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Mr. Luddite[_4_]

On 3/25/2018 12:26 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/25/2018 11:31 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/25/18 10:12 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/25/2018 9:56 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/25/2018 9:17 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/25/18 8:00 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/24/2018 10:01 PM, wrote:
On 24 Mar 2018 21:26:43 GMT, Keyser Soze wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Mar 2018 13:29:53 -0400, Keyser Soze
wrote:

On 3/24/18 1:21 PM, wrote:

BTW the army did draft people in your position, if they had
critical
skills. My buddy was drafted within months after graduating
because
they wanted computer guys ... and he was married with a kid.
Evidently they had all of the liberal arts people they needed.

Right, because what use would the military have for someone with
language skills in Russian and German, and knowledge of group
dynamics
(sociology), and skills to teach English to nincompoops. I'm
happy
the
military had no use for me.

Evidently not. If they really thought you had something they
needed
they would have drafted you. They certainly had no need for a
liberal
arts style of group dynamics and the only thing they wanted to
say in
Russian is "You better stay in Russia or we will **** you up".

Oh...you think draft boards thought beyond filling a quota.
Thatâ€™s a
laugh.
A member of a KC draft board who worked at the paper told me all
they were
looking for were young men who could pass the preinduction
physical
with
reasonable health. Once they met their quota, they stopped
looking.
Period.
Perhaps the standards were a hair higher for enlisted. Perhaps.

If you had a skill they wanted, they came after you. He was never
going to be cannon fodder ... unless the russians came through the
Fulda Gap. They trained him up on army computer systems and sent
him
to Germany, pretty much straight out of boot camp.

My recollection of those days differ from what you and Harry are
saying.

Maybe it's because I was eligible in 1968 which was the peak of the
draft period in the Vietnam war.

I don't think the draft boards paid any attention or had any
information as to what your "skills" or education level were until
*after* you received your induction notice.Â* *That* is when you took
tests and they considered your background or school status.

I know of several people who were in college at the time yet still
received a notice to report for the induction exam.Â* All they did
was
reply to the draft board that they were currently attending
school and
they were given a deferment although at one point if your grade
point
average was below a certain level they could still grab you.

My recollection is the same as yours...as I stated...draft boards had
quotas to fill, and they had no knowledge of skillsets of the men
from
which they were making their choices. As for enlistees, the guys I
remember who said they were going to sign up typically had the lowest
GPAs and were not planning to attend college. They joined the
military
to learn skills that might translate into decent jobs. And
attending a
public college or university was really inexpensive in those days. We
have two in New Haven back then...New Haven College and Southern
Connecticut State...where a full academic load could be purchased for
few hundred dollars a semester, and classes were offered during
the day
and at night.

I attended college for a while following high school however I was
young, restless and frankly tired of school, especially of the stupid
"liberal arts" courses we all took.Â* So, I dropped out, much to my
parent's dismay and got a job at Boston Whaler.

My parents ... particularly my father ... was starting to put the
pressure on regarding my future and, without their knowledge, I met
with
a Navy recruiter a couple of times to explore that option.Â* I didn't
join however until one day I received a "Greetings" letter from the
draft board.Â* I immediately contacted the Navy recruiter who told
me to
ignore it and come on in to sign up for my "adventure".

For me, it was not a bad choice.Â* As I often tell people I feel I got
more out of the experience than I gave. It allowed me to mature a bit,
decide what I really wanted to do and the Navy assisted and paid for
much of what I had to do to accomplish it.Â*Â* :-)

Whatever works. Iâ€™m sure I would have been a terrible soldier, as I
would
have had no patience for military style regimentation. After I
finished my
course requirements for English and Sociology majors, I filled out
my last
semester with two classes in journalism school because the hot
redhead I
was dating was a journalism major and thanks to a buddy, I had
access to
the photo darkroom. No discipline!Â*

Learning to accept discipline is part of maturing IMO.Â* The military
teaches it in odd ways but for a young, restless and often obstinate
19 year old it's a lesson that serves well later in life.Â* Not all
endeavors, even running a business, always works out to your way of
thinking and the ability to accept it and move on is an important skill.

Consider the attitudes of young people today.Â* I don't blame them but
they are not subject to the same level of discipline, parental or
otherwise, in today's culture.

Oh, I had no problems accepting the discipline required to get through
college...tons of reading, dozens of long papers, research, et cetera.

Sorry Harry but I just don't buy it.Â* Your in-ability to accept what you
don't agree with or like is demonstrated daily in your posts here and
you are, what(?) in your 70's?

If you haven't learned by now, you never will.

BTW ... It's a little amusing to me that you think doing the studying
and research required to earn a degree is a demonstration of
"discipline". Maybe, but they are the basics that anyone with the
desire and motivation can accomplish. Believe me, if I could do it just
about anyone can. Millions do.

The discipline required in the military is very different and is more of
a preparation for dealing with non-academic issues both while serving
and later in that you would likely just choose to avoid.