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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Mindless drones

   




     They join to fight for freedom. In the end, freedom is what they sacrifice. Indeed, their very freedoms they wish to share with others are the very first things demanded of them. Honor, integrity, selfless service- values espoused and preached from day one, yet actions speak so much louder than words. What is sought are men who are malleable, easy to mold. Men who have formed opinions and who have a firm set of morals to which they fall back-for it is said that once you have principles, most every decision you'll make is already made for you-these men never survive in this environment.

     Men who are blind, men who are young at heart, who have yet to awaken the inner warrior and stand up against the outright tyranny and enslavement around them- these men are prized above all else. To the men who welcome the outward influences, who are easily controlled by intimidation and manipulation, to the men who cannot go to work each day as their own person, but who feel they must adopt the personality that is projected by their leadership- these men will serve a great purpose as mindless drones, always under the guise of doing so for the "greater good, for the good of your country".

     My roommate, for example: brand new to the military, and was always served life on a golden platter. His family flew fighter jets for the Navy, and now flies to his rescue whenever he needs anything-a new car? A new phone? All his, without his even lifting a finger. "Honestly, man, I've never adulted before, so you'll have to kind of show me the ropes" is how we got our friendship started. What he truly needs is a swift kick of reality. He comes to the military at 21, with high hopes of following in his family's footsteps, down the promising path of military glory. Ranger school is his ticket to bigger and better things, or so they say. He so easily swallows the lies about training, reasons for reenlistment, and that the Army life can't get any better. Never once does he realize the fact that he is but a pawn in their hands: this unit only survives by sending men through Ranger school, doing so simply to mask the fact that it is breaking men left and right. The numbers of men and women in our battalion getting a medical retirement have attracted the attention of various generals from Division, as have the number of people getting kicked out for disciplinary reasons, not to mention the high numbers of suicide and drunken driving, psychiatric cases, and domestic abuse records.

     Some men have no concept of what is going on behind the scenes, and worship the men they follow. Others know, but worse than any other kind of person, they simply choose to do nothing. It's the age-old masculine weakness: we abdicate authority, and choose to do nothing in the face of adversity. In reality, it looks like this: men here know what kind of treachery and tyrannical leadership we have, and refuse to stand up. Refuse to say no, refuse to sacrifice their Army careers for a higher and nobler purpose. They wish for the ripples to calm down, for the boat to stop rocking.

     Many of us have little power as individuals- there is so little we can do, simply because of what is (or what isn't) sewn onto our uniforms as rank. As a group, as a collective, however, men who can indeed think for themselves, who can think critically and independently-we hold one another accountable, taking a daily stand against the evil of encroaching leadership. We cherish our freedoms, the very freedoms that caused us to join in the first place. Now, we leave the military in disgust, because the very freedoms we love so dearly are trampled on with disdain and a haughty attitude from our leadership. This Army is not worthy of men like them, men who do not need the Army. Indeed, the Army needs them to survive this era of self-serving, political correctness. The Army has forgotten why it even exists, and men who have a strong internal moral compass are just the type to save it, but in a twisted sort of way, these are the very men the Army is so afraid of.