assault bit. I enlisted in the Marines at 18, and got SA'd my second month in the fleet during a field day. Now I have PTSD, and can't clean my bathroom without having a panic attack. It isn't just women that are SA'd in the military. The group therapy sessions I've been to that are specifically for men who were SA'd was fucking huge.

[@michaelsantangelo6192]

My sister's husband was sexually abused in the army

[@jimbo7551]

or you’re brainwashed into accepting the sexual abuse. yup.

[@bluemoon1115]

My SO was assaulted too.😔 Shit is so sad because a lot of the men are terrified of coming forward because of retaliation or "not being seen as a man", as my SO put it. Even though it says that retaliation can get the perpetrator in more trouble, they will still risk it just so the victim will never speak out.

[@marcye3649]

I’m so glad you found a group though. I encourage all survivors to find a safe group.

[@fishy490]

Same, also my knees, hips and hands hurt all the time

[@thunderbagel3886]

I was in the Navy from 2008 to 2013 and all of this is 100% true. They put all these ideas in your head about how great its going to be, then all of a sudden you're working 16 hour days and you find out a shipmate threw themselves off the edge of the drydock. Don't join

[@typhlosionisbest]

That small bit of research about the life of a nuke helped turned me away from the idea when recruiters were on my tail. I'll be damned if I work 14-hour days just to get paid the same as someone that worked 8. In addition to that, my mental health history, though largely unreported, suggests that I wouldn't do well if I were tasked with keeping a ship of hundreds running.

[@TheCastedone]

16 hour days for 23k 😂 I'd sell drugs on base with no remorse. That 23k alone is not worth it

[@Katokhann]

@@TheCastedone Made me spit my drink out🤣

[@the_future_is_anarchy1791]

The crazy part about that is it can be way worse than that. Not to say I had a worse experience while I was in. But I know I had a really terrible experience in the navy. There were months were I'd have to be on the ship for duty doing a 6 hour watch. Then get off watch and do 12 hours of work. Then go back on watch for another 6 hours after that. Then go back to work for 18 hours after that (basically working for 42 hours straight with maybe an hour or 2 to eat in total. not enough time to really sleep with.) Then I'd get to go home at 9pm or 12am and got to sleep for like 4 hours. Then I'd have to be at work for another 16 or 18 hours the next day.(granted that wasn't all the time. It was just for inspections but there's so many inspections that you probably have 6 to 4 months where your working less so maybe between 8 to 16 hour days when we're not in inspection mode.) But I wouldn't trade that for anyone else's military experience. Cause it almost all sucks no matter where you go or what you do in the military. The only thing I would trade for my military experience is having not joined and built a life of my own. That I can be proud of and happy to live. But one thing in the military is that it can always be worse no matter how bad you have it you can wake up the next day and it can be 100 times worse than the day or week or month before. When you had thought this is the worst it can get. No the reality is there is no threshold for how bad it can get. I'm sure most people who have served can tell you that. I'd recommend just getting into the trades or get a good paying job and put your money were it won't lose it's value over a long period of time. Like bitcoin or a good investment portfolio. That's the advice I'd give myself if I could go back in Time before I joined.

[@TheColtLockwoodRealm]

You are a G!!@@TheCastedone

[@nicsnort]

My sister was tricked into signing up for the Army while she was in her senior year of college. They promised her jobs skills she wanted to be a DNR officer or work in Nature conservation - she's in the language division learning Arabic-Iraqi. Because she had her BS already she got a signing bonus of $5,000, her pay is 28k a year (she's still in training so she doesn't even get that extra money yet though). If she had gotten even one of the jobs I suggested to her that were on the DNR website that would have put her on the track to her desired career, she'd be making at least 40k already.

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

This is one of the things that aggravates me about the U.S. military budget...I know that money isn't going to pay the *people* particularly well who are doing the jobs that the majority of other Americans won't sign up to do...so WTH is it all going? Blown out the back of a plane?

[@nicsnort]

@@Corbomite_Meatballs Nah we need 15 new tanks that won't be used and will immediately be wrapped in plastic and sent to the military "graveyard" in Arizona or sold to police departments.

[@rhumal]

@@Corbomite_Meatballs defense contractors are the black hole into which all that money is shoveled

[@janthran]

@@Corbomite_Meatballs basically, the regulations on a lot of extremely complicated equipment require really specific standards, and those standards are hard to update. the example i heard of was a hammer that had to be used on a specific kind of bolt broke, and it would've taken a long time to get a new hammer through regulation but the old hammer was no longer being produced by the manufacturer, so they have to custom pre-fab a copy of it for like 350k. in case the new hammer breaks they grab 3 copies of it just to be sure.

[@steringp1434]

@@accuratealloys No they won't. They will reassign her to a crappy job that doesn't involve foreign language skills. It's in her contract that they can reassign her at anytime to meet the demands of the service.

[@chairmanmeow958]

My father graduated High School during the height of the Vietnam draft. He did not want to go to combat so he thought "Hey i'll join the Navy. I will hang out on ships and travel the world!" That was before he was voluntold to a special river unit and ended up getting wounded by multiple RPGs and being ordered to attack villages from his 35 mm gun turret. Now he is 100% disabled due to TBI and PTSD. DO NOT JOIN THE MILITARY they always find a way to get you in the end.

[@arbeitmachtfries]

Just goes to show what a few extra years of life experience gets you. My dad was older, but still draft age. He joined the coast guard and just hung out in San Francisco.

[@pepelepepe]

​@@arbeitmachtfries so would coast guard be better?

[@ieattofu68]

@@pepelepepe The coast guard has had to deal with climate change over the past few years or so and a ton of rescues due to hurricanes and flooding...extreme weather is a serious problem these days.

[@lh5943]

I was a river rat and everyone on our boat was living in fear 24/7.

[@Man2quilla]

I recently got an email from a Marine recruiter that was like "I'm not going to lie to you unlike previous emails you've gotten: you will still have a lot of college debt and you probably won't get the job you want." I doubt it worked. They lie for a reason because when they tell the truth, it's even less appealing.

[@franklinhuang]

Saying the quiet part out loud

[@lifedeather]

But honest

[@UncleJoeJoe]

Well said! I wasted 22 years of my life in the UK military! From 16 to 38, best years of my life gone and for what? I’m now 43 and have arthritis, tinnitus, zero interpersonal skills. I’m on my third marriage which is barely holding on, I have four kids i barley know due to not being around for their entire lives because of multiple deployments. I struggle to hold a job down because of complex PTSD and the associated depression and anxiety. I drink far too much for my own good (though apart from a slip last night I had managed to stay sober for the previous month! Yeah me!) and you know something? I know I’m one of the lucky ones! I live in the UK so have free healthcare (for now) and am getting help for all my physical and mental ailments, I’m not homeless, I can find work (though not using any of those “skills” I learnt in the Marines) So yeah, sorry for the rant but I would like to reiterate the point of the video, DON’T JOIN THE MILITARY!

[@freddogrosso9835]

Congrats on the drinking! Despite the slip, you got this!

[@Threxis]

I'm in the uk as well and considering joining the navy reserves because I need the extra cash. (I'm 29 now and am still living with my parents) Even though this video is US specific, I can't help but think this will apply to the UK for the most part.

[@The_Reaper_666]

This was a great rant and I hope things get better for you in the future.

