can someone please explain to me why they choose to be cannonfodder a.k.a. a soldier?

[peacefan]

i'm a strictly defensively oriented hetro man, so i choose to defend my country by serving as a volunteer in it's resistance ranks.
currently, or since 9/11, i volunteered as online peace activist, and i've been assertive in my tone as an opinionmaker towards countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, The UK, The USA and China (that last one on Trump's cue by the way).

that means i'm one of those guys behind the curtains that decides where the war hungry get sent, when, and when we pull out of unwinnable wars.
and don't get me wrong, i've just got minor influence and i know it, but still..

i'd like to know : why do men choose to fire bullets and grenades at soldiers of another country?
why do you force me to figure out where to assign troops and how many civilian lives to put at risk of serious harm or death?
why do you force your politicians and diplomats into wars?
because ultimately, i think the root of this problem is simply our violent greedy nature.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

patriotism for one and to serve others as another.

 

[TNHarley]

If we only defended our country, I could understand.
But people that sign up today, will only be defending the richs interests, and other countries. Just like it has been for decades.

 

[peacefan]

patriotism for one and to serve others as another.

sure does seem though, that patriotism has, since unipolarism began, become imperialism with a feudal, meritocratic face.

 

[Moonglow]

The medical is to die for.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

I would defend my country and my countrymen, but I won't blindly defend this federal government. It needs to be dismantled in so many ways

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

i'm a strictly defensively oriented hetro man, so i choose to defend my country by serving as a volunteer in it's resistance ranks.
currently, or since 9/11, i volunteered as online peace activist, and i've been assertive in my tone as an opinionmaker towards countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, The UK, The USA and China (that last one on Trump's cue by the way).

that means i'm one of those guys behind the curtains that decides where the war hungry get sent, when, and when we pull out of unwinnable wars.
and don't get me wrong, i've just got minor influence and i know it, but still..

i'd like to know : why do men choose to fire bullets and grenades at soldiers of another country?
why do you force me to figure out where to assign troops and how many civilian lives to put at risk of serious harm or death?
why do you force your politicians and diplomats into wars?
because ultimately, i think the root of this problem is simply our violent greedy nature.

Before They Could Stab Us in the Back, They Took Away Our Backbone

Dissatisfied with life at home. Escaping to Vietnam because of the emptiness that was programmed for us in America, but found out that we were doomed over there, too.

 

[Moonglow]

I would defend my country and my countrymen, but I won't blindly defend this federal government. It needs to be dismantled in so many ways

I doubt you'd like the end result.

 

[Moonglow]

Before They Could Stab Us in the Back, They Took Away Our Backbone

Dissatisfied with life at home. Escaping to Vietnam because of the emptiness that was programmed for us in America, but found out that we were doomed over there, too.

My old man kept on volunteering for Nam...

 

[whitehall]

The Founding Fathers listed the duty of the Federal Government in two sentences, "to provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare". Providing for the common defense is self explanatory. The dirty little secret is that every military adventure in the bloody 20th century happened during a democrat administration. Vote republican if you want to prevent war.

 

[whitehall]

You can sit in your mom's basement and play video games and as the years go by you will still be sitting around beer cans and pizza boxes. Granted Wilson and FDR's wars took our best and bravest from us but the peacetime military teaches skills and confidence and you can get a college education practically for free with the G.I. Bill. What's not to like?

 

[Seymour Flops]

You can sit in your mom's basement and play video games and as the years go by you will still be sitting around beer cans and pizza boxes. Granted Wilson and FDR's wars took our best and bravest from us but the peacetime military teaches skills and confidence and you can get a college education practically for free with the G.I. Bill. What's not to like?

Hear, hear!

Not ashamed to openly admit that going into the military, at my parents strong insistence, is what saved me from being that guy exactly, except with books instead of video games.

I grew up. I found that I woke up every day in a good mood, knowing my life was moving forward again having stalled after high school. I never worried about where my next meal was coming from, nor how I would get medical care if I needed it. I earned all those benefits, and used the college education I was able to pay for to become an officer. Young men need to see the world, and they need to live in a world in which men their own age and a little older push themselves to accomplish things they would have never been able to do on their own. I could go on paragraph after paragraph of things one learns doing that which a high school to college to cubicle Joe will never know.

Does that mean that such young people are used by politicians to conduct all manner of wars and occupations? Sure, if the older and wiser citizens are not vigilant to stop them. How, when, and where to fight and occupy is a decision for the grey heads. The young ones can only either serve or not serve, and refusal to serve accomplishes nothing in the way of peace.

