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From: David Baker
Date: 03 Apr 2001
Time: 05:07:14
I must append "The Alien's" statement concerning what he perceives to be a "sacrifice" on the part of career military officers, particularly flag officers. There used to be a tacit belief that military service was a sacrifice for one's country. Indeed, low pay, poor living conditions, frequent moves and occassional combat assignments were part and parcel of the military careerist's experience. But in truth, a military career officer relishes power; that which he or she cultivates over years of kissing-up to superiors. The amount of authority bestowed upon even a field grade officer swells their heads to the point where a few become enamored with that power, and seek to sustain and increase their fiefdoms within the military's close-knit, tightly controlled environment. The truth is that most of these officers would not be able to function outside the military environment, because the type of authority they relish does not exist in the private sector. When a company offers them employment after retirement, they JUMP on the opportunity (an opportunity they create as acting salesmen for government contractors, or worse, as a "consultant" to military leaders). In closing, when a careerist chooses the path of a military power seeker, they are not "sacrificing" anything.