The Military Is Not For Everyone
Ashley De SmetEssay 4Sec. 06November 5, 2007 Augment/persuasion
The Military is not for everyone
I chose to interview my father Tim De Smet, because I was curious to know why he made the decision not to join the military. My dad said that he did sign up for selective service; it was a requirement by law for every 18 year old at his age. Back then there wasn’t any major conflicts in the world at that time like there is today, where many soldiers are needed.
Nobody in my father’s family was in the military, often times the reason why people joined the military was if their parents, grandparents, brothers, or relatives were in it; which gave them a good reason to join. None of my dad’s friends were in the military when he was 18 so that was never an influence on him. My dad also had some big plans for his future, he went on playing college hockey, and the military didn’t offer that at the time. He also had planned to follow into his father’s footsteps to start the family business right out of college, which was owning his own Insurance Agency.
My dad said that his parents weren’t holding him back from joining, it was his personal choice. A lot of parents today don’t let their kids join the military because of many issues, such as losing limbs, your mind, and most of all their life. He said that his parents would have supported him with any decisions that he made, whether it was joining the military or not. My dad never really had an interest in joining the military. A lot of people when he was 18 didn’t have the incentives as they do today, such as signing bonuses, college reimbursements etc. A lot of people just went for the experience or getting their college paid for, but some did make a career out of it as well. There are many personal views/reasons why my dad didn’t join the military. He said that “Joining the military may mean that one could be put into a position where they would have to kill or even be killed.” There is never a guarantee that one will always be in a non-combat role. Someone may feel responsible for the civilians they do kill. There are many pros and cons when it comes to the military, but my dad shared his reasons why joining just wasn’t for him. He said joining might not only have an affect on the person in the military, but the family as well. My dad said he knew that he wanted to start a family, and often times if someone is in the military it can be very devastating for the children being away from their father or even their mother for months at a time. Knowing that the possibility did exist (going to war) he couldn’t do that to his family. My father doesn’t have anything against the military, but he said “For someone who doesn’t know exactly what direction they want to go in, it could be great experience for a lot of people.” The military can teach respect, discipline, organization skills, and even what you key to succeed in life is.