MY rule change proposition

[cire]

A quick point of clarification. Everyone who joins the Armed Forces sign an 8 year obligation. The amount of active duty service is broken into different increments based on service needs and incentives- 2,4,6 yrs. The remainder of those 8 years is spent in the IRR (Inactive Ready Reserve- subject to recall to active duty). This is written into every contract (in fine print of course :P).

very true. and depending on what you do each branch it could even be more than 6 years.

[Kamarag]

The military is still an all volunteer service. Until a draft is in place, there should be no waivers for drum corps. We are all responsbile for the decisions we make in our lives.

Well said. Leave the rule as it is.

(I spent 7 years in the US Army)

[Tekneek]

I am opposed to increasing the eligible age for any reason.

[Jared_mello]

I'd be very much opposed to it.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I think that it's important to keep junior corps a youth activity. I know there are people who wish they could keep doing it forever, but that is what DCA is for. I think that once you transition from youth to adulthood(usually at 21) you need to set aside a lot of the youthful desires and fun activities. I marched three years in div 1, and aged out in 05. I am also no enlisted in the Army National Guard and am await shipment to Basic. I feel that once you raise your right hand and swear the oath, no matter what age, your youth is over. You need to come to grips with that, and if you can't than wait a few more years before joining up. But once you do, it's not really right to expect to be able to continue to participate with other youths.

I think a lot better rule would be to remove the drinking age restriction for military personnel. If you're old enough to get RPGed in some desert, you're old enough to have a few cold ones. And I say that as someone who is extremely anti-underage drinking and pretty much against alcohol in general.

Edited September 21, 2006 by Morgoth Bauglir

[dbc03]

Sorry came across this thread again and couldn't resist resurrecting it.

Aging out of anything is easy--you get older. Lasting two-three years in the military is something else completely. Has anyone been to Korea where there is a mandatory military obligation? I don't know, but that culture's self discipline should be brought over here.

Speaking of self-discipline--yeah--that's why we should have mandatory service. So people know when to voice an opinion and when they should not. Opinion's should be guided by experience, otherwise, I won't hear a word a person says without it. Though I may smell their bad breathe.

My point wasn't that being in the military was easy, my point was that just because I haven't been in the military doesn't mean I don't have balls. It means I had other plans. It also doesn't mean that I don't have self-discipline. It is ridiculous for you to sit there and say that unless people have served in the military their opinions are worthless, but you probably just aren't hearing my words since I've never been in the military.

If I WAS in the military I hope it wouldn't make me as self-righteous as it seems to make some people.

[CVQuesty]

i just don't think it's appropriate. well, it works in DCA you say. well, i also happen to believe that there should be an age minimum of 18, or really 21 to march senior corps.

We're no longer called "Senior Corps". We are called "All Age" corps.

Well, I have had the opportuity now to march with my son for two years before he goes and tries out for a Div I DCI Corps. It has been quite fun, and amazing watching him grow and prepare to go to DCI. (we're getting a lot of kids preparing here and moving on to DCI lately...we have some of our vets in Spirit, Crown, Phantom, etc.)

I much rather have my 14 year old son in his first drum corps experiences in eyeshot/earshot as he progresses to the point I can let him go on tour.

We take our responsibility very seriously in the training of young people in this activity, and while the first thing you might think of isn't as pure as the driven snow, we have to watch ourselves, our language, and our actions MUCH more with people of all ages around than I think a group of similarly aged young men and women would.

We used to have a 21 age limit, then it became 18, then true "all age". Keep in mind that today's all age corps are being filled with former DCI members from the mid 90's now. They aren't willing to put up with the smoking/drinking corps that used to be around back in the 70's and 80's any more. DCA corps are becoming (if not already) every bit as serious, every bit as focused, and every bit as competitive as DCI corps. The only difference is the time we have to rehearse, the number of sets in the shows, the difficulty of our drill, and in many cases the speeds at which we march. (although we do get to do some 160's this year, I think)

Think about it, in an "all-age" situation, we've got kids' parents, kids, adults, college-age tweeners, kids like mine who started marching at 13, and even some old Drum Corps salts in their 60's running around volunteering. It's becoming true again that you can literally march most (if not all) of your life if you so choose. I, for one, think it's great that a young person can get their feet under thm in an all-age, march Jr., age-out, come back to All-age, perhaps on to Alumni, maybe even minicorps in DCA.

The only organization with restrictions on who can march there is (and should be) DCI. Otherwise, I'd be auditioning somewhere tomorrow! I never got to march Jr. corps due to becoming a household breadwinner at 16 years old. I'd give anything to have had that experience.

Many kids are like I was and can either not afford the tour, or the time away from a job that helps support their family's income. For those young people, there is DCA.

[CVQuesty]

don't know why I resurrected this. Just noticed it was severl months old. I came across it through some weird/bizarre searching ritual I was performing. :D