by Antoinette Mcgowan

Created on: January 28, 2008   Last Updated: September 09, 2008

To join the military is to do so with honor. For centuries, men have joined the military forces to fight for their country. They have done so with pride and with honor. I am sure that at some point some of these men did not agree with the war that they were sent to fight in. They still went and did their duty and did so with the same honor that they joined the military with. This is the way that it has always been. It is something that should not change.

The military in our country is voluntary. There is no one there forcing you to join. Not to mention when you join you are fully aware of what can and will happen to you at some point during your military career. To be allowed to opt out of a war because you disagree would be unjust to the men and women whom you have trained next to. Since you were not forced to join, opting out of the war only says that you joined for all the benefits but in the end did not want to hold to your end of the deal.

Let us look at an employer for example to get a better understanding of this. Say you are employed by a company and they offer you a great sign on bonus, excellent education to train you for your job and even decent medical insurance. Now that they have paid to train, you and you are being paid while at training, you have received your sign on bonus and even have medical insurance and the first day of work you decide not to show up and do your job. Is that fair to everyone involved? No, it is not and it is the same with the military.

When you signed on with the military you were given a sign on bonus, you were paid during your job training and you received medical insurance. Now to opt out a war you disagree with is to not show up to work on the first day after training with an employer. Everyone suffers as a result of it.

If you do not want to have to fight in a war you may disagree with then do not sign up with the military. Save everyone the time and money and let someone else with honor have that spot. Like I said not everyone who has went to war agreed with the war, but they went anyway because it is what they swore to do. They had the honor to hold up to their end of the bargain and do their job when their country called them to do it.

Learn more about this author, Antoinette Mcgowan.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.