What do you think of soldiers?

[Froggy Slayer]

Not the military; soldiers. What do you think of the people who serve in your country?
Personally, I respect them a great deal, but I don't think that being a killer makes one an automatic hero.

 

[Andy Shandy]

They do a job, nothing more, nothing less. I won't automatically hero worship them, but I won't automatically think of them as less than "normal people" either.

So yeah, just a job.

 

[bojackx]

I think of them how I think of any other person. Like any large group of people, there's going to be d-bags in there, but nice people too, so I try not to generalise.

I will say I think they're braver than the average person though.

 

[Gameguy20100]

I Can not stand them I just Despise them. Hang on I will explain.

Soldiers are the very definition of lawful neutral Trained to kill on command by the government and never have a say in it.

In addition to that some of them are easily the most arrogant most disgusting excuses for Human beings I have ever met they murder countless people and for what? Nothing, To many people consider "Soldier" to mean the people on our side and the opposing side to be monsters nothing could be further from the truth.

Every person on either side who dies is someones Child or parent or lover and they all die for pointless reasons and people try to justify it and that fucking disgusts me.

I always say that All soldiers should get another job because the one they have is just a pointless waste of human life.

I understand how that can be seen as offensive and I'm sorry if you were but they are just one type of people I wil never have any respect for.

In my eyes there are only 2 types of Soldier

1) the trigger happy ones who think war is great and always look down on people with other jobs (the ones I hate)

2) the poor sods who are ripped from their Family's knowing that they will more than likely die and will never see them again (who I have only sympathy and pity for)

 

[sextus the crazy]

I find military stuff in general interesting, but I'm pretty neutral towards the common soldier. It's a job; for most no real worse than business busy work and for some of them it's a dangerous job with shit pay.

 

[Shock and Awe]

No where near as cool as Airmen.

Seriously though, case by case basis. I've known a lot of people in the military, and I'm going to join after college, I've learned that to call them all heroes is as dumb as calling them all scum. Some are magnificent people, others I wouldn't give the time of day. Case by case.

I Can not stand them I just Despise them. Hang on I will explain.

Soldiers are the very definition of lawful neutral Trained to kill on command by the government and never have a say in it.

In addition to that some of them are easily the most arrogant most disgusting excuses for Human beings I have ever met they murder countless people and for what? Nothing, To many people consider "Soldier" to mean the people on our side and the opposing side to be monsters nothing could be further from the truth.

Every person on either side who dies is someones Child or parent or lover and they all die for pointless reasons and people try to justify it and that fucking disgusts me.

I always say that All soldiers should get another job because the one they have is just a pointless waste of human life.

I understand how that can be seen as offensive and I'm sorry if you were but they are just one type of people I wil never have any respect for.

In my eyes there are only 2 types of Soldier

1) the trigger happy ones who think war is great and always look down on people with other jobs (the ones I hate)

2) the poor sods who are ripped from their Family's knowing that they will more than likely die and will never see them again (who I have only sympathy and pity for)

.....I am truly not sure if you are serious or not. Everything you have said is both based on ridiculous generalizations and frankly just incorrect. First off as I said before, military members believe it or not are just people like you and I. To put millions of people in two(very silly) categories is absolutely foolish and a very immature way to look at the matter. You are making a lot of assumptions in this post that are frankly wrong, such as implying that military members are likely to die(they aren't), that they turn in their moral compass(they don't), or that most military people kill a lot(a vast majority never fire a shot in anger).

Please, turn down the angst and think before you post ridiculous things.

 

[Miyenne]

Many of my friends are former (or current) American soldiers. Gotta love WoW for bringing us together all those years ago.

These men are amazing people. I don't agree with all their views, me being a Canadian Liberal and them American Conservatives, but it doesn't matter. I still hop a plane every couple of years and hang out in Arkansas with them.

They don't talk about their deployments. I don't know if they have or haven't killed anyone. I don't want to know. They did their jobs. You have to take a step back from the situation.

What someone does doesn't make them who they are, not completely. My friends are good men who have families and children they love.

I don't agree with why they were in Afghanistan and Iraq. But I support the men, I support my friends.

As someone said, it depends on the person and the choices they make, not what they get paid to do. The army is a strong choice for someone with a family. They are decently paid and their families are taken care of. Yes, they may not come home, but can any of us say we won't get run over on the way to work ourselves?