[@UncleJoeJoe]

@@Threxis it very much is related to the UK military, the world over in fact. They treat you like s**t and brainwash you into actually liking it (I’ve learned it’s a form of Stockholm syndrome) and once they’ve used you up they just dump you back into civvie street without a care. There has to be better options for you mate, though I know in the current job market in this country there probably isn’t! Good luck for your future, and please please please don’t join up 🙏

[@UncleJoeJoe]

@@freddogrosso9835 thanks mate, baby steps and all that 👍🏻

[@Zentchura]

if you need authority in your life and want to "defend your country" join the forest service or fish and wildlife 👍

[@LordDane1986]

Honestly that is a fantastic idea. You even have a hierarchy that is not based on how cruel you can be.

[@CimarronaMotions]

National Park service teaches history, they're awesome

[@samuelroselli138]

Legit advice. They’re also the only cops that spend most of their time helping people.

[@babybojanglesjr]

Aww❤

[@henrymosquera8646]

You can always work for Uber or Chipotle!!!😂🎉

[@billstewart147]

"You can earn more [money] working retail than as a private in the Army and you have almost no chance of committing a war crime - unless you work at Hobby Lobby" 😂

[@EmilyKresl]

Lmfao dude I shot my soda out of my nose when he said that!! He totally caught me off guard. Brilliant 😂😂😂😂

[@TheCastedone]

Lmmmmaaaaoooo

[@rudestbeast4907]

Both existence sound miserable

[@Retrogradegirl]

My brother totally bought the hype of the military through movies etc, my parents protested the Vietnam war, and yet my brother remained naive on war. He joined the Marines and the training messed him up real bad. He passed away in 2012. My hometown recruiters targeted my highschool. When I was 17 they called my house constantly. I remember speaking to the recruiter on the phone I told them I had health issues and was underweight for my age, and the recruiter said that would not be a problem. I didn't know how to respond to that and hung up

[@melmelmelmel8516]

I'm a child of immigrants. My parents wanted my little brother to join the military. I sat them down, I looked them in the eyes, and I said, "No." I explain the reasons why, but man, explaining to immigrant parents why no one should join the military is easier said than done.

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

I am glad you did it, st least you done your part, now the ball is in their court

[@AlmasAztekas]

It was easy for me. In fact they encouraged me NOT to, since they had seen what war did to people in our family.

[@reagankohler1181]

Yea, it's harder to explain to your parents when a recruiter tells your sister that her joining the navy would not only get herself us citizenship, but also her parents. They told her that she could be the one to get her parents US citizenship, she joined, and they did not get citizenship

[@hohooooooooify]

​@@reagankohler1181 oh man that is just messed up so many lies hopefully they don't come back to bite

[@CappuccinoTX]

​@@reagankohler1181 I got my citizenship for free through the military

[@animalxINSTINCT89]

I'm so glad I didn't follow through with signing up for the Marines out of High School. My recruiter told me because I was one of the top students in my class I'd get fast-tracked to go to officer school. It was 2007 and I was almost certainly going to be sent to Iraq during one of the worst upticks in insurgent activities of the entire occupation as a grunt that would get chucked into the meat grinder

[@rafaelbogdan9307]

Heh, we talk about dodging bullets but you seem to have done it literally! That or an IED.

[@dangerousdays2052]

Yes of course, back out because of concerns for your own safety, not because you have any moral problems with invading another country and contributing to the massacre of civilians. Just ignore that the US military is the most genocidal organization in human history and make the 1930s and 40s Germans look like a joke by comparison. 🙄🙄

[@animalxINSTINCT89]

@@LiShuBen 100%

[@pivomanslovensko]

I can't believe there are people out there that defend what happend during the "war or terror". All that death and destruction and evil, for what?

[@pretzelstick320]

Recruiters always try to convince you that you’re special. They told me that I would be military intelligence. I was intelligent enough to see through that bullshit.

[@pkmcburroughs]

I joined the military back in 1983, age 17, and I fully support this video's message.

[@EmilyKresl]

Reagan was white hot then and the cold war was back with nukes ! I get it man. Don't ever feel bad for being duped. All you can do is share what you've learned so others don't make the same mistakes and maybe even can learn how to use their potential for GOOD!

[@jonirischx8925]

So you joined the military just after the widely publicized genocide committed by that same institution against the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian peoples? Wow. You are a POS.

[@jimcipriano5322]

Kids all over the world should refuse. I was Army. I didn't want my kids in.

[@AMurillo622]

Marine Corps reservist here, great video. If any of you are still considering, don’t. Seriously, don’t.

[@ZacTBH]

I came so close to joining the military when I was 19, when I felt disillusioned, lost, and generally just anxious about my placement in life looking for a sense of purpose. I'm glad I didn't. The military exploits disillusioned young men such as I into joining and it makes me sick to my stomach, I almost walked into a death trap. I think of what my life could have been like if I didn't have a sudden moment of clarity to walk out of the recruitment office right that instant. Glad I did. That recruitment officer can suck it. moral of the story is: listen to your body/intuition; that recruitment office was filled with an air of darkness I find hard to describe. DON'T DO IT. Literally do anything else with your life, become a musician, be a great chef, be a therapist, anything is better than the morally bankrupt military.

[@DEarls-ye9tz]

As someone who fell for it himself, this is 100% correct. If you're graduating high-school or just got out of high-school please don't sign that contract. At least live on your own and get a normal job first just to see how it feels. When you join at 18 years old and have never lived alone, the military will prey on that to keep you. Few years later, you're 25 and now you're thinking about staying for life because you're used to the Army providing your housing, food, medical care, and wages. I've known many bright, strong people who can make it on the outside but chose to stay in just because they never learned to live on their own. If you're 18, just live your life, get your first apartment, and see how it feels before you enlist. I promise it will be okay.

[@Creamyfeetachiny]

As much as i want to agree because you’re correct in most of this i just dont feel the civilian sector is any better than the military because ultimately, I was in for six years and went overseas as well but I feel like even with a in demand MOS I still can’t find jobs out here that can support myself and my family not even close to the way the military ultimately did .Sometimes i find myself wanting to go back in but after being out for a bit it seems tough.

[@ErinRSU]

The fact that you think an 18 year old can afford an apartment in this economy is hilarious and sad.

[@unc1221]

@@ErinRSUwe all fcked bruh. 😂

[@bushidodan]

@@ErinRSU That's probably the main reason that someone right out of high school joins the military. Its the only way they could be out of the house. Many times its because of desperation, their parents tell them they have to live on their own.

[@wrexvincent]

I was scouted hard for military service in Highschool due to my grades and being multi-lingual, I thought it would be a good way to 'see the world' (AKA leave a less than hospitable impoverished home life). Recruiters came in frequently to the school and gave out free food IF you signed up. Only thing that stopped me was because they finally realized I was legally Deaf (despite being mainstreamed) and they stopped IMMEDIATELY. The military only wants to recruit the young and 100% healthy, only to wring them out to be broken when they leave.

[@sagisdoodleverse9696]

Oh yeah similar thing happened to me, he’s a customer at my place, want me to join cuz I’m bilingual, said I can work for the linguistic department, handed out pamphlets and all

[@COrraThereal0ne]

That's damn near impossible with gen z

[@Ovenandroid23]

​@@COrraThereal0nenah we still got some bootlickers in gen z

[@shiniblackrose]

After joining the military, all i got was: a lost fiancée, mental health problems, tinnitus, migraines, lower back problems, right arm problems, gallbladder problems of which I had it removed, and none of these go away. Lmfao, it sucked. I was treated like shit and thrown out the moment i needed help getting a certificate. I'm currently trying to get a va rating, and their busting my balls about it. It all kinda sucks... a lot

[@Bigmtj10678]

Hope you get what you need

[@Duskets]

As a wise man once wrote: “I will serve crack before I serve this country.”

