to wonder what's so heroic about being in the British army?

[poppylongstocking]

Both my brother in laws are in the army and spend 6 months at a time away from their wife & kids in a country we are under no direct threat from fighting a war which was started on dubious grounds. They are risking their lives, yes, but I don't see it as heroic, I see it as a bit stupid to be honest. I could understand the label 'hero' if we were under direct threat and having our homes bombed as in WW2, but it's very different nowadays, aibu?

Yabu IMO.

Erm. If they are in a country such as Afganistan then they are under threat (perhaps you've noticed the number of soldiers killed and maimed). Their colleagues often risk their own lives to help save their comrades. I think that's pretty heroic. It's not just about fighting from the home front.

People in armed forces don't choose where to go they just do their job. nothing to do with them why a war was started or whether you think it dubious or not.

You might not think your brother-in-laws are heroes, but I certainly think my son is when he is lying in trenches risking his life fighting the Taliban who are the people who are responsible for drowning our country in drugs .

YABVVVVVVU.

These men are signing up and are prepared to die fighting. It doesn't matter where the war is or who whether it started on dubious grounds.

The fact that you even posted your OP makes me very very .

Tell someone who has lost a loved one in the forces that it "is a bit stupid."

Surely getting killed is a very real occupational hazard they are completely aware of when they sign up though?

Some people just begger belief

Maybe people sign up believing they are making a difference in the world, OP.

If it isn't heroic or dangerous, I trust you'll sign up and wont be the slightest bit worried when you get shipped out to Iraq or Afghanistan?

They didn't choose where they were sent. You hear stories all the time about the bravery of soldiers, risking their lives to save colleagues. i think that's heroic

When the shit hits the fan, it is these people who have volunteered to be our first line of defence. Again, I find that heroic.

I think involvement in Iraq/Afghanistan is something the soldiers had no say in (rather like the rest of the country). Doubtless, they would prefer not to be there, but that is an issue to be taken up with Tony Blair and is seperate to the whole issue of whether soldiers are brave.

X posts choufleur

Dangerous yes, unsure about heroic

I think the men out there fighting this unjust war are heroes through and through. Under constant threat and doing the job because they have been told to. Okay - nobody joins the army thinking "I am going to die in action" but they all know it's a possibility. The fact that they still join up makes them heroes in my eyes.

YABU

The hero bit, no. That would depend upon your definition of a hero. Personally I think anyone willing to go to a battlezone for such little pay is a hero but my definition may be lower than yours.

BUT you are totally being unreasonable about the "bit stupid" comment.

Our soldiers signed up to serve queen and country. As part of that, they must go where our politicians send them. They don't get a choice and they don't get to say "Sorry old chap but 6 months away from the wife & kids is a bit unpopular"

Yes they are fighting a war which I think is wrong and indeed started on dubious ground. However, that is the fault of our previous government and not the soldiers.

They are under constant threat of being blown into smithereens or shot by some crazed taliban.

If you don't like it, write to your MP, shout it from the rooftops that we should pull all our troops out. But to suggest that our troops risking their lives is "a bit stupid"....incredible.

Are they heroes? In my eyes, yes. Absofuckinglutely.

I have to admit that i have often wondered why a member of my family was so horrified and surprised when another member was sent to a war zone. she knew when he joined that his job was being trained and ready to defend his country or our allies, yet when it happened she was always asking "But why does he have to go, surely they dont all have to go etc" and wouldnt accept that he signed up for it! He told her himself that he knew what he was getting into but she wouldnt have it.

He wouldnt consider himself a hero, just a man doing his job.

By Poppy: Surely getting killed is a very real occupational hazard they are completely aware of when they sign up though?

Yes, they do- so simply by signing up in the first place they become heroes imo.

What a horrible thread to start, are you jealous of your sisters? I can't believe you'd talk of your own family like this.

Yabu. My very good friends son has done two tours of duty with the marines in Afghanistan. The whole vilage is so proud of him. He spoke about his job at our Rememberance Service and laid a wreath at our War Memorial. Im not ashamed to say that I cried when he saluted the memorial.

The way I see it, they have wives and children they spend an awful lot of time away from who will really suffer if they get killed

But we are under threat aren't we? Not in the same way as during the Blitz but there is a definate threat from terrorists such as AlQueda or whatever they're called.

YABU. It is heroic imo. They've gone out there to change things and deserve recognition for that. That goes for all the armed forces out there, Army, Navy and RAF, frontline or not. They all do their bit.

Maybe you should meet and tell my friend that her husband of 12 weeks was not a hero when he was killed in Afghanistan

Under no direct threat?

The area in which they are fighting is a hotbed of extremism. It is a breeding ground of discontent against the West and the hatred fuels terrorism.
It is an area where you are lucky to be alive, especially if you are female. Where for years you will have been forbidden any education so you cannot read, you have no way of earning money if your husband dies, your children will be more likely to die because your lack of education might mean you cannot follow instructions on how much medicine to give- if you are lucky enough to be able to afford it!
To the people who dared not speak out for years for fear of their lives and those of their families, these men are heroes. They can now vote in a democratic fashion(supposedly) for who will govern them.
I will gladly give the title of Hero to British soldiers who are working hard to give these people a freedom which we take for granted.

But poppy, the same could be said for firefighters, police officers, prison guards, even medical staff (have you seen A+E on a saturday night?) should they all give up their jobs as they are dangerous after all? Then what? Crap logic imo.