人们为什么加入美国军队?

AS IT IS 2016-09-09 Why Do People Join the US Military? 人们为什么加入美国军队?

Many countries require young men to serve in the armed forces. But in the United States, military service is voluntary. And joining the U.S. military is not an easy process.

Staff Sergeant¹ Terrelle Thomas joined the Air Force nine years ago. He now works as a military recruiter³ in Woodbridge, Virginia.

His job is to get volunteers to join the U.S. armed forces.

“At the time I was going to school, I was paying for, for school out of my pocket. And I was like 'Man, this is tough,' and I was staying home with my parents. I was like, ‘I don't know if I like this as much anymore.’ So I went in, talked to a recruiter. He was cool. He broke it down for me, and next thing you know, I'm in...”

Benjamin Spahr volunteered for the military. He says other members of his family have served in the armed forces.

“My mother was enlisted⁵ in the Air National Guard and my father was an officer in the Air Force. So I was accustomed to that lifestyle from a young age moving around...”

The armed forces pays its members to attend school, both while they are on active duty and after they leave the military. But not everyone can join the armed forces. There are age limits and volunteers must be successful at mental and physical tests. They must also not be abusing alcohol or taking other drugs.

Training for new recruits⁶ is difficult and intense. The recruits must be strong and in good health.

An increasing number of women are joining the military. Madison Foote is one of them.

“Its just the pushups I'm worried about. I'm not very good at pushups. But I think I can do everything else...”

Some Americans volunteer for the armed forces, even when their parents object. The parents are worried about their children because the military deploys⁷ troops to many dangerous areas throughout the world.

Oludare Ogunmadewa is a new recruit². He says not everyone in his family supports his decision to enlist⁴ in the military.

“My parents are worried, my whole family is worried as well, but it’s a risk I feel is necessary for myself -- more for my children, to secure their future.”

The United States ended forced enlistment⁸ in 1973, during the Vietnam War. Now, recruits voluntarily sign an agreement to stay in the military for three to six years, depending on their chosen job.

Some volunteers choose to stay longer. Staff Sergeant Thomas says that is because they discover that serving in the military is unlike any other job they could have.

“A lot of veterans that serve their 20, 30 years, the main thing that they talk to me about -- especially when they bring their, their children to the office -- is the camaraderie⁹ they establish with the people they met.”

Words in This Story

recruiter – n. a person who finds suitable people and convinces them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc.

pocket – n. a usually small cloth bag that is sewn into a piece of clothing, a larger bag, etc., and that is open at the top or side so that you can put things into it

break it down – informal expression explain

accustomed – adj. familiar with something so that it seems normal or usual (+ to)

lifestyle – n. a particular way of living; the way a person lives or a group of people live

pushup – n. an exercise in which you lie on your stomach and raise and lower your body by straightening and bending your arms

camaraderie – n. a feeling of good friendship among the people in a group

1 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

2 recruit   

n.招聘，新兵，新成员；v.恢复，补充，招募

参考例句：

• The country's first act would be to recruit for the navy.国家的第一个行动是为海军征募新兵。
• This is a nationwide campaign to recruit women into trade unions.这是一次吸收妇女参加工会的全国性运动。

3 recruiter   

n.招募者

参考例句：

• The tele recruiter is prompted by a variety of questions, depending on your answers. 针对你不同的回答，这位考官还会提出些不同的问题。
• A recruiter can give you insider pointers and advice. 一个招聘人可以为你提供内行人的观点与建议。

4 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

5 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 recruits   

新兵( recruit的名词复数 )； （机构中的）新成员； 就业； 人才开发

参考例句：

• A corps of doctors arrived to inoculate the recruits. 一队医生来给新兵打防疫针。
• The recruits are exercised every day in the art of self-defence. 新兵每天训练自卫技能。

7 deploys   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的第三人称单数 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• It then deploys "decoy" programs designed to attract the virus. 然后，它释放“诱饵”去吸引病毒。
• But when that doesn't work, he deploys his secret defense mechanism. 但没有效果，它要施展绝密自卫武器了。

8 enlistment   

n.应征入伍，获得，取得

参考例句：

• Illness as a disqualification for enlistment in the army. 疾病是取消参军入伍资格的一个原因。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One obstacle to the enlistment of able professors was that they had to take holy orders. 征聘有才能的教授的障碍是他们必须成为牧师。 来自辞典例句

9 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。