Uh, well number one...
We went to Afghanistan in the first place, Min, because 3000 Americans died screaming on American soil and the bastards that did it were being harbored in Afghanistan. What would you have us do, wag our finger at them and call them naughty? I really don't understand when people say, "We should never have gone there in the first place!" or "Why are we in Afghanistan?"
What the living fuck?
Anyway.
Yeah, some military guys get defensive when it turns out the country shouldn't have sacrificed their buddies for a less than stellar reason. But the logic behind it is this.
The military isn't a democracy. There are no debate teams. When you sign up for the military you swear to obey lawful orders from your superiors. Not to question them.
That's a privilege that civilians have. Military members voluntarily give up those rights so that you can continue to keep them.
Now, as an example, Vietnam. Major clusterfuck, we lost tons of people, they lost tons of people, and in the end the same result happened if we hadn't even tried at all. So, yeah, you could say it was all a waste.
But for the individual soldier, that's above their paygrade. If a soldier did his duty, and his job, and died doing it then that deserves some respect I would imagine.
I just wish the politicians would act a hell of a lot more wisely.
Robert A. Heinlein, the late science fiction writer, advocated that only veterans should have the full rights as we all do now as citizens. For the most part everything would still be the same all around. But only veterans would be able to vote or hold public office.
Maybe if Congress was comprised of nothing but battle scarred veterans they'd spend American lives more frugally.
We went to Afghanistan in the first place, Min, because 3000 Americans died screaming on American soil and the bastards that did it were being harbored in Afghanistan. What would you have us do, wag our finger at them and call them naughty? I really don't understand when people say, "We should never have gone there in the first place!" or "Why are we in Afghanistan?"
What the living fuck?
Anyway.
Yeah, some military guys get defensive when it turns out the country shouldn't have sacrificed their buddies for a less than stellar reason. But the logic behind it is this.
The military isn't a democracy. There are no debate teams. When you sign up for the military you swear to obey lawful orders from your superiors. Not to question them.
That's a privilege that civilians have. Military members voluntarily give up those rights so that you can continue to keep them.
Now, as an example, Vietnam. Major clusterfuck, we lost tons of people, they lost tons of people, and in the end the same result happened if we hadn't even tried at all. So, yeah, you could say it was all a waste.
But for the individual soldier, that's above their paygrade. If a soldier did his duty, and his job, and died doing it then that deserves some respect I would imagine.
I just wish the politicians would act a hell of a lot more wisely.
Robert A. Heinlein, the late science fiction writer, advocated that only veterans should have the full rights as we all do now as citizens. For the most part everything would still be the same all around. But only veterans would be able to vote or hold public office.
Maybe if Congress was comprised of nothing but battle scarred veterans they'd spend American lives more frugally.
Everything I needed to know about life I learned on Dagobah.
