Overheard from a co-worker who's also an Army Reservist...

[arib]

"I was in southern Iraq and my mother was still finding ways to get in touch with me. 'Johnny, why don't you visit me anymore?'"

hee.

On a more serious note, I'm vaguely considering entering the reserves after grad school. pros? cons?

Comments

[arib.livejournal.com]

The flip side is a probable trip to a lovely Middle Eastern vacation spot where both your uniform and religion make you a big target.

Ah, 'salright, I can curse in a pretty fluent Arabic when I need to.

Which brings up a big point. The Army/Air Force/Marines will make an effort to accommodate your faith, but when push comes to shove, they want your commitment. If this means showing up at drill on Friday night and working hard all weekend, that's what is expected. If deployed on annual training or to Iraq, the job has to come first. You have to ask yourself if you can accept that.

coupla points.

-According to relatives of mine, the army has made some kinds of allowances in the past. For example, most Jewish servicemen during WWII were sent to the South Pacific rather than Europe, largely because the higher-ups were worried that Jewish soldiers brought to Europe might lose it when faced with the atrocities that occurred to people that may well have been family members.

-If soldiers weren't allowed to soldier on the Sabbath, Israel wouldn't have lasted past it's first weekend. When your life/health/safety or those of others is on the line, halacha takes a step to the side, and you do what needs doing. (doctors on call, people needing to call 911 for an emergency, driving someone to the hospital, soldiers, medics etc.)