[Ron in Acreage]

He joined because of her cheap bastard husband wouldn't pay for his college tuition. He was apparently not willing to get a job to pay for it either.

[kristinn]

Aren't you a bit off in saying the son wasn't willing to work for his education? Don't young men like him joining the service get promised college money as part of their contract? Wouldn't that be "working?"

[thegreatbeast]

He was apparently not willing to get a job to pay for it either.

He got a job to pay for it and died while doing it. The kid is beyond reproach.

[the Deejay]

I've never heard of so many, until this war, that joined the service for the benefits. They thought they'd join and sit in front of the tv eating chips and drinking beer. Never thinking they'd have to actually serve.

[fire_eye]

This all really sounds like the whole family were a bunch of delusional TV casualties with very little grasp of reality.

The kid manages to escape the cesspool, and is making something of his life - even if by accident - and then he gets killed. It just figures.

Now, the borderline-psycho "Mom" has gotten a dose of reality, and it's caused her to go completely loony-tunes.

Where's the father in all this? Slamming them down at the local watering hole? Hiding under the couch? Anaesthetized in front of the TV?

[workerbee]

1. Who knows the motivation of the parents for not paying his tuition? Maybe he was a party animal who had terrible grades. Maybe they were strapped. They're not "cheap bastards" for expecting their adult son to pay his own way. I did it, as have countless others.

2. He did "get a job", he joined the service. Let's be careful not to label the fallen soldier by his mother's rantings. She's in understandable pain but clearly also politically motivated in her speech. I can't help but think the son would be embarrased and angry that his mother thought him as stupid and child-like as she makes him out to be.

[Calpernia]

>>>He was apparently not willing to get a job to pay for it either.

Ummm, is that what he did by joining the Army???

[piasa]

He joined because of her cheap bastard husband wouldn't pay for his college tuition. He was apparently not willing to get a job to pay for it either.

What nonsense. His mother is an activist for Code Pink, a communist organization. His father is a detective and unlike the mother, is proud of the son, and the son was proud of being in the military. He, just like any responsible young man, sought to acquire a college education the RIGHT way- by being responsible instead of waiting for a handout. And in this country, any responsible person can pay for their college without the help of mom and dad or even the federal government. It's called getting a job- and jobs are available either in the military or the private sector. It's all a matter of choice.