When did the military become a business?

I love our United States Military and I have great respect for them, even the ones that are disrespectful. Over the past several years there have been some changes that I am irritated with. The biggest one is the mindset that the military is a business. Our service men and women are not a business; it is a voluntary way of life. It is a choice to serve our country and they still do it knowing they will be underpaid. They know they may make the ultimate sacrifice, but they do it for various reasons. Some choose the military to escape from prison, homelessness, to gain education or trade, and some because it is family expectations.

With our government outsourcing so many functions and entering into long-term contracts or partnerships with civilian organizations that are financially driven, we are doing an enormous dis-service to our men and women in uniform.

I work for the government and we have a long-term partnership with a company that is all about the money. Young families are being evicted from their “Military Housing” because they cannot pay their “rent”. Families are living out of their vehicles and in shelters because the “partnership” wants their money and no matter how desperate the situation, they will not turn a blind eye for a couple of months while they go through financial counseling. Anyone who is married knows that finances impact the harmony of the union. The government is fostering divorce and psychological discord because of the almighty dollar. How can we fix this?

The biggest irritation is that we, the government, cannot find a way to work with a our partner to fully assist our medical evacuees and at times they refuse to help people that did not want to be sent here, but were forced here because of medical issues.

This just pisses me off each and every day!