[@TheCastedone]

Amen

[@easternrebel1061]

I'm not so eager to give my life to a hard drug, I do share the sentiment of "fuck Uncle Sam, he can fight his own shitty pointless wars"

[@andrewrollout1657]

See that's the misconception - serving the military ISN'T serving this country. It's serving the billionaire vampire-squids and corrupt politicians who are sucking this country dry with their blood-funnels. As for serving your country plenty of ways to do that - volunteer etc.

[@trent-fe2gq]

I'm unfamiliar, who said that?

[@craftynomad]

source?? genuinely interested

[@dylanmartinez2157]

I’ll be 22 in less than 2 weeks and was seriously considering joining the army 75th. I’ve done all kinds of work from construction, office work, sales, etc. and haven’t tried the military yet. After doing a little bit of research, I’m sad to say that defending the US does not seem worth it anymore. It seems much more better to start building wealth and having freedom here as a civ. Thanks for sharing

[@renegadecut9875]

You're welcome.

[@11broomstickk]

Only go ranger if you want an excuse to kill people that you perceive as “bad guys”. Make no mistake, that’s why everyone is in that unit.

[@BeautifulGalaxy2]

Yes, thank you for what you're doing.

[@briannemurdock4183]

I do not understand why any young woman would ever want to join the military. I grew up in a military family and the Army, at least, legitimately hates women and always has. My entire childhood was hearing every female soldier in my dad's units be maligned and denigrated while it was known how many of the officers beat their families and cheated on their wives. It was worse when we lived overseas. The daughters of soldiers were preyed on by other soldiers as early as 7th grade. The offenders would not be disciplined but high-fived by their buddies while the wives called these children whores, all while failing to protect them. Movies make it seem like the general's daughter was always off limits, but she wasn't so long as the guy had a high enough rank.

[@gofen8964]

Wow, 😮That’s so horrible 😢

[@EW-go1xw]

I believe you!

[@joseluissanchezjr]

True. Seen it.

[@jb24001]

Or even worse: dads going after daughters and mom allows it 😨😨no fucking joke

[@ReddestRosa]

Recruiters were in my middle school talking to literal 11 year olds. I’m not joking. It starts before highschool

[@Anonymous-bi5pv]

grooming

[@philg7528]

We need an old school punk rock revival for the youth to counter the indoctrination.

[@EmilyKresl]

Even in kindergarten they came to my school and had "assemblies" in the library. They'd bring in bomb sniffing dogs and lady soldiers to show us girls back in 1989 women can do anything! 😂

[@bowl-of-petunias5671]

My younger brother was in my schools jrotc and was physically abused. Several everal girls in his unit were either prayed upon or in full relationships with the sergeant in charge, the man said he was psychological operations in Desert Storm. that's how old he was. He was fired, but the program wasn't shut down because it gave "bad kids good outlets."

[@hellofriend545]

Probably the only outdoors/physical exertion program available, y’know? Besides ig sports and if you are playing recreationally and not varsity, that’s not really happening. Plus football is sacrificing your bones and brains too 😬 I’m so grateful I had the camaraderie of a XC team in high school

[@IvoryValentine22]

I'm a part time wheelchair user and attended high school in a town only about five miles from a base, there were recruiters and military families everywhere. The only times I was ever verbally insulted or harassed were by military people who saw me in my wheelchair. A recruiter straight up told me that I was better off dead because I'm in-eligible to serve (not for the wheelchair specifically but other related issues). Sure, other people made thoughtless jokes, one or two grabbed the handles of my chair, or added to the countless list of micro-aggressions I went through in some other way. But military associated people were the only ones who called me slurs and quoted eugenics talking points straight to my face, if they're still committed to the ideology they don't care how you got that way, as soon as you're no longer eligible to serve you're better off dead in their eyes.

[@picvegita]

Wow in sorry to hear that, people can be so disappointing. F those angry sad **cks, best of luck in all you do 👍🏾

[@rini6]

People are valuable because they are human. How difficult is that to see? In addition, one’s abilities are not only physical. There are many who have changed the world with intelligence empathy and ideas. Physical strength is not everything. That sort of military thinking is not only cruel but it reductionist and and frankly stupid.

[@EmilyKresl]

That is absolutely horrendous! How dare they speak to you or anybody like that! All I can say is "aww gee I'm sorry I can't get up to go with you brave soldiers to go burn down villages and murder women and children so Bush the first can get pay back on Saddam Hussein, that must mean I'm worthless! " (Dripping with sarcasm) Good on you for being the bigger person even today. I'd rather hang out with you than some jerk recruiters any day.

[@idoobbberz_tv6676]

I can support your claim with my own personal experience in the Army. Once I was on a profile that reduced the amount of duty I could take for a few months. This included me having to move exclusively on crutches. I was told by some fellow soldiers that I shouldn't be allowed to get as much rations as I did, since I was short and I "didn't need the calories" like they did. They would refer to you as "broken toys" when you weren't aorund (both fellow soldiers and superiors). Don't even be on crutches when a SGT MGR is around, even if you have a profile on hand they'll harrass you for not "doing your part". A Sergeant Major digging into a lower enlistedman for being injured. Amazing for morale.

[@chopshop94]

That’s all incredibly f***ed up. I’m sorry you’ve had those experiences. There are some real morons in the military.

[@thefraudulentbrit7516]

As a wise man said to a reformed monster, “you don’t need to have a patch or stripe on your arm to have honor.”

[@sooodumnnim4257]

I wish Leon had made this video when I graduated. When I was a little kid I wanted to join the military bc of a very popular -war based- video game. My dad who never made it past his first year in the military (bc of a medical oversight in the military’s part ) and never left the mindset that the military was the way to go. So when his ten year old daughter told him she wanted to join when she was old enough HE WAS ELATED. They (my dad and step mom) put me in JROTC, fat shamed me until I lost a bunch of weight in very unhealthy ways, shamed me (and punished me) for not wanting to be in the class during my sophomore year and when I graduated and decided I didn’t want to join they threatened my living situation. I did join and I want to add a few things Leon missed. No one is your friend, that spiel about brother hood and camaraderie is pure fiction, the military is full of people who will rat you out for the smallest mistake if it means they gain favor of leadership. This isn’t unique to the military but unlike a normal job where you’ll just be fired the military will instead punish you by either shaming and belittling you, ostracizing you, or punish you under an article 15 where they can and will take half your pay for a not so insignificant amount of time, they will take your rank (you pay again) if you have any, and they will essentially put you in jail for a month. If you’re any flavor of LGBTQ+ you my friends are fucked (trust I know from experience) Because although the military wants you to believe that they’re 100% okay with that, they will not protect you if one of their older service members, who still remembers DADT, belittles your marriage or they will make it clear in no uncertain terms that they do not care about your gender identity, this might seem small but it’s hard working every day in place where people just don’t care. There is no work life balance/ over time pay. You can be at your job for 12+ hours, and still have to come in early in the morning. Even if you’re working a desk job it is so FUCKING exhausting. Imagine being a service employee but you really can’t snap or be snarky to a “customer” bc they’re a higher rank than you. And speaking from experience, if you come from an abusive house, you will not find any kind of solace in the military. The military is just a toxic relationship that you can’t get out of until your contract is up. But please keep in mind that they do no prepare you for life outside the military there exit class is a JOKE, they don’t teach you anything about money saving, they don’t teach you anything about how to apply your “skills” outside and might pick up some very unhealthy habits to cope like smoking or alcohol. For example, young males in the Marines Corps have the highest rate of heavy alcohol use, at 38.6 percent; among males in the Air Force, the rate is 24.5 percent. Young men in the Army and Navy have similar rates of heavy drinking (Army: 32.8 percent, Navy: 31.8 percent) (pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh284/252-257.htm#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20young%20males%20in,%2C%20Navy%3A%2031.8%20percent).) There’s so much more I could get into but please if you’ve made it this far, listen to Leon. He knows what he’s talking about, the military isn’t the way out of whatever situation you’ve found yourself in.

