My Recruiter Said...There Are Sunny Beaches And Pretty Girls

In the military during the Vietnam War, there was a standing joke about the recruiting sergeant’s promises. It always started, “My recruiter said, there would be swaying palm trees, sunny beaches, and pretty island girls.” It was always tied to some poor recruit who was a bit clueless. This is the same poor soul who would be sent to the supply sergeant, with a request for feathers for the machine gun nest. 

Veterans mirror the people who make up the population of the country and the territories. Some from other countries have earned their citizenship by serving in our military. As of 2023, 0.7 % of the population serves in the U.S. Military.* It is the thin line that protects the United States from foreign aggression. Those serving and who have served in the military are responsible for 250 years of freedom.

Most of those who have entered military service do so out of a sense of duty, the desire to be part of something worthwhile and bigger than themselves. They are challenged as never before, and for those fresh out of high school, meet the real world and grow up. Responsibility becomes an everyday experience, especially when you begin to move up in the ranks. 

If a war starts somewhere in the world, and our military is sent to protect the interests of the United States. All of the training and skills are put to the ultimate test, but not everyone makes it home or in one piece - that is the reality. 

This Veterans Day, thank a veteran for preserving your freedoms.

*What percentage of Americans have served in the Military, October 2, 2023, by Everett Bledsoe.