As for Canadian soldiers, I don't actually know any, but I'm sure it's the same: judge everyone on their personalities and actions, not their jobs.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Soldiers are the very definition of lawful neutral Trained to kill on command by the government and never have a say in it.

Not all soldiers go through advanced combat training, and some may never see combat their whole lives. Based on my knowledge of the Army, once they get through BCT they go to a specialization for advanced training, with plenty of options for people who don't want to go into a combat-focused role. There's human intelligence, engineers, MPs, etc., all of whom have different advanced training. On top of that, very few ever actually make it to the special forces groups that we always enjoy following in the media and entertainment. How else do you think women were ever able to serve when they were only recently allowed into combat roles?

Also,

1) the trigger happy ones who think war is great and always look down on people with other jobs (the ones I hate)

2) the poor sods who are ripped from their Family's knowing that they will more than likely die and will never see them again (who I have only sympathy and pity for)

It is hardly that simple. Many soldiers go through the military because it looks great on a resume. Others do it because it offers a lot of money for college along with valuable skills for civilian life, which is why I would have joined if I were physically capable of doing it. Others, at least in the U.S., do it because of the excessive "all soldiers are heroes and the greatest people on earth" brainwashing that goes on over here. Basically, you can't lump such a large group of people into one or two categories. Some of them do it for less honorable reasons, and we should definitely tone down the aforementioned praise of every soldier that has ever served, but it is hardly fair to rush into hasty generalizations [http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/hasty-generalization.html] because of a few people you met and the few jerks that make it onto the news.

OT: Personally, I don't view soldiers any different than police officers. They're people in a job that could lead to them killing or being killed, depending on the circumstances. I do have some respect for those who go through with it, as it is hardly easy and does take some level of guts, but I understand that they are no more of a person than we are because of what they do. And that goes for soldiers of pretty much any country, not just my own. As for who they are as people, all I'll say is this: I've met too many soldiers and veterans across all branches of the military, a couple even having served in other countries, to know that 1). There's no difference between our soldiers and those of another country, even if they are our "enemy", and 2). They are just as diverse as any other group, with virtually every personality type you can imagine being represented.

 

[Remus]

snipity snip

This can be a very polarizing topic. If a person has any opinion contrary to the accepted norm, people will be quick to shout them down. What do I think about soldiers? It depends on the soldier. The only serviceman i ever met was a control freak who tried to gouge my eyes out on more than one occasion. He was an asshole and a waste of good oxygen. Do I judge all soldiers based on one mental case? No. I look at the economics of being a soldier. Why would YOU become a soldier, the training? Any training you receive in the military is useless outside of the military. It's been proven by the thousands of soldiers that come home and go to look for work but can't find anything outside of Starbucks that will take them. So what other reason, the politics? Are you willing to die for somebody else's ideals? Because I'm not. Very little of what's done in our current military is done in our own defense, instead to protect somebody else. This I do not support so I would never join a conflict that I have no stake in. I can only judge a soldier once I meet a soldier, but a good start is asking why, specifically, they do what they do.

 

[SckizoBoy]

snip

While I agree with the content, I disagree with the sentiment. It's a case of who's the more guilty: the man who pulls the trigger; or the man who orders the pulling of the trigger. Irrespective of what the guy with the gun does, he loses, damned by his superiors, or damned by moralists. Your ire, I believe, is better directed at governing bodies and their morally fucked (from the above reasoning) foreign policy.

Anyway, I view soldiers (well, military servicemen, shall we say) with a strange combination of bewilderment, admiration and respect, though of course, I cherry pick examples. However, the 'honourable man of war' is perhaps the most hypocritical specimen of human nature in existence:

Exhibit A: Battle of Camperdown - Adm. Duncan, after kicking the Dutch fleets asses and making casualties of roughly a sixth of the Dutch fleet (at about a tenth of his own), he sits down to a game of cards with Adm. de Winter, his opposite number.

Exhibit B: Werner Molders - typical German WWII fighter ace, first man to reach 100 aerial victories, but often dined with captured pilots and insisted they be treated civilly and respectfully. Put him in an armed aircraft, won't hesitate to shoot him down. In fact, the relationships among the RAF/Luftwaffe/VVS personnel was nothing short of cordial.

