______DOD General Policy____________
General policy. As a matter of long-standing policy, DoD personnel acting in their official capacity may not engage in activities that associate DoD with any partisan political campaign or election, candidate, cause or issue.
___________________________________
You are right to assume that servicemembers tend to be more conservative than their civilian counterparts. The term apolitical should apply to you should you decide to serve. As a service member it is illegal for you to actively campaign while on duty or in uniform. Other than that no one really cares what you do on your off duty time (unless it brings discredit on the service).
If you are a "Die-hard" liberal then I see no motivation for your service other than personal gratification and that is usually a motivation that leaves the body quickly when times get tough.
Liberals in Army life
Moderator: Site Admin
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Silverback
- Ranger
- Posts: 20118
- Joined: March 7th, 2004, 11:06 pm
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Creeping Death
- Ranger
- Posts: 2119
- Joined: April 14th, 2003, 10:11 am
There is nothing to stop you from becoming a Ranger just because you consider yourself a liberal ....... except yourself.
The Ranger Regiment is not comprised of partisan political hacks. In fact, it might shock you how few actually take the time to vote absentee ballot. But the characteristics, core values, and the individual mindset needed to sustain soldiers through difficult situations are more prominently found in Rangers with conservative principles. And by conservative I do not necessarily mean "bible thumpers", but men who say what they mean, and mean what they say. Men who can see a situation in black and white, and know what is the right thing to do, and what is not - a concept totally foreign to many liberals who adhere to the concepts of moral reletavism, who by their very nature see the world in shades of grey, devoid of any absolute truths, thereby diminishing the requirement for strict accountability.
You will find very few Rangers, if any at all, who have survived in the Regiment for any time at all who adhere to policies that are touted by the liberal elite. I do not know of one single Ranger - past or present, who looks up to elite liberals such as Kennedy, Pelosi, Kerry, the Clintons, Feinstein, Schumer, Boxer, et al, as being fine upstanding people, and who considers them anything close to a Patriot. But that does not mean that no such Ranger exists, only that he would be very rare. That most certainly does not mean that you will be prevented from attempting it, or that you cannot make it.
We talk a lot of politics here, but many of us are retired, and have that luxury now. When active, we spent out time preparing to kill the enemy en masse. How a Ranger votes isn't required information. You will succeed or fail based on your own merits, but the fact is you won't see any Michael Moore posters in your buddies' rooms, at least none that aren't riddled with bullet holes.
The Ranger Regiment is not comprised of partisan political hacks. In fact, it might shock you how few actually take the time to vote absentee ballot. But the characteristics, core values, and the individual mindset needed to sustain soldiers through difficult situations are more prominently found in Rangers with conservative principles. And by conservative I do not necessarily mean "bible thumpers", but men who say what they mean, and mean what they say. Men who can see a situation in black and white, and know what is the right thing to do, and what is not - a concept totally foreign to many liberals who adhere to the concepts of moral reletavism, who by their very nature see the world in shades of grey, devoid of any absolute truths, thereby diminishing the requirement for strict accountability.
You will find very few Rangers, if any at all, who have survived in the Regiment for any time at all who adhere to policies that are touted by the liberal elite. I do not know of one single Ranger - past or present, who looks up to elite liberals such as Kennedy, Pelosi, Kerry, the Clintons, Feinstein, Schumer, Boxer, et al, as being fine upstanding people, and who considers them anything close to a Patriot. But that does not mean that no such Ranger exists, only that he would be very rare. That most certainly does not mean that you will be prevented from attempting it, or that you cannot make it.
We talk a lot of politics here, but many of us are retired, and have that luxury now. When active, we spent out time preparing to kill the enemy en masse. How a Ranger votes isn't required information. You will succeed or fail based on your own merits, but the fact is you won't see any Michael Moore posters in your buddies' rooms, at least none that aren't riddled with bullet holes.
A Co 1/75 '94-'97
Class 5-96
Class 5-96
At only 18 your political beliefs are more than likely largely based on your parents' beliefs. You simply don't have the experience needed to form your own.
