Okay, first, this is a very honest question and one that I don't have the answer too. I've never been around any other branch of the military other than army and the marines. (Besides my grandfather who was navy)

Do you think because the nature of the job is different for each branch, that soldiers and marines are desensitized to the horrors of war more then those in the air force and navy? Or, does fighting on the ground instead of on the sea or air shape a person's perspective of war differently?

DF is infantry and because of his specialized job, he has seen a lot of horrific things and had a lot of close friends die in battle. Therefore, I've heard a lot of very sad stories but I also don't get outraged at certain things anymore. War is ugly, messy and sometimes what they have to do to survive is awful.

Because the U.S. hasn't fought a war on our own soil in a couple hundred of years, our civilians (thankfully) don't grasp what war is like, IMO.

Because I hear DF's stories, I feel like I have somewhat of a better idea of how awful war can be compared to families who have no military connection.

So, do all military branches feel the same way? I ask because my grandfather was Navy and was in a lot of battles but his stories are very different then DFs stories.

Disclaimer. This is in no way diminishing the service of any military member. They all are heroes. I want to know if their type of service shapes their (and their families) perspectives differently.

I think it depends on each individual service member. For example, Seabees are often boots on the ground.

right now.............reserves!!!:giggle

i think joining one branch of the military with the hopes of "representing their country" without actually being deployed is lame. Every job in every branch has a chance of deployment. Sure some are extremely small but anything could happen

Elaine, you shit stirrer you! :D

I think there are special divisions of each branch that become desensitized, like the Force Recon guys of the Marines, etc.

maybe not one branch, but like stated above maybe more like individual jobs? I have several friends who have never even had to have their spouses deploy to the middle east ever.......

I know alot of people think the Navy sits on ships or subs and is kind of detached from the daily fighting in the middle east. However not all Navy is.........there are plenty of aviation squadrons on the ground in the middle east that while might not get ON the ground in the cities fighting, they fly over and see what happens.....and get to deal with bombs and raids on their sites. Also seabees are right up front.......

On the flip side I have a friend whose husband is a marine who has never stepped foot in afghanistan or iraq......he's been able to do is support job from other deployment sites.

It's really more of a job thing I think.

but if you are generalizing then probably yes I'd say that the army and marines get an overal general better view of the actual day to day war.......because they are in the thick of it generally speaking. but we definitely should never judge the other services for that because if my kids would ever join the service I'd push them towards a branch that was not going to be directly impacted by fighting on the ground so to speak.

I really don't know. I think it's more so the person. But I know when Matt was a Marine he was exposed to alot more. He's seen his fair share overseas but none of it phases him. It's just how he is. I don't really know if that's from the Marine's or if it's just him..kwim

i dont know, i think i kinda agree with berkley...more of an individual, rather than a specific branch. Wether you see something bad one time or 100 times, it can effect each individual differently. Thank the Lord(and i really mean that) that Dh hasnt been effected by anything of that nature.

right now.............reserves!!!:giggle

i think joining one branch of the military with the hopes of "representing their country" without actually being deployed is lame. Every job in every branch has a chance of deployment. Sure some are extremely small but anything could happen

I didn't mean not ever getting deployed. I meant how their perspective is shaped while deployed.

Elaine, you shit stirrer you! :D

:lol I'm really not trying too!! I'm just wondering.

I think there are special divisions of each branch that become desensitized, like the Force Recon guys of the Marines, etc.

Good point

maybe not one branch, but like stated above maybe more like individual jobs? I have several friends who have never even had to have their spouses deploy to the middle east ever.......

I know alot of people think the Navy sits on ships or subs and is kind of detached from the daily fighting in the middle east. However not all Navy is.........there are plenty of aviation squadrons on the ground in the middle east that while might not get ON the ground in the cities fighting, they fly over and see what happens.....and get to deal with bombs and raids on their sites. Also seabees are right up front.......

On the flip side I have a friend whose husband is a marine who has never stepped foot in afghanistan or iraq......he's been able to do is support job from other deployment sites.

