Psychology of a Soldier.. Why We Fight and Die..

Is it for prestige? Money?

Let me tell you a secret.. It starts that way... Political reasons, economic reasons, family reasons.. But they are BS...

We soon learn.. We are not stupid or ignorant.. Most infantrymen could do your jobs any day.. We have more responsabilities than you EVER will... Not just equiptment but very lives..

Thats right lives.. Try being an infantry commander for a while! You can go to work by bus or train but I have to think about the ground, concealment, IED's, I have to make maximum use of the ground whilst on the move without using obvious crossing points and getting my people killed.. Yes killed.. Not beaten up.. But being covered in their bones and blood as I pick them out of my uniform and shovel my friend who I have trained, drunk and fought with into a very small bag to ship home..

Politics and idealism may send us into a war, but its vengence that keeps us there..

It all too quickly stops being about country and all that stuff... It becomes about brotherhood... You see, civillians have an idea of what brotherhood is but you only see the truth in war..
I KNOW that each and everyone in my platoon would have my back and defend it with their lives.. You dont get that in civvy street... I havent... I would trust my army buds above my family anyday...

Jesus said that there is no greater love than he who would give his LIFE for his friends..

I have that without question

And although idealism gets obsfucated in war let me tell you that we still love our country.. We know that the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few hence why when it comes down to it.. Those that oppress our country will die....

When we leave the army we never truly leave.. There is always a part of us patroling the wastelands and wars we have fought.. Nor have we forgot about our training and experience.. And we are not blind and stupid to our governments...

They should think about THAT!!!

reply to post by Yissachar1


Just to add, HERE is a poem from Rudyard Kipling for any soldier who ever lived... "Tommy" is English slang for British soldier, but in my experience pertains to us all

Well said.. And all very true.. Esp. Kipling.. Made the mistake of believing the lies when was young and stupid.. 40+ years later still live with the nightmares.. Those who havent been cant fully understand ...

reply to post by Expat888


I know..

Famlies and friends dont have a clue..

Sacrifice to them just means missing out on a few things..


Try being in a unreal life or death situation, covered in your mates blood, then having to get over that in a heartbeat, then having to kill full of rage for your mate against an enemy who is in the same boat...

War makes no sense.. Afterwards...


Yet you will NEVER begrudge your mate your life

Shameless bump
Oh well

reply to post by Yissachar1


Psychology of a Soldier.. Why YOU fight and die...
Because you are brainwashed

I am not saying ALL military personel are brainwashed. Please note the difference,
You can be in the military and defend your country should you ever be invaded - that does not make you brainwashed.
What makes you brainwashed is when you talk about 'why we fight and die' when your country is not being invaded your country is the agressor (assuming American - correct me if wrong), and you are the one not denying ignorance and throwing your life away for an enemy you can not even locate because it is anyone from any where your country decides to eliminate - no evidence is needed, no investigation is carried out, you just follow your orders.
I understand and respect the bond you speak of between the soldiers, I understand they are your brothers and you would sacrifice your life to save theirs but there is no point following your brothers to their death if they bring it upon themself by blindly following orders coming from fat cats that have alterior motives.
Before you reply just remember:
You CHOOSE to join the military, you have not been forced in any way.
You have the right to question orders you do not believe are legal.
Your country has not declared war - so why are you being sent to other countries to fight?

You are a tool, a robot, a killing machine that will die because you are told to do so - this does not make you patriotic, it makes you ignorant or at best trapped by your masters because you are willing to die for your fellow soldiers despite the reason.

This post is not a personal attack but an attack on all the military mentality of thinking your deaths are justifyable.




Edit to add: I mean justifyable in these wars

reply to post by byteshertz


Do you think that patriotism is it?

Its a start

But without that external crap, the simplicity that your enjoy day by day is discarded to just LIVE..

