I don't mean the allied soldiers of WW2.....I mean the soldiers who fought a war looking for weapons of mass destruction and walk with impunity into Afghanistan and Pakistan etc.
In the U.K. we get told they are heroes all the time. Do you think they are?
Every opinion article I read in the paper that mentions the military calls all the soldiers "heroes". Like their collective experience earns them a generalized title.
I would argue the no soldier is a hero until he does something heroic, whether it be rescuing wounded while almost being killed or sacrificing himself so others live, or whatever. Those serving in a combat zone are brave, but they're not all heroes.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
Anyone who kills someone for a country is no hero in my book.
__________________ "Every daring attempt to make a great change in existing conditions, every lofty vision of new possibilities for the human race, has been labeled Utopian."
also, following orders has no impact on whether or not I think a person deserves the title hero
I get you want to make your little rant against whatever, but it helps if you read what i am saying
... also, iirc, Neuremburg laws don't apply to low level soldiers, because, yes, they were only following orders. It was only people who were involved in giving the orders that were charged, afaik
i think ppl who put on a uniform for certain reasons may be noble but not heroes.
joining the military to protect your land and family is noble, but ppl who run the government placing them in certain situations are not.
a Staff Sgt once told me after i asked what's the point of having honor and living by a code of conduct if the leaders who order us dont know the concept nor care.
he said you dont fight for them, you fight for those beside you.
the only time i found myself proud of my actions is when i did the right thing wearing my uniform and upholding my code of conduct.
i never felt like a hero b/c i am not... i also felt ashamed for my country and those in power and i often would try to remember that we were not the same.... those who disgrace my country's principles and my military branch are separate ppl. if anything i often felt angered and insulted that government officials and disgraced men and women in uniformed stained my country's principles/uniform's reputation.
Why make a thread with the illusion of having a "discussion" if there's obviously an agenda you're trying to push?
__________________
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
1.a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2.a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or idea
With definition 1, you just need to show some sort of courage. Oh, and you have to be a man.
And option 2 is just saying that a hero is based on perception. So, to Afghanis, US soldiers are probably not seen as heroes anymore than the Taliban are.
__________________ "Every daring attempt to make a great change in existing conditions, every lofty vision of new possibilities for the human race, has been labeled Utopian."
KMC Community Forums
Dec 8th, 2010 12:48 AM
