Why do we consider soldiers to be "Hero's"

[RalphC]

I cannot be the only one who does not think that soldiers are hero's.

 

They are employees, just like any other and knew full well what they were entering into when they signed up.

 

In return they get paid well, get good benefits and virtually have a job for life.

 

So some will get killed - well so do policemen, nurses, fireman, ambulance workers, refuse collectors, factory workers, mangers etc....

 

We do not consider any other group to be "our hero's" so why soldiers? Yet I would say some of the groups deserve the 'hero' badge far more than soldiers.

 

Is it purely propaganda on behalf of the British and American governments?

 

I am quite prepared to stand up and be counted here, but I will not pay a penny to such charities or buy any of the items sold in supermarkets for this cause. Why? Because we pay enough out of our taxes for these people, so why should we be expected to pay out of our own money.

 

Talking to people privately I know I am not alone, but it seems it is not the done thing to say so. Why? Do we not have freedom of speech here?

 

The real hero's were those who did fight for our freedom in the first and second world wars and had little or no choice. They are the ones we remember, not professional soldiers.

[Big J R]

YES - Freedom of speech is a great thing, but even I daren't start commenting on the above post !

[Eastside Urchin]

I do agree somewhat.A large slice of the army nowadays are lads who simply go into Army life because they have nothing else jobwise to do.Not saying they make bad soldiers but it is my experience with many soldiers (and I do have experience as my ex was from a squaddie family and I often visited her family in paderborn Germany and around Salisbury,wilts) that they are basically arrogant,rude,cocky,annoying and generally think they are above the rest of us because of their uniform,certainly not the brave soldiers who fought the first and second world wars

[missunderstood]

Because in most professions you don't spend months away from home, often in the most horrible conditions, wondering if the next minute will be your last on this planet, and all this for less than twenty grand per annum for a private.

 

I also think most reasonable people think doctors, nurses, the police firemen and others are the great unsung heroes of our time, and its unfortunate that talentless pop singers, actors, footballers, and useless celebrities receive such unwarranted adulation.

[Eastside Urchin]

I also had a very good friend who went into the army at 17,lovely lad,by the time he came out 5 years later he was the biggest to$$er going,needless to say none of us speak to him anymore.

Think you should ask the non related residents in squaddie towns what they think,think you would be surprised at the response as many can't stand their behaviour when they come home from leave and the kids of some serving army recruits also leave a lot to be desired,trust me!

[RalphC]

YES - Freedom of speech is a great thing, but even I daren't start commenting on the above post !

 

Oh go on

[RalphC]

Because in most professions you don't spend months away from home, often in the most horrible conditions, wondering if the next minute will be your last on this planet, and all this for less than twenty grand per annum for a private.

 

I also think most reasonable people think doctors, nurses, the police firemen and others are the great unsung heroes of our time, and its unfortunate that talentless pop singers, actors, footballers, and useless celebrities receive such unwarranted adulation.

 

I am not saying they do not spend months away, but then so do many trades - was reading on the Hornchurch forum about one of their fans who was coming hom after working in Canada - it was his choice to go in the same way as it is the recruits decision to go and play at being a soldier. Nobody has forced them to go

 

Have to agree with Urchin boy above in that many of these people are not a benefit to society.

 

Sorry if it is controversial to say these things but we live in a so called free country and in the same way as they can force the promotion of this down our throats so we should be able to say 'no we do not agree'.

[Eastside Urchin]

Big Mick,he is staying at mine at the moment because he lost his wallet with all his savings in it on the plane and England being England it wasn't handed in.3 years away and the government wont lift a finger for him but if your black,brown,yellow,orange etc etc they can't act quick enough.

 

Anyway back to the Army,I was at the services on the M11 the other evening and there were 40/50 of our finest squaddies,to be honest I would feel less intimidated by a large gang of chavs with rotweilers than I did by the squaddies they were all gathered outside the entrance and were blatantly taking the p1ss out of the majority of people who walked past and inside were chucking remnants of their burger king & kfc meals at each other,hardly installs any faith in the armed forces tbh

[missunderstood]

Because in most professions you don't spend months away from home, often in the most horrible conditions, wondering if the next minute will be your last on this planet, and all this for less than twenty grand per annum for a private.

