I've never been in the military (unless you count ROTC, which I don't), but I've been on project fires which are not terribly unlike military operations except that the enemy does not shoot at you. Sometimes it does try to kill you, but your orders NEVER say that you should risk your life to defeat it.
Based on my experiences on project fires, which were infrequent and minor in comparison to those of many folks that I know, fire fighting is dirty, exhausting, sometimes dangerous work. In only a few 18 hour days, one becomes stressed and exhausted. You have to work closely with a lot of people that you don't know and probably don't like. Egos and tempers flare, yet you press on.
From my meager experience, I must conclude that military combat can only be several orders of magnitude worse than fire fighting. If I were in the military, enduring what you guys endure every day, I would not be in any mood to take any shit from the likes of Burger King and gutless proteges of Michael Moore either.
My hat is off to you, sir. |