[@lordaizen6815]

Thank you for such insight.

[@Erisblackstone]

THISSSS

[@acfirby]

Facts

[@erideb3864]

I've been in for over a year now, and I'm gonna tell you guys straight up, if you think joining will give you any kind of meaning and self-worth in the military, Your living a fantasy. This is not the movies or like the books either. Tbh, it feels like a joke. I will not let any of my family members even consider the idea of joining for money or for those reasons, regardless of benefits. I screwed myself over believing in a fantasy when I got in. Now I have severe anxiety and depression because of it. My recruiter lied to me and got injured twice. My body is already breaking down. I was 21 when I joined. Im gonna turn 24 soon. It is not worth it. If you really want to join the army and know what your getting yourself into. Go for it. If you are joining for the wrong reasons, it is not gonna be easy for you. Two recruits off themselves here in my unit and the guys played ouija board a week later like what. Disgusting, and leadership didn't criticize them for it. It is not for the faint hearted

[@radioragdoll1870]

I honestly considered joining the military about a decade ago. I am so glad I didn't go through with it.

[@ahouyearno]

Same. It was a poster on a bus and it looked convincing to stupid 20yo me who was full of MRA nonsense I’m so happy I never went to that website

[@jospinner1183]

@@InitialFailure Presumably for any or all of the reasons outlined in the video . . .

[@Newton-Reuther]

My best friend's dad joined the Army shortly before the age cut off because he felt he had to do something after 9/11. He finally was allowed to retire a few years ago. It's been so hard on him and his family.

[@nomnomnommy2955]

How old was he

[@nathanhall4156]

Allowed to retire? Why did he stay in that long?

[@kylemurray3526]

A personal anecdote that isn’t data but the injury stat stood out to me. It’s been 15 years, but I went to Marine OCS in 2008. The attrition rate for women there was absolutely insane at 70%. They were also trained separately from the men (I think they still are? Marines are the only service that still does it) They couldn’t be infantry at that point but they trained like they would be anyway. They were smart, fit, and capable. And yet, OCS ran them into the ground and caused many of them serious/lifelong injuries. And emotional damage. It was so fucking stupid.

[@dangerousdays2052]

Good. The US military has killed more civilians than any other organization in history. Anyone who joins deserves what they get, and worse. The US military literally has a higher civilian body count than the 1930s and 40s Germans. No sympathy for anyone who joins.

[@Anonymous-bi5pv]

@@dangerousdays2052 most of them are poor teens who cant afford college and dont see any other options

[@kylemurray3526]

@@Anonymous-bi5pv Sorry, I wasn’t clear, my bad. These weren’t recruits out of high school. OCS is for college graduates or juniors in college at the very youngest. So, it might even be worse. They had options and they had this happen to them.

[@karenfield3665]

This was my old roommate- she is older than you. She joined the Marines and got a major knee injury that the military refused to treat, just giving her ibuprofen, and as a result her whole leg is messed up decades later.

[@hellofriend545]

Idk the obsession with breaking bodies-even happened in the Austin TX police dept with brutal training in TX heat without water. It’s like, why be unsafe with your body like that? Total frat hazing vibes for a seemingly serious fucking job?? Gross

[@TripleGia]

I'm a linguistics major and relatively young, so whenever I mention my degree to someone they always assume that I need advice in life. Without fail, they recommend that I join the military. "They need translators! They pay well! I knew someone who got so many opportunities from the military!" I would rather gouge out my eyes than join the military. It is disgusting how the military industrial complex infects not only students, but those of us with degrees completely unrelated to warfare.

[@johnthompson7420]

back in cold war days I knew a guy with a degree in Russian. He enlisted and they made him an airplane painter. pretty typical .

[@sagisdoodleverse9696]

@@johnthompson7420mmmm that makes me think of my fren who told me to never join cuz the military is a scam. I was 17 at the time but never thought on joining. So I felt a little strange when she’s said that cuz I was like, huh? I don’t think this applies to me? Then a year later, a customer at my place tried to get me in cuz I’m bilingual and I was very tempted by all the so called benefits. To keep it short, I didn’t

[@Ben-pv7sb]

I'm getting a degree at the defense language institute, it's like a college for all the branches to learn languages. I get paid to learn Russian and get a degree while living in sunny monterey California.... however this is an exception not the norm. I don't know of any other military jobs that offer this, don't do this sorta thing unless you specifically want to be in the military. DONT DO IT FOR COLLEGE...!!

[@wehweh3]

Did my 4 years. Glad I got out without serious harm. My condolences to all that served and weren't so lucky.

[@monetduren8208]

You still not. Lol did u watch the video. You can be called anytime. There are loopholes to the contract

[@KaleCulain]

This made me think of when conservatives were PO'd about Starbucks hiring refugees over veterans when they should have been mad at the government for the poor treatment and care of veterans

[@segara04]

Why would they be mad at the government when this is more than likely the way they wanted this to work. Veterans, though being humans with lives, personalities, and social realities, will usually only serve as a political tool for conservatives (and others honestly) to trot out for clout and political points. With the event you are talking about involving Starbucks, it is the exact way they want it to be to further their agenda.

[@guyfauks2576]

rare starbucks W

[@indigosnow_]

This was oddly timed. Running out of options in my town and fear moving away from family and friends without a plan. Brother who's in the Navy told me to join the air force

[@renegadecut9875]

Dude, don't. Don't. Watch the video, especially the conclusion. There are so many other options.

[@renaissancewoman3770]

I don't know you but I know you deserve better!

[@DougBohm]

The best thing you can do is learn and get certificates online in areas you are interested in.

[@nanopanda]

I love you too much as a human being to let you go into the military.

[@Earthether]

Do not join

[@TrashHeapCustodian]

As a veteran, I'm gonna go ahead and cosign everything Leon is saying here. Anyone denying it is either a recruiter or full of shit (but I repeat myself). My experience with the military was a machine that destroyed me and all my friends. Do not become destroyed. Please.

[@Brotherken1234]

WOW!!

[@cortayzlewis3794]

I was thinking about joining I got two 3 kids 24 but I wanted to join for hvac and I’m an egale scout too

[@markgripp8262]

​@@cortayzlewis3794I had a great experience in the army. Don't join combat. Join intel

[@operez6519]

I joined and it was probably the best choice made. I've never been paid so much for doing so little work. I don't make much as an enlisted, but for the amount of work i put in rn I'd say I'm over compensated. It's lit!

[@kalebstout7673]

@@operez6519what’s your job?

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

Actually I have a small correction: it IS a lifelong commitment. Once your name is in those roles unless you are 100% disabled? They can and will call you back. I was married to a veteran who is now 100% disabled. My brother just outprocessed from the Navy. I studied political science before said veteran's job was lost and I had to drop out to take care of our kid. I know someone who broke her back in basic training. My stepmom has permanent health impacts from her service in the airforce. It is a LIFE ALTERING negative committment. Did I mention it broke my relationship with my brother? Because it did and I haven't spoken to him in half a decade now. He became a totally different person and it sucks because our parents are terminally ill and I won't be in the United States much longer so idk how he's going to get hold of me to let me know anything's going on (he probably won't). Anyway the military is trash and preys on the poor and BIPOC esp. I'm both Indigenous AND Black. We get fucked over in every arena but esp this one. It negatively affects immigrants especially hard as well. Fuck the military and what it does to people. The brainwashing is real.