Exhibit C: The Peninsular War - Britain vs. France, the epitome of a gentleman's duel, everything to make it fair.

Exhibit D: a little tangential, but the Laconia Incident, the Laconia Order & Hans Langsdorff/Graf Spee as a surface raider.

Uh... yeah, sense much?!

 

[Shock and Awe]

snipity snip

This can be a very polarizing topic. If a person has any opinion contrary to the accepted norm, people will be quick to shout them down. What do I think about soldiers? It depends on the soldier. The only serviceman i ever met was a control freak who tried to gouge my eyes out on more than one occasion. He was an asshole and a waste of good oxygen. Do I judge all soldiers based on one mental case? No. I look at the economics of being a soldier. Why would YOU become a soldier, the training? Any training you receive in the military is useless outside of the military. It's been proven by the thousands of soldiers that come home and go to look for work but can't find anything outside of Starbucks that will take them. So what other reason, the politics? Are you willing to die for somebody else's ideals? Because I'm not. Very little of what's done in our current military is done in our own defense, instead to protect somebody else. This I do not support so I would never join a conflict that I have no stake in. I can only judge a soldier once I meet a soldier, but a good start is asking why, specifically, they do what they do.

I am not sure if you are just stating to me that this is polarizing and then elaborting on your view, asking me a question. Care to clarify?

 

[Gameguy20100]

snip

While I agree with the content, I disagree with the sentiment. It's a case of who's the more guilty: the man who pulls the trigger; or the man who orders the pulling of the trigger. Irrespective of what the guy with the gun does, he loses, damned by his superiors, or damned by moralists. Your ire, I believe, is better directed at governing bodies and their morally fucked (from the above reasoning) foreign policy.

True I do Blame government more than I blame the actual Men who do the shooting.

BUT!!

I also know that they wouldn't do half the stupid shit they do If Soldiers weren't around its like my opinion on gun control I do agree that People kill people and not the guns themselves but I also know you can not commit mass murder with a Chinese throwing star.

 

[SckizoBoy]

True I do Blame government more than I blame the actual Men who do the shooting.

BUT!!

I also know that they wouldn't do half the stupid shit they do If Soldiers weren't around its like my opinion on gun control I do agree that People kill people and not the guns themselves but I also know you can not commit mass murder with a Chinese throwing star.

Y'know, I wouldn't really bank on that...

The whole idea of foreign policy is national selfishness, and there's always been the line of thought of: how can I use [insert random object or technological innovation] to threaten [insert foreign country] to get what I want? We'd just end up replacing soldiers with other weapons or automated killing devices, or means of destruction at the very least. I know not everyone agrees with the argument, but once someone has something that someone else wants, war becomes inevitable. Just need to be careful of the scale.

Here's a question, though, related... would an economic war be any better than a physical one? Nations with enough foreign influence clout can economically strangle weaker ones. The fates of the innocent are just the same and those in power genuinely won't give a fuck. *shrug*

 

[Gameguy20100]

True I do Blame government more than I blame the actual Men who do the shooting.

BUT!!

I also know that they wouldn't do half the stupid shit they do If Soldiers weren't around its like my opinion on gun control I do agree that People kill people and not the guns themselves but I also know you can not commit mass murder with a Chinese throwing star.

Y'know, I wouldn't really bank on that...

The whole idea of foreign policy is national selfishness, and there's always been the line of thought of: how can I use [insert random object or technological innovation] to threaten [insert foreign country] to get what I want? We'd just end up replacing soldiers with other weapons or automated killing devices, or means of destruction at the very least. I know not everyone agrees with the argument, but once someone has something that someone else wants, war becomes inevitable. Just need to be careful of the scale.

Here's a question, though, related... would an economic war be any better than a physical one? Nations with enough foreign influence clout can economically strangle weaker ones. The fates of the innocent are just the same and those in power genuinely won't give a fuck. *shrug*

The way I see I People will always find an excuse to Kill each other.

Do I like it? no

Do I think I can do anything about it? no

I hate how wars bring in so much pointless Death and If anyone willingly supports it they disgust me they really do killing can be ok very rarely but war? no war I will always hate.

