Not Saints, Just Soldiers

Soldiers are just that — soldiers. They are spokes on a wheel. Many, many soldiers, save those at the very top of the pyramid, are pawns. They are button men for our civilian leadership. Is this an honorable profession? Certainly. But it is also, in the end, just that — a profession. Soldiers should be proud of their service, maybe prouder than men of any other profession, but let’s not get out of control with it.

These are not saints, they are soldiers. They are men of honor for the most part but their actions are very much at the mercy of those of their superiors. We cannot continue to lie to ourselves that the military is a some semi-religious institution that can never get too much money or do no wrong.

The military is our war machine and soldiers are the cogs in that machine. The stuff we say and repeat to ourselves about the military, it is the kind of stuff you tell schoolchildren, not words you repeat to fellow adults.

There are no more good soldiers than good people in this country and there are no less bad people in a position of dominion over these soldiers than in the civilian population.

Spouting the platitudes can be useful enough to build morale and boost recruiting but at some level we must the honest with ourselves at recognize what the military is and what it isn’t — myths and fairy tales aside.

[via VolunteerVoters.com, HT: THE HOMELESS GUY]