[@michaelmckeever2734]

Take it from someone who spent 10 years in the military, DON'T JOIN THE MILITARY! It's so bad for your physical and mental health.

[@prettyboishah2898]

Can you explain further about your 8 years and why you regret it?

[@treasurethetime2463]

​@@prettyboishah2898sorry, but you are wasting your time unfortunately. I have yet to read a comment or see a video from anyone in the military who can itemized specific events in a coherent written form. It's always generalities. They also never follow up. Leads me to believe some of them were lazy or lacking in communication skills.

[@mustbemeech]

@@treasurethetime2463nda

[@prettyboishah2898]

@treasurethetime2463 Thank you for replying. Are you also someone considering joining the military? Or have you already been in?

[@IIZZIIKK]

Question, what about going into the USAF for cyber security?

[@kaitar0]

I have always found it darkly funny how someone at the US Military clearly heard talk of violent video games causing school shooters and their eyes went wide at the notion.

[@MasoTrumoi]

I'm in Canada but also considered joining near the end of Highschool. I was a miserable, confused queer guy who liked martial arts and hated living with my conservative parents. I thought it would be a good way to sort out my philosophy and earn some money while not worrying about room & board. One of the few times my Dad did something particularly good for me with his advice. He talked me out of that, out of being a cop, out of pursuing medicine too (too much stress in his opinion). Now I'm an anarchist. Go figure

[@nos9784]

Have you found a way to make anarchism a living wage job yet? Half serious asking for advice here :D My biggest trouble is applying for jobs... too many formalities, too many incentives to lie about myself, when i just want a paid job...

[@auroraborealass]

Thank fuck… I served in the Canadian Military and it was a shitshow. I was in the same boat and I joined… I became someone I didn’t like very much and it took me until now to get my mental health in check. It turned me into a leftist.

[@MasoTrumoi]

@@nos9784 I work in film so it's a bit easier to just be honest. "My dream is to be a screenwriter, I have X amount of experience and really just looking to build up my skills and connections while learning the production pipeline." Most people in film avoid talking politics like the plague and like to style themselves as "not your boss"

[@hughcaldwell1034]

Hope you stuck with the martial arts, at any rate. That kind of thing can be great for instilling the discipline the military is *supposed* to give you, in a far healthier way.

[@minihunt4093]

@@auroraborealass Is turning into a leftist a bad thing?.. haha

[@Erisblackstone]

Veteran here. Don't do it. There are an infinite number of ways to find *some* kind of future that don't involve you literally supporting imperialism.

[@scoot4348]

I wouldn't recommend it either. I joined the Army in 1981-1984. I joined again in 1998-2001 and hated it. It had changed a lot for the worse. BRAC replaced lots of jobs with military contractors as well as downsizing the military overall. The first time I was in was much better and folks weren't as racist and right wing. There was also more hazing the second time.

[@sagisdoodleverse9696]

@@scoot4348why you went in for 2nd time?

[@TheGamingMotionTGM]

The funny thing is, I've just watched a 1980s motivational video title We Were There. Sure it can be said that it's not all fun and heroic, but near that video's end when they were giving aid to needy people, I was like "maybe serving is not that bad after all depending on what you're fighting for". That is like helping others for a noble cause instead of destroying something in the name of hegemony.

[@merkwier]

Who cares abt imperialism. Gotta stay up📈

[@ouranhostphan1018]

My friend told me that when she was in high school, the JROTC would recruit all the weird and punk kids who were clearly struggling and looking for some kind of direction. These were people who were her friends as she herself is a punk. They all died in Afghanistan.

[@limitess9539]

As a weirdo myself hearing that sucks...I live in Serbia though, and we all only got a letter if we want to join the military for 3 months paid contract (only basic training, or basic+AIT, not sure), after that you can stay in or get out. No aggressive military recruitment in schools though. Every single classmate of mine uncluding me checked "no", noone went. The rat of a president does mention bringing back mandatory military service though year after year, but he does this usually to shift public attention from yet another scandal in the corrupted government, because it always becomes a hot topic. They better not bring it back, I don't want to go there.

[@rokkitserjun]

As a disabled veteran I approve this message...

[@anthonyroberts2678]

Me too. OIF VET 05-06!!!

[@RevoltingBoy]

I was in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program which was run by veterans and post-9/11 dads and I ended up joining the US Navy for 4 years. I won’t exactly specify what I did because I could be prosecuted for it, but the lives ended due to my conduct weigh on me every single day of my life. I got out 4 years ago and I’m only 26 years old. DO NOT ENLIST. YOU WILL REGRET IT.

[@KreigWes]

@@TATERplaysGAMES Facts.

[@EmilyKresl]

Thank you for your honesty. I know it's never easy to talk about these things but I appreciate your candor. All you can do is be kind and help spread the word because people listen!

[@pepelepepe]

I have honestly been thinking about joining the navy nurse corp as a female. It's that bad? Are there like secret operations going on by the corrupt government to kill innocents? I've heard of people who don't regret going. Some say they never even deployed in over 20 years.

[@nodieza]

I live on the Florida panhandle surrounded by military bases and 9/11 was a real turning point for the atmosphere. Military is a "way of life" cult around here. It's really bad because the military economy (housing benefits mostly but also job selection priority) has really screwed over the non-military population to the point that it pushes more people into that pipeline out of desperation. Mixed with recruiters on all campuses and school lunch rooms (pastors and recruiters) and many retired military and military parents make it almost impossible not to join. Thankfully I didn't join but it's a real struggle financially while my sister's military husband will be retiring in his late 30's. You can't say anything negative about the military here unless you want to be blacklisted from social life because everybody knows at lest one person currently serving and to speak ill of the military is to wish death on all the troops. Already pissed off the wife's family a few times... I have endless stories off family, friends, and neighbors about their struggles. Why so and so is a day drinker or why so and so can't watch war movies anymore. The worst part of it all is they see I am a leftist and speak out against the military and they just assume I don't "care about the troops" but I care about them, as people. I know nothing really good comes from joining and that the longer they are in the worse they will be spit out (assuming they live long enough to get out). Guess I should watch the video now 😂

[@TheCastedone]

Damn bro, you really got it bad. Move north. Better economy. Diversity. People who can think for themselves. Don't look back

[@slimlogic]

I spot a P-cola pal. 😂 In all seriousness I know what you mean

[@DanielCrossBoss]

@@TheCastedone people from the south would say the same thing about the north.

[@hannahbrennan2131]

I'd sooner suffer through reading the whole Fifty Shades of Grey series than join the military.

[@FuzzyKittenBoots]

How about the Save the Pearls books?

[@EmilyKresl]

I couldn't get past page 17 of fifty shades of grey and I really really tried - I even went out and the bought the book and everything 😅. Oh well ... At least it'll be useful and get a fire going 😂

[@jonnybarnes18]

I served 8 and a half years and did three deployments and none of it was worth it. I'm now on disability and got my bachelor's degree on my G.I. Bill and still tell my kids and my students that the Army/military will ruin you and think twice, especially if you have happen to be a female.

[@crondog]

When I worked as an EMT I saw a lot of veterans and spent a fair amount of time at the VA hospital. One of my most vivid memories is of a vet with terminal cancer that was suspected to be caused by agent orange exlosure who kept saying he just wanted to live to see Christmas (this was a few days before). The VA doctors and nurses were usually amazing people but it was chronically underfunded and understaffed. I brought a lot of vets to the state run psyche facility where you would usually see at least one rat in the hallways because the VA wouldn't pay for nicer ones. I'm genuinely convinced that the most pro-veteran position you can take is to be vehemently anti-military.

