"You civilain guys" or similar make me cringe.
I get it, replying (better described as taking the bait) to a small number of yahoos rattling your cage. Please remember as you pontificate that many of us civilian pilots are prior military. We fixed the planes you flew, ensured you were paid while others were the tip of the spear hanging it out as much as any of you. The "you will never know the pride" rant rings hallow to the surprisingly large number of us who served. Please remember that before you breech load the next round directed at civilians.
Former Marine, infantry.
O.K. Russ. Not much going on tonight so I'll take the bait - doesn't "you military guys" bother you too? I guess not. It's like the 20+ year military retired guys in flight ops who claim they know what's it like as a guard/reservist. They don't have a clue, just like you don't have a clue what it's like to serve in this fashion . Just like I didn't have a clue, nor did I care, while I was on active duty. But now, reality is much different than perception.
Anyway, you have actually served rather than presume to know what's its like, like many of the rest. So, what are your thoughts on guard and reserve soldiers/marines/airmen etc - especially today compared to 6 years ago? Just cashing a check, working the retirement plan and exploiting USERRA as SWA/FO asserts, or have things changed lately? Or, just like when we were on active duty, do you not even care, despite the exponentially higher use of part-timers these days. The number of casualties as a percentage of those deployed is higher for guard/reserve than active duty during the past year or so, but I guess that doesn't matter. Is it possible that our active duty military is over extended and the pentagon is relying much more on guard and reserve than they ever did - this includes both combat overseas and training and staff billets in CONUS? Or, is it just the old days of one weekend a month with coffee and donuts at the armory checking off a year toward retirement or dropping airlline trips with mil leave just to make the kids ballgames?
"the pride rant rings hallow". The ones making the rant have served and continue to serve dude, and my guess is you're way in the minority with that claim.
I would bet that there are some of your former Marine bud's that left active duty but stayed in the reserves and have been activated to the desert. What would you say about them, less than patriotic because they didn't stay in for a career? Ask an active duty Marine or soldier or pilot, or whatever you want to pick, serving along side a reservist who is either on the front lines as a grunt or back in the training command doing over 30% or the sorties or somewhere in-between what they think. Part-time scammer or big time contributor? You might be surprised.
So, that is my issue and is what gets under the skin of all us "yahoos". This is not the part-time soldier days of years past. Those - and I guess I'll include you in this - that discount patriotism as a motivator for today's guardsman and reservist are out of date - given the time commitment and potential to deploy - and, ah possibly die - have eliminated the majority of the check cashers and "working the planners". So, yes, we did all volunteer. But guess what, we're still here.
I'm done here. Standing by for whatever you have. Thanks for your sevice as well.
Ben
uke: 
