Why are soldiers treated with so much respect?

I understand, with the way the world is today soldiers are needed and thanked for for volunteering to fight for our country, but I just can't seem to understand why they're so respected and saluted.
I also understand that people have personal relations with them, or that they feel bad that they lost a leg during battle, but is it morally really their responsibility? Do they feel obligated to salute them because they gave their unasked for service for the country?

My personal opinion:
I don't care much about war, and I do feel safe having security. Although I can understand why we honor them, I don't understand why most feel the need to thank every literal soldier for their service and bow down as if they're going to get killed if they don't.
I don't care much that they kill people, but they DO kill people, they kill people also serving for their own country. Why praise them for that? I feel like if they're going to acknowledge them for anything it should be for the things they had to do in order to protect their country when they didn't want to do it. If I were to join the military I wouldn't care much if people from the outside saluted me without my ask, I'd feel a bit giddy and good of course but I wouldn't care that much. But of course who am I to say that.

Or maybe I'm just misunderstanding this entire thing. Maybe they're not saluting them for just protecting our country or them being a sacrifice. I'm not asking for an explanation, just your own thoughts, or if there's anyone in the military - how do you feel about people doing this?

 

It's just merely appreciation. Any sort of gratitude towards them is simply appreciating their efforts to protect us. We know their salaries aren't great, we know they're experiencing some very haunting times in their lives. I don't think anyone bows down in fear of being killed, I think the majority of people bow down as a token of respect, a sort of "worship" towards them. The reason for this could be of many things. We live in a society where the media promotes fear and how you should be afraid of nearly everything. So when we have people protecting us, it's just nice to show your appreciation towards them.

There's not much to debate, sure some will agree that what they do is immoral or pursuing goals that are for profit. However, they're not in a position to rebel they're in a position to carry out tasks given to them. It's up to you which government is telling them what to do.

 

Why are they treated with so much respect? You do realize these are the people fighting for the freedom you get to freely enjoy right? They're risking their life to protect their country (which includes you, and every citizen). Nobody, at least I don't think so, feels obligated to honor them. We just acknowledge their service and show our appreciation

 

Only a small number will really see combat. And atleast in the united states if I don't support the war and think it's bullshit, why should I support the soldiers?

In modern armies it's something like a 20:1 ratio of logistics and support to actual fighting men

 

It doesn't mater if you agree with war or not. Soldiers serving for your country are ensuring your safety, by being on the frontlines against what or who your country deems as a hostile force. So I feel we should respect them in the up most way.

Veterans who have been in war have made the ultimate sacrifice and should be praised on the daily. For putting themselves directly in harms way for your freedom.

You should watch band of brothers its a mini series directed by Spielberg. All true events.

 

I think it's as they are doing a job that is on behalf of the country. They sign years of their life away and get paid a shit wage; in shit living conditions while risking their life. It's just a job that deserves respect.

 

Without soldiers in your country, you wouldn't be on Sythe right now, doing whatever the fuck you want. Soldiers fight for our freedom (although the army is corrupt in many ways) they're putting their life on the line, which obviously deserves respect.

 

This.

Think about it this way: If you figured out that someone shipped themselves off to a foreign country in shitty living conditions for years at a time just to put themselves in danger for YOUR security even though they don't even know you; why would you do anything but love, respect and thank them for it? People in America take things like that for credit and as a result develop an ungrateful attitude.

 

A phrase I highly believe in:

If you don't stand behind our soliders, feel free to stand in front of them.

You may not support what they do, you may not support what our government does, but soldiers are some of the most brave people who put their lives on the line so that you can enjoy being an American. They deserve the respect they receive.

 

The people you really want to thank are the veterans who fought in ACTUAL combat, not some fatass sergeant who never deploys or when he does is some kind of job guy like laundry specialist or cook guy. People act like they care about soldiers when a lot of veterans who fought wars got fucked and people started pointing fingers at the VA, because they're a bunch of fuckheads too.

 

Could you explain to me how the whole iraq war was fighting for our freedom?

I understand actual threats like hitler in ww2 or whatever, but all the wars after that just seem like bullshit

I mean americans are already free in our country.. How does sending all these troops to the middle east and upsetting the whole region protect our freedom?

 

100% agree. Americans killing Iraqis by the hundreds of thousands...how does that protect my freedom?

 

Soldiers are just murderers for hire. I don't know why anyone would respect them.

 

Please don't troll in SFA.

 

Can you make a distinction between a soldier and any other paid thug?

 

Here in the UK I don't think soldiers are respected much at all..
Most of the "soldiers" I know are idiots and they went into the army because they're too stupid for any good job.

If you want to be in the army and that is your plan, then you tend to go to university etc and join as an officer or something. But most of them are just people who can't get a job.

My opinion^

 

I agree. I also definitely agree with HotColdRush's statement. If you disregard the personal relations you have with them and think about it in a more diverse and historical way then you'd begin to wonder what they're actually fighting for.

Don't get me wrong, props to the soldiers who actually want to protect their family and country, I just never understood why we treat them so differently. Even though of course you're no longer treated as a citizen when you join the military, but even then you're still a normal person.

 

Hm. Good point.

Soldiers do get a lot of monetary benefits from the government. In fact, many only "serve" their country because the pay is good and the benefits are good. They also do not have to pay for their education, they get paid for this as well.

Of course, its a trade off because they have to endure physical and emotional stress but they choose to go through this because of the monetary benefits and the respect that they will get once they become a soldier.

 

Well I have a pretty big belief on this subject... Sorry if someone else has already said something similar, I only skimmed the other replies but here's my take on it -


Soldiers usually believe they are fighting for freedom and/or god. Though, I personally disagree with this greatly; I believe soldiers are pawns of any government (not just us americans).

For example, the Iraq War, if you ask me, has become 100% factual a war for Oil, not weapons of mass-destruction OR revenge for 9/11. These soldiers were fighting and dying for what they believed to be true; Iraq was/is a threat, and Iraq attacked the twin towers. Though, like I said, what they believed turned out to be false. However, they still died. They still fought. They gave it their all for their country.

Hypothetically, let's say Iraq DID attack america and DID have weapons of mass destruction... Would that have given you (if you're not american, pretend this happened wherever you're from) the courage and power to pick up a gun and go to war? To know that any moment of any day you could be blown to pieces by a bomb? You and your closest friends shot down like animals?

I don't agree with soldiers. I believe most of them are dumb to have believed in the war, and to have fought so hard for a country that was filling them with lies... But I still respect their courage and honor of doing what they BELIEVED to be right.

Normally, I would only show the standard of respect you're referring to to a soldier that had been to war. Some guy doing push-ups in the mud at some boot-camp, wearing a military uniform, pretending to be "all that", fuck 'em. They're no different than anyone else. Any time I run into a supposed 'military man', I question if they've been to war... Usually they're honest, though there's some I believe were just trying to sound "special". The ones that say yes and I also believe them, I will usually let ahead of me in line, or whatever. If they say no or I think they're lying about it, I just go back about my own business.

 

Because it takes BALLS to go to war man, you have no idea. Notice how many of these soldiers come back to the United States and have post traumatic stress disorder.

The inhumane actions of war fuck up the human mind so bad, you'd have to be crazy to not have anything wrong with you when you come back. Imagine seeing a close friend of yours, literally 15 feet ahead of you, get shot in torso and see his guts flying out.

In short, soldiers not only risk their lives, but also risk the chance of never living life the same again.