As to the danger, it can be great. But for the overwhelming majority, the training is just that, and they never hear a shot fired in anger. Plenty of dangers await a college student also, from dying in the trunk of a car during a fraternity initiation, to being carjacked while cruising a bad neighborhood for weed.

Those young soldiers/sailors/airman/Marines get far more out of serving than the country gets out of them. I know I did.

 

[whitehall]

Hear, hear!

Not ashamed to openly admit that going into the military, at my parents strong insistence, is what saved me from being that guy exactly, except with books instead of video games.

I grew up. I found that I woke up every day in a good mood, knowing my life was moving forward again having stalled after high school. I never worried about where my next meal was coming from, nor how I would get medical care if I needed it. I earned all those benefits, and used the college education I was able to pay for to become an officer. Young men need to see the world, and they need to live in a world in which men their own age and a little older push themselves to accomplish things they would have never been able to do on their own. I could go on paragraph after paragraph of things one learns doing that which a high school to college to cubicle Joe will never know.

Does that mean that such young people are used by politicians to conduct all manner of wars and occupations? Sure, if the older and wiser citizens are not vigilant to stop them. How, when, and where to fight and occupy is a decision for the grey heads. The young ones can only either serve or not serve, and refusal to serve accomplishes nothing in the way of peace.

As to the danger, it can be great. But for the overwhelming majority, the training is just that, and they never hear a shot fired in anger. Plenty of dangers await a college student also, from dying in the trunk of a car during a fraternity initiation, to being carjacked while cruising a bad neighborhood for weed.

Those young soldiers/sailors/airman/Marines get far more out of serving than the country gets out of them. I know I did.

I admit that as a teen I might have been headed towards a nefarious future but like most kids in my generation I knew I was eligible for the draft and I decided to get a jump on it by enlisting in the Marine Corps. At first I wondered WTF I did when I ended up in Parris Island.

 

[Leo123]

i'm a strictly defensively oriented hetro man, so i choose to defend my country by serving as a volunteer in it's resistance ranks.
currently, or since 9/11, i volunteered as online peace activist, and i've been assertive in my tone as an opinionmaker towards countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, The UK, The USA and China (that last one on Trump's cue by the way).

that means i'm one of those guys behind the curtains that decides where the war hungry get sent, when, and when we pull out of unwinnable wars.
and don't get me wrong, i've just got minor influence and i know it, but still..

i'd like to know : why do men choose to fire bullets and grenades at soldiers of another country?
why do you force me to figure out where to assign troops and how many civilian lives to put at risk of serious harm or death?
why do you force your politicians and diplomats into wars?
because ultimately, i think the root of this problem is simply our violent greedy nature.

Advocating for peace is a luxury afforded to you by those men and women of our armed forces.

 

[peacefan]

Hear, hear!

Not ashamed to openly admit that going into the military, at my parents strong insistence, is what saved me from being that guy exactly, except with books instead of video games.

I grew up. I found that I woke up every day in a good mood, knowing my life was moving forward again having stalled after high school. I never worried about where my next meal was coming from, nor how I would get medical care if I needed it. I earned all those benefits, and used the college education I was able to pay for to become an officer. Young men need to see the world, and they need to live in a world in which men their own age and a little older push themselves to accomplish things they would have never been able to do on their own. I could go on paragraph after paragraph of things one learns doing that which a high school to college to cubicle Joe will never know.

Does that mean that such young people are used by politicians to conduct all manner of wars and occupations? Sure, if the older and wiser citizens are not vigilant to stop them. How, when, and where to fight and occupy is a decision for the grey heads. The young ones can only either serve or not serve, and refusal to serve accomplishes nothing in the way of peace.

As to the danger, it can be great. But for the overwhelming majority, the training is just that, and they never hear a shot fired in anger. Plenty of dangers await a college student also, from dying in the trunk of a car during a fraternity initiation, to being carjacked while cruising a bad neighborhood for weed.

Those young soldiers/sailors/airman/Marines get far more out of serving than the country gets out of them. I know I did.

but in reality, it's the rich that keep wars going, plotting them to numerologically selected years and even dates (like with 9/11).
and i got in the civilian diplomat biz (peace activism with an assertive foreign policy side) when i was just 24 years of age.
i'm now 46, and Trump has sent me as scout and diplomat into the field against China over their IP violations and the Taiwan and South China Sea issues.
but i'm still in my prime, and i can handle the workload.
so i'll try to keep the bullet carriers out of harms way, or justify their actions towards others if i can not.

