Why are Americans obsessed with those that serve in the military?

[Anonymous]

I know I'm going to come across and blunt but for the sake of actually understanding peoples rational behind this rather than simplifying it by using phrases such as, "they are defending our freedom" "they are hero's" "they are protecting us from terrorists" est.

Lets just put the typical patriotism debate aside and actually look at this.

Devil's advocate side: These people are joining the military and know what they are getting themselves into. Arguably, the United States wars around the world are unjustified as the "war on terror" is unwinnable since it is clear that the middle east is becoming more unstable.

In this day and age where information is readily available for anyone where claiming ignorance to what is going with the United States military, why do people continue to put these soldiers on such a high pedestal? Just like any profession these people made a choice to fight in wars that are at best questionable in nature.

[Kinstrome]

-Being a soldier is a psychologically challenging job.
-The training to get into parts of the military is extremely brutal.
-People tend to like the people they perceive as protectors.
-People have *really* treated veterans like shit in the past. Post-Vietnam is a good example.
-In the case of the U. S. and some other nations, there is a history of protecting other countries. Putting thousands (or in the world wars, hundreds of thousands) of people in harm's way for someone else, whether or not it's a reasonable war, still takes fortitude.
-They have to be separated from their families for long periods of time. The soldiers' families are often applauded along with them, as is understandable due to the stress they too go through.
-They do actually protect us, even if it seems unnecessary right now. An unprotected country is easily conquered.
-Even if they "know what they're getting into," it's still so risky and difficult and sometimes lonely that it's hard not to admire the people who put themselves into that position. Anyway, knowing beforehand that they are going to have to be separated from their families, and doing it anyway, takes courage.

[normalice]

Unwaivering and unquestioning support for the military distracts everyone from the obscene military budget. And since the military contractors that benefit from a bloated military budget also have influence is the media, support the troops is the narrative. Even heavily anti-war liberals 'support the troops'.

However, being in the military really isn't all it's advertised to be. You spend most of your time cleaning, and most of what remains in training being told not to rape anyone or kill yourself. It's a 12-hour work day, 6 days per week.

[Lena19]

I put them on the high pedestal because they had the guts to enlist in one, sometimes more than one throughout the course of their service, out of five of our military branches and risk their lives overseas regardless. Also, our war veterans, most of them, lose limbs or suffer from PTSD so that there would not be another draft for the ones who do not enlist or want to.
Also it should be noted that my whole entire family has and had served. My father, United states army (21 years) as a sergeant, my uncle, United states marine corps (20 years) as a gunny sergeant, my cousin, United states army (currently serving and has been for 16 years) as a staff sergeant, my paternal grandfather served for 11 years during world war 2 and the Korean war, and the list goes on. I even plan on enlisting into the Air Force to become a cryptological linguist.
It's also because we Americans never showed respect to our Vietnam veterans whenever they came home from the war. In a way, it's meant to make up for that.

[code3]

Because we're taught that they are heroes from day one of elementary school. We are raised to believe that military members must be treated with volumes of respect and that they're different from normal people.
I'm not a huge fan of people treating military members differently from everyone else, but it is nice to get the occasional "thank you for your service".

What is really awful is that a lot of people treat military personnel differently by hating us for no reason. When the teachings of honor and heroism backfire and lead people to believe that every last man and woman in military camouflage is a murderer, that is pretty awful.
So really, I don't think the military should be glorified to people. Yes, some special treatment is nice sometimes, but we're just normal people with normal occupations for the most part.
Welcome us home from our deployments, not because we're military, but because we're just average people who missed our families and lives.

[Asker]

Thank you for the intelligent reply! I have friends and family in the military so by no means do I hate those that serve.

My hope with this question is to just spur debate, not stigmatize the military. I am legitimately curious to the question I asked.

Since you appear to be someone who has served or are serving in the military, if you don't mind explaining, why did you choose to serve in the Armed forces which would put you in line to fight in conflicts that are quite frankly very questionable?

[code3]

I joined (the Air Force) for a few reasons; the top reason being the medical and educational benefits. I've also wanted to be a mechanic of sorts since the age of seven and I always had a fascination with aircraft. When I hit my sophomore year of high school, I was panicking about my future trying to plan out college and a place to live and how to pay all my bills... So I dropped it all, said "fuck it", and called a recruiter for the easy way out. I knew the military would give me medical insurance, help me pay for school and put me in a house.

