Running head: UNITED STATES MILITARY

United States Military Stereotypes

DeWayne T Murray
University of Kentucky

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Abstract
The United States Military is one of the Greatest Militaries in the world. The Military consist of
5 branches, and surprisingly each one of these branches has a stereotype. The army is known as
unintelligent, the air force is known as lazy, the navy is known as gay, the marines are known as
jarheads, and the coast guard is known as being weak. Other stereotypes that like the ones on
each of the United States military branches usually arise due to perception. Perception cannot be
avoided, because it just happens naturally. Everyone has a perception of something so therefore
stereotypes will always arise.

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Is it so hard not to judge people? Everyone does it without even thinking about it,
so its not completely our faults. The reason why we do this is because of perception. Every time
that we see something we have an automatic opinion about something in a matter of seconds.
Now this is something that I have just been recently led to believe, but perception is the reason
that we have stereotypes in society. We see something that someone does in a curtain culture and
we categorize that characteristic or behavior with that culture. Stereotypes are everywhere and
that is because of Perception. Places where we think stereotypes shouldnt be they are even the
most respected places such as the United States Military.

U.S Military History

The United States Military is if not the most respected: one of the most respected
groups in The United States.The United states military was established in 1775, but they where

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known as the Continental Army, Navy and Marines before they Succeded from the British
empire during the American Revolution. After the American Revolution the First branch of the
United States military was formed in 1784. Over the Centuries the United States has been able to
Grow into a world Power thanks to its military.

Military Stereotypes
Why is it that a military this great is being talked down upon? The answer is
simple; its Perception. Each branch of The military has a Stereotype associated with their
branch. The military shouldnt be talked bad about simply because of all the work that they do.
We should have absolutely nothing but respect for them, which im sure that they find offensive.
When hearing about the Military stereotypes you might agree with them but you shouldnt let
your opinions define the entire group.

Army
The United States Army was founded June 3, 1784; they were the very first
branch of our military, and they are our ground force. Im sure that our ancestors were very
proud of establishing our very first branch. If they were to see how people have made a mockery
of the army im sure they would be disappointed. Despite all the hard work of the army they have
been acknowledged as being stupid or not very intelligent. I believe that this stereotype
originated because a few people in the army were seen doing something that would make them
seem unintelligent.

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Navy
The United States Navy was established in 1775 the Navys job is to maintain the
freedom of the sea. People that are part of the Navy are often at sea for long periods of time.
With knowledge about the time period that they are at sea the stereotype came to be. The Navy Is
often call gay. Each and every naval soldier faces the stereotype referring them to being a
homosexual. The stereotype originated because people saw how long the Men were at sea
without the opposite sex to accompany them, so people were led to believe that the Men of the
Navy would partake in homosexual activities with one another.
Marines
The Marines were established November 10 1775. The Marines are also known as
Infantry of the Navy because they are part of the Navy. The Marines only become their own
branch during the war because they can be used to perform quick task, since they are a smaller
branch of the military. The stereotype that associates with a Marine is Jarhead. Now if you
google the definition of a jarhead; the first thing it will say is Marine. Now not everyone knows
exactly what a Jarhead is: I know that I didnt. After doing some research I found multiple
meanings. The first definition I found of jar head is a marine as you already know. Second I
found that a Marine is a Jarhead because of their haircut, but I felt that that couldnt be the reason
for the name of jarhead, so I looked again. My final result led me to find that Jarhead is a
derogatory term that means your head is like an empty jar, thus meaning that Marines are stupid.

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Now there were a few terms that I ran across that werent referring to Marines as Being stupid.
Marines are stone cold killers, they have no mind for themselves, and all they do is kill for
fun.The Marines seem to be talked about far more than any other branch. I personally think that
they are the best branch and that they shouldnt be put down as much as they are.

Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard was established as the Revenue Cutter Service in
1790. It was reformed as the United States Coast Guard in 1915. The Coast Guard is primarily
concerned with law enforcement, boating safety, sea rescue, and illegal immigration. In time of
urgency the president has the authority to transfer all or parts of the navy, so one could say that
the Coast Guard Is part of the Navy. The Coast Guard consists of ships, boats, aircraft and shore
stations that conduct a variety of missions. Now why did I give so much information on the
Coast Guard? The information isnt meant to overwhelm anyone; its meant to enlighten you on
what the Coastguard does because not everyone knows about the Coast Guard.I Believe that The
stereotype about the Coast Guard Comes from a lack of knowledge on what they do. The Stereo
type about the Coast Guard is that they have a Badge but no power. I feel like that stereotype can
be interpreted in many ways, but the way I interpreted it as was them having a badge as if they
were police but they have no power compared to the rest of the branches of military. I feel that
the Coast Guards are really just police for the sea so they only handle crime going on in the
waters of the United States. I dont mean to offend anyone but I feel like the Coast Guard
shouldt be a part of the military, and I can explain my reasoning. The Depatment of defense is
not over the Coast Guard; The department of homeland security is, so I feel like the Coast guard
should be categorized with the FBI and CIA.

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Air Force

The Air Force was created in 1947 and is the youngest military service although
they werent their own separate service. During World War II the Air force was recognized
because it showed that air power had much more a lot of potential than simply supporting ground
troops, so the Air Force was established as a separate service. The mission of the Air Force is to
defend the United States through exploitation of air and space. I believe that the Air Force has
the ost disrespectful stereotype compared to all the other Branches of Military. The stereotype
for the Air Force is that they are lazy. They have even been given Chair Force as a nickname. No
one should be taken for granted of the job that they do, and Im pretty sure that if they werent
doing any type of work they wouldnt have their own branch. I think that the reason people
might get the stereotype of the Air Force Bing Lazy is because the way that the Air Force works.
If you didnt know sitting down is not all that the Air Force does. The Air Force is also
responsible for all military satellites, and controls all of our Nation's strategic nuclear ballistic
missiles. Now im pretty sure that there is a lot of computer work involved. All of the thing that
the Air Force does requires a lot of Knowledge and a lot of hard work. Yes they may sit in
chairs, but they are doing a lot of work at the same time. I also feel that people take for granted
all the maintenance that is required for our technology to function at its best. People may also
think that because they arent in the field like the Army that they dont work as hard as the

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Army, but every branch has its own job or jobs that they are responsible for. In order for our
military to be able to function as good as they do we need to be able to have different branches
with different responsibilities.

Respect

There are a lot of stereotypes in our military that some may find funny and some
people may feel that the stereotypes are disrespectful. Everyone in the military probably feels
like the stereotypes are wrong. We should all try and find out the truth so that we can put the
stereotypes to an end. These brave men and women are working too hard to be disrespected the
way that they are. We all should pay our respects for the thing that we dont do ourselves
because it takes a lot of courage to stand where those men and women stand. As a nation we
shouldnt be divided by such simple things as stereotypes no matter what the situation people
need to learn to overcome their negative thoughts.

Change of Perspective

To be completely honest when I first heard about the stereotypes; I thought that
they were extremely funny. Ever since I started doing research on the United States military my
perspective has changed. There is so much that we are unaware of, we sit here and dont think
about what really goes on in the military, so we shouldnt make false assumptions. Those
citizens that are brave enough to join the military to fight for me and you; should only be looked
up to not looked down on. Everyone should take time to acknowledge and show appreciation to
everyone in uniform.

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Training

The training that soldiers go through is known as basic combat training. Training
last for ten weeks and has multiple stages. The basic combat training mostly consist of the same
training with each branch, but varies because each branch requires training that is in the field of
their branch.

Sacrifices

Soldiers in the United States Military have to sacrifice so much. We all Know that
Many of them make the ultimate sacrifice by giving their life; to protect the freedoms of others,
but they also make other sacrifices as well. A lot of active duty soldiers are forced to always
travel, so it can be hard for them to find a palce that they can truly call home. A soldier having to
move around can be even worse whenever they have a family, especially children that constantly
have to switch schools.