[@chungbertflabbergast5995]

My little sister felt like she was running out of options a few years back and joined the Army. One of the best days of my life was about a month later, when she flamed out of boot camp and got discharged. There aren't many young people in my life, but my partner is a teacher and if any of their high school students is ever considering joining the military, I'm gonna have them show the kid this video!

[@J-manli]

As much as that would be awesome, they could actually lose their job if they teach at a public school. As the video said, School-funding is reliant upon how chummy the school gets with the military, so anyone who "ruins the mood" could be seen as a "killjoy."

[@jumpmanhammerman1311]

I’m from a country where the military doesn’t enjoy the same amount of leverage nor popularity it does in the US and, as such, US military propaganda has always seem as transparent as it is dangerous. It really strange to see how a lot of people are really afraid of teachers “indoctrinating their kids”, yet military appreciation day is a reason to celebrate in schools and let strangers brainwash kids into killing themselves for the “nation” (by that meaning private interest of course), especially after completely selfish invasions (not that there are other kinds, but I hope you’ll understand my reasoning here) of Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. It’s also worth talking about how severe physical and mental health issues that are direct consequences of military service are glorified as some sort of “mark of honor” War is never the answer. Not now, nor has it ever been. Another great video of yours Leon. I believe this is my first time commenting but I’m a long time watcher.

[@Bobylein1337]

Though make no mistake, trying to recruite kids isn't something special to the US, here in germany we also got flyers and recruiters in the schools with their "best Multiplayer" advertising.

[@dimasakbar7668]

What American, being a nation that self ibsert themselves all willy nily on everything, doesn't get maybe this notion of "honorable war" should ONLY applicable to a war of self defence, or to intervene on atrocity.

[@kahlilbt]

​@@dimasakbar7668 when you start teaching children at 6 and 7 years old their country has a moral duty to "save" the rest of the world, it's hard to unlearn

[@MirrorSurfer]

Best first comment I've ever read of any channel.

[@noway8259]

I want to aree but I think the Allies were broadly justified in WW2, I can't think of any other conflicts I would have supported though.

[@noahramsey]

Thank you for this video. My uncle was inside the towers during the Sept. 11 attacks when he was 19 and joined up. He ended up going to Iraq but witnessed horror and had none of it. He was told the iraqi people would greet him as a liberator and that it would be in and out, depose saddam, then out. What he saw was not that. He saw the bombing of villages full of civilians, torture of prisoners, and even child soldiers. Thankfully he never shot his gun once, and was discharged for the trauma he saw just by witnessing the war. He’s gotten treatment for it, and is better, but this video is very insightful. Thank you.

[@samuelroselli138]

And Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

[@williamfrazier4797]

I’m a very lucky 76 year old man. By the time I graduated high school in 1964 I had been groomed by Civil Air Patrol and was ready to enlist. Instead I went on a 2 year learning trip while resulting in emigration to Canada.

[@DontMockMySmock]

"working retail. . . you have almost no chance of committing a war crime (unless you work at Hobby Lobby)" dark lmao

[@Stinger522]

What does Hobby Lobby do that could be considered a war crime?

[@TheGamingVillas]

It physically hurts me when I'm pressured to say "thank you for your service". I will never willingly say that.

[@user-mh4wl1zc9i]

Most vets hate it anyway

[@joshuamaille7989]

​@@user-mh4wl1zc9i most awkward feeling to me sometimes is the "thank you for your service" statement. In my head I'm going "Bro, I'm in this for the pension, TSP, and free American Express Platinum and Gold cards".

[@The7thSid]

9 year veteran of the Marine Corps here - please don't say it, and don't ever feeled compelled to do so. I guess it's a nice gesture /if/ it's sincere to begin with, but it only really makes most of us uncomfortable. Best response if it comes up is to try and have a human conversation about it like you would anyone else about their job. Only difference we probably have much stronger feelings about it.

[@guyfauks2576]

imperialists

[@railfanlynx]

I literally said that to a dude who served in the navy and the next day he gave me a tour of his house with a lot of toy cars🙂

[@FearlessSon]

If you're AMAB in the U.S., you are going to be *aggressively* courted by recruiters from your late teens to your early twenties. Sometimes it's a table they set up and staff at a public school, sometimes it's someone who calls you at home and asks if you'd like to come over to their place and "discuss possibilities" for a military career (they often employ young women in this role on the assumption that hormones will compel interest.) It honestly feels kind of predatory... because *it is* exactly that.

[@Anonymous-bi5pv]

grooming

[@codysullivan2531]

I grew up and lived in the Deep South the number of military recruiters that pray on the kids as far back as middle school is unreal. My sister fell for the lies. Unfortunately, I nearly did to.

[@jinxshadow5218]

When I first got into Judo, that made me want to become a cop. And only a few months ago, Modern Warfare 2, if only briefly, made me consider joining the military. And I was always a left-green anti-authoritarian. But I'm still not immune to propaganda.

[@TheOnegUy80]

It doesn't help that martial arts/fitness spaces are so often weirdly right wing.

[@awesomecocoapuff99]

As a 20 year old whose dad keeps pressuring to join the military, I thank you for this video 👍.

[@WarElephantTactical]

DONT, as a fellow 20 year old who enlisted at 18 don’t fucking do it

[@sekaijin8193]

My stepdad pressured me too when I was 20... I did not. I'm 30 now and I still got to travel cause I came to Japan to teach English instead lol

[@gracefulwave3]

My dad was in for a few years and got out as an E-4. He served in Desert Storm and made a couple books on the missions which really motivated me to join to which I have been back and forth with recruiters and I don't know why but something in the back of my brain always says don't do it but at the same time I would really like to as well and he's very adamant on me joining :/ I also feel really bad that I would just be wasting my recruiters time. Any advice?

[@amonkeys505]

I was an electrician on an aircraft carrier. A few months after I deployed, I came across a news article detailing an incident where jets from my ship bombed a school. 50+ civilians murdered, including children. Evem though I didnt drop those bombs myself, I'm complicit in a war crime, and I'll never forgive myself for it.

[@craighutchinson1087]

One thing that all people need to learn is to forgive your self. Life passes by quickly. there is not an alternative path back into the pass to correct errors made. Learn to let the past go. After making a mistake makes solid choices moving forward. Yet understand that making mistakes is a part of the journey. God bless. You were not complicit in war crimes any more than I was as a military policemen. One of the guys in my company saw a West Point cadet's car in a parking lot - it was same car as his with new tires. He jacked the car up .....took the cadet's tires off and replaced his old tires with the new tires. Was I responsible for his criminal actions because I served in the same company?..... even though I wasn't an active participant nor had any knowledge of the crime? Obviously no I was not a participant. It may seem a bad example but it's the same .. you did your job served your country with honor. I wouldn't join the military knowing what I know today but good men women have and will serve in the military - men.. women who will get out and have the knowledge that they served their county with honor

[@jagenau6334]

Were all taxpayers. We're all complicit to some extent.

[@Jynx1927]

bro it wasn't your fault

[@Juscz]

My father was an electrician on CV X (Yorktown II) during WW II. While I am thankful for his service as well as that of all other Allied veterans in bringing this world war to a favorable conclusion, I also note that he never recommended the military as a career for my brother or me. Thank you for your comment as it reaffirms my father's perspective on joining the military.