 

[SavannahMann]

i'm a strictly defensively oriented hetro man, so i choose to defend my country by serving as a volunteer in it's resistance ranks.
currently, or since 9/11, i volunteered as online peace activist, and i've been assertive in my tone as an opinionmaker towards countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, The UK, The USA and China (that last one on Trump's cue by the way).

that means i'm one of those guys behind the curtains that decides where the war hungry get sent, when, and when we pull out of unwinnable wars.
and don't get me wrong, i've just got minor influence and i know it, but still..

i'd like to know : why do men choose to fire bullets and grenades at soldiers of another country?
why do you force me to figure out where to assign troops and how many civilian lives to put at risk of serious harm or death?
why do you force your politicians and diplomats into wars?
because ultimately, i think the root of this problem is simply our violent greedy nature.

Pacifism is a great ideal. It is a beautiful thing. But it has a single flaw. That flaw is it requires everyone to agree to it. If one person does not, or chooses not to embrace it, the remainder are victims of the bloodthirsty one.

I joined the Army for a number of reasons. It is one of my beliefs that it is never just one. It is never one thing that triggers a war. It is never one thing that motivates a crime.

I have never considered myself a warrior for peace, or anything like that. That is stupid. A soldier doesn’t fight for peace. It is an unachievable goal. Peace is found through the efforts of diplomats and reasonable people gathered around a table and talking. A soldier comes into the equation when someone decides to test the mettle of the Soldiers.

Right now, Putin is pushing his troops forward, trying to subjugate the people of Ukraine. The truth is that you never get enough treasure or plunder to cover the expenses of war. But Putin is doing it anyway. The advocates for his actions claim a lot of excuses as to why, but it is not that hard to understand. His motivations are the same as the Mafia taking over neighborhoods. The same as any criminal empire. Power and control.

The soldier signs up because of a lot of reasons. The Lord knows I did. But one of those reasons is that the risk of death or dismemberment is bad. But other things are worse. The risk of subjugating the people is worse.

Through the history of our world, war after war has been fought. Not just the Eurocentric wars. Through Africa as one group decides to subjugate, or eliminate a rival. The strong stomping on the weak. This is true through the history of Asia, China has collapsed many times, and gone through many dynasties. Wars were fought to control areas, and people.

But take a look at Nature, and you’ll see the truth of the Universe. Existence is defined by struggle.

Plants fight for dominance in an area. Weeds trying to choke out the other plants to increase their numbers. Granted this is not a considered or intelligent plan. It is the way things are however. Animals, and insects fight for dominance of an area. Those beautiful Orca’s, slaughter other animals, and not just for food, oftentimes for amusement. Wolves do the same thing to other animals.

Nature is violent, brutal, and often horrific as species struggle to survive. Man is an animal, and if we wish to continue surviving we have to adapt, or win. Adapt to survive in an area the enemy won’t want, or make the cost so great that the enemy dare not attack.

Let’s explain it this way. It’s almost unheard of that someone would walk up and rob a cop. Steal his car, or wallet or whatever. Female cops don’t face the risk of rape or abuse. They have a gun and authority to use force to defend themselves.

So thugs and crooks look for easier targets. And who are they going to target? The woman walking out of her 7:30 advanced karate class, who is carrying a shot gun? The woman who is leaving with a dozen friends? Or the woman who is strolling down the road alone?

We all know the answer. The thugs are going after those they can most easily dominate. They’re going to avoid the one who is anything but an easy target.

The animal kingdom shows that the strong dominate the weak. Right now, on beaches in the Southern Oceans, large Seals are resting. A single seal on the beach is the Beach Master. The dominant male. Other males don’t get the women, the Beach Master has them all. The other males are either subservient, driven out, or dead.

A soldier stands between you, and the danger. A soldier is willing to fight, kill, and potentially die for you. They don’t want to kill. Oh I’m not going to lie and say none want to,, but those are like the general population, a small fraction of the total. Most are just good kids from neighborhoods and towns around the nation, and are willing to fight and accept the risk of death for another. They don’t want to kill.

I was one of them. I understand them. I know what motivates them. They would much rather live in peace. They would much rather nobody comes to test them. Ukraine didn’t want war. They wanted peace. They wanted a chance at prosperity. But they were unwilling to be subjugated by a thug. They were willing to fight for their own futures.

Just like every animal, and plant, and insect on earth.

 

[peacefan]

Pacifism is a great ideal. It is a beautiful thing. But it has a single flaw. That flaw is it requires everyone to agree to it. If one person does not, or chooses not to embrace it, the remainder are victims of the bloodthirsty one.

I joined the Army for a number of reasons. It is one of my beliefs that it is never just one. It is never one thing that triggers a war. It is never one thing that motivates a crime.

I have never considered myself a warrior for peace, or anything like that. That is stupid. A soldier doesn’t fight for peace. It is an unachievable goal. Peace is found through the efforts of diplomats and reasonable people gathered around a table and talking. A soldier comes into the equation when someone decides to test the mettle of the Soldiers.

