John Howard and the Gap Year

Gap year people have two choices. Thay can see the sites, sleep with exotic people, open their minds, and work in a foreign country, or they could join the ADF and be one step closer to getting sent to the disaster in Iraq.
But do our pollie's kids sign on for "the great opportunity" that is the ADF? Not bloody likely. They are chickenhawks just like their parents.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Iraq
• Howard
• gap
• year

[freedrhaneef]

Short term job

[kodaknige]

You make me sick! You r stuffed up.

hundreds of thousands of men and women have lost their live to protect our soil. and this is how you thank them? I hope u dont plan to make much of urself with a video like that around.

[grantyaus]

Worst Propaganda ever.

[Razer2036]

you're so retarted. It's the best, and how do you think we can protect and defend our nation if fuckheads like you always go on about how fucked it is and how dangerous it is. Have some respect for service people please!

[schmmity13]

This video is a fucking joke! I was in the last RAAF Gap year in 2010. It was the best experience of my life, and Im a better person from the training and experiences i got in it!

Your not even worthy to lick the boots of our serving men and women

[Nillani91]

shut your face asshole, the ADF gap year was the best thing I've ever done. If more kids did that when they finished school, this world would be a better place.

[ChoofMonster]

I have nothing against the Australian military, or people signing up in times of conflict. The ADF is better at weeding out unsuitable candidates than the US military, but part of Howard's agenda was closer ties to the US on all levels (he did fix the economy).

Since WWII, America has been involved in conflicts (both directly and by proxy) which were ultimately unnecessary (Korea, ietnam, Cambodia etc); this did not end with the Cold War.

[ChoofMonster]

For those who do sign up for four years, there is the incentive of a fully-paid tertiary education. A one-year trial is a good idea for those who are unsure, but this opportunity already existed when Howard made the suggestion.

[ChoofMonster]

With coercion to join, there will be few calculated risk-takers (mostly those who intended to serve anyway). Howard was not looking for career military people, this would have been an easy way to improve social security figures.

The US is recruiting ex-criminals, foreign nationals and people with known psychiatric disorders into its army just to make up numbers; we don't need that here.

[ChoofMonster]

I didn't say that Corby was innocent (not that I have any faith whatsoever in the Indonesian "justice" system).

We already have a well-trained, well-paid, world-class defense force which could potentially be watered down if it recruits people who are in it for the thrill or the money (or lack of decent employment opportunities).