With the abundance of SHTF scenarios being tossed around, I did a search and scoured the different threads, but was unable to find anything to answer a hypothetical situation I thought of…In the event that SHTF and you are on active duty as a member of the military, how would you contend with conflicting duty requirements? Base defense? Home defense? I bring this up after reading previous posted scenarios and I began to think deeply about this. I am in the military on active duty, and as it stands I am considered essential personnel. The downside to this is I have a family like so many others, but I also have an obligation to hold up the orders of those above me. I just want to hear what some of you think about possible work arounds and opinions on what to do in the event of this happening. Thanks
I hate to say it but honestly if it was some doomsday zombie apocolypse type deal it would be family first.
I think most the answers you get will be “family first” but I also think it really depends on what type of SHTF scenario we’re talking about.
On a side note, welcome to the boards. Im just over the bridge from you in Shreveport.
I agree, the crappy part to that is that no matter the severity of it…the “mission” comes first…not that I agree, but its the truth :mad:
Thanks for the welcome:D and to answer the question about the scenario…im thinking more along the lines of a homegrown economic crumble…if I am stretching it: Zombie uprising
I actually brought this up at my unit and the commander made it clear that our shop would become a shelter for our families.
I don’t mean to bring up movies as they are unrealistic but no movie with a catostrophic event does the military or any infastructure at that still stand after. It’s always small groups of random people trying to make due.
Zombie/SHTF/TEOTWAWKI nonsense aside, things like tornadoes, wildfires, blizzards, and floods happen to active duty personnel and installations all the time. What are they doing? The mission.
Members should have plans and preps in place so that they can focus on their jobs. Commands should be encouraging and supporting same. Spouse and family groups as well.
In the aftermath of NOLA, there were a number of articles about how units dealt with issues that arose in manning and mission. I remember particularly good ones coming out of Keesler AFB, but I can’t find references.
Not unique to mil, but applicable to any profession that will be called upon in case of disaster. Get your family ready to be without you for a time.
I would say that both are mutual to some extent, if you live on base/post. Because while I would be accomplishing the mission, my family would be benefiting from my work on base. if it were something of a large scale, Well my family comes first. there will come a day when I take off my uniform one last time yet I will continue to lay down with my wife for the remainder of my days and I do not forget that. My responsibility to God comes first and that means i’m responsible for my wife and children. After that the constitution comes and so on and so forth.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Well said.
Why is it God’s will to protect your family over your oath (to God) to follow legal orders of officers appointed over you?
“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
It wouldn’t surprise me if in the near future any reference to “God” be removed from the oath at the rate were going. Gotta be politically correct these days, right? Can’t offend anyone! If this ever became the case, then your oath would be to the gov’t. I’ve never been in the military so my .02 doesn’t mean shit, but I would have to say family first if it came to deciding between my family & strangers. I wouldn’t hold it against any soldier if they chose the same.
Rawles newer book addresses this senario in europe. Kinda of an interesting read. My daughter landed back in Raimstien? at 0400 this morning in anticiation of her husband returning from Astan.
We put 3000.00 in an account for them to have in case she needs to leave Germany quickly.
I’d prefere they keep the money at home for instant access issues rather then in a bank but they aren’t good with that.
Not likely but I’d rather have a plan for them in placee then not have a plan for them.
You state side guys should already have worked out bingo plans with family and friends.
Thanks for your service to our country.
Dirk
Koshinn,
First I would submit to you that if the time ever came that I had to actually choose between following orders and not there’s already a violation of the constitution. As a matter of fact the Constitution has already been violated repeatedly. Another thought that popped up in my head is this. At the initial taking the oath several years ago, the constitution was different so to speak. We now have laws in place that relate to the military such as the NDAA 2012 that are in direct contradiction to the constitution and subvert its intent some might say. Such small things as due process, habeas corpus, etc. Im kidding of course when i say small things, because I feel these are VERY BIG THINGS. So what I’m saying in reference to that is my oath was to the constitution as it was at the time of initial taking or re-enlistment. I do not consider it to be ever evolving, I consider it binding in its original format and intent. Im not a legal guru or particularly knowledgeable, so these are just personal convictions and beliefs.
additionally by acknowledgment that I’m swearing to God (IN THE OATH) means I absolutely believe in him and his principles. First and foremost this guy belongs to Gods and not the government (per the bible), this gives me additional responsibilities, not less. I understand that when I die and leave this earth that according to my Christian faith, I will stand in judgement before GOD, not the U.S. Government. The U.S. Gov could potentially send me to jail for a violation of the UCMJ/law whatever. But they do not pass judgement over me for eternity, GOD DOES. SO HE, IS MY HIGHER AUTHORITY. I don’t know if all this makes sense to you, but it does to me. Hopefully there are some folks here that are picking up what I’m putting down.
Heres a little something I read on the internet and it has a few biblical keys in it, great reading. check it out.
The Husband’s Responsibility to his Wife & the Bible!
The position of the husband in the home and his related responsibilities are quite clearly defined in principle in Ephesians 5:22, 28-31. “Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, even as Christ is head of the church; and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wife as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it . . . So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church . . . For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shal.1 be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh”.
