Please add this subject to your homeschool - basic military knowledge

[SheilaZ]

It may seem a trifle to many -- "how does one recognize a person in the Military and why does it matter" -- but it actually sits at the very core of what makes the USA, the USA.

 

(and no, I don't believe we should be tromping all over the world trying to impose our belief structure on others -- a good read on that is Clash of Civilizations by Huntington -- but if someone wants to join the military, they will just up and go and tell you later. Whether or not you teach them about uniforms ahead of time.)

 

 

a

 

Thank you Asta. You said exactly what I was thinking. It pains me to see my husband's sacrificed dismissed so easily as something unworthy of learning regardless of political persuasion.

Thankfully, my husband and most of the service members I have had the honor of meeting over my lifetime, don't care if they ever get the respect that it truly due to them. They are proud to defend and uphold.

[ekarl2]

I have a family member serving and I can't keep it straight. I thought it was nice that they were interested enough to make conversation with you and ask how you are serving our country. :)

 

 

I had a feeling (after I hit "post") that my comments would be taken this way. It IS nice for them to ask. As I said, I would never be so rude as to make someone feel bad for not knowing. Having someone who worked for the airline think I'm a pilot, though, was a little funny, don't you think?

 

My comments are not for me, they're for the thousands of us who serve in some capacity. Next time you're at the airport, look at the young members of the military walking around. ESPECIALLY if they're in ABUs (camo). They're on deployment, my friends. They're going to scary places and will probably do scary things. They will probably never admit it, but a little thanks, even just a silent flicker of recognition in your eyes for what they're doing, goes a LONG way. Ask those who served in Vietnam and came back to derision and hate. Regardless of the politicians and the mission, they're doing something for YOU. FOR YOU. Appreciation of what they're doing or what they've done means more than you know.

[Bang!Zoom!]

We had a copy of service etiquette in our house. (Military family)

 

It was right next to a copy of Emily Post.

 

That's a pretty dang good book.

 

You can order this copy for under 2 dollars online; but don't be fooled by the price at all. There are sections in there which are mind-blowing in the depth of detail on military dress protocol and various occasions.

 

The ISBN, etc. can be found here:

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=n8NRhPOMjWEC

 

I am not sure of the latest print date, but this is a great intro on the subject; more than most folks will ever use.

 

About the book:

 

Service Etiquette has been called the bible of military protocol ever since the first edition of the book was published in 1959. As the definitive authority on prescribed social behavior within the military community, it is the first and last source turned to when questions of etiquette arise Faithful readers know that the author, Oretha Swartz, can be counted on to provide sound advice pertinent to all branches of the armed forces -- the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The book, in fact, is equally useful to servicemen and women and to their families.

[SailorMom]

Maybe it's a relative thing.

 

My SIL, BIL, and brother are all active duty, my husband and FIL are vets. I just IM'd them all, and they could care less. My husband laughed and asked what your MOS was.

.

 

MY DH is active AF, a major as well, and also assumes that most people don't have a clue, and isn't bothered by it at all.

I think to him, the details don't matter, but we both wish more people cared more about politics and what is happening in their country than they do about American Idol (and others like it). We both hope that people who vote for the leaders who send my DH in to war actually pay attention to what they are doing.

[BeautifulLife]

 

Oh, and to be technical ... there are SEVEN branches of "uniformed service" in the US:

 

Air Force - Dept of Defense

Army - Dept of Defense

Navy - Dept of Defense

Marines - Dept of the Navy (sub set)

Coast Guard - used to be under Dept of Transportation in peacetime, DoD during War. That changed to Dept of Homeland Security in peacetime, DoD in wartime under direction of the President

U.S. Public Health Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps

 

Oh yes, I forgot about the Marines being under the Navy. I also didn't realize that the last two were considered an armed service. Thanks for the info! :)

[BeautifulLife]

MY DH is active AF, a major as well, and also assumes that most people don't have a clue, and isn't bothered by it at all.

I think to him, the details don't matter, but we both wish more people cared more about politics and what is happening in their country than they do about American Idol (and others like it). We both hope that people who vote for the leaders who send my DH in to war actually pay attention to what they are doing.

:iagree:

[AuntieM]

Thanks for your service to our country, and for the concise lesson plan! I can go right down this list and go over these things with my kids.

 

We have had the privilege of interacting with many military families as we have lived in many towns that have had Navy and or Air Force bases, some of which were joint training facilities for different branches, including Marines. Some of the best folks we know!

[Bang!Zoom!]

http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Visual-Dictionaries-Military-Uniforms/dp/1564580105

 

I guess there are books written with deep illustrations on uniform.

