h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I joined up because they had loads of pics in the recruiting office showing ski-ing trips, parachuting, big missiles going "whoosh", sun-kissed beaches, and beautiful WRENs in bikinis.

Bugger.

"big missiles going "whoosh" [...] beautiful WRENs in bikinis"

I joined the Navy because it was raining!


Seriously!

I think in my experience there are almost as many reasons for joining as there are people who join. From a romanticised view of the military, delusions of machismo, family/school tradition (sandhurst was one of the few acceptable alternatives to OxBridge glamour at my school), careerist establishment types, a good way of earning a decent living esp. with little in the way of marketable skills through to being unofficially told by the police that it was sign up or the magistrate is going to throw the book at you this time (1 person, and he said it worked wonders, never been happier, best thing ever happened to him).

I can't say I ever heard one of them say they were joining up to defend democracy and the freedom of their fellow citizens. Then again, you don't get to see that sort of opinion expressed much in England to my experience, it generally gets a 'come off it, mate' response and allusions to taking oneself a bit too seriously.

Of course, that is only the sample I've encountered.

To say that all forces personnel are automatically possessed of 'guts' and 'integrity' is just as ludicrous as saying they're all thugs. Generalisations are neither big nor clever. Even supposedly positive ones.

"Generalisations are neither big nor clever"

Wot, none of them?

(sorry, couldn't resist)

along a similar-ish line from the pov of an enlisted USA soldier:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/assassin/2012/02/02/support-our-troops-unless/

I joined the Army because at the recruiting office the guy was busy and the Navy didn't let women on ships back then

But I wanted to join up to do what I did because I believed it was our best chance of preventing WWIII (not sure we've really succeeded there). And I look good in a hat.

I don't think you have to respect the person wearing the uniform, that seems daft, although I don't think it's daft to have respect for what the uniform itself stands for.

But I always give money to military charities and so on because I do think the support they get from the government is woefully inadequate. Insulting, really.

"I think in my experience there are almost as many reasons for joining as there are people who join. From a romanticised view of the military, delusions of machismo, family/school tradition (sandhurst was one of the few acceptable alternatives to OxBridge glamour at my school), careerist establishment types, a good way of earning a decent living esp. with little in the way of marketable skills...." [Ictoan]

That last one seems very important in my country [the U.S.]. The military trains people and gives them skills that can later be valuable in getting jobs elsewhere. Sometimes it takes people who show promise and pays for their college educations. Mt brother-in-law had his four years at Yale University paid for by the Navy. The deal was that then he owed them fives years of service in the Navy, along with steady promotions in rank.

In this economy, the military looks like a good alternative to unemployment to people who would otherwise not be tempted. Have you seen the current film "A Joyful Noise"? One of the characters has re-enlisted because he couldn't support his family otherwise.

I'm sure more people would join up in the UK if we had something like the GI bill.