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You might be surprised to hear that there are many free-thinkers in the military. It's a little slice of America, with just about every subculture represented.

You might be surprised to hear that there are many free-thinkers in the military. It's a little slice of America, with just about every subculture represented. What I'm surprised to hear is that they're including a bunch of military reading on these. While I love war books and tactics, when I'm off doing military shit 24/7, the last thing I want to do with my rare free time is read a military book. Give me something that gets my mind off it all.

derefr 12y ago
Just like everywhere else, there are also workaholics in the military. But unlike everywhere else (except hospitals), you can't just turn off the submarine and send everyone home each night, to make sure that at least a little leisure time is forced upon them. In this sort of situation, one of the only ways you can get the workaholic to take a break is by justifying the break as a different kind of productivity--"reading up on strategy" for one.
a3n 12y ago
> You might be surprised to hear that there are many free-thinkers in the military. Indeed. I was in the Navy six years, and a large portion of "people who opened my eyes" I met in the Navy. In general, people are not what you see in the movies. Just because people look the same doesn't mean they are the same. Variety is everywhere.
mseebach 12y ago
People can and do have a personal interest in their field of work, and that's a good thing. Let's assume that you're a software engineer and for the sake of argument that your employer has to provide you with your reading: If that reading compendium included SICP and Code Complete (besides a large selection of mainstream fiction and sci-fi etc), would you be "surprised to hear" that, too?
- chrissnell 12y ago
  The software engineer parallel isn't totally the same. It's hard to understand unless you've been there but military exercises/war are an all-encompassing thing. You're eating and breathing this stuff 24/7 whether you like it or not. During these things, it can be difficult to feel like you're a civilian, especially when you can't even wear civilian clothes. But yeah, you are right, there are some people who can do it all day and night and still not get enough. War movies and books are very popular with Soldiers.

derefr 12y ago

Just like everywhere else, there are also workaholics in the military. But unlike everywhere else (except hospitals), you can't just turn off the submarine and send everyone home each night, to make sure that at least a little leisure time is forced upon them. In this sort of situation, one of the only ways you can get the workaholic to take a break is by justifying the break as a different kind of productivity--"reading up on strategy" for one.

a3n 12y ago

> You might be surprised to hear that there are many free-thinkers in the military. Indeed. I was in the Navy six years, and a large portion of "people who opened my eyes" I met in the Navy. In general, people are not what you see in the movies. Just because people look the same doesn't mean they are the same. Variety is everywhere.

mseebach 12y ago

People can and do have a personal interest in their field of work, and that's a good thing. Let's assume that you're a software engineer and for the sake of argument that your employer has to provide you with your reading: If that reading compendium included SICP and Code Complete (besides a large selection of mainstream fiction and sci-fi etc), would you be "surprised to hear" that, too?

chrissnell 12y ago
The software engineer parallel isn't totally the same. It's hard to understand unless you've been there but military exercises/war are an all-encompassing thing. You're eating and breathing this stuff 24/7 whether you like it or not. During these things, it can be difficult to feel like you're a civilian, especially when you can't even wear civilian clothes. But yeah, you are right, there are some people who can do it all day and night and still not get enough. War movies and books are very popular with Soldiers.