Us military

I found out the majority of the US military is from the southern states. The southern states is only 17 states and a much lower population. Why do so many from this part of the country serve in the military? Is it culture? Growing up with guns and hunting? Poverty? Whats the reason

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Based on 8 votes (7 yes)
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Comments ( 25 )
  • PurpleHoneycomb

    A combination of factors. You've already named a couple. Poverty is the number one reason why people join the military in general. While growing up around guns will make it easier.

    The one I would like to bring up is that rural Americans often have less job opportunities in general than urban ones. The south is a predominantly rural zone and you'll see that reflect accordingly.

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  • LloydAsher

    Poverty is a factor. Nothing gets you out of poverty faster than joining the military. Just dont rely on the VA and you should do just fine.

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    • I dont understand isnt the VA government healthcare? How is it possible that its bad? I thought government healthcare was perfect

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      • LloydAsher

        I can taste that sarcasm but people who want goverment healthcare clearly never had tri care and seen the sheer level of incompetence and lack of care for the individual.

        When I was in they gave me the cheapest meds that caused the most overall damage. Soon as I moved to the civilian heathcare it was the same price but I was given better meds at better prices.

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  • darefu

    A lot of reason have already been mentioned and are definitely factors. I lived in Texas for a while and I ran in to quite a few military people. Many from California and upper New England area. However most were from the Midwest, Ohio, Penn, Illinois, Indiana, and yes the southern states. A lot from Texas but I was in Texas so that would be normal.

    Overall I heard numerous reasons they were in the military. But one person told me something that stuck.

    If when you hear the national anthem played and chills run through your body, you're most likely going to end up in the military. If you grow up feeling like being part of a team is more important than self, and economicly you hear these people that say somebody owes me something, welfare, health care, food, education, roof over my head, and I am stuck in a way of life because my parents couldn't afford to send me to college. Well it solves all those if you can deal with the loss of a few liberties for a few years you can break out of that rut. As he stated; short of health or disability there is not one person in this country(US) that can't raise their right hand and have a college education, a trained skill, good income, and free medical care. You pay for it by working for it.

    I believe the Midwest, southern states, rural areas see it as their responsibility to do something with their life, and city dwellers see it as somebody else's responsibility to let them or help them do something with their life.

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  • MonteMetcalfe

    There are quite a few major military installations located in southern states. Maybe growing up near the bases and encountering military personnel frequently has some influence.

    Also, I think the people in the south are less likely to be the type to bad mouth America.

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    • They seem to be quick to bad mouth the politicians but on the other hand seem patriotic

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      • MonteMetcalfe

        Yes. And Southerners tend to be more conservative and I think conservatives have a more favorable view of the military.

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        • LloydAsher

          Even libertarians cant give up the need for a military (at least the non crazy ones) because logically that's one of the goverments actual jobs that need to be done.

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          • MonteMetcalfe

            I honestly don't know why people bad mouth the military. The troops aren't the ones making the decisions about which wars we fight. They are volunteers willing to risk their lives for their country. I am grateful there are people willing to do that.

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            • LloydAsher

              It's also a great seperator of the cans and the can nots.

              There were a plenty of people who clearly started bootcamp because they had kids and other obligations but then crapped out when it got too hard.

              The first to get kicked were those who were too prideful to get ordered around (big shocker for those who think they were tough shit)

              Honestly the last people to get kicked were those who couldn't do the physical standards. I failed my last physical (turns out the entire time I was testasterone deficient) passed after a hot shower and a good night rest. Pissed my chief off to no end (smashed his coffee mug when he heard the news) when he heard I would be graduating in the division.

              Anyway that was my experience with the navy. My division was comprised mostly of guys from chicago and Gary Illinois (Gary is like detroit but somehow worse)

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  • Meatballsandwich

    There is a stronger culture surrounding guns there.

