Thank you for defending me Maypoint. I did not have time to get to the boards today on my lunch break to answer this post.
The only part I did not understand about any of your post was mainly the huge words you were throwing out. Heck I even had to look some of them up to be sure of what they meant. Some of them seemed (to me) to be used in the wrong context with what you were trying to say.
What I'm asking this fine group of professionals to do is to examine the organzation that they are in and grasp the fundamental nature of what we do.
The "fundamental nature" of what
I do is serve my country and countrymen against any and all peoples that would wish to harm them or change their way of life. Maybe you do not see it that way. That is why we all have an individual brain and indivual morals and values. We look at things from different viewpoints and take our cues from there.
America as well as other countries have had, and still have, men and women die to protect the values they feel are right for themselves and their countrymen. I may not agree with the conflicts, but I can not dispute the fact that the person believed in it enough to give their life.
Douglas MacArthur said it best when he said: "The soldier above all prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."
The military cult of death likes to surround itself with concepts about how the members of its army of morbid, unsophisticated marauders are ideologically diverse.
Sorry to burst your bubble. I have been exposed to more differing views and culture in the 3+ years I have been in the Marine Corps than in the 27 years preceding it. I am sure the same can be said of most, if not all, members in the American military. In my platoon alone we have people from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Texas, Georgia, some folks from the New England states as well as the Midwest. I have also served with a gentleman from Africa, a lady from Brazil, and a gentleman from Nicaragua. Mexican, Italian, Armenian, Egyptian etc. I have seen all of these people from different countries and nationalities and cultures, serve in the military. So when you state the above I have to say you don't really know what you are talking about. Everyone, civilian and military alike have their own opinions and views.
You have parroted back the standard text given to any military recruit. I'm not saying it's false. I'm asking you to examine it from a new angle. I'm attempting to prompt a discussion that forces us all to weigh the different values that drive us to do what we do.
I believe we all have thought long and hard about how we would feel about what we do. Everyone has been exposed to differing views by their peers, family members, media and society in general. Those that did not want to serve found ways to get out of serving their full enlistment, if they enlisted at all. Those that did not feel right about serving in the military, no longer serve, but are still proud to have served. Those that feel right with themselves and whatever powers that be, are probably still in the service or retired after many faithful years of serving.
Now maybe some of this is a bit exaggerated, but I think it's important to point out the extreme position in order to demonstrate that moderation is not really the most "moral" approach.
Exactly what viewpoint are you speaking of here? I read the text above it but could find nothing that states anything supporting moderation or extremes. Are you advocating pacifism, violence, or moderation?
Perhaps you are spending too much time complimenting yourself on being a "rough man" and not enough examining what it means in a society that values human life. Do you not grasp the inherent contradiction? To ignore it is to do a disservice to the society you claim to serve.
What contradiction is there? I value human life highly. But I value the life of my family and countrymen more so than the life of the person or persons that may try to harm them or their way of life. It is a matter of priorities to put it plainly.
Don't you do a disservice to your country if it sends you off to do a job and you let someone prevent you from doing that job for no other reason than that they consider you an abomination to God? All the money spent training you, paying you, feeding you etc. gone in the twitch of a finger on a trigger. Huge service to the opposing team I would say, huge disservice to the home team.
If you wish to promote pacifism please do so and quit with the rhetoric and comments directed at the military in general. I am not sure how far off the mark I am, but that seems to be what you are doing.