Does Today's Military Reflect Society?

Colonel Eric Chase explains why he wishes the military had more citizen soldiers, and why the amount of enlistments from the country's top rated schools is "borderline shameful".

You can watch Colonel Chase in the full episode of BOOKD based around Laura Hillenbrand's bestseller, UNBROKEN: http://goo.gl/xqPYp

UNBROKEN is about an Olympic runner turned citizen soldier, Louis Zamperini, and his incredible feats of survival.

You want to weigh in on the conversation? Join the BOOKD forum on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/8...

Or visit the THNKR Tumblr page and download a BOOKD Club Guide for UNBROKEN: http://thnkrtv.tumblr.com/bookdclub

Colonel Chase served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 30 years. He now practices law in New Jersey and writes for the Marine Corps Gazette, where you can read his review of UNBROKEN: http://goo.gl/zxEQj

BOOKD is a series brought to you by THNKR that explores game-changing books through the insights and opinions of engaging personalities.

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The views expressed in this video only represent those of the participants. They do not necessarily represent the views or endorsement of @radical.media LLC or any other party involved in the production and distribution of THNKR.

• Category

  Education

[Victor Schmidt]

"Their share"? So killing others is you share of contribution to society?

[007MrYang]

What a dick! I'm in the military and if I had the money to go to school I wouldn't have joined.

[Cameron Mann]

In the words of Bill Hicks, BULLSHIIIIT!

[darnokish]

1. You have a good choice of job you want

2. Most jobs are support roles, not infantry, if someone tries to kill you just don't fire back.

3. Most people I know, when they go out of the FOB, are going into hospitals, etc and working with Afgans to improve them

4. People expect government help but want to give little to nothing.

5. Reinstate the draft and force everyone to be in the military or peace corps for 1-2 years to decrease dumb war and unite us (black, white, straight, gay...)

[imperialmen]

this guy sounds like he couldn't stand by what he said near the end

[2kkuri1]

hang on, whats nonsense? so you understand the justification but choose to use insulting terms like "murder people" and "blood on their hands". was it an act of aggression when we entered kuwait or Kosovo, after all we werent under any threat? you seem to be generalising to justify your opinion. i didnt see anywhere in this video a claim that its ok to kill civilians. and maybe it could be avoided if there was a diversity of skills and opinions from society to draw on, as stated in the video

[TheSamuraiGoomba]

Nonsense, I understand all the justifications behind killing people. But what I'm saying is that when there is no threat to the actual country, no people in this country trying to overthrow it (for example), then sending troops into another sovereign nation is an act of aggression. Troops may not intend to kill civilians, but the fact remains many of them do in staggering numbers. Any amount of support for that behavior is unacceptable, but it's also impossible to avoid in US society. :|

[2kkuri1]

you seem to think soilders wonder around killing anything randomly, i mean "murder people". you also appear to have childish knowledge of what you think the military is, do you think there is one army on the entire planet. so its ok to give money to support the company that has the contract "to develop more effective ways of killing" you know because you're "further removed". and it's not the fact that they have "blood on their hands"(your term, not mine)its the amount that makes the difference

[TheSamuraiGoomba]

Oh I agree. The difference is I really don't have a choice. I can't choose not to pay taxes or not to obey laws, because then I end up in jail and support the war machine that way.

But that connection is further removed. I'm not directly responsible for hauling 400 pounds of ordinance to a location where soldiers will use it to murder people. I'm not working under government contract to develop more effective ways of killing people.

I own the blood on my hands, I don't excuse it. And you?

[2kkuri1]

well, then lets extend that logic. do you(and lets include your family your friends or anyone your in a relationship with) vote, do you pay taxes, do you infact support any industry that has anything to do with the military. for instance the computer you used to send your message? if you do then you too have blood on your hands. and dont assume because you oppose it you arent some how involved. if you dont, then it must be nice living on your mountain looking down on everyone else

[TheSamuraiGoomba]

All of those non-combat personnel have blood on their hands, too. Every soldier they keep fed, alive and transported to their objective goes on to at least attempt to kill people. The soldier couldn't kill if other people didn't make it possible and give the order. I can't blame soldiers for killing without blaming the system that enables them and, indeed, forces them to kill.

Consider the scientists who invented the atom bomb. Is it not their fault the military they worked for used it?

[TheSamuraiGoomba]

What is honorable about killing the people an older, more powerful man (almost always it is a man) tells you to? You are required as a soldier to subordinate your morality to a system with none. The poor serve the rich because the military gives incentives, and it's prison or military service.

War is for when your country is threatened by a force that wants to take it over or totally destroy it. Only with the slimiest BS political wording could anyone describe the last 10 years in that way.