A new survey reveals that much of what kids believe about military life stems from myths, rather than reality—and those stories are proving more challenging to dispel than any battle.
In 2023, the Military Family Advisory Network conducted a survey, and the results are pretty interesting, namely that family perceptions of military life tend to be a combination of reality and pure fiction. As the Army alone has lost 12.8 million to 7.9 million veterans between 2000 and 2023, one would think that these stories would disappear, but nope. They continue to grow larger and bolder as the stories are retold.
To help dispel some of the most intractable military myths you are likely to hear your children repeat, here are 10 of the most common army legends to address.
Drill sergeants aren’t the scary monsters kids imagine
Your 10-year-old nephew believes that drill sergeants wake up in the morning thinking about how they can torture recruits in even more ways. Thanks, Hollywood. The truth comes out otherwise.
Present-day drill instructors do push recruits a lot – that much is true. But they are also mentors, teachers, and, at times, the nearest to a parent figure some of the young soldiers have ever known. Today, according to a recent report in the USO, the balance between that famous toughness and the actual support is in the hands of the drill instructors.
Ok, so they will have you do push-ups till your arms are jelly. However, they will also recognize when you are having a hard time and will do everything to ensure that you succeed. The yelling? It is chaos training, and not cruelty training.
Boot camp has a surprisingly high success rate
Children hear the term boot camp and imagine some inhumane obstacle course where the majority of individuals fail miserably. The figures are quite a different story.
Approximately 9 out of 10 recruits complete boot camp. Consider that nine out of every ten who begin complete it. Soldiers are trained with serious money, and the military wants all of them to graduate serviceable. Boot camp is rough, all right. But it is geared to development, not bankruptcy.
The dog tag tooth story is complete fiction
It is an archetypal campfire story that refuses to die. Children love the melodramatic thought that dog tags have notches so they can be slipped down the fallen soldiers’ teeth to identify them. Sounds cinematic. Totally made up.
What do you mean by that notch on the old dog tags? It served to secure the tags in place during stamping in the factory. There is nothing like efficiency in manufacturing. The entire teeth situation most likely originated in a war film and spread across the ocean like wildfire due to its gritty and believable nature.
The actual methods of identifying people through military identification are far more advanced, and, quite frankly, not as sensationalized as kids think.
Horse statue hooves don’t predict how soldiers died
Go into any town square with a child and talk about the military statue, and, more likely than not, you will hear this gem:–When the horse has both front hooves in the air, the soldier was killed in action. One of the hooves is up, indicating that they had been hurt. The four on the ground are a way of saying that they died of natural causes.
Sounds logical. Artists would love this type of secret code system. The problem is, it’s not true. Sculptors place horse hooves according to artistic perception, structural stability, and aesthetics. There are no secret military implications.
A few of the statues may be forced to fall into this “rule,” but it’s only by chance. The actual histories of these soldiers are generally inscribed on the plaque – far more dependable than the location of the hooves.
Marines do surrender when the situation demands it
That picture of the invincible Marine is strong stuff, and children gulp it down. However, military history does not lack instances when even Marines were forced to do the harder thing: giving up.
World War II, Take Wake Island. Marines put up a great fight but ultimately were overpowered by the sheer numbers and were forced to capitulate. This does not turn them into less of a heroic person – it makes them human. Wise military men realize that futile last stands are of no benefit to anyone.
Instilling into kids the notion that giving up never occurs creates unrealistic expectations about bravery and strategy. Sometimes, genuine courage is the difficult decision to survive and struggle one more day.
Germans never actually called Marines “devil dogs”
This is such a real nickname that children (and many adults) do not think otherwise. The German soldiers of World War I called American Marines the devil dogs. Not quite.
American military reporters, in fact, coined this term to recruit people back home. It was macho, threatening, and patriotic – just the style to attract young men to recruitment. The Germans gave the Americans their own name, though they did not call them that.
This demonstrates how effective marketing can turn into a thing of the past unless someone pays attention to facts. The Marines had no trouble gaining actual respect with their enemies without resorting to made-up nicknames.
Military spouses do way more than manage households
Children are taught that military wives are mere traditional housewives who sit around waiting until their military man returns. This presents a significantly different picture from the 2023 Military Family Lifestyle Survey.
During deployments, military spouses often juggle careers, educational pursuits, volunteer work, and single parenting. Military spouse jobs are among the highest priorities on the family agenda, not in the sense that they are unwilling to work, but rather because military life makes holding a job extremely difficult.
These spouses manage domestic transfers that would have driven professional movers mad, family finances amid unscheduled deployments, and they are frequently the backbone of the family when their spouse is abroad. That is not merely housework–that is running a complicated machine.
Military divorce rates aren’t actually sky-high
Ask the majority of the kids regarding military marriages, and they will tell you that it always divides. The constant moves, extended placements, and strains should destroy relationships, right? The data cannot support this assumption.
Recent statistics indicate that military divorce rates are equal to or even lower than civilian divorce rates. Yes, the stresses that civilian families do not experience are unique to military families. However, they also possess support systems, a common cause, and a sense of community that will see marriages through difficult periods.
Military couples usually learn to communicate and be independent in ways that work in their favor. The problems exist, yet so does the strength that these families develop within themselves.
Child soldiers exist worldwide and serve in various capacities
Children may believe that child soldiers are found only in particular places or that they are only employed as fighters. It is even more complicated and widespread than most people recognize.
Children of the armed forces are often used as messengers, cooks, porters, and in a variety of other non-combat roles. This occurs on various continents and in wars. Humanitarian agencies emphasize that the issue should be viewed in its entirety to avoid making short-sighted generalizations.
Clear up the facts and help the kids understand global problems without oversimplified ideas about who becomes a target and how.
There is so much more to military life than war and rigid discipline
Pop culture delights in displaying the military life that is full of constant fighting, interspersed with cruel punishment. Children internalize this message and believe that that is all there is to it.
The real life of a military person involves training, teamwork, technical education, travel, and a lot of routine in everyday life. Yes, discipline matters. Yes, combat happens. Yet, there is also job training, college education, medical care, housing, friendship, and the ordinary human experience.
Members of the military work in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, logistics, and healthcare. They practice sports, visit relatives, engage in their hobbies, and lead remarkably ordinary lives in between events that attract all the media attention.
Key takeaway
The reason military myths persist is that they are fun and seem to simplify complex realities. Children love a dramatic tale, and grown-ups often choose legends over complex reality.
But the truthful story of military life consists. Drill sergeants lead rather than punish. Boot camp is a challenge that helps people develop, not only to strengthen the weak. Military families experience unique strains but also acquire special strengths.
Next time your child tells you some crazy military fact that they have heard, you have to pause to explore the actual story with them. You will each learn something more interesting than the myth.
Disclaimer–This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
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