Because it's debt slavery working as intended
this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2026
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The purpose of a system is what it does. Gotta get those recruitment numbers up!
Simplest answer.. the average Joe doesn't get blown up or shot at while on the job.
Gotta entice them somehow. 'Think of the places you'll be able to visit across the world. And we offer paid tuition.* *Must survive your contract with the U.S. Government who will send you into battle at the drop of a hat, a drop of oil barrel or the rise of a military/president's ego, to take advantage of offer.
military struggles it hit it's recruitment quotas even with all the free shit, imagine how bad it would get if they didn't have poors from the smalltown USA fill the ranks.
Flip side of that: the government needs strong incentives to convince people to get blown up or shot at while on the job.
Anyone working public service can get have their loans paid off after 10 years. It's not just military service.
The US Military doesn’t offer free money for education. The years you have to commit to the military to get that money isn’t free.
And you have to legit risk death, even if you're a reservist, many of whom have died in this stupid unwanted war in Iran.
Yes absolutely and not just during war time and not just dieing. It is a very dangerous life. You can get maimed or and seriously injured that will effect your entire life. It is a bunch of people moving heavy equipment around in very challenging situations.
I knew three guys who had permanent disabling injuries just by doing day to day Army stuff. Two blew out a knee just by landing wrong when jumping off a tank. The other’s lower back completely fucked up when a heavy tent support fell on him when he was bending over.
I don't understand the question.
Some government jobs have perks like "not getting shot".
This job offers college fees as a perk.
They get people to join the military by offering them free college. If everyone got free college there would be less incentive to join the military
Joining the military signs your life away for 4 years, you obey orders and the laws are not for protecting you as a citizen but as a cog in the machine of military strength.
When you enlist in the US military it is an 8 year contract.
Oh they doubled it now? Shit
It has been that way since the mid 80s.
I enlisted active duty so how reserve and National Guard work I do not know. Both of those still do the 8 year contract. How it works for active duty is you sign an 8 year contract and depending on your MOS and signing options 2-6 years of that will be your active duty commitment. The remaining 6-2 years is called IRR, individual ready reserve.
For all intents and purposes when you are IRR you are out of the military.
How the time commitments work for Officers I do not know.
Because they need recruits for their Global Terror army.
Part of it is capitalism, which here in the US is a civic religion. Most people find it an affront that their tax dollars might fund someone else's college education. (Which I agree is moronic.)
Part of it is also Joe Biden, who championed legislation that made it so student loans couldn't be discharged in bankruptcy. (Because he's a motherfucker.)
It's not free, and it has some limitations. You have to spend years in the military, risking being killed and agreeing to murder people for that money. If you're a woman, there's a significant risk of rape as well. Then, if you went to school before joining, but didn't get it in writing that the military would pay for all your student debt, they won't. Then, finally, if you survive, come out the other side in good enough mental condition to not off yourself, and go to school, your tuition is limited by certain stipulations. Depending on where/what you want to study, it might not even be enough.
This. My father did 12 years as an officer and took a severance package while getting the military to pay for his PhD. Now he's a professor. My father had a ROUGH and real poor upbringing, and military was the only way out of that hole. He only originally joined because he got my mother pregnant and needed a job that would cover medical and military has about the best healthcare you can get, not to mention the opportunity for education and such. If you live in America and want to benefit from socialist practices that are more common in other countries, you can join the military or you can move 🤷♂️
the vast majority of military service members do none of those things.
it is actually difficult to be in in an active combat role, they weed people out from them.
80% of military serviceman are in support roles. 90% if you are in the air force.
Does average Joe work for the government and get the benefit of a college grant due to their employment? If not, there's your answer. It's why if you work in public service like education and nursing there are programs to have student debt forgiven as you are essentially performing a vital service for the government.
There used to be such programs for teachers and nurses; but many of those promises have been reneged upon, leaving students having to repay loans they would never have accepted had they known the government wouldn’t respect its agreements. I wouldn’t trust that the military won’t be immune to such things soon.
