US Troops are "Warriors" now?

[DeBunkem]

Yes this is religion, too, IMO. I'm puzzled by the effort of the Pentagon to implant the idea of US troops as "warriors." I find it repulsive. What other advanced nation is doing this? Is "soldier" too tame? "Warrior" connotates bloodthirsty barbarian hordes such as Goths, Huns, and Mongols. "Soldier" connotates the armies os civilized nations with advanced laws, such as Rome, England, and the (former) USA. With reports on how much the US military is becoming infiltrated with militant Fundamentalists, (i.e., the USAF cadet scandals)i would suggest a sinister long-term strategy.
Which sounds better next to "Holy"? Holy Soldiers or Holy Warriors? I'm just sayin'. Holy Moly I hope I'm wrong but it would also fit the direction that AIPAC is pushing us. Obama said their control over our policy is "sacrosanct."

Here's a picture of Pastor John Hagee (Google 'im) forya:

[JoeyKnothead]

From the OP:

Yes this is religion, too, IMO. I'm puzzled by the effort of the Pentagon to implant the idea of US troops as "warriors." I find it repulsive.

Given recent reports of proselytizing in the Pentagon and other military branches, I don't think you're off the mark. I would be worried if a known evangelical military leader were to use the term, but I do consider "warrior" an apt label, regardless of its appeal.

What other advanced nation is doing this?

Never was much for this type of argumentum ad populum, regardless of real or perceived validity.

Is "soldier" too tame?

In some contexts, yes. Within our own forces, some soldiers soldier, some soldiers engage in war.

"Warrior" connotates bloodthirsty barbarian hordes such as Goths, Huns, and Mongols.

To me it connotates one who risks his own life so I may better enjoy my own. When contrasted with your next statement, I'd agree you have a point, though how important the distinction I'd say is up for debate.

"Soldier" connotates the armies of civilized nations with advanced laws, such as Rome, England, and the (former) USA.

I can dig it.

With reports on how much the US military is becoming infiltrated with militant Fundamentalists, (i.e., the USAF cadet scandals)i would suggest a sinister long-term strategy.

Plenty fair, but notice there are recent rulings to help strip away the veneer. Vigilance is due though, yes.

Which sounds better next to "Holy"? Holy Soldiers or Holy Warriors? I'm just sayin'. Holy Moly I hope I'm wrong but it would also fit the direction that AIPAC is pushing us. Obama said their control over our policy is "sacrosanct."

I never was one for using religious terminology to reference our secular institutions. I admit to some bit of paranoia when folks equate the two.

Here's a picture of Pastor John Hagee (Google 'im) forya:

No, that's a picture of a nut. Please update the link

I've heard some of Hagee's preaching, and I'd agree it is a volatile, dangerous way of thinking. I consider him the Jim Jones of the current generation. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Hagee ended up killing himself or others.

We have much evidence that as folks age their opinions become a bit more cynical and even delusional. I fear the same will occur with Hagee and his followers, and I fear the results. I think you've performed a service by pointing this guy out for the extremist he is.

[FinalEnigma]

It's certainly not a enw thing to call US soldiers warriors.

At least, it was that way when I was in the army. the soldier's creed was first used in 2003 though:

I am an American soldier.
I am a warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the united states and live the army values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

[anotheratheisthere]

You know why I didn't join the military?

Because I think it's my PATRIOTIC DUTY not to.

The US Military has caused more civilian deaths than any entity since World War 2. If you include the sale of handguns to 3rd world countries, then the number of casualties actually exceeds WWII.

The less people join the military, the less strong it is, the less it can afford to start random wars like Iraq, the less people die, the less money we waste, the less we go into debt, the less likely that China will kick our ass and become the next superpower.

A country's military should be strong enough to defend itself from an EXTERNAL attack and no more. If a military is strong enough to go into other countries and kill innocent civilians, then it's too strong, and it's our patriotic duty to not make it even stronger by joining it.

Furthermore, I am not a Christian but I agree with Jesus's teachings about loving thy enemy, and about all humanity being brothers, and about the Golden Rule.

To me it seems strictly immoral for somebody to dedicate his life to the art and science of killing people.

People are so easily led into the abandonment of their rationality and into a stupefied ardor from which killing people that don't look like you seems justified.

That's why I dislike religion. If peoples' common sense is already weakened by the notion that people can walk on water and get pregnant without sex, it's that much easier to convince them to fly half way round the world and kill people who were just minding their own business.

[DeBunkem]

Too many have forgotten that this nation was founded on the Enlightenment, a time of rejecting Holy Wars and savagery:

"If there be one principle more deeply written than
any other in the mind of every American, it is that we
should have nothing to do with conquest." Thomas
Jefferson, In a letter to William Short, written in
1791

"Force is the vital principle and immediate parent of
despotism." : Thomas Jefferson

[JoeyKnothead]

Too many have forgotten that this nation was founded on the Enlightenment, a time of rejecting Holy Wars and savagery:

"If there be one principle more deeply written than
any other in the mind of every American, it is that we
should have nothing to do with conquest." Thomas
Jefferson, In a letter to William Short, written in
1791

"Force is the vital principle and immediate parent of
despotism." : Thomas Jefferson

Too many have forgotten that the Army is there to protect us from folks who seek to destroy our way of life.

