Would you go on a suicide mission?

[Divine Wind]

Yesterday I watched a movie on the ScyFY channel titled "Sunshine" were a group of astronauts go to the Sun on a mission to fix a problem with it in order to save the Human race. Long story short it turns into a suicide mission for one of the characters. Sorry if that spoils it for you.

In the military, we don't have "suicide missions" because that goes against most religious ethics. Instead, we have "high risk" missions. As long as there is an 'out', a measly 1% chance of survival, then, buy definition, it isn't a "suicide mission".

When I was a Naval Aviator, our operating bible was the OPNAVINST 3710. It's about an inch and a half thick but does include this short paragraph:

Operational Necessity: A mission associated with war or peacetime operations in which the consequences of an action justify accepting the risk of loss of aircraft and crew. (OpNavlnst 3710.7Q)

There are numerous reasons to use operational necessity in wartime, but peacetime missions are usually only associated with rescue operations.

The main purpose of this thread is to discuss the ethics of a suicide or "high risk" mission and under what circumstances, if any, members of the forum would consider undertaking such a task.

 

[tonystewart1]

I have never served in the military. I would lay down my life for my wife and children with no hesitation. Run into a burning building, step in front of a car etc. I am not sure if that is what you are refering to.

 

[Divine Wind]

I have never served in the military. I would lay down my life for my wife and children with no hesitation. Run into a burning building, step in front of a car etc. I am not sure if that is what you are refering to.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Thanks for responding.

 

[Steelplate]

yes.

 

[Divine Wind]

Sorry folks, I screwed up my own poll. Either I should have worded it better such as allowing a "all of the above" option or allowed a multiple choice answer. Still, folks can voice their exact opinions in posts despite my novice polling abilities.

 

[Cuyo]

Human race, no brainer. Family, absolutely. Country? Depends on the context. What's to happen to my country if I say no?

 

[Divine Wind]

Human race, no brainer. Family, absolutely. Country? Depends on the context. What's to happen to my country if I say no?

It's destroyed. The nation would be lost. For example, a mad Chinese general is about to launch a bioweapon on the USA which would kill everyone in the country, but you can stop him with a bullet however, like shooting Huey Long, his guards will kill you immediately after you shoot him.

 

[uscitizen]

Human race, no brainer. Family, absolutely. Country? Depends on the context. What's to happen to my country if I say no?

It's destroyed. The nation would be lost. For example, a mad Chinese general is about to launch a bioweapon on the USA which would kill everyone in the country, but you can stop him with a bullet however, like shooting Huey Long, his guards will kill you immediately after you shoot him.

Substitue Rush for the Chinese guy and you got a deal!

 

[California Girl]

Yes - human race (even the liberals ), country (same), family.

 

[ekrem]

For my own family (direct bloodline) I would risk everything.
For the woman (not of same bloodline) I would only consider to die if she has given birth to my children, but I can not say this with 100% certainty that I would die for her in that case.

 

[tonystewart1]

For my own family (direct bloodline) I would risk everything.
For the woman (not of same bloodline) I would only consider to die if she has given birth to my children, but I can not say this with 100% certainty that I would die for her in that case.

Are you having any trouble getting a woman to marry you.

 

[strollingbones]

i would gladly die for my son....my husband....hmmm not so sure....my country...iffy...the world....hmmmm perhaps to save the animals

 

[ekrem]

Are you having any trouble getting a woman to marry you.

Your question is unrelated to what I've said.
I wouldn't die for a woman that has NOT given birth to my children.
If I would've a sister that's something different and she counts as family like brothers and obviously I would do everything for them - in every situation.

 

[Cuyo]

Human race, no brainer. Family, absolutely. Country? Depends on the context. What's to happen to my country if I say no?

It's destroyed. The nation would be lost. For example, a mad Chinese general is about to launch a bioweapon on the USA which would kill everyone in the country, but you can stop him with a bullet however, like shooting Huey Long, his guards will kill you immediately after you shoot him.

Then another no-brainer; that encompasses my family so its axiomatic that if I'd die for them, I'd die for the country.

Now if you had said a bomb would go off and only fly-over country would be affected... Hard to say.

 

[tonystewart1]

Are you having any trouble getting a woman to marry you.

Your question is unrelated to what I've said.
I wouldn't die for a woman that has NOT given birth to my children.
If I would've a sister that's something different and she counts as family like brothers and obviously I would do everything for them - in every situation.

It was a joke. Most people put their wives right up their with their children.

 

[Avatar4321]

Depends on the mission

 

[Divine Wind]

Being a military brat for 20 years then a member of the military myself for 21, I've heard and seen many examples of bravery, of sacrifice and of people who believed in a higher purpose. I've chuckled at what the uneducated public considers bravery and cried at true acts of bravery and sacrifice which go unnoticed by those best served by those actions.

Many acts of heroism in combat are done on the spur of the moment. A grenade lands in a pit full of Marines and one Marine, without a thought, jumps on it to save his comrades. A squad suffers a wounded member but refuses to leave that person behind despite overwhelming odds against survival.

For some, we realize that our "mortal coil" is temporary, but our actions define us forever.

 

[syrenn]

Yes to the first three.

however there is a difference between suicide mission...and giving your life to save another.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[Lokiate]

In the military, we don't have "suicide missions" because that goes against most religious ethics. Instead, we have "high risk" missions. As long as there is an 'out', a measly 1% chance of survival, then, buy definition, it isn't a "suicide mission".

Regular forces don't do suicide missions because it's not part of our job. If we have to take on an enemy force, the Army wants no less than a 3:1 ration, us being the bigger number. Losing Soldiers means losing vital elements to a fighting force, which decreases the chances of success in armed conflict. Religious principals don't have anything to do with it.

Special units like SF, SEALS, Rangers, Sappers, etc are different, in that the very nature of their combat role is high risk, and the possibility of coming back alive are drastically lower than that of regular forces. Many of their missions can be considered suicide missions, but they aren't called that because suicide is a negative.

The main purpose of this thread is to discuss the ethics of a suicide or "high risk" mission and under what circumstances, if any, members of the forum would consider undertaking such a task.

Calling it suicide isn't entirely correct, unless the intent is to die, like a suicide bomber, kamikaze, rampage shooter, what have you. Those guys are what we call dumb fucks. They give up before they even begin. Why? It's retarded. Why limit oneself to a single battle, when you can live, and increase your bodycount?

In the case of going on a mission that's known to be very dangerous, and that I might not come back from, yeah, I'd do it if there was a good enough reason. I don't know what that reason would be, because I've never been in that kind of scenario, so it's hard to say. Would I do it to protect my family? Yes, for little symbols and flags? Fuck no, for the lives of others? Maybe, depends on who they are. Money? Depends on the amount. Make it POD to the person of my choosing, and I'll think about it.