[Asker]

Thank you giving a straight forward and honest response. It doesn't matter whether I agree with it or not but I can understand the rational behind your reasoning.

Thank you for your service

[Elizabeth21__]

It's because they do what they are told. (And they are hot, most of the time) But I'm not really sure what your asking. Why do we welcome them home with huge parties? Because we love them, they've risked their lives to keep our freedom, and I think that's honorable in so many ways that if I listed them, I would run out of space. They risk their lives saving others' freedom, and what would the world look like if we didn't have them here to protect us? It would be horrible.

I have no idea who you are or what you mean by this question, but you should be happy that we have the U. S. Military to keep our asses out of shit.

[mr90skid]

Lmao

[Elizabeth21__]

Haters gunna hate

[chaii]

That's America for you, if you leave other countries alone there will be no war (maybe) . As long as I can still go to Hardee's I'm fine. Blow up Hardee's? And all hell will break loose

[Anonymous]

because ever since they have been kids our society has fed them spoonfuls of propaganda about America being free and a democracy as if we were the only fucking place on earth to have those things and make them think that we are number one and the good guys it's mainly that and that they are too ignorant to Google for 30 minutes and realize that we did more damage than good in the Iraq/Afghanistan war the people are so manipulable that if Fox News says Haiti has "weapons of mass destruction" within a day half of the country will start saying how we should blow them off the face of the earth.

[thetundrawolf]

I think the better question is, why are you using a transitional, vulnerable time when U. S. leadership has arguably never been worse, to criticize those entering the U. S. Military?

Some only join for the benefits of joining, but end up getting squeamish during combat, but the truth is we have a national patriotism that just isn't present in too many other countries.

It is a high, proud honor to go off and serve what was once a noble, and good cause, to kill our enemies and the enemies of peace.

Due to our current leadership, that is mostly changing, we are releasing terrorists from Gitmo, allowing terrorists to come across our border, and generally putting ROE's in place that drastically put our military men and women in danger.

We are also beginning to try and prosecute members of the military for doing their jobs.

So my question is, why are you kicking us while we're down?

[KHaskins]

A lot of us still believe in what our country is supposed to stand for, even if the politicians we elect (or rather, are allowed to choose from) often fail to live up to those ideals. Many who join the military do so because they believe in those ideals, too; they believe they're protecting us - not all, of course, but enough to be generally seen as such. A lot of us have friends or family in the military, and whatever we may think of the fights they're sent into, we aren't going to wish ill upon them for being the ones who get sent to fight it.

I'm glad I wasn't around to see the days when unwashed drug-addled swine spat on returning Vietnam vets, calling them "baby-killer" and all kinds of vile crap.

[Anonymous]

I really don't think the military fights or defends out freedom, which has come from people twisting the military's goals at defending 'American interests'. I take American interests as taking down regimes we don't like and setting up unstable democracies so we can infiltrate economically. I am a history student and a lot of time the ROTC kids are in my classes and there is always a butting of heads between them and us, like they can't believe people would have thought to criticize America or our military/war efforts. Don't we have the freedom to do that, which you supposedly fight to defend?

Now I don't treat them as murderers or stupid, I always show respect for them, untilt hey think they are better then me and assume benefits and such.

[mistninja314]

LMAO what COPS are to BLACK PEOPLE.

Is what the AMERICA'S military is to the WORLD

There are a lot of things I could say, but I don't feel the need to and I agree with you, for the most part

[mistninja314]

Is what AMERICA'S millitary *

[blackflash400]

MIST YOU THE REAL MVP LOL

[Awesome93]

That comparison though! LOL why didn't I think of it.. 😂🙌🏻

[BertMacklinFBI]

I don't put military personnel on a pedestal but I don't look down on them either. its just another job to me. why do I say that? because I know tons of people who joined just because they had no where else to go, not because they wanted to serve or had a passion.