 

This is an example of one by DK press.

[Aelwydd]

I just have to say it....I don't think teaching your child about the military will necessary imply your support. You can always explain your position which will be a learning experience on its own. I didn't vote for and strongly disagree with Obama on nearly every issue but I will still teach my children who he is and what he does as president. I will also explain my beliefs about Obama and how we all still must respect him as president even if we disagree. Imo, giving my daughter the facts along with my personal beliefs will only set her up to be able to make her own throughout life. Shouldn't that be the goal?

 

 

Maybe. But, seeing as our goal is to move to another country, eventually surrendering our U.S. citizenship, I regard the information as superfluous.

 

Giving him generic information about the military is one thing; explaining ranks, uniforms, titles, various specialties, and all the stuff the OP was talking about is pointless for us. Though I wasn't raised one, I'm now a pacifist, and dh leans that way, too. You have no idea how distasteful the whole glorification of military power is to us.

[TravelingChris]

Haven't read all the replies but it doesn't bother me if a normal civilian doesn't know. It really irks me, however, if a journalist makes the error. I see it in papers all the time, and if it is a locally written story, I make a point of calling the editor of the section and pointing out the error.

[Aelwydd]

 

It may seem a trifle to many -- "how does one recognize a person in the Military and why does it matter" -- but it actually sits at the very core of what makes the USA, the USA.

 

 

I agree with this.

[DarlaS]

http://www.amazon.com/Eyewitness-Visual-Dictionaries-Military-Uniforms/dp/1564580105

 

I guess there are books written with deep illustrations on uniform.

 

This is an example of one by DK press.

 

I love the DK visual dictionary books. Just went to add this one to my cart, and it turns out I already own it. Must have bought it for my very military interested ds. And forgot about it. :tongue_smilie:

[KungFuPanda]

Maybe. But, seeing as our goal is to move to another country, eventually surrendering our U.S. citizenship, I regard the information as superfluous.

 

Giving him generic information about the military is one thing; explaining ranks, uniforms, titles, various specialties, and all the stuff the OP was talking about is pointless for us. Though I wasn't raised one, I'm now a pacifist, and dh leans that way, too. You have no idea how distasteful the whole glorification of military power is to us.

 

Not to pick on you . . . .OK, maybe to pick on you a little bit, but I saw this article the other day and it amused me. It's supposed to be funny, but there IS some truth to it. I believe It's written by an Aussie, but i didn't do any fact checking on the author. It's called 6 Reasons Why Your Plans To Move Abroad Might Not Work Out

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_19363_6-reasons-your-plans-to-move-abroad-might-not-work-out.html

[Aelwydd]

Not to pick on you . . . .OK, maybe to pick on you a little bit, but I saw this article the other day and it amused me. It's supposed to be funny, but there IS some truth to it. I believe It's written by an Aussie, but i didn't do any fact checking on the author. It's called 6 Reasons Why Your Plans To Move Abroad Might Not Work Out

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_19363_6-reasons-your-plans-to-move-abroad-might-not-work-out.html

 

Yeah, the article is funny because it's predicated on typically uninformed Americans, who think leaving the US is like moving from MI to TN.

 

For example, how many here are aware that it costs several hundreds of dollars to surrender your U.S. citizenship? Most of my friends were surprised when I told them that fact.

 

Some of us, OTOH, have spent years researching and preparing to go. We know what we want, and how to get there.

 

ETA: I read this article several months ago, and showed it to dh, because it confirmed several of our impressions about the difficulty of the process.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Aelwydd

[Pink Fairy]

Not to pick on you . . . .OK, maybe to pick on you a little bit, but I saw this article the other day and it amused me. It's supposed to be funny, but there IS some truth to it. I believe It's written by an Aussie, but i didn't do any fact checking on the author. It's called 6 Reasons Why Your Plans To Move Abroad Might Not Work Out

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_19363_6-reasons-your-plans-to-move-abroad-might-not-work-out.html

 

 

:lol: The whole blog looks interesting--tfs. :001_smile:

[Julie Smith]

Not to pick on you . . . .OK, maybe to pick on you a little bit, but I saw this article the other day and it amused me. It's supposed to be funny, but there IS some truth to it. I believe It's written by an Aussie, but i didn't do any fact checking on the author. It's called 6 Reasons Why Your Plans To Move Abroad Might Not Work Out

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_19363_6-reasons-your-plans-to-move-abroad-might-not-work-out.html

 

Okay, thanks to the article I'm glad to have stumbled upon this thread. :)

[nukeswife]

Haven't read all the replies but it doesn't bother me if a normal civilian doesn't know. It really irks me, however, if a journalist makes the error. I see it in papers all the time, and if it is a locally written story, I make a point of calling the editor of the section and pointing out the error.

