Why are soldiers treated with so much respect?

Nationalism is a means of repeating self-fueled and continuous propaganda. There isn't anything special about members of the military. Actually, from my experience they're extremely ordinary or even unintelligent. Governments either force youth to participate in their military, or use various types of persuasion and propoganda to encourage activity in the military. The U.S. for example, lures high school students by calling them each individually and asking about their plans for the future, explaining that the U.S. military offers programs to help pay for their college.

Source- Active duty US Army.

 

Nobody praises soldiers as gods among us, they treat them with respect because of the enemy they are employed to fight against. Have you ever seen some of the savage stuff that muslim terrorists do? Most of them have no regard for human life and don't care about that of their enemy for sure. And it's not like you have served, so you wouldn't know how tough you have to be to be able to function in a branch of the military. And another thing, it's not like many people WOULD go serve in the military because there is alot of sacrifice, work, and courage involved in signing your life away to our government for a chunk of time especially when many relations are shaky among countries, and most people don't have the willpower or mettle for it.

 

Who cares if you support the war or not? They are still putting their lives on the line to defend your freedom you better show them some damn respect. They fucking deserve it.

 

Soldiers are respected for what they do. They're not praised as gods who walk among men, they're just normal human beings who do the one job not many of us want to wake up and do each day. That's why.

 

They "defend freedom"? And I suppose the police "protect and serve" as well right?

 

Do you have the courage to fight for what you believe in? Are you willing to die for it? If so, pick up a gun. You seem to be among the many who hate all cops for what a few bad ones do... So if you believe cops should die, let me know after you kill a handful and risk your life for your own beliefs - I'll show you the respect I show military men who have also risked their own lives for what they believe in at that point in time, but not before.

In the Iraq war, no they were not defending freedom, but many of them believed that they were. And they risked their lives for that belief and THAT is what counts.

 

I don't respect soldiers simply because they're soldiers any more than I respect the people they're fighting against simply because they're soldiers.

My grandmother was a prisoner of war in World War 2. She didn't hold any grudges against the Japanese despite that, because she knew the simple truth that most of the Japanese had done nothing wrong. The Japanese soldiers were simply doing their duty as much as she was doing hers being a nurse. To continue on with the world war 2 stuff, I actually despise the actions of the United States military for choosing to drop the nuclear bomb on a relatively untouched city at a time in which there would be maximal civilian casualties - almost all of them innocent - so I neither respect the soldiers who carried out that duty nor do I respect the officials who ordered it to happen.

My point is, both sides think they're fighting for the right reasons. I understand the necessity for defence forces, but in the long run those people chose to join such forces and should know what it means. To demand that I respect them for choosing a job and doing it is ridiculous. My opinion would be a little different if they were conscripted, but even then my opinion would reflect more pity than respect.

Furthermore, it pisses me off when the soldiers themselves demand that I respect them. You might have gone to war, but that doesn't mean there isn't the possibility that you're a horrible human being either. I'm not saying soldiers are bad people by any means, but I refuse to respect someone until I can say I know them well enough to make that judgement.

 

Every soldier signs up for service with the express and explicit contract to give their life for their country.

This is why people respect and honor soldiers, whether they're boots on the ground, or a suit behind a desk.

That's not to say every soldier has the intention or the bravery or heroism to honor the call if they find themselves in that position, but it's a step closer than the average civilian has taken. I personally respect anyone who is devoted to a cause to the point where they agree to die if necessary. Naturally I lose that inherent respect for those who take the oath fraudulently, but you never know who they are until it happens. And then, who's to say I wouldn't react the same way?

 

I was listening to one of my records, a different thread got me in the mood for Rancid... And one of the songs on that record made me think about this thread... I think it'd be a good specimen on why soldiers are respected.... As I said earlier, I disagree with many people's views that ALL soldiers should be respected above normal citizens; I believe only those who are similar to the man in this song should be respected higher than any other person.


Some soldiers, especially those with PTSD, forget what being a civilan is. They become so damaged fighting for their country that they'll NEVER be the same. Most people who can just kill people are considered insane by medical standards... These men are given guns and told they HAVE to kill people by the hundred. They fight for their lives, and they believe (but as I've stated, are not always actually) fighting for your life as well. And often, the faces of the people they had to kill for their own lives and/or your life haunts their dreams. It's not an easy thing to do, but they do it for us civilians and thats why they deserve a little bit of respect. I object the war in iraq and I object the USA getting involved with the syria shit; however, I will respect the brave men who risk their own lives to do what they believe is serving not only their country, but me and you as well.


For anyone that'd like to actually listen to the song, search "Rancid Civilian Ways" on youtube.

I hold the cold steel of my rifle
as I dream of foreign lands
And I promise myself
I will cherish every moment I can
But there's ghosts that follow me around
Everywhere I am
When I say goodbye
I try to be strong
Now I'm going back to the U.S.
where I belong

I ain't never alone
The war seems to follow me home
No longer an active soldier
When I walk down the street
I'm shaking hands
with everyone that I meet
And I watch everyone
wondering what they see

Civilian ways are now
what's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two o three
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me

I live in Marysville
out on the county line
And my Brother and my Mother
both visit me all the time
And visions of you
are always running right through my mind
We always talk about
what we're gonna do
when the war is won
We're gonna fix up them old cars
and ride them into the sun
When I heard you're no longer with us
Man I was done

Civilian ways are now
what's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two o three

May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me

 

because they're the reason that we have the freedom that we are provided with in current day.

without a military we would be taken over in a matter of days.

 

They risked their lives for a cause that wasn't theirs. Opposite of selfish.

Now i dont think soldiers nowadays deserve respect. wars today are not about protecting your country men, but to invade and take.

 

How can you not respect the people who volunteered to fight the nazi's in WW2? Who helped liberate the many countries from occupation?

Not all soldiers are uniformed, some are merely militias put together from several towns.

I respect people who are willing to put their life on the line to fight for what we believe in.

Keyword here being respect, google it.

 

Due a fundamentalistic principle of the human race: violence over peace. Our world is *peeped*.

 

Just imagine what the United States would be like if we didn't have soldiers......

 

Would you say that the people who are in the US Air Force that bomb places like Libya are putting the safety of others at heart, or are they terrorists?

 

Putting the safety of others at heart

 

Soldiers are respected for what they're doing. Regardless of the reason behind it or their intentions.

 

I give them support and thank them because they risk their life to keep mine safe. Regardless of why they joined the military, they are still keeping me and everyone else safe. While I agree that they shouldn't be treated like gods, they do deserve respect.

 

Without them we wouldn't live in the beautiful place we live in today (depending on where you live) they risk their own lives everyday to protect the people of their country. Instead of picking an average job they go out and want to risk their own lives when they don't have to. That is why I give them so much respect!

 

Why would I respect someone for being tricked into devoting and risking their life for a cause they believe to be right because someone told them so? People don't know what they want and that's why they're so easily steered in the wrong direction.

Soldiers aren't soldiers because they want to be, they're soldiers because governments lead them to believe that this is what is expected of a citizen to do - risk their lives because the people sitting in these high positions won't. It's basically a say in who has a puppeteer and who doesn't.

Would you respect someone for losing $10,000,000 10 times over on the same number, or would you respect them because they don't care if they lose it? It's a no win situation. You can't ask questions like these because the reason for which they are being asked is unwarranted.