[albundyfan]

Let me just say first that supporting troops doesn't mean you suport the war by any means. I served because I wanted to get out of college debt free. Now I am accomplishing that task. Some serve because of circumstance and others because of patriotism. Many people respect that because they are risking their own demise. No matter how you look at it, service members are sacrificing 4+ years of their life. You dont get that time back. I think if people respect nothing else about it they should at least respect that. I also dont think they should be glorifying war though. All of my friends who served in combat tell me there is nothing awesome about it. Most other vets I meet are very humble though.

[springocelot]

Many people serve because they love the country. Some also join because of the government benefits. But they all know they join with the risk of actually fighting in war and dying. I respect them for at least taking that risk, as they don't have much say where they'll go.

[meatballs21]

You need to separate the two things.

Some fat old man decides to attack someone other fat old man. That’s the politics that you disagree with, and you’re right. Are these conflicts justified? I'm not sure.

Young men and women go and endure terrible things fighting in the name of those politicians. That’s what I respect about those who serve – they go and do what they are told needs to be done, whether or not they agree.

[Asker]

You respect that these young men and women fight for politicians? They do what they are told and don't give it any thought is not something I find to be respectable.

[meatballs21]

They joined up to serve their country. They might get maimed or killed fighting for their country. Yes, I respect the willingness to do that, regardless of their own personal politics.

[Asker]

My point is though that with these wars being questionable whether they are worth fighting these young men and women are choosing to fight in them anyway. I do not see why that is something to admire. Now back during a war like WWII where Americans were fighting the Nazis now that was an enemy that was unquestionably worth fighting. But these wars against enemies in the middle east do not have that same kind of unquestionable need to be fought by the United States. They need to be fought by the people that live in those countries but U. S being a foreign combatant is only making these situations worse. The U. S also appears to have a history of training and arming its future enemies, (Taliban against the Soviets is one example of this)

[meatballs21]

You're free to disagree with me and everyone else who supports the people in the military. You haven't made any points I haven't seen debated at far greater length in far greater detail by far more knowledgable people than you and I. This is not a site for this sort of debate if you want the sort of involved answers I think you're after.

[Asker]

I am very knowledgeable on other peoples views on this topic which is why I ask. I am merely asking questions and imputing my own reasons why I think the way I do. I would think that if you really have such a different view since you have put more thought into it with people more knowledgeable than you or I I would have hoped you would share that view.

Are their sites you are aware of that does embrace with kind of debate?

[Asker]

oopps * not very knowledgeable

[meatballs21]

Reddit and https://debatewise.org/ are places to start, as are media outlets that you respect.

Your audience here is mostly young people worried about whether their crush likes them or if their buttocks are the right shape, not the far reaching implications of US foreign policy or the morality of fighting for your country in conflicts you don't agree with.

(plus, I come here specifically to get away from serious debates like this)

[Awesome93]

You respect someone who volunteers to be used as a pawn? Someone who blindly follows orders, w/o questioning those orders, like some sheep? Ok.

[Your_boss960]

My friends couzin went into the marines (she's american)
And they didn't let him sleep for 3 days and now his whole mental state is messed up.

But I think that Americans are obsessed with the military because they think that soliders protect them? Which they do.

[Lena19]

My uncle was a marine as well. Yeah those three days is an endless hike basically during bmt. It's meant to prepare them for battle especially if they have to constantly move without any sleep. The marines are basically the navy on steroids.

[Krillanr]

They are willing to go over there and get shot at, blown up, burnt and disabled, for us, because they believe it's the right thing to do.

Governments will have agenda's, corruption will exist, but so long as someone is willing to pick up the nearest weapon and walk toward danger, for me, that alone deserves all the support that can be given.

Don't question the soldiers for shooting back, question the people who determine who the enemies are.

[Dakota_The_Rota]

It's just like the Vietnam War, no one supports the war. But, we have learned from Vietnam, we aren't going to make the troops feel like shit because they are just doing their job, like we did during Vietnam. So, we support the troops not the war they are in.

[Klaatu51]

people don't understand that military destroys individual's personality... they should know that i believe :-)

[Anonymous]

They fight for our freedom and rights, they literally put their lives on the line so that we can walk around America anywhere freely and feel safe.

[kangy]

I dont like military people

[Anonymous]

I was just like you and then I joined the military