It is impossible to completely deal with the responsibilities of the husband in such a short article. I am going to ask you to make some notations of scriptures and then read them at a later time. Let us start with some scriptures that deal with the husband as head of the house. Genesis 3:16, says in part “her desire shall be to man”. Then Eph. 5:23, “husband is head of the wife”; then I Tim. 2:11-12, “She shall have no dominion over a man”. Now don’t stop at these verses and think that the only responsibility of the husband is to be HEAD of the house. By the way, head does not mean master as in a master-slave relationship, nor does it mean a relationship like a general to a private in the army. It is more like a partnership where one is the leader, guide, director. Now consider this. Can you think of any decision that a husband should make WITHOUT consulting or considering his wife and her wishes? I cannot!
Now let us consider some other responsibilities. The husband is to love his wife above all other human beings. Consider Eph. 5:25 and 28; and Col. 3:19. These passages teach that the husband is to be considerate and tender. The verses in Ephesians 5 teach that the husband is to cherish his wife. This means that she is to be treated with tenderness and affection. This would mean that since love must be fed, there is to be a warm demonstrative love relationship. The husband has the responsibility of not only demonstrating his love and concern, but telling her. He should not sit in such self-absorption that he does not talk with her and communicate with her socially, mentally, verbally and physically. The husband will demonstrate his love for his wife in other ways, rather than just at the time of sexual relationship. If this is the only time that affection and consideration is shown, then a wife will get the idea that all a husband is interested in is her body and that she is merely a sex object.
I Peter 3:7, teaches that the husband is to honor his wife. She gave up her name to take yours. Honor means that you should show her respect and this involves courtesy, consideration and emotional support. Be sure that as her husband that you do not hold her up to ridicule in public by the cutting remarks that you make. She wears YOUR name and is to viewed as part of your body. She is not perfect and you are aware of this. Do not expect perfection, but as Ephesians 4:32 teaches, “forbear one another”. This means to be gentle toward her. Control of temper, abstaining from physical violence and restraining a sharp tongue that makes one feel so inferior - are ways by which you can exhibit forbearance.
Paul presents another responsibility of husbands in I Timothy 5:8 - “But if any provide not for his own, especially for those of his own household, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel”. Marriage is a financial venture and the husband has a responsibility to finance or support or provide for his family. This is talking about money. As a husband, your earnings are not your own but belong to your wife as well and your children.
Another responsibility of the husband is to be active in the area of the discipline and rearing of the children. When the Apostle Paul was giving the qualifications for elders and deacons, he included this statement that is certainly applicable to all men: I Timothy 3:3-5, and he speaks of ruling your own house. Now this discipline should be with love. Many times discipline is administered without love. The Book says in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers provoke not your children to wrath”, and again in Colossians 3:21, “Fathers provoke not your children to anger lest they be discouraged”. The husband therefore does not leave all the discipline up to his wife, but shares in the molding and direction of your children. It is not a proper division of responsibility to say that as the husband I will provide the living and the wife is to take care of the house and children. The husband has duties even after his days work is done by which lie is earning a living to support his family.
The Christian father should set an example for his family as he earns a living, directs the household with concern for each member, and as he fulfills his role as head of the house. He should see to their spiritual development by the life he lives and the direction in which he leads his family.
Your wife is a part of your body - you are a part of each other. For this reason Paul said, “Love your wife”. He didn’t say, if you want to. As you love her, you love yourself and are fulfilling the role that the Lord wanted you to have.
http://www.bible.ca/f-husbands-responsibility.htm
http://www.bible.ca/f-husbands-responsibility.htm
What do you mean by that? Through my faith I know that god will watch over my family…I know the oath, have said it twice now 
I have plans in place in the event that something goes terribly wrong, but I guess the gist of what I wanted to get out of this is what takes precedence? And how would one be justifiable over the other?
While I’m not active, but guard, I’ve been deployed to OEF, and several natural disasters in the south and midwest.
God, Family, Country
That’s my order of precedence
reflects that of my own…but let me play antagonist for just a second: I believe that no matter the circumstances you have to take care of your family. With that said, in the event that extreme measures had to be taken by the military and action was taken to squash or defeat an enemy but time was not allowed to secure your “homefront” how would you react? Believe in the leadership (lol) and maintain orders even if it put your family in danger? I only say these things based on my own experiences since my enlistment, and how they have been handled with or without my wants/needs being met.
The land of hypotheticals and devil’s advocate is an impossible one to navigate.
I would not feel right reporting to my unit, until I was convinced that my family was reasonably safe. My brother, my 2 uncles and a cousin are all in the IA Guard, many more extended family members across all the services.
I would take care of my own before worrying about reporting, now if I was on duty and an incident occurred that is a whole different story. I would not dessert unless I was fairly confident that my leaving could change their fate.
Having said that, I’ve been in for long enough and gone through enough with my brother’s in arms that they are almost family, leaving them in a time of need would be very hard to do. Imminent family danger would be required for me to leave my brothers in green.
Feel free to pick that apart, call me a coward or whatever, but in the simplest of terms that is my take on the subject.