Question for veterans

[Onlooker]

What kinds of things, if anything, does the military do keep soldiers believing in the rightness of the war and the holiness of Bush? How do they prevent soldiers from truly hearing the anti-war arguments?

[war-hater-joe]

1. one Marines road

I was a marine in vietnam. I was from the rural part of Texas, which has some bearing on what you believe about your country to begin with. I believed that at the time that the USA could do no wrong, I never questioned the war or had the right information to begin with. Marine Corp boot camp totally brain washes you , after that you never question what you are doing, you think the other people that you are killing are your enemy,and are subhuman. It's only been in the last 10 years that I have dealt with what USA done in Vietnam and I still know alot of vietnam veterans that still think we were fighting for a noble cause. I think it's the only way they can deal with their lost of part of their humanity.

[FloridaPat]

3. Thanks for sharing.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Thank you, and welcome to DU.

[Catch22Dem]

2. You gotta remember

Stateside soldiers have access to the same news, websites, tv shows, etc... that we all do. The stateside soldiers eventually deploy overseas, but it's not as though they've been sheltered from anything. You give the military too much credit for being able to control our minds. They do nothing to keep us from hearing anti-war arguments.

USAF 1992-2000

[Onlooker]

4. Then why do many soldiers think and talk alike?

Then why is it that most soldiers seem to have a very similar set of views? Most of the commentary one reads by active soldiers is prowar. Is that just the nature of being in the military? Is it because of loyalty to their unit? Is it because they learned before joining the military that obedience = patriotism? Is it because of the feeling that to oppose the war is to imply that those who died died without meaning? Is it because of fear of their superiors?

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I think an all-voluntary military is going to be skewed toward

people who join up because they want to serve their country and generally feel their nation is the good guy.

[rasputin1952]

7. The military mind is a bit different from what people on the outside

think it is all about.

No one is fighting for democracy, the 'girl next door', apple pie or Mom. That is all hype from the Hollywood types that made people swoon during WWII. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines fight for each other. They fight so that they can come home in the same physical condition that they went into the fight in. The American servicemember has a long history of fighting for what was "right", and a somewhat more dubious legacy in fighting for empirical design.

In any case however, the American servicemember has learned that they fight to maintain those around them, and those around them will likewise fight for them.

When I first went in, I had the usual prejudices about many things. I learned that we were all 'Green", and that we all bled the same color blood and felt the same fears. What kept us together was the camaraderie of the common soldier. We knew that generals would never lead us into battle, and we knew a of lieutenants that would lead us were inept at best. You learn to deal with these people and ensure your survival while keeping in line with the orders given. Most good 'newbies' learn from those who have been around awhile. This is how you survive. Eventually, you become the 'old man' and teach others what you've learned. The object is for everyone to come home....while this is not always possible, you fight like hell to make sure the odds are in your favor.

bush does NOT have the attention of those that are walking the streets of Baghdad. These men and women are NOT fighting for bush or democracy, they are trying to stay alive and in one piece, so they can come home. They are doing what their CiC have told them to do, and with that, although I am against this war, I give them credit for. They swore an oath, and they are standing by it; this is a good thing. 90 of them are wondering what the hell they are doing over there, but they will see the mission to its conclusion.

Look at how the Federal and Confederate lines fired at each other, and the bloodbath that ensued. Few ran from the fire, they stood there and took it....because if they ran, odds were, they ALL would die. It is a mindset, you are willing to accept sacrifice for your fellow man, something this administration would have known if any of them had taken the time to enlist so long ago.