Reply #14: to defend what I think pduck is saying...

[Justitia]

...and please forgive me if I misunderstand...

I don't think pduck is making any reference to the soldiers themselves, as they obviously are doing their jobs, have no choice and are dying as pawns in a game they cannot control.

In fact, pduck only mentions those soldiers that have, unfortunately, died.

I think pduck is expressing anguish over their PARENTS buying into the propaganda that their deaths are somehow justified as "duty in svc of their country". This is a REALLY hard concept to translate into words, but I think I know exactly where you are coming from. I always find these proud parents somewhat disturbing.

On one hand, I fully understand their psychological NEED to think their children's lives weren't ended in vain. On the other hand, we wonder how they can accept the means of their death when so blatantly wrapped up in a lie. And, on yet another hand, somewhere in the back of our minds, we know that there is a special sympathy for these parents and we wonder if the Powers That Be would finally be held accountable if they all spoke out in protest.

It is very, very difficult to wrap your mind around this phenomena, and I feel so unnerved when I see these parents too. I wonder so much about their family history, how their parenting affected their child's choice to enter the military, how much is their psychological need to embrace this idea versus blind sacrifice for a manufactured ideal of patriotism.

I feel even worse for those parents who flatly recognize that their child was indeed faceless and disposable to this administration. Their ability to go on without succumbing to gut-rotting hatred of the gov't is amazing.

Very, very difficult issue on all sides.