Response To Veteran's Preference Thread

[TheMastersNemesis]

I was a draftee and went to Vietnam in 1967. I spent two years and was trained in combat arms infantry mortar squad. So I lost two years of private employment being trained to fire a mortar. There is not much direct experience for the private sector with this military occupational specialty (MOS). Fortunately I was a company clerk for 16 months of my service time.

When I got out of the service I essentially had gap in my employment and veterans were really not that much in demand and there was a recession in 1969. I could not find a job and ended up part time at a gas station. So I went back to college. I already had a BA.

I got a temp job with the state and eventually got on full time with DOL. There was veteran's preference which had been passed after WWII. The idea was that because vets for the most part lost a lot of experience time that they should get some preference on civil service tests which was 5 points and 10 points if you had a VA disability. The private sector was not very good at hiring vets and they are still not very good at it. Private business does NOT really want vets because of their disabilities and risks. You might as well be a felon.

Today's vets have even more serious PTSD problems than Vietnam vets had because of multiple tours. And if you are disabled you are pretty much unemployable these days. Unless you are perfect even as a nonvet employers do not want you. To add to the problem the Rumsfeld military has pretty much privatized many military occupational specialties. His version of the military was to have nothing but combat arms with all the other occupations being done by Halliburton.

Despite all the hoopla being a veteran is a barrier to private employment these days. For many vets government is their last option. What the public does not realize is that many vets have been laid off with the downsizing of government. So there are not enough jobs to go around.

And that is the problem the American people want us to put our butts on the line for them, but the public as a whole despite their supposed thanks hardly ever put their money where their mouth is. And that is the problem, veterans are only good for cannon fodder. Our country does not deserve the military it has because they really and truly do not appreciate it based on my experience and that of my fellow Vietnam vets. The public really has not treated our recent vets any differently.

I keep getting calls for donations to organization claiming they need the money to take care of vets. Based on what the GOP wants to do and has done we will go back to the era of the 1950's when I saw disabled vets selling little poppies in the street. I will never forgive this dumbass nation for what it does to veterans.

I see someone like Tammy Duckworth being savaged by the asshole in Illinois and I see few people willing to take that idiot on and run him out of town. I see Republicans agreeing with him. For all I care if the terrorists took the Republicans hostage I would walk away and let them keep the assholes. I would NOT rescue them. They make me furious.

As for veterans preference vets need all the help they can get now more than ever because our wounded warriors are in worse shape then we were because you cannot go multiple tours without going nuts literally. Combat duty just destroys your soul in so many ways. I thank God that I was so lucky. And I still feel for the guys I knew who spent a year in combat. And I cannot imagine being in a war zone for 5 or 6 years.

And many vets will still vote for Romney and the warmongering GOP who sent them on multiple tours. So go figure that one.

[upaloopa]

1. Well I remember most the wording on the draft letter I got. "Greetings from the President of the

States. Your friends and neighbors have selected you to represent them ................"

I was selected to fight for my friends and neighbors because we all couldn't go to war even though many supported it. I was 19 and just had my first job working in a grocery store.

About 12 years after that I finally had it together enough to go to a junior college to get an education. Most of my friends by then had 10 or more years on the job and some had 4 years of college under their belt. They were married and had kids before I got back from the war.

When I talk to them today they are retired and some have great grand kids. It is always evident to me that I was constantly 10 years behind them in making important life dicisions.

I lost 10 years of my life trying to get over that fucking war.

I don't mind getting a preference.

[TheMastersNemesis]

2. I WAs At Least 2 Years Behind

People who have never served will never really understand.

[wiki65]

3. Spam deleted by Hassin Bin Sober (MIR Team)