[@cooldrop02]

This is some of the best advice anybody has ever posted to the internet. When I was in high school, during the peak of war in Iraq, I was heavily sought out after by the recruitment officers in school. I was looking to go to the military because I came from a poor background and I wanted money to go to school. They offered me sandwiches and Hardee's and rallies and whatever to push me to sign a contract. Thankfully, I work that the Kmart nearby, and it was frequented by Vietnam war veterans. Veterans. More specifically, African American Vietnam war veterans. And none of them suggested I enlist to go to this war. War. Not one of them said it was a good idea. And every last one of them pushed me into gaining my higher education. After I graduated from NSU, I found a program that allowed me to teach abroad. I traveled thanks to these programs. I saw the world thanks to the friends I met through these programs.

[@thatdudeoverthere2188]

"I am your father; don't join the military!" Okay, thanks Dad!

[@jonatanbergkvist9796]

"Military appreciation day" in schools sounds like something that belongs in a military dictatorship.

[@ΒασίληςΒλάχος-τ3κ]

You implying the US isn't a military dictatorship?

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

You should have been at the Vererans Day celebration at a elementary school I was working at

[@EmilyKresl]

Lol I totally pictured military appreciation day in south Park style where all you hear is manly grunts and hub bub bub bubbing

[@pretzelstick320]

I think that’s fine.

[@RD-kq3ml]

Effective dictatorships often make their citizens believe that they are free.

[@echo2649]

So I'm old now but back when I finished high school, after being through JROTC I was planning to join the military. My father, a Vietnam veteran, was adamantly against it. He did everything he could to convince me not to join, citing his own experiences and he wasn't too happy when he saw recruiters show up at my door to talk to me. Well, despite some teenager back talk I did to him he convinced me not to join and as I got older and saw everything happening with things like 9/11 and how the US handled that and such I was really glad I listened to him. Sure I did rack up student debt for college but I didn't have to go through any of that and he was really happy that I listened to him. He's no longer living but I still thank him every day for managing to talk me out of what I would consider a regretful decision today.

[@srwapo]

I thought about joining the military to pay for college for about an hour when I first started. Two years before 9/11. SUPER glad I didn't.

[@BlackTestament]

dodged that bullet like neo from the matrix lmao

[@AvatarYoda]

I got a call from a military recruiter waaaaay back in school. My mother happened to be in the same room, realized after a few of my answers what was going on, grabbed the phone, said, "Not interested" and hung up. Never got a call again.

[@LilayM]

"In fact, I AM your father." Well, daym. That's a plot twist I haven't seen in some years XD

[@belcavendishny]

that's a contrivance i've not heard in a long time,,

[@zainmudassir2964]

He's my internet father

[@YTDeepshock]

I figured he'd lean right into the way that his voice sounds like he's talking down to people even if he really isn't talking down to people. This is a good way of doing it.

[@freddogrosso9835]

I had my suspicions...

[@EmilyKresl]

The fact that I snapped to and listened with every pore of my body while feeling safe and a little frightened but loved after he said that only proves he is my father. 😂 Good to have you back Dad. Now teach me shit mom couldn't cover cuz she was too busy raising kids without any financial or moral support during the welfare back to work phase of the 90's and I was running around watching Woodstock footage and playing acoustic guitars with my lesbian hippie friend in her grateful dead shirt for my weird friends.

[@Cassedy3]

Imagine how much tangible good could be done with USA military budget channeled instead into education. Green energy. Affordable housing. Hecking NASA.

[@kdixson00]

This hit home. I joined active duty army for college money and a signing bonus. It didnt go well. I did not get college money and had to pay my bonus back. The irs took my tax return for 7 years till it was payed back. I get no benefits.

[@kdixson00]

For the injuries part. This is so true. You forgot to mention the military ruins EVERYONES back!

[@juggaloclownpreacher]

When I went to join the military I had the pleasure of having a family member who is already a veteran and they help me weed out all the BS. Not to mention that the recruiter acts differently when he has a recruit who has veteran with them.

[@Mt.Dwezzy]

The last couple minutes hit me hard because growing up in a military family 18yo me could've really used that advice because the fear of disappointing them crippled my growth as a person.

[@polyglottenforpain]

As someone who fell for it way back when. All of this and more. Your signing bonus won't be fully paid out until you're at least half way through your active term. The skills you will gain, even in the best jobs, will likely not help you as much as the mental trauma will hinder you in life later on. My guess is, if you're watching this, much less reading comments, you don't need convincing. Hopefully you can convince someone you know who's considering joining to take that job at jiffy lube without 8 years of soul and body crushing servitude.

[@romeoalpha68]

As a Veteran who has Major health issues due to my time in the Army I agree with this . My biggest fear is that one of my children join . So far they've listened to my advice . I've had 21 surgeries on my spinal cord and brain stem . Tumors " magically " have grown inside the Nerve Sheath in my spine .They have also grown in my brain stem . Supposedly because I was " exposed " to something that caused my genetics to change . I'm not alone . Look up " Gulf War Syndrome " and other lovely new health issues facing service members . There are some underhanded things going on . My medical board had to be held in a special counsel , behind closed doors , and my Neurosurgeons from Walter Reed had to go with me . They had to explain that my " Illness " was not a naturally occurring issue . Jesus Christ don't join .

[@romeoalpha68]

Basically I was there to defend the Corporate Establishment. I was told " now that you're Injured and ill you're no better than a broken down jeep " .... So now the same Bean Counters and Politicians who said that tell me " thank you for your service ". It's all lip service .

[@COrraThereal0ne]

That sounds awful

[@greatbooksformen]

Gulf War Syndrome is linked with the series of anthrax vaccines that they gave to service members.

[@catb2716]

I always thought it was strange how my entire class was forced to take the ASVAB junior year of high school. I know a few of my classmates tried to get out of it and were scolded by our class sponsor and forced to take it anyway.

[@steringp1434]

What could the "class sponsor" do if a student refused? Did any students actually refuse to take it? What could the punishment be, suspension for a day or two. Were any of the students smart enough to deliberately get every single question wrong on the test?

[@TheCastedone]

Was yall parents made aware?

[@TheDan14]

i'm a highschool teacher who always tells my kids not to join i talk to them about the value of human life, how the us milatary is poor, black and brown people killing each other so rich people can get richer, and how their brains aren't formed until around age 25, so at least get a regular job and wait until then this is a very popular sentiment among my students but there's a kid every other year who still signs up

[@geraldfishers807]

Recruiters go room to room roasting certain recruits. Don't they do that at your school? They did that at mine. Ironically, it made students hate the recruiters.

[@brendanlattin3423]

This was very cathartic for me to watch. I came so close to joining up when I was about 19; had the pen in my hand and the paper in front of me. Something felt off about it, though ... so I told the recruiter I needed some time. After getting a better picture of the situation, I decided against it. I have family members who've served. Some of them have made some pretty awful comments to me about my "masculinity" or something like that, because I wasn't man enough to do my duty. I have honestly always been a bit bothered by it. There's a part of me that feels like they might be right, that I was a coward. But, as I got older, I started to actually read books on history and other related topics. I became a social worker for a number of years and met so, so many vets that were just completely broken by their military experiences. Over the years it became pretty clear that the decision I'd made was right on, but it took a long time. I always felt like I hadn't done "my duty" or something like that. It's hard to explain.

[@philg7528]

It is not your duty to serve an avaricious, deceitful and dishonorable government. A man of integrity stands up for what is right. A needy man submits to peer pressure. You made the right choice.

