Did you serve in the armed forces of your country?

[tekla]

Capitulate well it means, exactly, to surrender under conditions, which as it turns out, are not all that hot.  Though, the Italians capitulated to the Allies advance, thus not risking what happened to Germany, where no building was left intact after the advance, be it from the West or from the East, they have yet to get a real government in power since that day.  So it goes.

However, the only decision that Italy made quicker than attacking Ethiopia, was to surrender to the Allies, hence, about the only good choice it made in about a 30 year period.  But, what it (Italy) did to Ethiopia was worthy of a hell a lot more Italians being hung for crimes against humanity then were actually put on the noose.

[imaz]

It's really beginning to piss me off all these slurs about Italians.

Try Wikipedia...

On 14 March, by the time the next assault on Keren commenced, Platt's force of about 13,000 men faced a re-inforced Italian defense of about 23,000 men. Once again, both sides fought with determination and both sides suffered heavy losses. It took until 27 March for Keren to fall.[48] In the account of the battle written in Eastern Epic, an official history of the British Indian Army in World War II, Compton Mackenzie wrote:

    Keren was as hard a soldiers' battle as was ever fought, and let it be said that nowhere in the war did the Germans fight more stubbornly than those [Italian] Savoia battalions, Alpini, Bersaglieri and Grenadiers. In the [first] five days' fight the Italians suffered nearly 5,000 casualties - 1,135 of them killed. Lorenzini, the gallant young Italian general, had his head blown off by one of the British guns. He had been a great leader of Eritrean troops[49]

    The unfortunate licence of wartime propaganda allowed the British Press to represent the Italians almost as comic warriors; but except for the German parachute division in Italy and the Japanese in Burma no enemy with whom the British and Indian troops were matched put up a finer fight than those Savoia battalions at Keren. Moreover, the Colonial troops, until they cracked at the very end, fought with valour and resolution, and their staunchness was a testimony to the excellence of the Italian administration and military training in Eritrea.

As for Italy never having had a real (your words again) government since 1945 much of that can be blamed on US and specifically CIA manipulation of the Italian political scene. Everything possible was done to prevent the "sorpasso" of the PCI under Berlinguer including infiltration of tthe SISDE and SISMI, the establishment of Operazione Gladio, the P2 Lodge, support for far-right terrorism NAR etc, infiltration and manipulation of the Brigate Rosse and Prima Linea. All summed up in the definition - La Strategia della Tensione.

That together with the million deaths caused by CIA involvement in 60's Indonesia really sticks in my throat as I have family in both countries AND was there at the time AND was a Communist.

I have nothing against the American people but your country has brought untold misery to millions around the world.

[cindybc]

Everyone was dumping ->-bleeped-<- on everyone's door step back then. It's a good "remember when" that shouldn't be repeated and we should all be learning a lesson from those errors and hang up the bayonets once and for all. These bayonets are unfortunate relics, reminders from a past civilisation of unrest and destruction.

The band-aid girl, Cindy

[Muddy]

Yes.
US Army
2002-present
Iraq 2007-2008

Still in.
*shh*

[Diane Elizabeth]

I spent twenty years in the Army.  Not too sure I would do it again.  Everyone thinks I am rich from my retirement pay.  It doesn't even cover the mortgage.  I do believe that everyone should at least do a few years in the military as a character builder.

[Muddy]

If you don't mind my asking, what MOS?

Myself, I began as a 94L Avionics Commo, but switched to the much more enjoyable 31B Military Police on 2005.

[Iblease_global]

As mentioned in other topics, many here here seemed to have served in their countries armed forces or reserves I was wondering just how mny there were?

Steph

I served in the army for 15 yrs,then i quited for the same reason being with you all here!

[Reese]

Currently trying very hard to get into the Naval Academy. But it's a battle, and prospects look dim. If not that, then ROTC. So I may soon. I want to serve my country, infamous though it may be, I have my reasons.

[Dani]

Yep, trying to be a real man, but those feeling never went away. Many of the Army guys who knew me, knew I was just not aggressive as a man shoulg be. I got picked on and was ostracised. I was investigated by CID for the possibility of homosexual tendencies.

I never had sex with a man. I just wanted to be a woman!

Dani

[Hannah]

I never had sex with a man.

I highly recommend it. 

Sorry, it's been a long time and it seems I'm getting boy crazy. Back on topic:

Although it's a slightly dusty discussion, something I noticed missing from this thread was the money aspect. Are the veterans here just not using the educational benefits? I'm working on a masters degree, and am funded up to my eyeballs with military and federal grants, and use student loans and such to pay for medical stuff. I occasionally get a job when I'm bored but not out of necessity. Someone a while back started hrt through the VA, however we haven't heard from her in a while so maybe that wasn't the greatest idea. Anyway that's a heck of a deal for four years of time when most of us weren't going to be doing much else anyway.

[Dianna]

I served in the Reserve of the Armed Forces in Aust well post-op.  It earned me extra income whilst I was working for a Government Department.

[FairyGirl]

it seems I'm getting boy crazy.

yeah, me too. Men in uniform... mmmmm

[Agent_J]

Are the veterans here just not using the educational benefits? I'm working on a masters degree, and am funded up to my eyeballs with military and federal grants

I'm actually surprised to hear that.  When the recruiters were pestering me when I was in high school they were trying to sell me on money for college with the stated amount being "up to $5,000."  At the time in question $5k wasn't going to cover much college.

[Hannah]

yeah, me too. Men in uniform... mmmmm

It's getting almost silly too. I was eyeballing the waiter at the pizza restaurant the other night and making up absurd fantasies in my head...I think I scared him but that red and black outfit was just mmmm.


No 5k wouldn't cover much college at all, just under 6 months worth here not counting books, lol. I don't know what to say about that, because the cap is closer to 60k. I'm not sure exactly how it breaks down, the 5k was probably from one of a few different sources. Anyway I don't mean to advocate for service, hardly, but just point out that it's not a total waste of time and you also learn things like bearing and discipline, which along with enough money can go a long way. There's always the college thing too, I just did it because I wasn't doing anything else really, and now four years in I kinda wish I'd gone to beauty school instead. If a traditional degree isn't what someone wanted i can see it not being worthwhile, because they'd never see the main benefit.

[Agent_J]

I can't speak to the source either; I just enjoyed how the recruiters seemed to think $5k a great benefit and couldn't understand why nobody bit.  The two colleges I attended (first a junior college then another after graduating from that) both cost well over that.

I decided the military wasn't for me for a few reasons.  The largest was probably that throughout my teens my father regularly insisted that how he treated me (strict and usually severe) was downright mild compared to what the Army was like.  In retrospect, he was probably wrong in several ways, most not worth going into here.

[Dianna]

I still owe thousands of $$ to the Aus Government in HECS fees.

HECS = Higher Education Contribution Scheme is what we have down here.

I still owe thousand of dollars from my Uni days. I took a B.S.Wk (4 year undergraduate)

[juanita s]

i was active duty air force, than i went army national guard, finished  up air force national guard(about 15yrs)

[wabbit2]

Wow! really surprised at that poll result; close to 50% served in the military!!

[rogue]

I served here in the UK and overseas, I spent 10 years in uniform, I'd rather not say in which service or when. What I will say it was a privelidge to serve, I had some incredible experiences, made some wonderful freindships, and I miss them dearly.

[Byren]

No, but I REALLY wanted to be a pilot in the Marines....sadly, medical reasons prevent me from joining any of the services.