Your points were that him leaving the SEALs (after earning a silver star) for med school was "not something people should admire, or respect", and that he shouldn't be admired so much because the SEAL community and Navy would have been better served if he had just kept doing a job he apparently didn't want to do anymore.
You’re a smart man. You’ll figure it out… if properly inclined.
Jonny Kim has a Silver Star. If you ignore everything else on his very impressive resume, how many people in the military have been awarded a Silver Star?
The vast majority of people, either in uniform or not, can't do what Kim did, no matter how hard they tried. I think that is the point.
There have been about 150,000 Silver Star decorations awarded. But, to the point, @Brett327 obviously isn’t disparaging Kim’s capability as a naval officer or war fighter, he is simply pulling the conversation back to reality for the rest of the general population. Your average 22 year old naval officer hopeful shouldn’t be thinking “I’ll get F-35’s, go SEAL on my first shore tour, rack up a bunch of F-35 hours on my second sea tour, and then hit medical school right after I finish HALO training and pin on my DFC.” Please let me say again….Kim should certainly be admired, but he should not be the “model.” The future of the navy isn’t dependent on snake-eating, life-saving astronauts but experts in human management and the technical aspects of fighting and winning a war at sea. With reference to a navy career, Kim is the recruiting equivalent of “the Admiral,” David Robinson, who graduated from the USNA and racked up an impressive career in the NBA (including the Hall of Fame). Very cool, quite impressive, remarkable, but not what a naval officer really does.
Again, I am not implying it should be ignored….every step has been a stunning journey of great accomplishments. I am simply saying it is not a routine opportunity for your average person.
Sure but you can say the same for being a pilot. What if every rock star Second Class wanted to go to OCS? Should they only be encouraged to go LDO so they keep their maintenance experience in the business?
No. Follow your dream.
Understood, Griz.
I don't recall anyone on here saying Kim's career is one everyone should follow. The "rest of the general population" should, however, do exactly what Kim has done, which is apply themselves fully in chasing what they want to do and achieve as much as they are able in their journey. Everyone doesn't want to change communities multiple times, and nobody is advocating they should. Folks are just celebrating someone who I hope inspires many to not limit themselves to what they think is possible based only on what others have done. Your comments about what is appropriate for the "rest of the general population" do the exact opposite, in that they encourage people to know their place and not strive to achieve more.
Since I just wrote almost exactly what you wrote, I’ll check out of this bizarre conversation for a bit.
I believe this is referred to as “being in violent agreement.”
Oh, 150K Silver Stars since 1932. I guess I meant Silver Stars for the last 20 years.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Why is Lyndon Johnson included as a Silver Star recipient when his was awarded fraudently?
Category:Recipients of the Silver Star - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Another undeserved military honor for LBJ - Washington Examiner
When former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s daughters smashed champagne bottles against a metal star atop the bow of the ship named for him last month, the crowd roared, patriotic streamers shot skyward, and there were smiles all around.No one was churlish enough to mar the christening ceremony in...