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?

I would say my sisters are braver

Interesting thread.

Taliban fighters also endure searing 50 degree heat, under the constant threat of being killed or horrifically maimed, and watch their colleagues (to whom they are incredibly close) killed or maimed on a daily basis.

Are they heros too?

Then you'd quite clearly be wrong, OP. There's no point being a soldier if you're thinking about your bf/gf/husband/wife and crumbling whilst you're in a war.

So your problem is that you think your BIL's should jack it in so they can be at home more with your sisters?

Soldiers sign up around 18 (avg) with no family ties and no plans to settle down in the near future. Usually by their early to mid 20's they settle down and marry. By that time they're a 3rd to half of their way through their engagement. Having put up with crap wages/food/accommodation for that long they will now be counting down to their pension which in some way makes up for it as it isn't bad- as long as you complete your engagement (22 yrs).

wb.....no the Taliban are oppressive mindless violent thugs.

ffs wb, how is that a comparison?

I think that is an interesting point WB

a hero is in the eye of the beholder perhaps?

What's interesting about comparing people serving in an armed force to a group of terrorists that persecuted women?

at wb for shit stirring.

The point of the 50 degree heat is that we are not acclimatised to anywhere near that, obviously it is their comfort zone - how can you even use that?????

Poppy....I am not a serving soldier but even I am finding your posts quite offensive, God help anyone who has close ties reading your posts.

I think that is a pretty good summary of their leadership TFP but many of the actual fighters are represented, even by our news agencies, as just ordinary Afgani's who object to the invasion of their country, or who quite frankly need the money they get for fighting to feed their familys.

So if the average British soldier is not to be held responsible for the justness or legality of the war they are fighting and are heros just for being there, then surely the same sort of disclaimers should be used for the opposition. Only it sits wrong, doesn't it?

by the way, i left my 10 month old for a tour so i bet you think i'm no hero. idiot. me and my dh both serve.

I don't know anyone in the army, and count myself a a pacifist.

However, YABVU. You say we are not under direct threat. Well, even if this is true (which, let's be fair, is open to debate given our experience of recent terrorist attacks ), you presume that it will always be this way.

To my knowledge, every nation has security forces. We have the police (for day to day societal security of you and I) AND the other forces which are designed to protect a nation from outside threat (to include terrorism).

We may only be under threat from terrorist attacks at the moment, but what would happen if our national borders, way of life, freedoms and liberties came under fire as they have done in the past? Who would you count on to be first in the line of fire?
Which other nation's loved ones would you be hoping would feel a moral obligation to come and help restore humanitarianism, even if their own nation were not at risk?

People in the forces sign up to fight in any eventuality. Which could include being on 'our' territory as well. They understand the dangers. So do I. That is one of the reasons I am not in the forces.

No matter what I feel about current conflicts, or how glad I am that my husband does not have an increased chance of coming home to me maimed or worse, I am grateful that someone else feels strongly enough to risk their lives, and aware that their love ones must understand this. I think they are entitled to feel proud.

Or let me put it another way:
I wouldn't risk my life for you, OP. They would. Define that as you will.

As a western woman I am clearly not a taliban supporter. I think it is an interesting point that both sides in any war are 'heroes' to their own side, which is why I say a hero is in the eye of the beholder

thats not what you originally said though is it?

We do not have conscription at the moment, anyone who joins the armed forces does so as a lifestyle choice.

The OP is not a moron. The war on terror has put our country in more danger than it ever would have been. Not the fault of the soldiers - the fault of our government. If my DH was out there fighting I wouldn't be saying what an honour it was for him - I'd be bloody pissed off!

I think it is unfair to confuse being courageous and being very knowledgeable about politics, and OP, I think that's what you're doing.

I am well aware that many people go into the army when they are too young to know what they're getting into, because they were misled (about this war or in general), or because the country has failed to give them enough other options to earn money. And I agree that all three things are a crying shame.

However, that does not mean that it does not take courage for these people to face what they face. Remember, once they have joined up, they don't get the chance to pick and choose what they do.

I think that if you want to question the morality of the army, you should be asking why it is considered acceptable to groom children for service, why it is acceptable to present the army as a glamorous career, why it was ever acceptable to lie to people about the reasons for going to war. Don't target the people who are actually out there. They are just making the best of a very, very tough and bad job.

If it is shit-stirring to resent the way the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are portrayed as a simple battle of good (us) vs evil (them) then I damn well will stir.

I defy anyone British to view the past 150 years of our involvement in either country with anything like pride.

but reaper, that is not the point of this thread, as a member of the armed forces, that is exactly the point, even if we don't agree, we still go and do what we are ordered to do. By the way, I'm very proud to serve my queen and country.