this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2025
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Seriously I know a ton of guys who do MMA/Boxing and served in the military and they almost all told me their time in the military did the most damage and often it was parad shit that fucked them up. One guy had his first TBI fainting just like this guy and hitting the back of his head on the ground. Or it fucks up their knees and ankles. And no one watches that shit. There is no reason for it, it's just there to entertain the dumb nepobabies that make ip the officer class.
The bootstraps people would tell you that it’s about “discipline and order, two things that are essential in a functional military”.
I love getting rid of my own braincells! Lack of then is essential in a functional military!
Military should have safety standard. Marching and falling over is too unsafe. They should only be sent into the heat of battle.
Marching is a highly efficient way to move large amounts of people.
Twirling your gun around isn't though
That is done by special drill teams that do that exclusively. The average Marine or soldier just have six or so very basic things they do with their rifle. Those things are almost never done again after boot camp.
Those things are right and left shoulder arms, port arms, trail arms, and present arms. None of these require twirling.
I did a tour in a NATO army, in Europe, conscript. I was in a Scout/Pathfinder unit (volunteer, perks), so we had real "kill fast, silently and with prejudice" among other training. However, in peace time we had some ceremonial/escort duties. We did some "essential" drill team duties. I liked to say we were armed majorettes. The kill-gunnery-explosives-orienteering-etc. stuff I could consider useful knowledge/training for extreme situations, but the drill stuff is about the useless-est skills ever acquired.
I always thought military training was about improving people's ability to fight for their country, not reduce it. And yet, it's not the first time I've heard that kind of story.
Go read All Quiet on the Western Front it really showcases the real purpose of military training (no critical thinking, just obey) which hasn't changed a lot since then.