I'm too old and have a bad back so I couldn't go. This is an interesting question for me personally. I avoided the Viet Nam War because I didn't believe in and I was I believe proved right. Interestingly, Viet Vets of that era nearly all respect my opinion. Only non-vets, the older or younger Vets get upset. I protested the Iraq war for oil, also. I am against my son going to fight in the future in the Middle East for cheap oil, which I think will be attempted by future US leaders. Our actions in Iraq since then are worthy of war criminals. Despite my disagreements with Dakota et al, who seem to want a major war over this or send assasination squads all over the place, I think that going to get the guys who did this is a just cause, once all other attempts have been exhausted. I view it as arresting criminals. I tend to follow the Catholic Just War Theory which requires that you inflict the minimum damage necessary to accomplish a just goal. For the limited purpose of arresting the perpetrators, I would go. I suspect, however, that any action we do will go beyond a simple police action and be designed to intimidate the Arabs into aceeding to many other demands of ours, which I don't agree with.
Well, I am in college, so I don't know if that protects me or not. But if they called me on the phone and asked me to fight for my country, I would do it. Without question, I would do it. Like Jeff, I don't know if I could ever kill someone...but I think I would have to go find out in this case.
I don't know if I'd pass the physical, but if called, I'd find a way. I don't necessarily "want" to go. But, this attack is just like Pearl Harbor, except that it is a cowardly act with no one taking responsibility for it. They need to pay, and if I'm called to help make them pay, I'll bring back change.
you don't have to be on the front line with an uzi. there are other jobs like medics, mechanics, cooks, towel boys, etc
I have no intentions of going to war (I doubt it will come to that in Australia), but I'm probably over the Army Regulation Weight anyway. And if that doesn't work, I'll get my mother who is a doctor to write a certificate to say I have some illness. I hate war. War is bad.
I talked to a Marine recruiter yesterday, and he assured me that there is no longer any fear of missing recruitment targets. "I've had about 400 calls in the past hour" were his exact words. Even taking in that, we have the goods to get this war done already, if the reserves are called up (which they will be/are about to be). You would-be draft dodgers don't have to worry - there will be no draft. Americans are volunteering left and right, and everyone who knows anything about infantry ops knows that you'd rather have an athletic volunteer next to you than a former accounting major. (no offense to accounting majors) The services are actually confronted with the problem of having more applicants than slots. That hasn't happened in a loooong time...
I am ready. Up until Tuesday morning I don't honestly know if I would have sacrificied myself for my country or not, I'm of the younger (29) generation who has never really had a sense of nationalism until now. I remember telling a friend of mine from Canada in college that if Slick Willy was elected that I would follow him home and I further remember being worried when the Gulf War started because of the possibility of Saddam launching chemical warfare. But now I know I am ready. I have gotten choked up so much the last few days. Last night I was watching CNN and saw the folks with posters of their family members and I was really teary eyed hearing their stories. I'm a pretty easy going guy without too many cares in the world, but watching the coverage on Tuesday I was part scared, part angry and part confused. Especially once the pentagon was hit I wasn't sure how many more targets were hit, so that scared me. But at the same time I was so pi$$ed, I wanted to kill someone, or something. But my biggest question was why? Why now, why us? Why? Now the more coverage I watch the angrier I get. I feel so sorry for the victims and their families. I wish I was on one of the planes, I probably couldn't have changed fate but I would have loved to got my hands on those bastards. Even though I will probably not get my chance I hope all of our service people are safe in their mission. I hope they kill every terrorist and every supporter they have. I hope every terrosrist and supporter die a slow and very painful death. Screw the court system kill them. Like John McCain said Let God show mercy, because we won't. I want Afganistan to give up Satan now without any conditions attached. No we won't turn him over to a Mid-East court, give him up or watch your country disappear. Same to Iraq & Iran, hand us every terrorist and supporter we ask for or prepare for the beating of your life. And for those in the US who support these monsters, be prepared to be drug out of your home and beaten like the dogs you are. No courts for you either you dirty traitors and definetely not an easy death. Beat them until they bleed, cry and beg for mercy, then beat them more. I know there will always be evil and more importantly people who don't agree with the US and I realize this. But terrorists are cowards and I don't care who they are. Now is their time.
You know I would probably go, but I don't know if I could kill anybody. Until this happened, I never wanted another human being really wiped out, but Osama bin Laden gets my vote. I would help anyway I could, computers, helping out physically, whatever I could, but as far as killing people you're asking the wrong person. I could be out there with a gun, and all it takes is a hesitation and me and the people with me would be dead. That is the fact of life with a war. You can bet your @ss though that if there were anyway I could help the military, whether it's in their hospital, moving equipment over there, whatever I wouldn't hesitate. I can't get fired up to personally go out and take somebody's life myself, and I don't know if that makes me good or bad in war time.
If you would have asked me a week ago if I would ever fight in a war I would have said no, but after whats happened I would say "Lets go kick some a$$"
I doubt I would go: 1. I am a grad student 2. I have arthritis in both knees 3. I have respiratory issues (still remaining from a near-death pneumonia experience many years ago) 4. I am a pacifist 5. I am married and my wife would kick my ass if I thought about leaving her with a chance of not coming back. If I got killed, she would come after me and hurt me. I fear my wife more than any nukes, terrorists, fascists, and devil worshippers.
When a country is no longer willing to fight for itself you have to wonder what the hell went wrong. My opinion carries little weight, but I think very little of several members of this board. Some of you need to look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourselves if there is anything you WOULD fight for because if an attack on America and the deaths of THOUSANDS of innocents isn't enough than you are a coward.
Reading this tread has made me sick to my stomach. I'm glad you p*****s aren't defending our nation. You guys sit there on your keyboards debating and b****ing about our governments and our political condition, but when asked to actually do something about it, it's "I have a bad back" or "I'm an only son" or "I have arthritis" or "I don't think I could kill anyone cause it's wrong" . Do you think everyone that is in the armed forces are just trained to kill?? Do you not realize that the small percentage of the armed forces that are assigned to the front lines don't need support?? Technical support? Medical support? Food & water? Comunications? I haven't always agreed with our government and their artificial and politically motivated wars (Vietman, Bosnia, etc), but this is a direct assault on our way of life, our whole belief system, our freedom. I love to sit with my grandfather and talk to him about his expiriences in WWII, some of which was so gruesome he won't even talk about it. But I sit here and imagine what it would be like if that generation had the same attitude as some of you do. We would probably all be speaking German, but only those of us with blonde hair and blue eyes. the rest of us would be dead, or enslaved, or worse. So, to answer your question, Roxran, Yes I am willing to do my part to protect our democracy. I am ashamed to be countrymen with those of you who are not.
You are a sexy b****. I can't wait until I'm back in Charleston. floyd, there's a difference in being a coward and being scared. I'd be scared as hell to go, I could never imagine me going, I'm the last person I could think of that anyone would want in a war. Does that mean I'll try and cop out if the unthinkable happens? No. I know what I'd say. I'd say yes, even though, honestly, I wouldn't want to. To me, the loss of life, no matter how guilty they are, is sad. And I don't really want to be a part of that. However, it's a fact of life that is never realized in our society, and one that may unfortunately come true...even though I don't think it will.
considering all the friendly-fire accidents that happened in Iraq, I would think we would only want the most qualified holding a weapon anyway. but like i said there are many support jobs that are necessary.
Agreed on everything you wrote. I couldn't imagine being in a war, but if they were doing the draft (which they won't) I wouldn't dodge it if I was called. Also, what are the physical requirement for actually being in the fighting, b/c I'm sure I wouldn't meet them. They'd have me doing something else for sure.
