The military provides an life insurance policy on individuals that are activated for active duty in a combat deployment. One of the last things you do is sign the document along with naming the beneficiary.
In an era when the entire military is volunteer, the reality of active duty combat is raised immediately upon talking to the recruiter. This even happens when you enlist in a reserve unit. You go into it with full knowledge that you may not come back. 16:31 is correct, you need to prepare yourself and your family for all eventualities.
There are regimental associations - usually made up of families and friends of the members of the regiments - that do rally around the families of lost members. The military is still very closed to non-military agencies and this is how they deal with it.
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 1 December 2015 at 09:31
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I believe we may take this response as accurate, up to date and from an informed source.
When he was a boy, my late husband Cyril had a talent and a passion for music, specifically percussion. He had an opportunity to attend Nether Hall , a military institution for teaching band music.
His father would not hear tell of it.
He was in the army during the First World War. Between wars,the military did not enjoy high status.
It may have had something to do with rape and plunder and press gangs and all that accompanies war.
Military Brass were not known for high intellectual function.
Or it may have had something to do with training intended to wipe out individuality and turn a soldier Into an automatum.
Having no personal experience, I have no idea.
All I know is from books and movies and TV serials like M.A.S.H. and the attitude of men like my father-in-law ,who did have experience during a war though I'm not sure he ever actually had experience in battle.
But I must say the ones I noticed who revel most in the military experience do tend to be the ones who never actually went to war.
Like those who believe displaying a fiendish weapon of death and destruction at the War Memorial
for the Fallen is a noble concept.
Just the thing to remind grieving family members precisely how their loved ones died while they contemplate the loss.
Thanks, Evelyn. That answers the question. I think we can safely ignore outside outfits pretending to represent servicemen
ReplyDeleteand women. I did not believe that they would have farmed their fund raising out to another group.
Whenever I hear a politician going on in a manner that is aggressive without content, I do look to see if
ReplyDeletethere is any military experience behind the rhetoric, The Bush/Cheney/ Rumsfield trio caused enormous
damage that is ongoing even today imo.