It would not surprise me if that benefit goes away. But at the same time, the difference here is for the military you serve, you get the benefit of a college education, then when you go to college, the college is paid for. It is not a loan. So in other words, if for some reason, the government pulled that benefit back then the veteran of the military would know that before they sign up for college.
But yeah, it would not surprise me if the If the US government pulled that benefit
people are betting off going to a public CC/state ofr nursing and teaching, they usually have programs/ maybe waiving some portion of the tuition.
That wasn't the question.
dont think so, govt also doesnt pay as much as a privare corp, thats why there are also shortages, i dont know about defense jobs though. but private always pays more, thats why govt is usually kind "stable but kinda dead end"
I feel the answer is obvious. My company gives me money in exchange for service, so clearly they can afford it, but why do they require the service?
The government doesn't give you free college unless you earn it through military service.
Just to be clear, I do wish the government would forgive loans and make college free for everyone. It's important to invest in education.
because america needs fodder for the grinder, and if you gave the benefits out to everyone..no one would join up, and besides.. its not filthy woke liberal socialism when its going to military, its god given patriotism /s
checks notes
So the military is basically run with socialism but outside of it socialism is bad?
Yes.
But don't worry, the socialism you get in the military is really bad.
If it was good the idiots who worship the military might realize that it doesn't have to be.
at a high enough level of politics, it practically doesn't matter whether "there's enough money to do something". for example, federal politics could just tax more stuff to spend more money but it doesn't, because it doesn't want to. it's not an issue of affordability. it's all about the philosophical angle/viewpoint that they have.
also to answer your question, the government wants N (where N is a number) soldiers. if they pay your healthcare without you having to risk your life for that, how many people do you think would still sign up as soldiers? probably fewer than N.
Because what would be the benefit of traumatizing yourself by killing brown people and or dying if there was no offer of a house and college? You think young people are just lining up to die without those benefits? I mean, yeah, there's people that are hardcore "Merica" (mostly rednecks) but the vast majority of people in their first 4 years in the military just want those benefits they'll not be able to get without joining.
The vast majority of people in the military aren't killing brown people. Folks can use it for college, they can use it to learn job skills. For some it's a way out, and it's not just opening doors later in life, it's a place to live, a paycheck, food, all of that.
And to OP, there are other federal jobs that also pay back student loans.
The fuck do you mean "small" student loan??
1500 compared to 25k
Yeah the average joe is taking on far more student loan debt than that.
Why bother? That's like less than a month's salary at $10/hr...
small? student loans are usually gigantic asf, if you are going to a private/ expensive school. small is if you go to a state school, even then its affordable for non-prestigious because they have grants. you will probably be spending 100-200k+ on a private or expensive university. when i was in HS, our english teacher was paying off 400+$ per month for many decades to come. MIlitary also has UNIVERSAL single healthcare too, although republicans have been trying to eliminate that somehow, also low interest house loans,,,,etc. the defense budget mostly goes to contractors though.
if you dont have scholarships you will likely be using Loans, but grants/scholarships often go unrewarded, they are out there, but students dont know about these. although i heard there are more for women than men.
CC is what you should be going to if you cant afford an expensive university, spend 2 years taking GE (maybe lower division, but you have to make sure you CC courses matches the university ones)than transferring to said universities, by that time you should be looking for grants/scholarships.
its to keep the service members both active and former from revolting and turning away form the military if they renege on thier education bills, or healthcare subsidization.
they wont do it for US civilians because as you can see its a wedge issue/single issue for both sides of the voting blocs. the DNC can string along healthcare "Reform" for decades as long as they dont act on a universal plan( because if they do act on a universal one, likely they will lose any political capital to get voted in the future), and they get voted. and republicans can be scared by anti-healthcare propaganda to keep voting for them.
healthcare greatly alleviates financial constraints for people who are stuck in crappy jobs and actually pursue thier degree in teh jobs they cant get in thier field, either you are making low enough to use state healthcare, or your job is your only source healthcare available.
As someone who went to college on the GI bill, I was really looking forward 20k in student loan forgiveness.
Because the US right now is a shithole country. In agonist all developed nations you have the right to a free or very cheap education.
Greed
oh you must be murican right?