Supporting the troops…or not?

Monday, September 29th, 2008

I’m not sure if…

  1. Anyone will read this
  2. Anyone will be horribly offended by this who does read it

I need to ask a question though.

Peer pressure and guilt trips

Whilst it’s not only American soldiers who are fighting in other countries at the moment, as a Brit it seems the issue of ‘supporting the troops’ is a very American one.

I got an email today from a British friend which was basically a genuinely important and serious message wrapped up in a guilt trip.  There is one thing that is really annoying me though, and it is this that has caused me to write.

Assumptions need to be questioned

There appears to be an assumption, and an incorrect one at that, that not supporting a war, means not supporting the people fighting that war.

It seems that supporting the war has been muddled up with ‘supporting the troops’; the people on the front lines and their families.  The more sceptical part of me thinks that this may not be an accident

Is the difference not obvious?

Why is it not possible to give your full support to people who are prepared to risk their safety in order to protect others, whilst at the same time criticising the decisions that led to them being put in that position in the first place?

Am I missing something?

Want to see more? Visit some of the most popular posts:

«
»

4 comments

Sparky Firepants:
 1 

Nope, you’re not missing anything.

I was in the U.S. Air Force during “Desert Storm.” I signed up way before it happened, but in the middle of basic training… there I was.

I didn’t agree with that operation and neither did some of my “co-workers.” However, we knew that we had signed up to serve our country and knew that that meant “whatever that might mean.”

So we had options. I could have gone to my commander and begged out of the service. I would have had a dishonorable discharge. I could have survived that, but I could never have lived with myself for going back on my word. I knew what I was doing when I signed up.

In contrast, our unit also rescued people and housed refugees from the Bosnian conflict. Wow, that was rewarding and fulfilling.

When you join the military, you know you’re agreeing to serve your country, but you never know how they’ll decide to use you. You have to take the bad with the good.

All that said, there absolutely must be a separation between supporting the troops and opposing the war.

I’m a veteran. I support the troops. I’m proud of my service. I oppose the war. If that’s crazy, then so am I.

September 29th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
James:
 2 

Hi Sparky. Much respect to you. Being there to help people in such dire circumstances is an amazing thing.

So, am I wrong about the two being mixed up? Are people very clear about the difference in the US?

September 29th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome:
 3 

Most Canadians that I know support the individuals while denouncing the Afghanistan mission (we’re not in Iraq officially). The policies of the government and the day to day actions of the people who implement them on the ground are two different things.

I agree with you, however, that my impression about the US is that the two are tied into one concept.

October 1st, 2008 at 4:27 am
James:
 4 

Hey Alex. Thanks for another non-UK viewpoint.

It does worry me that the two ideas might actually be blurred in a lot of the US.

October 1st, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Leave a reply

Name (*)
Mail (will not be published) (*)
URI
Comment