I know VERY FEW veterans or Active Duty personnel who are "liberal" at all, let alone strongly liberal. As you grow older and wiser, as you gain your own experiences as an adult and especially if you become a Ranger, those liberal "feelings" will probably go away. You won't even notice it. One day when you're 30 some asshole like John Kerry will run for president and you'll realize you don't believe in him or anything that he stands for.
But if you want to become a Ranger, you're political beliefs won't have anything to do with your success or failure. It'll be alot more about your tolerance for pain and suffering
I know VERY FEW veterans or Active Duty personnel who are "liberal" at all, let alone strongly liberal. As you grow older and wiser, as you gain your own experiences as an adult and especially if you become a Ranger, those liberal "feelings" will probably go away. You won't even notice it. One day when you're 30 some asshole like John Kerry will run for president and you'll realize you don't believe in him or anything that he stands for.
But if you want to become a Ranger, you're political beliefs won't have anything to do with your success or failure. It'll be alot more about your tolerance for pain and suffering
RSD 96-99
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Silverback
- Ranger
- Posts: 20118
- Joined: March 7th, 2004, 11:06 pm
- Been thanked: 1 time
I can only think of one person whom I knew during my military career, who would fall in the liberal category. I went through Jump School and RIP with him and thought he was a great guy. Out of the blue, right after we arrived at 2nd Bat, he told me that he was a pacifist. He said he didn't believe in killing and had decided that he wanted to make violins. :? My first thoughts were: "What the Hell did he enlist for, and why did he put himself through Hell to get to Bat?" He voluntarily left Battalion and I never heard of him again. I remember being completely shocked, as he was actually quite a good soldier in his training. Like my Brothers have said however, your beliefs shouldn't keep you from becoming a Ranger. It's all up to you.
RLTW
EP
RLTW
EP
Always remember: BROS BEFORE HOES.
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Ranger2
I really don't remember ever discussing politics much in the Rangers. All you cared about was what was your pay, was there enough money for equipment and training and who was going to send you to war. I saw a big difference in Bush 1 and clinton. Obviously clinton wasn't good for the military.
The biggest change I saw was that serving makes you care. You care because someone has large control of your life. If they do a good job you will support them, if they get you killed for starving Africans who are doing it to themselves and taking over shitholes like Haiti, you don't.
You look at everything differently because it is your life on the line, not a made up thought. You will change and I would bet you will become more conservative. There is little time to think, you just care about your buddies and backing them up. When you know there is better equipment or training available and you don't get it because the President is more concerned about the poor who won't work you really start to question him. Who is more important, your buddy who will die for you or some shithead who would rather sit around and drink beer in his trailer all day.
I would rather spend my money on good body armor for Rangers than on some stupid social program that allows some shithead to burn the American flag.
Serving changes you, mostly for the better. If you have time for politics in the army, then you probably aren't a Ranger. Rangers are too busy training and killing.
Ranger2
The biggest change I saw was that serving makes you care. You care because someone has large control of your life. If they do a good job you will support them, if they get you killed for starving Africans who are doing it to themselves and taking over shitholes like Haiti, you don't.
You look at everything differently because it is your life on the line, not a made up thought. You will change and I would bet you will become more conservative. There is little time to think, you just care about your buddies and backing them up. When you know there is better equipment or training available and you don't get it because the President is more concerned about the poor who won't work you really start to question him. Who is more important, your buddy who will die for you or some shithead who would rather sit around and drink beer in his trailer all day.
I would rather spend my money on good body armor for Rangers than on some stupid social program that allows some shithead to burn the American flag.
Serving changes you, mostly for the better. If you have time for politics in the army, then you probably aren't a Ranger. Rangers are too busy training and killing.
Ranger2
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Creeping Death
- Ranger
- Posts: 2119
- Joined: April 14th, 2003, 10:11 am
We've GOT to have different opinions of what a liberal is, Brother. Because for the life of my I can't see the Fish I know walking around with a sign, wanting gay rights, taking away all the mean ol' assault rifles, saving the whales, trees and bugs, listening to Barbara Streisand and drinking a fucking Starbucks lotte, or what-the-fuck-ever.
You get a hold of some rotten SCAD pussy or something?
You get a hold of some rotten SCAD pussy or something?
A Co 1/75 '94-'97
Class 5-96
Class 5-96