 

I also think most reasonable people think doctors, nurses, the police firemen and others are the great unsung heroes of our time, and its unfortunate that talentless pop singers, actors, footballers, and useless celebrities receive such unwarranted adulation.

 

I am not saying they do not spend months away, but then so do many trades - was reading on the Hornchurch forum about one of their fans who was coming hom after working in Canada - it was his choice to go in the same way as it is the recruits decision to go and play at being a soldier. Nobody has forced them to go

 

Have to agree with Urchin boy above in that many of these people are not a benefit to society.

 

Sorry if it is controversial to say these things but we live in a so called free country and in the same way as they can force the promotion of this down our throats so we should be able to say 'no we do not agree'.

 

Before we condemn current and ex military for not being of benefit to society perhaps we ask ourselves the reason why. Soldiers are taught from the very beginning blind obedience, and after a few years using their own initiative stops being second nature. I worked with a really decent guy who was in the TA, and he was sent to Iraq for a tour of duty. When he returned he was a completely different person and within a few months he lost everything dear to him, including his wife and kids, his job and his pension. I doubt if the psychological scares will ever be healed.

[Eastside Urchin]

They are not taught blind obedience in normal life,just for army matters.Very few live on barracks now,the majority live in normal housing and their lives apart from when on duty are nowhere near as regimented as say 30/40 years ago.None of them are forced in the army and none of them are forced to act as they do.

[missunderstood]

They are not taught blind obedience in normal life,just for army matters.Very few live on barracks now,the majority live in normal housing and their lives apart from when on duty are nowhere near as regimented as say 30/40 years ago.None of them are forced in the army and none of them are forced to act as they do.

 

 

TBH I have never personally witnessed any bad behavior from our soldiers. Perhaps I should get out more.

[Eastside Urchin]

To be honest you don't get large numbers of squaddies in this area.

It would be interesting to hear what local residents in "army" towns think of the standard of behaviour from army personnel compared with say 20 years ago.

I used to deliver goods,mainly stationary to bases in north Essex and Cambridgeshire and to be honest I used to hate going into the based albeit for a few minutes as I found them difficult and hard work,even the civillians who worked in the bases used to act with a little bit of arrogance towards outsiders.Some were fine and really nice but all too often it wasnt the most pleasant experience.

[Loose]

Used to do a fair amount of work in and around Aldershot and Camberley (Aldershot being the Home of the British Army) and it is true. the atmosphere is very different and the towns have squaddie pubs and civilian pubs with no mixing.

 

Squaddies are aggressive because along with following orders they are trained, encouraged and expected to be aggressive, they just bore easily when not being aggressive and it's how they blow off steam. The experiences combat squaddies have leave them with very little ability to express themselves or integrate into civilian life or at least not easily after combat tours and not much work or money is invested into changing this apart from encouraging them to take up sports and they have a large helping of sports days when back in barracks in the UK.

 

Probably no-one will agree with me but they do stuff that I wouldn't, I'm grateful for that. I don't agree with them being in Iraq or Afghanistan and possibly many of them don't either, and yet they are there, facing injury, maiming and or death. Are they heroes? Well the ones who go beyond and above their standing orders to save their colleagues or civilians must be surely. Even if we don't agree with them being out there or we find them individually or as a group, to$$ers, then at least they deserve our support and respect for what they face.

[Eastside Urchin]

Can't really argue with that,I support the concept of our armed forces and each force as a unit I support and hope they come to no harm.I wouldn't want to go to war myself but that is their choice.Was talking to one of my mates from

Virginia that lives here and he said that although the us army is far from perfect,the impression he got is that the Army in the US is held in much higher esteem by the us public than ours Is by our public.