One of the strangest things I noticed about the military was how much emphasis was put on being one unified group.
Superficially it makes sense that you would want people to cooperate together and feel as though they were working towards the same goals.
The problem is that it's redundant and shows some kind of profound misunderstanding for how surrender actually works.
Redundant because only the most patriotic people will show up at the recruiter with any reliability.
The misunderstanding is that surrender only occurs when people become primarily concerned with self preservation.
So the people who have never been in war and think that they just need to win every battle can't imagine any benefit to surrender. Especially when it's not their life on the line.
I'm just thinking about this because I'm considering reenlisting for the Marine corps and it's bugging me that all the veterans I have spoken to show me respect and say I shouldn't feel the need to reenlist and all of the civilians are saying I should.
Well except for the girls who would be sad they couldn't talk to me as much or are worried I'll die.
The biggest thing is just that it feels like surrender to say my entire military career was only 3 months long of bootcamp while the combat veterans, white recruits and other drill instructors were saying "that's exactly the guy we need".

I took an oath to defend the constitution from all threats foreign and domestic with my life and my rifle.
As far as I'm aware the greatest threat to the constitution has been congress but not any specific member of congress.
Other threats are the American people but no specific demographic bears any meaningful blame above any other.
Were I to actually uphold that oath I ought to punish every human alive for their feeling of entitlement to dictate ideal statecraft or failure to become American.
It would feel like surrender to reenlist and pretend as if I'm not contributing to the division.
That if I didn't reenlist I'd have the opportunity to rebuild the foundations of genuine unity rather than profess the importance of unity while undermining that very thing with my actions.

never forget 9/11

Cyberbob - go to this post

Dude, you flunked out of basic military training. This is the most elaborate larp I've ever seen. Stop pretending like you're anything more than a grown man living with his mom.

There's really nothing you could say. My family has a collective kill count in the thousands. The other recruits were literally terrified for their lives from me sitting for 30 minutes in prayer. The only criticism they had was that I was "satanic". Every time I spoke recruits questioned if this was their last day alive. A number of them asked if I was on their kill list.

Cyberbob - go to this post

This is just long-winded rambling and it genuinely looks like a stream of consciousness that doesn't connect together in any rational way. If this is supposed to be an essay then I would tell you to avoid drifting away from the subject, because on multiple occasions I forgot that this was supposed to relate to 9/11 and instead wondered WTF you're talking about.

I get the feelings you must have from not being able to make it through basic training, but believe me when I say that you lucked out and didn't end up wasting several years of your life in service of a country that doesn't actually care about you. Ask any veteran and they will tell you how the government has shoved them aside once they became no longer useful.

I made it though basic training. I got all the way through. I did so well the discipline drill instructor said I was the only recruit in the platoon he would trust to be lethal. I have asked the veterans and yeah that's the exact thing that I'm struggling with. I do feel like I managed to get the luckiest possible circumstance. I just don't know how else to contribute to society when I'm one of the few people who cares to change minds by fire and close combat.

It's about 9/11 because I really can't believe that despite clear and present threats there's still nothing I can actually do. Or more accurately the best thing I could do is nothing.

Cyberbob - go to this post

I edited my post because it came off as needlessly rude given that I don't actually know much about you as a person, but my point stands. "Literally terrified"? Hyperbole notwithstanding, don't you think the impression you gave off contributed to not making it through?

The elementary thing that terrifies a control freak is something they can't possibly influence.

I wish it was hyperbole, if it was I would still be in the Marine corps and have been able to live my life without knowing my existence alone terrifies people.
The problem is that there is literally nothing I can do about anything.
I have the ability to enforce some kind of law but no one is willing to use me to do that or able to write laws worth enforcing.
I just can't do what would allow me to make an honorable contribution to society because people are so prone to panic.

Like if I have no valid legislative leaders i must become the legislator and that just seems like such a bold position

The impression I gave off from what I could tell was just that I was a strong intelligent white man and everyone else was foreigners or niggers. Most of the people in the recruit separation platoon were white specifically because there are so few white people the barbarians that are now the majority are openly hostile. I'm not suicidal likely just because I managed to be too scary to become openly hostile around.

Mr Egg - go to this post

The US should become like Israel where every man that turns 18 must serve 3 years. It would toughen up these pussy ass little fortnite playing wannabe sigma alpha male boys.

I agree but I am cautious of age based laws, especially age based laws that are compulsory.
18-21 is frankly not a great age for military service.
The more practical thing is just making sure every boy understands that becoming a man is taking on the responsibility for creating peace.
When they fully realize this they will understand the importance of becoming wealthy and lethal long before they ever turn 18.