[anotheratheisthere]

Too many have forgotten that this nation was founded on the Enlightenment, a time of rejecting Holy Wars and savagery:

"If there be one principle more deeply written than
any other in the mind of every American, it is that we
should have nothing to do with conquest." Thomas
Jefferson, In a letter to William Short, written in
1791

"Force is the vital principle and immediate parent of
despotism." : Thomas Jefferson

Yup, they rejected holy wars. They just liked good old regular genocide of native Americans. That was alright with them.

And slavery.

As George Carlin said "This country was founded by slave owners who wanted to be free".

[anotheratheisthere]

Too many have forgotten that the Army is there to protect us from folks who seek to destroy our way of life.

Yeah, I don't buy that at all.

"Those folks" don't want to destroy our way of life. They just want us to stop trying to destroy their way of life.

Do you realize we killed half a million civilians in Iraq because of WMDs they didn't have? Are you just going to scrape that under the rug?

Do you realize we sold Saddam the chemical weapons he used to kill those 4000 kurds? Are you just going to scrape that under the rug?

Do you realize that we gave Bin Laden the CIA training that allowed him to pull 9-11 off? Are you just going to scrape that under the rug?

Do you realize that we fabricated the Gulf of Tonkin incident that triggered the Vietnam war and killed 1.8 million people? Are you just going to scrape that under the rug?

No entity in the history of the human race has caused more death and misery than the US Military, except maybe the 3rd Reich.


Also, another thing to think about:

Every year 11,000 Americans are shot to death by fellow Americans. That's 88,000 Americans dead since 9-11.

Every year 46,000 Americans die because they can't afford life saving healthcare. That's 368,000 since 9-11.

Our "way of life" seems to involve the killing of innocent Americans in large numbers. By attacking us on 9-11, they didn't try to destroy our way of life. They just joined in our game. Heck, we gave them the training, we gave them the money, we gave them the opportunity by electing a moron who spent his first year in office on vacation.

Face it man, we're out there wasting billions killing brown people that didn't do anything to us. In the meantime terrorists happily move on to the next third would country to plan their next attack, while we're still busy bombing the one they were in 8 years ago (Afghanistan) or the one in which they never were in the first place (Iraq). In the meantime almost every developed nation is beating us in education, in scientific research, in green energy, etc. For the first time, the European Union reported a higher GDP than us. China has a larger internet use than us. 18 countries have more money per capita than us. 38 have better healthcare. 42 have higher life expectancy. And on and on.

The Army is not there to protect our way of life. If it were, then they would have been here rebuilding New Orleans instead of being there protecting Halliburton as it rebuilt Iraq at taxpayer expense.

The Army, and the Military Industrial Complex is in the hands of very rich folks who don't give a damn about "our way of life" they care about THEIR way of life, which involves moving to their Chateaus in the south of France if America goes down the drain.

And in the meantime they pump you full of propaganda while squeezing the economy. So that when you are forced for economic reasons to join the Army and go kill people who didn't do anything to you, you'll be "proud of it".

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 7:

As George Carlin said "This country was founded by slave owners who wanted to be free".

Carlin, ever the genius.

From Post 8:

Too many have forgotten that the Army is there to protect us from folks who seek to destroy our way of life.

Yeah, I don't buy that at all.

It's high among the reasons I, and many others serve/d. I don't doubt the politicians have their own aims, but I can tell you, based on my experience and conversations, the majority of soldiers will tell you they seek to protect, rather than to engage in wars.

I won't address the rest of your points, but seek to remind the observer that the politicians don't necessarily share or accurately reflect the soldiers' (the ones who actually do the fighting and sacrificing) reasons for why the Army is necessary.

[anotheratheisthere]

Too many have forgotten that the Army is there to protect us from folks who seek to destroy our way of life.

It's high among the reasons I, and many others serve/d. I don't doubt the politicians have their own aims, but I can tell you, based on my experience and conversations, the majority of soldiers will tell you they seek to protect, rather than to engage in wars.

I won't address the rest of your points, but seek to remind the observer that the politicians don't necessarily share or accurately reflect the soldiers' (the ones who actually do the fighting and sacrificing) reasons for why the Army is necessary.

Look, my whole point is that it's the politician, sitting in his comfortable leather chair, that decides who we go and kill, not the soldier.

I don't doubt the good intentions of the soldiers, or at least the majority of the soldiers, but the soldier's good intentions are quite irrelevant, since they are trained to follow orders - orders from corrupt politicians in the pocket of greedy corporations.

If the US government wanted to send out armies of Americans to protect people, the boot camp training wouldn't involve how to kill with your bare hands, and how to shoot a gun. The training would involve how to save a child dying of cholera, how to build brick houses in third world countries, how to dig wells, methods on how to teach children how to read. etc.

Let me put it this way. Next time you're looking down the sights of your M-16, right before you pull the trigger, realize that the brown-skinned person on who's land you're standing and who you're about to kill, well, he doesn't feel very protected by you. In fact, he's probably quite pissed off about the couple of million brown people your army has killed over the last few decades.

Chances are that by pulling the trigger, you're going to make some 14 year old an orphan. That orphan is going to be somewhat pissed off, and might become more receptive to extremist propaganda, and next thing you know he's blowing up a US embassy.

Here's a novel idea: Why don't we try to make it harder for Al Quaeda to recruit kids, instead of killing the kids after they've been recruited?