At HQ we just wait for news of our sister doing ok at school.. And after a breief look over of that letter i am summoned to an "o" group where i find out that those who seek my bro's lives are living and that they want their wee girls to have no education...

Keep defending them

But you better realise that we come home.. Are not dumb as you think..

reply to post by byteshertz


To be honest, all the evidence we need is our brothers and sisters without limbs.. Thats what happens when wd dont do our jobs..

Its not like going to work in an office,
People die

Yes DIE..

Their individuality will NEVER be seen again.. The enemies either.. And all they did wrong was to be born...


Freedom is not free

reply to post by byteshertz


To be honest, all the evidence we need is our brothers and sisters without limbs.. Thats what happens when wd dont do our jobs..

Its not like going to work in an office,
People die

Yes DIE..

Their individuality will NEVER be seen again.. The enemies either.. And all they did wrong was to be born...


Freedom is not free

It is about service. Firstly, you may join to be of service to your nation. You join to learn a trade, a job of work, a regular wage, or whatever. However, once you see active service, it really is about service. You serve your fellows, you watch their backs as they watch yours. You wipe the blood from their face, comfort them when thier limbs are hanging by a thread or their guts are laying beside them. You are the only family they have when they are crying for their mother after taking a hit.

You talk about brainwashing and murderous pigs? Trying chewing some of our dirt for a while and see what you have to say.

God bless those that have and are still looking out for each other. Your service is NOT in vein.
I will never forget those that went before me, with me, after me and those that will never return.

You leave your home and defend people you don't know so they can have a chance at education and a better life, I don't believe that is dumb. I could tell you a lot of dumb things we civvies do to eachother on a daily basis in the society you are trying to protect with your life. Thanks for making a difference in this world.

Thanks for trying, but remember, Nazis were patriotic too. They also had a "noble" mission. American soldiers are not brainwashed, just mislead.

Originally posted by Yissachar1
Most infantrymen could do your jobs any day.. We have more responsabilities than you EVER will... Not just equiptment but very lives..

How can you expect replies when you write this stuff? You won't get much intelligence in this thread because you're insulting it and you know it.

Can your infantrymen remove a brain tumour without causing thousands upon thousands of neurological disorders? Or at least clean up a common endometriosis without laparoscopy? I don't think so but they are likely to share one attribute with neurosurgeons, they have a god complex. But there's probably more...
Both have a team of men armed to the teeth who will decide who lives and who dies.
They both think everything can be solved with their tools, be it nail in the spine or a bullet in the head. And they've both seen lots and lots of crap. Actually, I don't think a soldier gets to see more gore, blood, death and despair than your an gynaecologist .

Have you ever been in a mental aslym? Some war veterans end up there, they don't get much visits and you get to see how "easy going" civilian life is too. Then the many homeless men who sure get a lot of help from their "brotherhoods", I hear US has a major problem with that, something like 20% of all homeless. Maybe in US the permanently handicapped ones get some help but not in most of the world, they're uber lucky if they don't become tolerant to morphine and commit suicide. Some see the remedy in alcohol, and lots of it but only the lucky ones have company in there drinks.

Yes, life of "civvies" is fake, masked with pretty colors and smiling faces hiding the underlying emptyness that consumes their souls making them apathetic, hateful, uncaring, arrogant.... evil, murderous even once they find out not all is in money and power. But those people lead your men into battles, the very selected finest elite with hihest possible level of this inner emptyness - and they enjoy it. They enjoy playing with their very own little army men.... These pathetic, ignorant, spoiled university brats play with people as if they're puppets to the point where these puppets reject to realize the total and absolute pointlessness of it all giving their mission some grandeur meaning.

But this is all just empty talks.... my own mission is to separate myself as much as possible from the state, country, city, government and whatever comes with it and be able to help others do when needed. The times we are in promise wars and destruction and I don't plan on sitting on my ass in a busy city waiting for the next bombing raid, civilian roundups and mobilisations.

But anyways that other thread where all of us are going to die is much better .