It's really more of a job thing I think.

but if you are generalizing then probably yes I'd say that the army and marines get an overal general better view of the actual day to day war.......because they are in the thick of it generally speaking. but we definitely should never judge the other services for that because if my kids would ever join the service I'd push them towards a branch that was not going to be directly impacted by fighting on the ground so to speak.

Good thoughts.

I really don't know. I think it's more so the person. But I know when Matt was a Marine he was exposed to alot more. He's seen his fair share overseas but none of it phases him. It's just how he is. I don't really know if that's from the Marine's or if it's just him..kwim

Ooh, I didn't realize that Matt has been in two branches. You guys would have a really good idea of the differences between the two.

I believe that it depends on the person.

Michael is so desensitized to violence and pain that he has no emotions to show towards it simply because his dad was Marines and he watched extremely violent movies at a young age.

I definitely get what everyone is saying about the individual and I certainly agree. But do you think as a whole the branches view things differently then each other?

I definitely get what everyone is saying about the individual and I certainly agree. But do you think as a whole the branches view things differently then each other?

i would think yes, but i dont know, because ive only seen/heard things from the Marines side of things

I think servicemembers in different fields are more desensitized to certain ASPECTS of war.
For example:

My husband will probably never deploy in his current MOS, so he will never be desensitized to actual battle or ground violence. His job, however, requires him to intercept communications from the enemy and interpret them to help ground troops know where to go/where NOT to go, etc. People in his field have had the responsibility of preventing terrorist attacks, bombings, etc. He will be desensitized to the stress of having the lives of thousands of people in his hands at one time.

My friend is an Army medic, currently deployed in Iraq. Because she's female, she is not allowed on the front lines, so she is not desensitized to the violence of battle, but she is desensitized to the injuries her fellow soldiers endure, and the loss she experiences every time she can't save someone despite her training.

Now of course I know DH most likely will deploy at some point, and my friend may end up in combat someday, but they will not be as desensitized to that aspect of war as those who are there more frequently. Each job deals with its own stresses.

I think servicemembers in different fields are more desensitized to certain ASPECTS of war.
For example:

My husband will probably never deploy in his current MOS, so he will never be desensitized to actual battle or ground violence. His job, however, requires him to intercept communications from the enemy and interpret them to help ground troops know where to go/where NOT to go, etc. People in his field have had the responsibility of preventing terrorist attacks, bombings, etc. He will be desensitized to the stress of having the lives of thousands of people in his hands at one time.

My friend is an Army medic, currently deployed in Iraq. Because she's female, she is not allowed on the front lines, so she is not desensitized to the violence of battle, but she is desensitized to the injuries her fellow soldiers endure, and the loss she experiences every time she can't save someone despite her training.

Now of course I know DH most likely will deploy at some point, and my friend may end up in combat someday, but they will not be as desensitized to that aspect of war as those who are there more frequently. Each job deals with its own stresses.

All good thoughts! Thanks.

I definitely get what everyone is saying about the individual and I certainly agree. But do you think as a whole the branches view things differently then each other?

Not necessarily no. I know Marine's who have been overseas and seen no action so they really havn't seen anything to be desensitized to..kwim
I also know AF guys like that. Albeit I know more AFs guys who havn't then Marine's tho.
Matt has seen alot overthere but even so I am not sure if it's just him who is just immune (for lack of a better word) to letting him effect him. Or if it was him Marine Corps Training. I knwo it wasn't his AF training. He didn't have to go to boot and all the training he has recieved thus far has been classes on semantics of the job and a few hand to hand classes. (which oddly enough he is asked to teach 9/10 b/c his USMC training has taught him ALOT)

Not certain if its a particular branch but those who are out walking,searching, fighting, taking gun fire, returning gun fire, etc see more than others. So basically those who are on the front lines, who leave the fob to undergo missions seem to be affected more as a whole.

But yes it is an individual thing also. Some can see 100 things and being ok but someone else can see 1 or 2 and be permanently scarred.

Not so much desensitized - but perhaps trained a bit more on how to reserve emotions and "put things in their proper place" (mentally, emotionally, etc). And that, really, just comes from the training focus and the predisposition of the individual to be able to do it (Some people can handle it all, some can't - which is why some branches are considered "elite" - etc)

My husband can go boots on the ground it still doesn't change how I feel about certain things.