Why support US troops?

Curious to see what everyone’s response to the above question is.

I feel that we have an all volunteer army and that at this point in the war debate they are treated more like drafted men and women, as in Vietnam, than volunteers who gained something from enlisting. Now I am under no illusion that the army perks are equivalent to hitting the lotto but it does give those who enlist something in return - imo , they are borderline mercenaries.

A = volunteering to join the fighting force that protects the well being and global standing of one’s country.

B = Being forced into that same position regardless of one’s own feelings toward the matter.

In general:

A > B

(A is greater than B)

Emphasis on the “in general” part. When there is a war that has no real enemy and/or no real goal and/or no real benefit to the country, then its tough to say whether A would be greater than B.

Hey cowboy - what does that mean - “support the troops”?

Nice to see you again, Faust. Been awhile.

Great question. I’ve wondered this myself. =D>

Hitting the lotto? Well I would have to ask the retired members of my family about that. One brother and his wife both retired after twenty yrs. They both need to work to supplement their combined retirement. Ooooh they get medical benifits, Yippee. Have you seen some of the military hospitals? My father is retired but, he works occasionlly, granted he was a thirty year man so his retirement is a bit more than my brother’s, but, my step mother still works to make ends meet. Oh wait they do get a G.I. benifit for housing and education… sort of, if you don’t get screwed.

What Lotto do you refer to? The penny ante one?

Now officers have it better than the enlisted I do know that.

Do you realize that most military personell are only in for 4 to two years?
Right now most of that time for certain members is spent in highly dangerous areas… Oooohhhh they get a bit more money on their paycheck. Is it worth the life they may lose? Hardly, it ain’t that much.

If you volunteer for the military you either love it or leave at the first available chance. Most leave. So support our troops?

How about asking; Do you support your family that is in danger? Because that is what our troops are, family, not mercs. They are in it to protect their family and make a living. Mercs don’t give a crap about protecting hearth and home they just want the money.

Hi, Phaed. Likewise.

I’ll throw down here. About a month ago, there were two sailors (in uniform) in a local bar that I frequent. I think they managed to pay for a couple of the many drinks that they had - but only a couple. The other patrons, including me, saw to it that they paid for only a couple (I think we sort of lost concentration as the afternoon wore on). It was a mere gesture.

This past winter, two young men dined at the restaurant that I worked in. One was on leave (or something). He had just done a tour in Iraq, and was soon to return. The other was about to go for the first time. Marines, I think. I bought them dinner. Another mere gesture.

Is this supporting the troops? In a very, very small way, it is. Clearly, it is not supporting all the troops.

Is saying “I support the troops” supporting the troops? It’s also a gesture, but talk is even cheaper than dinner and drinks.

Is donating to the USO and the other troop-support organisations supporting the troops? Yes, surely it is.

Is posting on a message board that you support the troops supporting the troops? I don’t think it is. It’s not like rooting for a baseball team. I think you have to actually buy a ticket. I realise that tax money pays for this - but it pays for everything, whether those things are “supported” by us or not. Otherwise, everyone supports the troops (every US taxpayer, at the very least).

So, I guess I can say that I have supprted four troops (actually, since the war began, I have supported the alcohol intake of several more). In a very small way. Very small, indeed.

By the way - the two young men that I bought dinner for. While we didn’t discuss it at length, I think they knew that I am against this action in Iraq. They didn’t seem to care much, if they did know. There are people within the services that question the strategy of this war - it’s not the firebreathing debate inside that it is outside the military, I believe. It’s just a debate.

Also - in that barroom - I’d be surprised to find more than a couple, among the many that bought drinks for those sailors, who agree with the war at the moment. That bar is not exactly a conservative stronghold.

maybe my post was not clear but i meant that military perks ARE NOT like hitting the lotto at all.

as far as what i mean by “supporting” troops - i dont knwo what that really means . i think its a bull term thrown around by the patriot police.

No its not thrown around by patriot police. It is like Faust said. And
you can support returning troops by not turning your back on them, just because you hate the war. If you hate the war blame the politicians not the troops. They suffer and need emotional support not cold shoulders. Vietnam Vets experienced a harsh return home from protesters. It should have been the politicians that got attacked not the soldiers.

Support them by donating to the red cross and specify that its to go to the troops. support the USO.

I guess in theory, the reason to support them is because they’re risking their lives for us. Problem for many these days is in coming to terms as to exactly how that risk (which is of course real) benefits us. Or, put another way, why we are tolerating the policy of a bunch of corrupt old chickenhawks (well, and Condi) that results in the waste of these lives. But people are sensitive to the soldiers and families, so they don’t want to characterize their effort and sacrifice as ‘waste’. Even when they think it is. I’ve read some attempts to compartmentalize – like the troops are ‘heroes’ for being soldiers and ‘doing a duty’. It’s kind of like modern religion, water it down enough to get it down the throat without clogging up the pipes and gagging on reason.

As I can, I’ve been watching bits of tapes a friend gave me from “The War”, which is being broadcast on PBS. Now that was supporting the troops. I very much doubt that even a fleeting thought of “the troops” passes through most American minds on any given day. Of course, that’s because relatively few families are affected by having a member in Iraq or Afghanistan. Establish the draft and you’ll see Americans react about “the troops”, not to mention “the war”. Of course, they won’t establish it (they’ll instead continue to exhaust the existing soldiers and their families) because they know what that reaction would be.

My roommate was in Iraq, but not in combat. He thinks he deserved a medal (seriously), and he never stops boasting. He wants attention really. He’s very immature, and has never lived on his own. All he does is play videogames and watches cartoons.

This led me to believe that some go into the militairy because they can’t function well in society. They are dependant on something else (like the militairy) to take care of them. Free room and board, food, money, education plus other benefits.

Some probably go just to kill people legally.

Some go because they are brave and want to defend their country.

There are many levels. I do not support the troops generally speaking, but I would support them if we were going after that one guy who was responsible for the attacks on 9-11…Osa…Osama?

I really think innmates should fight our wars for us. Kill two birds with one stone- or two bad people.