Military musings from BlackOps!Jack

[icarus]

"Well, the gig was to learn how to fly and then become a bush pilot in Alaska." Jack looked sheepish and Hammond gave him a little knowing smile.

"I thought you were career military?" Daniel asked, the last of his beer sliding down the inside of his glass.

"I didn't plan on it," Jack explained. "But you see it's like this: I fell totally... head over heels."

"Sara?"

"Way before that. The F-100. Sweet plane." Jack shook his head wistfully. "No one's gonna fly prop planes after that."

Hammond's smile warmed and he settled further back into Jack's favorite chair. "Your first plane sure gets you, doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah." Jack stared off in the distance, lost in happy memory.

Daniel still looked slightly puzzled, picking up on undercurrents that he didn't quite follow. The military was certainly a foreign culture, with new nuances under every stone. The general threw him a clue. "No one joins the Air Force because they want to be soldiers, Dr. Jackson. It's a military truism that those who want to fight, join the Marines. Those who just need a job join the Army. And for those who need escape, well there's the Navy for that. Meanwhile those who want to fly join the Air Force."

"Fighting is mostly an unpleasant side effect," Jack added, making a face.

Comments

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

So true. I've known more than one guy who's tried to join the Air Force because he wanted to fly commercial jets.

For the marines I know it's the family business.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yep. It's one of the few ways you can get enough flight time without being Howard Hughes.

*nods* Most of the Marines I know were tough little guys with a self-sacrificing bent and a need to prove themselves. It's a completely different mindset.

Icarus

[kijikun.livejournal.com]

"Fighting is mostly an unpleasant side effect," Jack added, making a face.
Fav line.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

:D Thank you. This is an out take that probably won't be used in the fic, but I enjoyed it too much to throw it away.

Icarus

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

I like this! A lot! It's very much to the heart of all the pilots I've met.

Those who just need a job join the Army.

Hmmm. As a former Army recruit, I don't think I agree. It's certainly true for the underclass that goesinto the military to escape a dead end. But I think it's more likely that the branch appeals to those who love tradition. The Army has the history to appeal to those who want to be a part of that long line of patriots serving the country.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't expect a "fair" assessment from the Air Force. Naturally all the services are inferior compared to themselves.

Icarus

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

THat's true, but I think the other services do consider the Army full of hidebound traditionalists who think they are so much better. :D

I was in a Defense Dept. language school for a year with all the branches, so I got to see how they related and what was true about the various stereotypes. It was always amusing to see just how posturing the Jarheads could be, and one of my Army pals fanned the intraservice animosity by pelting the Marines with water balloons as the company ran past the Navy barracks.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I worked for the SAIC, a military contractor staffed by all the services (but primarily the Air Force... oh, those boys are spoiled).

Elsewhere my immediate boss was ex-Army Intelligence (Vietnam era), another boss was ex-Army (Korea), and a co-worker was an ex-Marine (Korean era, but he was stationed in Isreal).

The Army views itself as traditionalists, that's for sure. I don't think that's the word the other services would use. ;)

Icarus

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

Cor, I don't know beans about it, but from the little observation I've had the opportunity to do - right on. How many people are taken advantage of by the military through their sweet obsessions? (Just imagine, I'm even more ignorant than Daniel.)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The Air Force is one of the few places a pilot can get enough cumulative flight time to be able to fly commercial jets. *shrugs* Otherwise flying will be just for the very rich. I figure Jack is from a middle class background so there was just no way a plane-obsessed kid could ever learn to fly otherwise.

Icarus

woo hoo!

[dustandroses.livejournal.com]

Black Ops!Jack makes a come back! I'm so excited.


"Fighting is mostly an unpleasant side effect," Jack added, making a face.


I love it already.

Re: woo hoo!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I have to re-write it, but fortunately I wasn't too far along.

Icarus