Oh boy...this definitely brings back memories.
First off I had the aspiration to join the military in general since I was a toddler. Both my great grandfather and grandfather had been generals, 2 uncles on my mother's side were officers, and my own father was a light colonel in the TW Marines.
My father passed away in the line of service when I was one, so lets just say my mother was not excited at all when I said I was signing on the dotted line. She cried, argued and generally had a hard time accepting that fact, until I told her that the CF operates predominately at that time, in Peacekeeping operations ( I know I know my bad...I lied) and there was no worries that I would be sent overseas unless I wanted to (which I whole heartedly did). She eventually came around, but reluctantly let me go and joined the ranks.
Now... my friends... none of which I was friends with during high school are my friends anymore. The area I come from... sadly to say I describe them as truly ignorant of anything that had to do with the Forces in general. When I went to high school, I was in Cadets (I was one of the good ones
thank you VERY much
). Every Remembrance Day we would have a ceremony at the gym in my school. We would get the usual sneers and jeers from the ignorant teenagers, and not surprisingly my friends. When I told some of them I was joining, I got the ' So you want to go off and kill people now?' or ' wow...you've gotta be the dumbest person I've ever met! ' or words to that effect with more vulgarisms and swearing. Of course we all cannot forget the obvious!!! 'You cant get a real job, or get into a real school. THAT is why you're joining the ARMY!' Yup...they ALL thought the only place to go in the military was the ARMY.
It was really sad during the last 2 years of high school when I was going through the stages, calling the recruiting office on my breaks lol. It always puzzled me why my community was soo ignorant. My high school alone had more then a hand full who had served in the military and perished (this was a long span of time, not talking about just the recent something odd years). One of the alumnus that I remembered the most, was a Captain in the airforce, who bought his piece of the farm when he was on a training ex overseas in his CF-18.
In college and university. Anonymity seemed to be the key. It appears most places, especially at community colleges (or at least the one I went to) there are many politically active students who doesn't seem to have anything better to do, EXCEPT bash the military, the war...and shouting out random slogans such as 'CANADA OUT OF IRAQ!' or 'CANADA IS IN AFGHANISTAN FOR THE OIL'
I shake my head and walk away. Over all negative negative response. My school mates always ask me the stupidest of questions i.e. 'so are you a sniper?' ' are you a Navy Seal?' 'are you going to go to Iraq and kill some women and children?' (Yes...these were actual questions, and I guess most of us have heard them). It seemed funny to me all that time because a) I was in the Army not the Navy b) I was a Med Tech and had nothing to do with killing! *UGH* no matter how much I tried to explain...it was just pointless towards the end.
Finally...my relationships have been a little wonky too. Some girls hook up because they like the uniform. Some girls stop hooking up after they find out that I wear a uniform. its all really funny in the end. The girl I'm with now (the love of my life) have been extremely supportive all these years. Except when I told her I was signed up for a Roto to the box (which isn't happening anymore...
my old Ops O took me off because I didn't speak a lick of French, and it was a predominately Franco Roto. Yes... out here on the West Coast, not many of us do!), she balled her eyes out for hours, and begged me to release! She still does it almost everytime she hears that we've lost one of us over there... I guess I can't blame her...
Anyways....negative negative negative...and yes ppl DEFINETLY change their attitudes when they found out that I had joined up.
