'American Sniper' author slain in Erath County; suspect arrested

[davidthegnome]

72. That's one way to look at it

I remember several years ago, when I was a boy of 17, I made the comment to my best friend that, "Soldiers are killers who get paid for it." I look back on that today and think of it as ridiculously ignorant. His Father had served in Vietnam, both of my Grandfathers had served during World War II. My Father's Father saw combat against the Japanese in Okajima (SP?) and from all accounts it was a brutal hell on earth.

I think one question to ask ourselves, is why people sign up for military service in the first place. There is no longer a draft, so for the most part those serving are doing so because they wanted to. Do you think they sign up to get a taste of combat? For the rush of adrenaline and the thrill of battle? Perhaps, it could be wondered, are they there for the sadistic purpose of killing their fellow human beings in such a situation that it is rewarded rather than punished?

There are many thoughts, for and against. Primarily, it is my belief that our armed service members generally serve out of what they feel is a deep obligation to their Country and their families. It's not that the idea of combat thrills them, that they WANT to run around getting shot at... more, it is that they don't want others to have to. They don't want to face a future in which we might become a deeply oppressed Nation under the rule of tyrants. They want their children to be able say they grew up in a land of opportunity, of freedom and safety.

Is it immoral to defend one's own life? Is it murder to shoot an enemy combatant, who, if circumstances were reversed, would gladly pull the trigger on you? I guess we could go around in circles with that question for quite some time. The fact of the matter is that humanity in general is no where near evolved enough (socially) to do away with war. Until that becomes the case (which I believe it inevitably will, at some point in the future) it is both necessary and right to be prepared to protect what we have. Even if, at times, it requires acts of violence and war.

If a sniper had killed Hitler during the height of World War II, people all over the world would today praise him and call him a hero.

I'm not inclined to (nor am I knowledgeable enough to) judge the moral character of the man killed here. What I will say though, is that if not for him, it might have been you or I doing the sniping.

I have a deep respect and gratitude for those that risk their lives and their futures so that I (and many others) may not have to. For them to kill in service of their Country may be murder to you, but to me, in the vast majority of cases (though not all) it is a demonstration of how much they will sacrifice for their Nation. Their innocence, their minds, their futures with family and friends, their homes.