Poll: Do soldiers deserves the title of hero?

[ostro-whiskey]

Soldiers are warriors, nothing more.

The term Hero implies some kind of moral high ground, morality should not come into a Soldiers mind. He does what is best for Himself and his Squad, and we civillians have no right criticizing them.

 

[Kamaitachi]

Contrary to the beleif of the american goverment, the anwser is : Fucking no.

 

[comet5002]

I recall terrorists coming into America, hijacking American planes, and killing thousands of innocent people and destroying an iconic American building. Seems like a justified reason to me.

Yes, that truly was tragic. And I do have family in NYC. But compare that to the millions of lives we willingly sacrifice to keep our lifestyle. We've been exploiting the world for centuries. Be it spice, food, or oil. They'd be utterly stupid to fight back by the noble rules of fisticuffs.

As Ustinov put it quite correctly: Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.

They don't care about stupidity or the chance that they might lose. They're terrorists, all they care about is hurting others. Hence why they're willing to commit suicide in order to kill thousands.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Soldiers can be heroes. Because of their profession, they're more often in situations where they can do things that are seen as heroic, and they're better trained to do so than most people. But the same could be said of (for example) firefighters and policemen.

It's just that a person doesn't automatically become a hero by joining the military and getting sent off to war.

 

[Undo]

They don't care about stupidity or the chance that they might lose. They're terrorists, all they care about is hurting others. Hence why they're willing to commit suicide in order to kill thousands.

I'm sorry, but that's a rather daft way of reasoning.

I forgot the military term but, cruel as it sounds, there's numbers of how long certain combat units survive and how much damage they can do within that time. Having [insert country here] confront the US army on an open battlefield would be plain stupid and suicide. Blowing oneself up to cause death/terror/fear does work though.
And every nation in history has resolved to similarily evil tactics when they were the weaker force.

We'd have to wipe out the whole lot to make sure that there's no insurgent left within the populace. Which we can't and it wouldn't work anyways. Sorry for the derail, but true heroes would be the ones who can find a peaceful way out, no matter the costs.
Now Gandhi or King, those were heroes. They changed the world without using violence.

Mankind has been at it for millenia. Europe had a Hundred Years' War. 100 years of warfare! It doesn't solve anything and never will.

But soldiers can shine and everyone that rescues others I'll gladly call hero.

 

[Treblaine]

If I can pick up a fake plastic guitar and press some buttons when told to become a "guitar hero"... it certainly has devalued the hero term that anyone who has taken up arms and put their lives on the line for their country are DEFINITELY entitled to the hero title.

But whether they actually want to be called a hero I think we can all show appropriate discretion on that.

 

[geldonyetich]

Depends on how you look at it.

Is supporting the endeavors of a military-industrial complex heroic? Definitely.

...and, make no mistake, if your country plays the game of war then you've got a bit of military-industrial complex going on. Heck, the land of the free is also the #1 arms exporter in the world.

Is heading straight for the mouth of Hell on Earth to get a dirty job done heroic? Absolutely.

...and, if you don't think a scenario where a bunch of men, women, and (in some cases) children are engaged in a game where the goal is to butcher each other, with little to no rules applying against underhanded or savage means, isn't Hell on Earth, you haven't fully grokked what war is.

 

[Skeleon]

Plenty of jobs have serious health-risks, that doesn't make everybody who has one of those automatically a hero.
I guess I would consider a select few soldiers heroes, though, true.

 

[SonicKoala]

No. Soldiers do not deserve the title Hero. Many of them are violent sociopaths who sign up just because they can not fit in to every day life.
So the government trains them up, gives them weapons, then lets them loose on the poor civilians in these unfortunate countries who do not even know why they were invaded.
I am not saying that all soldiers are low lives but no, just putting on the damn uniform never makes you a hero. Going to other countries and harassing the natives does not make you a hero. Giving your support by participating in a unjust war does not make you a hero.
These soldiers are scum and should serve as target practice. Some of the real heroes are those who choose not to put on the uniform.

No, "many" soldiers aren't violent sociopaths. Some are, but I can safely assure you that there are FAR more soldiers who are upstanding and respectable individuals who are participating in war out of a love for their country. Secondly, you seem to think that ALL soldiers do is go to other countries and harass the natives who live there - they do some actual FIGHTING too (just making sure you know that - thinking doesn't seem to be your strong suit). And with your final point, the people who don't go to war and stay in their comfy homes bitching about how unjust wars are and how the people participating in them are "scum" - sorry, those aren't heroes. A more appropriate name for those people would be morons.