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  • BleedingPain

    The military tries to entice you with sweet benefits like paying for your secondary education. Thats huge to someone who may not be able to financially afford it, or someone who doesnt know what they want to do and also doesnt have money to waste fucking around to find out.

    So if you look at the demographics of who’s enlisiting, its people from places where they dont have money, a set plan for their future at 18, or someone who is batshit crazy patriotic.

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  • raisinbran

    Culture. Where I live, just owning a gun will get you labeled as a psychopath, people will be afraid of you. Hunters are seen as murderers, worse than serial killers.

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  • reminds me of reading about the roman military which was one of the greatest militaries in history. They actually sought out recruits from rural areas and made recruits from city areas go through more intense training. They thought that the country life for some reason made better soldiers.

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  • JellyBeanBandit

    Probably because in general they're less educated tbh, and more easily swayed as a result. I hate to be so blunt, but yeah. I'm not saying I'm some Einstein though, I'd probably be the same if I were born there.

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    • What does being easily swayed have to do with joining the military?

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      • JellyBeanBandit

        Swayed by the idea that joining the military is something noble, that it's something to be proud of. When really they're just falling for the bullshit spewed out by the government.

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        • Whats weird is they seem to be very against those in washington and also against government but at the same time seem very patriotic. It is definitely seen as noble to serve.

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    • Boojum

      I don't disagree that those with less education tend to be more likely to unquestioningly swallow patriotic BS (regardless of what country they happen to live in), but it's a bit of a sweeping generalisation.

      FWIW, I left high school the day after I turned 16, got a GED a couple of years later, and ended up joining the USN. That decision had nothing to do with patriotism. It was just that the economy was in the shit at the time, I had no real skills of educational qualifications and I needed a job. And that's all it was to me for nearly a decade: just a job that was better than some others, more of a pain in the butt than some others, and one I couldn't quit at the drop of a hat.

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      • They wont even take you with a GED anymore. I got denied because of it. The reasoning I got from the recruiter is statistically you are many times more likely to not finish your contract or even bootcamp if you have a GED.

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        • Boojum

          You comment intrigued me, since I know for a fact that a lot of people who managed to graduate from high school are pretty damn stupid. So I checked, and it seems that you're sort of right: the US military no longer considers a GED as fully equivalent to a HS diploma. However, it is possible to get in with a GED if you score above the 50th percentile on the Armed Forces Qualification Test _and_ if the particular branch you want to join hasn't yet filled its quota for GED-only recruits. If you have at least 15 semester hours of college, an applicant is treated in the same way as someone with a HS diploma, and they only have to score above the 31st percentile on the AFQT.

          I'm not surprised that the statistics show that those with a GED are less likely to make it through bootcamp or complete their contract. I'm sure that a significant number of people don't get their diploma because they get kicked out of HS due to bad behaviour, and that's likely to carry on into their working lives. I can also see how those who were willing and able to cope with all the bullshit of HS will be more likely to tolerate the even deeper flood of bullshit that you have to deal with in the military.

          EDIT:

          I got to wondering what exactly those 31st and 50th percentile scores actually meant in terms of intelligence, so I've looked into this some more. It seems that there's a strong correlation between what people get on the military entrance test and what they get on a general IQ test (and, yes, I know that one's IQ score doesn't mean a whole lot in the real world, there are types of intelligence that can't be measured by a HB and paper test, and some people are just shit at taking tests of any sort). Apparently the military entrance test is designed so that a 50th percentile score is equivalent to an IQ of 100. So it's not exactly like one has to be a genius to make it over that hurdle, and someone who's score is at the 31st percentile is... well, probably not all that bright.

          BTW, I also came across a quote by the Pentagon which claimed that around 70% of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 wouldn't qualify for entry due to educational, behavioural, criminal or fitness issues.

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      • JellyBeanBandit

        Yeah ok fair enough, maybe it was a bit generalising.

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        • I also think going to college can sway peoples thinking too. I've seen many people go to college and come out a social justice warrior.

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