True. Decent people fought in Vietnam because of the draft. Decent people have joined the US military for economic reasons. Decent people fought in Iraq because by the time they noticed it was wrong, it was too late to leave. And decent people find in all kinds of wars because they never noticed it was wrong, or because they genuinely think what they are doing is right. Sometimes that is true. Sometimes it is not.
I’m not saying they’re bad people. I’m just saying they shouldn’t be thanked for either having no choice or choosing wrongly (in hindsight). They’re not heroes.
So, instead of thanking them or praising them as heroes, recognize them as victims. Support them and apologize to them for letting them fight in a pointless war.
No, it didn’t. Maybe it did prevent America from actively intervening on Iraq’s side in the Iraq-Iran war in the 80s. Or maybe America wouldn’t have done that anyway.
But the experience of World War II did prevent World War III. At least the one where Germany nuked Paris. There was a major shift in German and Austrian society after the war, and to a large extent, even countries that were on the winning side went along with it. Or maybe France only followed suit during the Algerian War. I don’t know.
Whereas in America, the ideal of the soldier bravely sacrificing for his country, no matter whether the war is right or wrong, is still very much alive. The Vietnam war just weakened the militarism of American culture temporarily.
So…
To do everything possible to weaken the culture of militarism. To discourage the next generation from proudly doing their duty when reluctantly doing it would be preferable, and heroically refusing it would be best. To make it easier for the general public to oppose a war without needing to worry about supporting the troops at the same time.
In short, to save lives.
