What do you think of US soldiers?

[Epitome]

Nobody asked you to police the world, Vietnam is a bad example btw you could not have won short of commiting genocide and losing alot more of your own. You were fighting an entrenched enemy on ther turf against guerilla tactics. They would never have given up or surrendered and they had nowhere to go, they would have fought to the last man. America was only their becasue Vietnam didnt want to be a French colony anymore and Communism scared the US. Try solving your own problems befor eyou start telling everybody else how to do their thing. Your culture works for you, forcing it on other countries is what gets you the international animosity.

You do know that the Americans were winning the war in Vietnam by a large margin don't you? And that the US entered into the war because the South Vietnamese government asked for their assistance?

That large margin only exists if you exclude counting the woundeds taken out of combat and the South Vietnamese casualities, the only reason the US were any good was their air support, any ground invasionsn were at a disadvantage. The south Vietnamese had no mandate to ask for the US's intervention either. The US were not there to help the South Vietnamese all they cared about was the containment policy. Vietnam was just somewhere they could fight out the Capitalism vs Communism that wasnt on American soil.

 

[Cookiegerard]

In MY opinion, it is not the soldier's I have a problem with. It is the higher up's who think other people's problem's are their problem's.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

In the interests of avoiding a flame war, I'm just going to summarize my opinion with the following:
"Beep boop, I'm a robot."

 

[Axolotl]

That large margin only exists if you exclude counting the woundeds taken out of combat and the South Vietnamese casualities, the only reason the US were any good was their air support, any ground invasionsn were at a disadvantage.

By the end the US were ambushing more VC patrols than the other way around and they were winning more firefights the VC were badly losing when the US pulled out.

 

[VicunaBlue]

People seem to make the mistake that soldiers go out their thinking that there's a good chance they'll die. However much I'm flamed for this, the soldiers in my area are people who didn't make it into college and needed something to do.

 

[Lexodus]

Can anyone say, 'friendly fire'?

 

[mayney93]

i think of u highly as all soliders but i think the cause isn't just

 

[Crimsane]

Soldiers are just doing their job, no matter what country they're from. You want to blame someone for anything you dislike about a particular military, the blame lies in politics a vast majority of the time.

As for me, well, volunteering for the armed services knowing fully well I'd likely be sent off to fight extremists in the desert takes a kind of cojones I don't have. Or want.

 

[KaiRai]

right. when they get serious in image ill believe them, that means NO PINK JETS and be taken seriously. when they get start researching crysis suits and act like american soldiers (they tear your balls off right when they meet you in casual life and scream in your face) instead of the joke tossing ones in killing floor. XD

Don't challenge the SAS, man, they'll mess you up.

i just SAS'd the SAS. when its the spetnaz then ill start with the respect.

SAS well outrank the Spetznaz matey.

 

[Aur0ra145]

Whenever I see a service man, I generally give them a nod and a smile. Those, I actually talk to I'll thank them for serving our country and protecting my sorry ass.

 

[Irridium]

They're a hell of a lot braver and stronger than I.
I have nothing but respect for them.

Anyone willing to put their lives on the line for any country deserves to be respected.

And they don't deserve all the crap they get. They're forced to go fight a war people don't like, they have to endure horrid conditions, they have to leave their family for years at a time.
They sacrafice more in a day than most of us do in a year.

And they are human, yes they make mistakes, but under the circumstances, its understandable.

Sure, you don't have to like the government, but damnit at least show some respect for the soldiers that will fight and die to keep you safe.

As for U.S. soldiers. I have the highest respect for them.

 

[Kiefer13]

I am very decidedly anti-war, but I have mixed feelings in regards to the soldiers themselves. I recognize that soldiers are just humans doing a job, like the rest of us. That much is irrefutably true, and neither positive nor negative.

Like any group of humans, there are the good ones and there are the bad ones. To lump an entire group together by saying things like "Soldiers are Heroes" or "Soldiers are Murderers" is ridiculous. I do have a base level of respect for your average soldier for signing up and putting themselves in the line of fire in the defense of others, which I believe is a noble thing to do (for the defense of the country, I have more mixed feelings on, being decidely anti-patriotic/nationalistic)

However, it annoys me to no end when people demand that I show reverence and respect to soldiers because "They're better than you." Yeah, no. I have a problem when people demand to be shown respect. It's something that's earned, not demanded. And yes, wars could not be declared without the politicians. But they could not be fought without the soldiers. A war declared by politicians would have very little meaning if all of the soldiers decided to protest and not show up to work. So yeah, politicians may be responsible for starting wars, but that doesn't make the soldiers entirely blameless.

"Just following orders." is not an acceptable excuse for killing.

 

[Epitome]

That large margin only exists if you exclude counting the woundeds taken out of combat and the South Vietnamese casualities, the only reason the US were any good was their air support, any ground invasionsn were at a disadvantage.

By the end the US were ambushing more VC patrols than the other way around and they were winning more firefights the VC were badly losing when the US pulled out.

If the war had continued though the US would have provoked the Chinese and you would have had North Korea all over again, no puppet Democracy in the North would have lasted long. It would have cost thousands of lives, possibly you could have beaten the Chinese at conventional warfare but again you risk thousands and thousands of lives and for what?

 

[J-Alfred]

I am of the opinion that anyone who willingly signs up to defend their country is a person worthy of my respect and admiration. Whatever I may think of the actual person, I still respect them for the potential sacrifice they are making.

 

[J-Alfred]

"Just following orders." is not an acceptable excuse for killing.

I'm not challenging your statement, but I'd just like to say that several experiments (most notably the Stanley Milgram experiments) have shown that it is very hard to deliberately disobey someone who is percieved as your superior. So while "just following orders" may be hard to believe, it is widely regarded as true.

Of course, there are always bad apples.

 

[ModsDeleteThisAccountPlease]

Even though I think the guy is a jack ass, Micheal Moore did one thing right in Fahrenheit 9/11. He went to members of Congress and asked them to sign THEIR children up for a war they all so deeply believed in. Not a single man or woman said yes, they would make a sacrifice. When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die. Soldiers fight wars, but it's the politicians who are to blame. Which is why I respect the soldiers fighting around the world, but give not a shred of respect to politicians in America. Except Obama. Maybe.

 

[Shock and Awe]

I have all the respect in the world for the U.S. Military. They are one of the most prolific, get it done yesterday forces in the world who adapt to situations on the ground faster than most forces could get the clearance to do so. Their dedication to what they are told to do is among the tradition of some of the greatest military forces in history. No one wants to, but the alternative is worse.

The men who've I have had the pleasure of talking with and sharing a pint or two with them and they are some of the most laid-back, casual sons of bitches I've ever met. Never hesitating to share a story or two. And they speak of both better men then themselves and worse men then themselves. They have their quirks, but don't we all?

They sacrifice so much for their fellow soldier and other countries. Families abandoned, conditions harsher than hell, overbearing commissioned officers and what not, And yes, you can make any case you want about unnecessary violence or battlefield dishonor. But in the end, it's all down to where your sitting and where their sitting.

You have the right to say what you want. They have the right to punch you in the fucking face if they disagree.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[ArcWinter]

Soldiers in general are pretty courageous and all, but their dedication and usefulness could be used for something other than violence.

Like something constructive.

 

[Agent Larkin]

There alright. A little twitchy and I don't want to be posted within small arms range of them but when they are un-armed they are perfectly sound.