News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends... by chiph on Monday April 04, 2022 @09:41PM (#30914322)
They're even more rare in the military than in the general population. Firstly for the obvious reason - they don't need any of the benefits so they don't join. Secondly - someone that becomes that wealthy while serving (via a trust-fund, large inheritance, or winning the lottery) would no longer be a good fit for the military. They usually get offered an Honorable Discharge. However, if they still desire to serve the remainder of their term, they can place the money into a blind trust.
Re:Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends... by wolverine876 on Monday April 04, 2022 @11:55PM (#30915141)
> someone that becomes that wealthy while serving (via a trust-fund, large inheritance, or winning the lottery) would no longer be a good fit for the military. They usually get offered an Honorable Discharge.

That's shocking. Where is this rule? Have you seen it happen? I didn't know wealth defined fitness for service.

Re:Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends... by analognoise on Tuesday April 05, 2022 @07:18AM (#30917565)
Of course wealth defines fitness for service (in America, anyway).

Isn't "money for college and healthcare" kinda obvious about it? Like there's almost a wink and a nudge at the end of it.

It's super blatant that having very few economic options and no healthcare chooses fitness for service for you.

Re:Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends... by jwithington on Tuesday April 05, 2022 @08:22PM (#30926879)
The evidence is to the contrary--middle class and above are over-represented in the US military.

"Their median family income is more than $73,000, compared with $66,000 for civilians, and recruits are most likely to come from families in the middle of the wealth distribution, with median wealth of $87,000, almost $10,000 more than civilians."

This is for enlisted members. It's probably safe to have some intuition that officers will skew wealthier.

Re:Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends... by chrisseaton on Tuesday April 05, 2022 @08:20AM (#30918053)
In the UK it’s pretty common for wealthy upper-class people to do a few years in the Army before they take over the family business.
Re:Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends... by chrisseaton on Tuesday April 05, 2022 @05:16AM (#30916882)
I just gave you an example of someone who was still in as a billionaire.