 

:iagree:

It doesn't bother me or my husband if people don't know his rank, it's just nice to hear a thank you from time to time. Being Navy we know that it can be tricky to know the ranks because they are so different from the other branches, even if you're in another branch they can stump you. (Dh has a cousin in the Marine Corp who called the ship looking for him one day and identified himself as "Captain lastname" but before he could get out the US Marine Corp part the person answering the phone on deck freaked out thinking it was a Navy captain calling (a Marine Captain is the equivalent of a Navy Lieutenant, so 3 ranks lower than the person answering the phone thought) and it caused quite a stir on board for a while.

 

Now if I hear someone in a news story/reporter call Admiral Mike Mullen (the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs) "General", I think I may just blow a gasket.

[mirth]

 

- the BASIC mission

 

 

... ok, what is BASIC mission?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

DH was at a conference recently and one of the other participants was an anthropologist. He told the story of how his son's high school history class one year was on the modern era, from the Civil War to Viet Nam. But the history teacher assured the parents that while they were studying this period, the class would not be focused on battles or the militaries involved.

 

The anthropologist said that this assurance actually confused him. From his point of view, warfare represents the most complex instances of collective action that most cultures engage in. From his point of view, to not study military action is to miss a significant part of the history of human action. (I thought this was an interesting point of view.)

 

Anyway while I think that the list in the OP might be a little detailed, there are some good ideas there. I think that it's great to be able to tell apart the dress uniforms. Or to have a general idea what the services do. And to learn about the examples of self sacrifice and heroism that are part of our military history. Even to take a look at the instances where the military has led the way in social reform (racial integration of military units and use of women in the military for example).

 

And to echo one of the pp. If you have heartburn over how and where and when the military is utilized, your beef is with the civilian leadership who is sending them. Please do stay informed and if you don't like how the military is employed, then speak up.

 

For me (Navy Vet and Navy Wife), thanks from random people make me a little self conscious. But I was deeply touched when the Cherokee makers of my son's scout Arrow of Light wrote a note of thanks "to our warrior families" on the receipt.

 

Oh, to the OP, I would bet that when someone comes up and thanks you by rank, they are vets themselves. That is the sort of thing that I've seen my fil do (AF - Viet Nam).

[DarlaS]

- There was a navy guy sitting near me in an airport restaurant. He was just coming home from nuke school (submarines). The bartender asked if I was a submariner, too. My uniform (I was in blues) was completely different than his (he was in khakis). I joked that my ordinance goes in the air, not in the water.

 

 

Was he drunk? Was it really dark in there? :lol:

 

I'm about as civilian as you can get, but even I would recognize air force blues (and this was before my son joined the Civil Air Patrol). Geesh!

[NicAnn]

... ok, what is BASIC mission?

 

Yes, do we explain why the troops are wherever they may be at the time, or why we have the military in general?

 

There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. Teaching our son such detailed information about the military branches would seem to imply a certain level of support or encouragement for ds to serve--and I'm not cool with that.

 

As the granddaughter of a CIA agent (he's deceased now), cousin of a West Point graduate and Iraq veteran, cousin of an Army (Iraq) vet, and SIL to another Army (Iraq) vet, and finally as someone who took ROTC in high school for a year, I can say with no hesitation that I do not want my ds to serve in any of the US branches.

 

It's not because of the people, themselves, who serve; for the most part, they are honorable and deserve respect. But, I don't support the political-military-industrial complex that cooks up these "liberation wars" for the purpose of protecting the flow of resources from other nations into our corporate coffers.

 

I'm sick of war. I'll not have my ds made into cannon fodder for some politician's economic agenda. So no, there won't be any special military unit in our hs program; he'll just be getting the full account of our country's military history.

 

I agree. DD will learn basic branches and what the military is and why we have it. Beyond that, I don't feel it necessary.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Nicoleandco

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

What I know about Air Force ranks I learned from Stargate SG-1 :D

 

I know part of it goes: Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, "Full bird" Colonel, Brigadier General, then four other General levels after that, each level being represented by that number of stars.

[Lily_Grace]

What I know about Air Force ranks I learned from Stargate SG-1 :D

 

I know part of it goes: Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, "Full bird" Colonel, Brigadier General, then four other General levels after that, each level being represented by that number of stars.

 

:lol: Close. You missed 2nd and 1st Lieutenant at the beginning, and the Generals have an easy mneumonic: Be My Little General :D

 

Brigadier General

Major General

Lieutenant General

General

 

If you come across a 5 star he is General of the Air Force, not *a* general but *THE* general. There haven't been many of them in history. And no general is addressed as Major or Lieutenant.