Effects of the War

Some soldiers and current veterans have been affected by a war that they fought
in. Some physical effects on war have been shell shock, asthma, and heart disease, even a foot
infection known as French foot. Physical effects werent the only effects on soldiers; they also

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suffered psychologically. These effects consisted of high levels of stress, and PTSD (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Interviews

In order to get more info I conducted two interviews with to members of the
United States military. Although I only had two interviews I was able to get a lot of information
regarding the military. During the interview I asked multiple questions I was enlightened about
the military life. One of the interviews was on a women named Kiara who is a member of the Air
National Guard, and my second interview was on a man named Mekell who is a member of the
Army National Guard.

National Guard

Before you say anything, I already know that you might have a question about the
National Guard. The National Guard is basically just the reserves, for the army and air force. The
National Guard is still a part of the military, they just are used for state purposes more. For
example the National Guard that Kiara and Mekell are in is The Kentucky Air National Guard
for Kiara, and The Kentucky Army National Guard. They are used as a state army for times of
need such as natural disaster. They can even be used to assist other states in times of need.

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Mekell

My interview with Mekell gave me insight on the army. While talking to Mekell I
could tell that he was extremely proud to be in the army. He told me about his Basic combat
experience. He told me about his Career in the army, and how he plans to remain in the army for
the majority of his life. Then I asked Mekell if he was aware of the stereotype that his branch of
military was associated with, and surprisingly he didnt know. When I told him about his
stereotype which is that the army is intelligent; he became upset and stated that it was not true. I
could only agree with him because the manor that he was talking to me he showed me that he
was an intelligent guy. I also told him about the stereotypes of the other branches and he agreed
with the stereotypes. Despite agreeing with the stereotypes on the other branches of military;
Mekell stated all of the branches do a great job.

Kiara

While interviewing Kiara I was enlightened about the air force. While talking to
Kiara I could also tell that she was proud of her branch. Kiara told me about her experience at
her basic training, along with what her air force career consisted of. Kiara joined the air force so
that she could have her college tuition paid for, and she hasnt decided if she would like to
continue in the air force. I told Kiara about the air forces stereotype, which is that the air force is
lazy, and I got a response that I didnt expect. Kiaras response was a laugh, and she explained
that she already knew about that stereotype and thought it was funny. I then told Kiara the

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stereotypes of the other branches of military and she agreed with them. Kiara then made a
statement that really caught my attention; she said The branches of the military are like brothers
and sisters we all like to pick on each other but we all still love each other. Kiaras statement led
me to believe that the stereotypes were created within the military, and I couldnt help but think
that it was true.

With perception at mind; you can come to understand why we have stereotypes
today. The origins of stereotypes are hard to come by. After my interviews I had a change in
mindset. I strongly believe that the stereotypes on the United States military originated inside the
military. With this new belief I felt I felt that this stereotype was fine and it wasnt doing any
harm, but that is still not absolutely true. A stereotype is still a stereotype, even if the group
created it themselves. This stereotype should stay in the military, because if it is used by anyone
that is outside of the military it can be really offensive. I said earlier that a Stereotype is still a
stereotype, but for these stereotypes I guess that you can let it slide a little bit; only if your in the
military of course.

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References

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130227080125AACIR6M

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RwsA36jeoO17CH-IpIeBD8tteIE4l-z
http://defense.gov

XXZteY3bv8lQ/embed?hl=en&size=s&slide=id.p

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_humor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/index.html
http://www.goarmy.com/soldier-life/becoming-a-soldier/basic-combat-training.html
http://www.military.com/military-family-appreciation-month/understanding-sacrifices-forfreedom.html
http://outsidethebeltway.com/does-it-matter-if-a-presidential-candidate-never-served-in-themilitary/
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/war/effects.aspx
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jarhead
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/military101.htm

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