[@emilianohermosilla3996]

I’m basically in the same path, I’m 19 and I really wanted to join for the classic reasons but after seeing that the US military has shown itself to not be a caring or even honorable at all after they “used” your body for it’s own interests why would I care about a system that doesn’t give a shit about me, it’s not like they’ll help me get back on my feet after it’s all done…

[@bbiggs]

Coward, no you stood up to all pressure possible and made your own choice. That’s honorable and showcases free will.

[@blahblahghost]

I almost joined up when "Iraqi Freedom" was in full swing. I had just turned 18 and was hard core propagandized by liberal warhawks. My family were all democrats, and therefor *still* support the MIC and the concept of American hegemony. Except my Uncle who did two tours in Vietnam. He sat me down one day and gave me a short talking to that stuck with me to this day. He said, "your dad says you wanna go fight. Don't. You'll be forced to kill women and kids and if you refuse, they'll beat the shit outta you or kill ya if they think you'll make too big a stink of it. Stay home. Do something better." Changed my life to have someone who *actually* served in the military be so blunt.

[@brennenderopa]

Not from the US, but I lately thought about "defending my country" due to current politics. I came to the conclusion, that I do not care enough. I own nothing, no land, no house and I do not have a fortune. If anyone has to take up arms, maybe my landlord should do his part.

[@limitess9539]

My family has a history of getting forcefully mobilized like this. We got nothing for serving countries like Serbia and Ukraine in this fashion, only death and health/mental problems. We're done being cannon fodder and meat for the politians, we had enough. I refuse to ever fight, and would do my utmost to avoid any war and service.

[@limitess9539]

Wait, you're from Germany? What do you man by current politics? If you are from Germany, that's one of the countries where I want to go to and live there, so I'm surprised to hear about all this. Germany is a NATO member and some NATO members have nukes (U.S.) so there's no way anyone in their right mind would attack Germany...

[@ghastlyghandi4301]

In high school me and my friends made a reservation that if we all can’t go ahead and get our dream jobs then we’d all sign up into the military as a last resort job option for the rest of our lives. 9 years later and turns out all but 2 (me and another guy who I don’t speak to) have joined the military and 2 of them had been severely injured in some way in service, both of them have been wounded in a way so they can’t function normally again.

[@mindseyemusicreview]

I broke up with my fiance in 2010 and joined the army reserves. I thought it would be the most grueling, tough experience I needed to make me a man and get over my relationship. It was the biggest fail session ever. The hardest part was the general dog and pony show, hurry up and wait mentality, and just wanting to go home as I felt what I was doing was no value to anyone

[@billmozart7288]

"I never joined the military because at ease never seemed easy to me. I am eased, bro, for I am not in the military" - Mitch Hedberg

[@higherdimensions8886]

I hope no one joins militaries in the future and the world elite has no one left to play games of chess with people's lives anymore.

[@churchowl3052]

Support your local militia

[@Hyfurwolf3341]

lol no

[@Schmopit]

@@churchowl3052 most of them are nazis, so no.

[@artawhirler]

"The best part of being old enough to join the military is being old enough to decide NOT to join the military."

[@Sir_Pinki]

I know this will be a long comment but I can't help but share my thoughts and story: I grew up in Catholic Schools in Mississippi my whole life until I went to college and was told every typical thing about Jesus: That he loved the poor, the lame, crippled, marginalized, etc, and (most relevant to the video topic) to "return the sword to its scabbard because those who live by the sword shall die by the sword." I was pretty devout at the time and aware of its messaging so I took the faith and its meaning seriously. At home, I was exposed to the standard U.S. Military commericals, constant brainwashing Fox News segments from my parents, and even had recruiters come to my Catholic High school trying to get us to sign up. Then in 2012, after years of bullying/abuse, playing violent video games/listening to music to cope, having not so good grades, brainwashing about Muslims and how some teachers told me that they wanted to kill us Christians because its in their book, and an overall self hatred feeling of being different because I was the black sheep of my family and of my community, I nearly joined the USMC because I believed that I needed to be a man and prove my worth to society and I felt like I had no future. I remember waiting at the local USMC recruiters office at like 8 in the morning around my senior year of high school. The recruiter called a few times before to schedule a talk but I remember getting to the office before 8am and I basically bailed last minute. I felt like somehow - for reasons that I couldn't explain - that I shouldn't have to do this and I was right. Immediately after high school I found the one thing that would thankfully subsitute this call for purpose and meaning: Judo. So I could practice martial arts, feel confident, get excersise, and find purpose through the art etc. Then a few months after that, I discovered Zen meditation and buddhism. I realized in these meditation sessions that I was fine where I was and that I didn't have to join the military to prove my worth to anyone/anything or satisfy some primal urge I had to be strong, etc and that in fact I had found other things that gave me value and meaning more then joining the military. I now have a loving GF which I wouldnt have met if I had signed up in the service. I have a career as a programmer, streamer on Twitch and I am also a guitar player writing songs. Overall I live a pretty peaceful life as best I can and it all happened because I had enough self awareness such that I never signed that dotted line.

[@CatFish107]

Number one thing I learned through being exposed to the military in my youth through the Canadian cadet program was to not sign up. Every single serving member I spoke with, except for the one time I met an admiral told me to not join. Especially US service personnel. Very grateful for the sound advice.

[@InuMiroLover]

Dont forget that these military recruiters have an odd little tendency to target kids that are coming from low income households and attend poorly funded schools, not so much the schools that are wealthier districts. 3 guesses why that happens. Also the new intro is banging. I wasnt prepared for that beat to drop

[@moneyoh3]

It’s a way out that’s a good idea for SOME of us. My parents were dirt poor and I could’ve either stayed a piece of trailer trash or get out of it. I guess I’m lucky I was able to really enjoy the discipline of the Marines. For some, joining any branch the military is probably the best decision they’ll ever make, but I know countless buddies of mine that completely lost their minds overseas.

[@IwhowasdatXD960]

@@moneyoh3 I guess thats just how life is,there is the good and bad in everything. Although in this case it seems more bad.

[@ieattofu68]

I was a foster child that was about to "age out" of the system and had nowhere to go....the easiest target ever for recruiters...

[@Bigmtj10678]

@@moneyoh3im gonna need the way out

[@JesusAguilar-yr4wp]

This video is 100% accurate. I was in the army as a medic, and I'm very fortunate to have walked away relatively injury free. I have a couple friends that have committed suicide and a bunch more that have died on the job training or in combat. Not worth it. Especially for how much they pay. Great video! Don't join, shithead! Learn how to weld or drive a truck instead. Join boxing or muay thai to fulfill that masculine void if that's what you need

[@toastedcrack8105]

Good points

[@michal4593]

I'm really glad I went to welding school instead of the army when I finished community college. I'm not even finished with welding school and I'm already making 20/hr building boats and it's badass. I'm having a lot of fun, but I still want an adventure, and part of me wants to go Coast Guard, but I don't want to drink the Kool-Aid and get myself stuck in a 4 year shit show. Finishing welding school no matter what, but it seems really nice to not have to pay rent for 4 years.

[@ordainedhydra3628]

My maternal grandfather served during the Koran War, never saw combat, and heavily encouraged us to join the military because he enjoyed his time. He was on an aircraft carrier as a machinist, and he would make big ass fish hooks that they would use to catch and cook sharks. My other grandfather spoke very differently. My paternal grandfather served in WW2 in the Pacific, was boots on the ground, and I don't think his mind ever left the war. Papa was a always very quiet, dark, personality not skin tone, and stoic man with a thousand-yard stare. He always railed against the military, and was very adamant that none of his children and grandchildren ever join any branch of the armed forces.