 

[Remus]

snipity snip

This can be a very polarizing topic. If a person has any opinion contrary to the accepted norm, people will be quick to shout them down. What do I think about soldiers? It depends on the soldier. The only serviceman i ever met was a control freak who tried to gouge my eyes out on more than one occasion. He was an asshole and a waste of good oxygen. Do I judge all soldiers based on one mental case? No. I look at the economics of being a soldier. Why would YOU become a soldier, the training? Any training you receive in the military is useless outside of the military. It's been proven by the thousands of soldiers that come home and go to look for work but can't find anything outside of Starbucks that will take them. So what other reason, the politics? Are you willing to die for somebody else's ideals? Because I'm not. Very little of what's done in our current military is done in our own defense, instead to protect somebody else. This I do not support so I would never join a conflict that I have no stake in. I can only judge a soldier once I meet a soldier, but a good start is asking why, specifically, they do what they do.

I am not sure if you are just stating to me that this is polarizing and then elaborting on your view, asking me a question. Care to clarify?

You're quick to point out when a person is perceived to be wrong. But not quick to try to understand his perspective. Would you join the military as it stands, knowing the current political climate, with our ballooning military budget and nearly every threat outside Kim Jung Un having been neutralized? This is the question I pose and the same question I would of any person looking to join the military. Perhaps he met soldiers that were a waste of space as I had, people who didn't gain anything redeeming from being in the military but instead came back more dangerous than when they left.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I can somewhat respect them for putting their lives on risk that is if they ever engage in combat since I know I would be too cowardly to do it myself (or at least had written out a well thoughtout will).

 

[Shock and Awe]

snipity snip

This can be a very polarizing topic. If a person has any opinion contrary to the accepted norm, people will be quick to shout them down. What do I think about soldiers? It depends on the soldier. The only serviceman i ever met was a control freak who tried to gouge my eyes out on more than one occasion. He was an asshole and a waste of good oxygen. Do I judge all soldiers based on one mental case? No. I look at the economics of being a soldier. Why would YOU become a soldier, the training? Any training you receive in the military is useless outside of the military. It's been proven by the thousands of soldiers that come home and go to look for work but can't find anything outside of Starbucks that will take them. So what other reason, the politics? Are you willing to die for somebody else's ideals? Because I'm not. Very little of what's done in our current military is done in our own defense, instead to protect somebody else. This I do not support so I would never join a conflict that I have no stake in. I can only judge a soldier once I meet a soldier, but a good start is asking why, specifically, they do what they do.

I am not sure if you are just stating to me that this is polarizing and then elaborting on your view, asking me a question. Care to clarify?

You're quick to point out when a person is perceived to be wrong. But not quick to try to understand his perspective. Would you join the military as it stands, knowing the current political climate, with our balloooning military budget and nearly every threat outside Kim Jung Un having been neutralized? This is the question I pose and the same question I would of any person looking to join the military. Perhaps he met soldiers that were a waste of space as I had, people who didn't gain anything redeeming from being in the military but instead came back more dangerous than when they left.

I have no problem with someone criticizing the government or the system as whole, there's worthwhile discussion there. However, I find it juvenile and foolish to allow political views to so color ones view of millions of people that they have never met. I would say his view is foolish if applied to just about any group, even if its one I don't care for such as the US Communist Party. I do not agree with their views, but that does not make them bad people personally.

As I stated before, I am joining the US military with a commission after I graduate college. So that certainly answers that doesn't it. As for your other question I couldn't care less if he met military members that were assholes. Thats like if I decided all people who enjoy Jazz were stupid after meeting one. Its a foolish way to go about things.

Oh, and by the way, the budget is shrinking if anything, not ballooning.

 

[Wadders]

Yeah, this is really gonna end well...

I respect them, as I would respect anybody who puts themselves forward for a high risk job. I'd be hesitant to call them heroes, except in extreme circumstances. But then who am I to define what is heroic? I'm just against putting them on a pedestal, but I admire them for the most part. Of course you get some bad apples - but the same is true of society at large. The soldiers that I have met, and got to know, have always been decent people.

The military is a career I've considered myself but I'm not sure I could hack it. Therefore I respect anyone who can put themselves through the kind of stuff soldiers are exposed to, both in training and their wider jobs.

 

[generals3]

Not the military; soldiers. What do you think of the people who serve in your country?
Personally, I respect them a great deal, but I don't think that being a killer makes one an automatic hero.

Depends. There are "soldiers" and "soldiers". Those who actually fight on the front and in dangerous get special respect, but so do firefighters and police officers.