Despite a quarter century of chill between the U.S. and New Zealand over NZ’s anti-nuclear stance, we just wrapped up a visit of HMNZS Te Kaha here in Japan. As usual, sailors will be sailors, so a lot of official and unofficial exchanges, tours and (ahem) ”social activities” took place. We even had the opportunity to help them with a few repairs that were beyond the capabilities of their ship’s force.

A frequent topic of discussion was the RNZN’s retention and manning problems, with a particular shortage of engineers of all sorts due to New Zealand’s booming economy. After a little trawling through the RNZN’s web site, it turns out that they’re recruiting outside the normal field of candidates, and are willing to take officers and enlisted from the UK, US and Canada for direct appointment to grades up to Lt. Commander.

So, if you’re one of the many being forced out by high-year tenure or the second deadly FOS, and you just can’t bear the idea of not working on ships, check it out.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, Rosemary’s Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Big Dog’s Weblog, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Webloggin, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Nuke’s, third world county, DragonLady’s World, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, Republican National Convention Blog, Dumb Ox Daily News, and High Desert Wanderer, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

It seems the GI Bill is not what it used to be:

The GI Bill covered all of Carl Edgerly’s college expenses in the mid-1970s. His son, however, expects that even with the maximum $1,075 in monthly GI Bill benefits, he will be saddled with $50,000 in student loans when he graduates from George Mason University.

…

Despite several attempts by Congress  to boost benefits in past decades, the gap has grown so large that many veterans are forced to take out sizable student loans.

The maximum GI Bill amount a currently enrolled veteran who served on active duty can qualify for during a college career is roughly $38,700. But for many students, that is not nearly enough to pay for tuition, room, board and books. And the GI Bill covers only four years of school, leaving veterans on their own if they take longer to graduate.

The average cost of one year’s tuition, room and board at four-year public institutions in 2006-07 was $12,796, according to the College Board. For private schools, the one-year cost was $30,367. Tuition and fees at all schools have risen 35 percent in the past five years, while the highest GI Bill monthly payout has increased only 20 percent since 2002.

I suspect DoD’s been dumping so much money into salaries and retention bonuses for active personnel, that this program’s slipped off the pay & benefits Powerpoint.

I am not a scholar or a baron of industry. Neither am I a politician or statesman, with the weight of great office behind my words. I have neither fame nor fortune to carry my words from sea to shining sea. I must rely on the good graces of others to accomplish that.

In these respects, I am just like you.

It is not for want of opportunity that I am none of these things. I attended a top-tier university for my undergraduate studies, subsequently earned a master’s degree and have a number of published scholarly works to my name. The door to what we call the American Dream these days was open wide, and a six-figure income, nice home and a car that would impress my friends were all within my grasp. I am not a scholar, industrialist or academic today, however, because I chose to serve and found its rewards invaluable.

I made my decision in the midst of two twilights – the evening twilight of the Cold War and the morning twilight of Islamic radicalism. When I was young it was still not uncommon for American and Soviet warships to intentionally bump one another to make a political point. My very first ship, an aircraft carrier, was rarely out of view of a Soviet intelligence-gathering vessel when deployed. And while the tide of terror and the radical ideology behind it was just coming into view, few doubted it was rising.

I, like you, had heard talk of the importance of service, but I did not fully understand until I was well into my career. Aside from my father’s brief enrollment in the Marine Corps’ Platoon Leaders Course prior to the Vietnam War, no one in my immediate family had served. My family was a mix of quiet, Rockefeller Republicans and outspoken, Liberal Democrats. Some were proud of my choice, most were indifferent and a few believed I was wasting my life.

Even at the end of my first tour I did not clearly see the value in my service. It took having a family and September 11th to bring things into focus. On that day I was serving on another ship, and we were in port in the Mediterranean. When we received the news of the attacks we hastily got underway. Once safely at sea all eyes were glued to CNN and all lips fell silent. As the first tower began to crumble, freedom seemed fragile and I worried more for the safety of my family than they did for mine.

Today, five years later, we are still at war with no end in sight. Even more troubling, our enemy has been struggling on one level or another to create a global Islamic state for nearly fourteen centuries. They are patient, they are cunning, and they are ruthless in pursuing their goals.

As a result, your family, friends and neighbors need your service, whether they know it or not. We in uniform need your service as well. Racial, ethnic, religious, economic and ideological diversity broadens and strengthens our ability analyze problems and construct solutions that are best for all Americans.

The six-figure salaries, spacious homes and shiny, new cars will wait for you. And you just might find that not only are these comforts within easier reach, but you will appreciate them more. As a Marine officer during the Vietnam War once commented, “For those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.” Today I can confirm that he was right. Without serving, you will probably have these luxuries sooner, but only those that have chosen to wear the cloth of the nation may know what they are really worth.

The freedoms we as Americans enjoy – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – are easily taken for granted and just as easily taken away when citizens, particularly the well-educated and influential citizens, are indifferent. Our enemy has been trying to whittle away at those freedoms for 1400 years. A few years of your time is a small price to pay for a lifetime of liberty, and you and your country will be better in the end.

Note: This is my non-sanctioned contribution to the DoD’s Why We Serve program. Other milbloggers with “Why We Serve” stories are encouraged to open post (trackbacks will be displayed), and I’ll keep this post on the home page for a week.Open trackbacked to Blue Star Chronicles, Stop the ACLU and OTB and the linkfest.