Right now, Putin is pushing his troops forward, trying to subjugate the people of Ukraine. The truth is that you never get enough treasure or plunder to cover the expenses of war. But Putin is doing it anyway. The advocates for his actions claim a lot of excuses as to why, but it is not that hard to understand. His motivations are the same as the Mafia taking over neighborhoods. The same as any criminal empire. Power and control.

The soldier signs up because of a lot of reasons. The Lord knows I did. But one of those reasons is that the risk of death or dismemberment is bad. But other things are worse. The risk of subjugating the people is worse.

Through the history of our world, war after war has been fought. Not just the Eurocentric wars. Through Africa as one group decides to subjugate, or eliminate a rival. The strong stomping on the weak. This is true through the history of Asia, China has collapsed many times, and gone through many dynasties. Wars were fought to control areas, and people.

But take a look at Nature, and you’ll see the truth of the Universe. Existence is defined by struggle.

Plants fight for dominance in an area. Weeds trying to choke out the other plants to increase their numbers. Granted this is not a considered or intelligent plan. It is the way things are however. Animals, and insects fight for dominance of an area. Those beautiful Orca’s, slaughter other animals, and not just for food, oftentimes for amusement. Wolves do the same thing to other animals.

Nature is violent, brutal, and often horrific as species struggle to survive. Man is an animal, and if we wish to continue surviving we have to adapt, or win. Adapt to survive in an area the enemy won’t want, or make the cost so great that the enemy dare not attack.

Let’s explain it this way. It’s almost unheard of that someone would walk up and rob a cop. Steal his car, or wallet or whatever. Female cops don’t face the risk of rape or abuse. They have a gun and authority to use force to defend themselves.

So thugs and crooks look for easier targets. And who are they going to target? The woman walking out of her 7:30 advanced karate class, who is carrying a shot gun? The woman who is leaving with a dozen friends? Or the woman who is strolling down the road alone?

We all know the answer. The thugs are going after those they can most easily dominate. They’re going to avoid the one who is anything but an easy target.

The animal kingdom shows that the strong dominate the weak. Right now, on beaches in the Southern Oceans, large Seals are resting. A single seal on the beach is the Beach Master. The dominant male. Other males don’t get the women, the Beach Master has them all. The other males are either subservient, driven out, or dead.

A soldier stands between you, and the danger. A soldier is willing to fight, kill, and potentially die for you. They don’t want to kill. Oh I’m not going to lie and say none want to,, but those are like the general population, a small fraction of the total. Most are just good kids from neighborhoods and towns around the nation, and are willing to fight and accept the risk of death for another. They don’t want to kill.

I was one of them. I understand them. I know what motivates them. They would much rather live in peace. They would much rather nobody comes to test them. Ukraine didn’t want war. They wanted peace. They wanted a chance at prosperity. But they were unwilling to be subjugated by a thug. They were willing to fight for their own futures.

Just like every animal, and plant, and insect on earth.

this makes me look at political candidates and politicians in general : why can't you talk like adults, instead of acting like children in preliminary debates?
you're constantly interrupting eachother,
stretching your time well beyond "your minute(s) of speech time",
feeding the public your prepared statements rather than truly react like a sane ordinary adult would in an off-camera debate with a neighbor about something important,
and you're even raising your voices so that others can't speak.

try to keep it brief, to the point, and true to your hearts and minds.
or i'm gonna have to start calling politicians corrupt bizocrats or something.

 

[luiza]

It is about all aspects of intelligence and awareness .

Males are hard wired to trip over perceived infringement of their world view and only a revision of natural aggression can make them change ingrained predispositions .imho .

 

[peacefan]

so, politicians, what's the magic answer here?
i'm not sure, but one possible answer is this :
we allow national debt to rise even further as we modernize and expand our militaries, and ponder the consequences of that when those arise on the horizon.

nobody, not even God Himself, nor any of the other Gods out there (as far as i know), can predict the future with a high degree of accuracy at all time ranges or even for stretches that stretch beyond 5 years into the future.
but we do need to be ready for our adversaries who are very serious about expanding their own militaries.

i do not think a 3-front regional war series happening at nearly the same time is in our or anyone's interest.
but i do think we need more weapons & ammo factories and workers trained for such jobs.

 

[peacefan]

It is about all aspects of intelligence and awareness .

Males are hard wired to trip over perceived infringement of their world view and only a revision of natural aggression can make them change ingrained predispositions .imho .

what exactly do you mean by 'revision' here?
i wasn't raised on an English language series of kid's schools