 

[Lullabye]

Plenty of jobs have serious health-risks, that doesn't make everybody who has one of those automatically a hero.
I guess I would consider a select few soldiers heroes, though, true.

The true heroes are the window washers. Hundreds of feet up, scrubbin all day and night. Death just a misstep away......

OT:Soldiers are soldiers. People used to carry out military operations. Now, whether that military operation is a few men being sent in behind enemy lines in order to save allies, or being sent in too clear out a village of innocents so they can set up a base....none of that matters. If you go in thinking its sunshine and daisies, your retarded, if you go in thinking its all gun-ho, "kill the mother fucker!" oriented, then your still retarded(not as much, but still). My aunt told me this after she came back from Afghanistan " You go in thinking one thing, end up doing another." She as a medic and wanted to help save our forces dying on the field. Then she asked for a transfer multiple times because she couldn't stand the way some of the supposed "good guys" acted. People are people, no matter hat country you're in.

 

[Undo]

People are people, no matter hat country you're in.

I think these are the wisest words I've seen in the whole thread.

 

[Stoorm_]

Soldiers that have performed an active duty to defend their country deserves the role of hero
and if you british possibly a knighthood

 

[MrDarkling]

Someone who WANTS to goto war is not a hero because he/she thinks it will be fun with all the guns and what not.

Someone who HAS to goto war and sacrifice himself for his country and the freedom of his people, he/she may not really want to be one but that's a hero nonetheless.
However someone can be a hero if they want to go to war for that very reason.

It's funny how it's the dead ones who are heroes and not the ones still alive, like an artists work is only worth something once he/she's dead.


EDIT: Also just like to say that the whole "uniform" thing makes sense I guess but wearing it is a symbol to others that you are willing to serve your country, it may not make you a hero (yet...) but I do respect the ones who do wear it as a duty and not a prize for them to show off.
I always think in the end that soldiers kill to save themselves and their comrades and never really think about why they're fighting. Bit like in BF:BC I quote "each and every soldier has to find a purpose of their own."
AND FINALLY this facebook group is pointless, another person's opinion to either be agreed upon or spat upon. Opinionated arguments never get anywhere and the person who made this group clearly hasn't thought this through. So I give it a thumbs down and maybe a tomato to the face too.

 

[Cmwissy]

It's incredibly hard to kill a guy - so they have my respect for that; Although most soldiers (at-least from here) are just Criminals, 18-25 year old Squaddies (who are twats) and people who failed their GCSE's.

No - a peaceful resolution is always more of a heroic deed than a violent one; even if 'gawd bwess amewikuh' bullshit.

 

[SextusMaximus]

The song : Hero of War, is an interesting song that relates to this. I don't believe that everything said in the song details all soldiers, but it was based off of an actual soldier's diary and I found it an incredibly sad song.

The idea that all soldiers is as reduntant as resurrecting the dead with a chainsaw and people who don't see someone who risks their life to save countless other lives as a hero should get there head sorted out.

 

[FallenRainbows]

Look; agree or disagree with the wars we fight. I disagree with our current one. But I'll be damned if the men and women risking there lives for what they believe are allowed to be belittled by a bunch of ungrateful tossers. While being a soldier does not simply make you a hero. It's a damn sight more heroic than posting on an internet forum.

 

[MrDarkling]

It's a damn sight more heroic than posting on an internet forum.

or a crappy social site xP

 

[Queen Michael]

You make a good point. Myself, I always felt that children with cancer do not deserve the title of heroes. How is getting cancer and then not having cancer anymore a feat of heroism? I always thought heroes were supposed to do something for their fellow man.

 

[FallenRainbows]

It's a damn sight more heroic than posting on an internet forum.

or a crappy social site xP

Exactly. You want to argue there Hero status go do something Heroic yourself. Most people on there have there most Heroic moment as beating Mile High Club on veteran. (Which is stupidly easy compared to how bad people are saying it is).

 

[ThreeKneeNick]

No, i think they are puppets to the political regimes... Somebody has to do it, but some choose to surrender their selves and their bodies to a pack of men and women with dubious intentions and personally i would never stand for that, even though there are benefits... Brave enough to put themselves in that situation, maybe, heroes not.