[mvpel]

But the biggest thing is training because these engineer units will be able to go out and use their skills and equipment to the fullest extent which is something that doesn’t always happen back stateside.

Half my town is still on septic tanks. Now admittedly, there's not sewage running in the streets like there has been in Fallujah for the last five thousand years, but I wouldn't mind a $200 million project by the Army Corps of Engineers to pay for sewer line extensions and hookups here in town if they need training and experience.

Exposure to other cultures? They could get that in the Peace Corps, or on vacations that are paid for out of their own pockets, instead of mine. The extent of our military forces' understanding of other cultures should be how most efficiently to bomb them into surrendering. That's what the military is supposed to be for, after all, not "improving our image."

But I find it interesting that you mention that our image might need improving. Listening to everyone around here you'd think that they just "hate our freedom" or something like that.

[2CAVTrooper]

“Half my town is still on septic tanks. Now admittedly, there’s not sewage running in the streets like there has been in Fallujah for the last five thousand years, but I wouldn’t mind a $200 million project by the Army Corps of Engineers to pay for sewer line extensions and hookups here in town if they need training and experience.”

ACoE would have nothing to do with it. The funding comes from the EPA through the state’s own environmental department which is then granted to the individual system operators.

The only way that you’d be placed on a sewer system is if you live close enough to a city or town that has such a system and you can get them to annex where you live.

Another thing, if you’re on a sewer system you’ll have to pay additional service fees.

“Exposure to other cultures? They could get that in the Peace Corps, or on vacations that are paid for out of their own pockets, instead of mine.”

Ok, so let’s have all that equipment and training go to waste because YOU don’t want them to gain real world experience.

“The extent of our military forces’ understanding of other cultures should be how most efficiently to bomb them into surrendering.”

Uh huh.

“That’s what the military is supposed to be for, after all, not “improving our image.” “

Ok, so by using your rule of thumb, let’s not have any airshows, or use the military for natural disasters either since that’s not what they’re supposed to be used for.

“But I find it interesting that you mention that our image might need improving. Listening to everyone around here you’d think that they just “hate our freedom” or something like that.”

Yeah let’s not do any sort of “goodwill” missions so people only hear the propaganda by the mymood imonajihad’s and hugo chavez’s of the world about how terrible we are.