[cin]

Hm, maybe we should put together a unit study? We are both in NC.

 

Or a lapbook! Which, I guess, is kinda a unit study...

 

Originally Posted by mirth

... ok, what is BASIC mission?

 

To me, the basic mission would be their oath.

 

I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

 

To protect and defend, and obey the orders. (No Matter What!) And to follow the military code of honor and justice. That seems pretty generic, at least to me.

Edited August 17, 2011 by cin

[cin]

That's a great idea, but since I've got three winter's of curriculum in the pipeline, you're on your own! Thankfully, business is great. That means I'm SWAMPED!

 

Great idea, though.

 

When I taught school (7th grade public here in Wake County) I did a day where I wore my uniforms and brought in a class set of Airman Magazine's THE BOOK. It's a yearly publication that covers everything about the Air Force: Mission, AFSCs (jobs), rank, ordinance, planes, rockets, etc.

I went over the whole thing with my kids. They loved it!

 

Oh, and to be technical ... there are SEVEN branches of "uniformed service" in the US:

 

Air Force - Dept of Defense

Army - Dept of Defense

Navy - Dept of Defense

Marines - Dept of the Navy (sub set)

Coast Guard - used to be under Dept of Transportation in peacetime, DoD during War. That changed to Dept of Homeland Security in peacetime, DoD in wartime under direction of the President

U.S. Public Health Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps

 

NOT trying to picky, but where does National Guard fall? And what is the US Public Health Service? Never heard of that group before (although I'm sure there's MANY govt. depts and groups that I have not heard of!)

[Mom in High Heels]

What a great thread. I've been working on a unit study for the military for a while for Indy (since we are a military family). It never occurred to me that anyone else might be interested. Would you really? If so, I can probably put it in PDF format.

 

:iagree: Most active duty "soldiers" haven't a clue about Navy or Air Force rank insignia. And vice versa.

 

 

 

Anyone doing an interview should do some basic research on their subject, like the correct form of address. Especially someone who considers herself a professional.

 

James Bond has been in the Army for 15+ years and has little idea what other ranks are outside the officers for the Army, AF and Marines and only because they are the same. He knows Army enlisted ranks obviously, but AF, Navy and Marines...not so much. JB doesn't know the Navy officers because they are different and confusing. I only the know the Navy because my dad is retired.

 

I agree about the interviewer doing some research. Good grief. There is a HUGE difference between a Major and a Major General. For those who don't know, a Major is an O4 (basically an officer level 4) and is considered a mid-level officer. A Major General is an O7 (officer level 7) and is a 2 star GENERAL. I don't have have current statistics, but in 2001, there were 43,000 O4's in the military (all branches), but there were only 300 O7's in the entire military. Getting your stars are a major, major deal (no pun intended). FTR, there are only 12 O10's (4 star generals) in the Army at any given time and they serve at the discretion of the President. In 2001, there were less than 50 O10's in the entire armed forces. They military doesn't just hand out stars. It's a big deal. These are powerful people. I can completely see why he would be offended.

 

This site is a good start for learning about the military.

 

http://www.militaryfactory.com/ranks/index.asp

 

If you want to see uniforms just type in US Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine uniforms in Google and sites selling them will pop up. I don't know about now, but in the past the officers had to pay for their own uniforms. Don't know about enlisted.

 

Yes, but TPTB change the uniforms on a fairly regular basis. It's hard to keep up! All enlisted are issued a certain number of uniforms, but any that they need beyond those over the course of their service are paid for out of pocket.

 

 

 

Don't even get me started in pixelated camo and berets-for-all:svengo:

 

But no longer do they wear the berets with the ACU's!!!! They are back to the patrol caps in most places. The entire USAEUR switched back in June. EVERYONE was thrilled. WTH was Shinseki thinking?

 

Maybe. But, seeing as our goal is to move to another country, eventually surrendering our U.S. citizenship, I regard the information as superfluous.

 

Giving him generic information about the military is one thing; explaining ranks, uniforms, titles, various specialties, and all the stuff the OP was talking about is pointless for us. Though I wasn't raised one, I'm now a pacifist, and dh leans that way, too. You have no idea how distasteful the whole glorification of military power is to us.

 

Wow. I have so many things I'd like to say to this post, but I'm afraid they'd get me banned for life. James Bond (an Army officer) read it and said many, many things that would definitely get me banned. It's nice though that you CAN talk about how distasteful it is though isn't it? You can thank the distasteful military power for that, BTW. Oh, and I'm assuming this new hearts and rainbows place you're moving has no military?