I always hear people say things like, "I support the troops, but not the war."
This way, even though they are opposed to the war for whatever reason, they can still act patriotic and show empathy towards people who are fighting and risking their lives for their country.
But I don't really see how this is possible. Aren't troops a very important part of warfare? By actively supporting troops, are you not actively helping the war effort?
And yet, just a few days ago a fellow student said that it is one's duty as an American to show support for the troops, no matter how you feel about the war. And everyone in the class nodded in agreement.
I personally am an uncompromising believer in pacifism. How can I possibly support someone who volunteers to go to another country and kill people, and gets paid to do so?
In other words, can someone support an individual soldier when they oppose the entire concept of the military?
This I understand. A soldier could very easily believe that a strong military is a "necessary evil" (a concept I don't entirely agree with), and that they are risking their lives to protect my freedoms. Which makes me look like a jerk for not supporting them.
But, a soldier knows what a soldier is when they sign up for the military. They might not know they extent to which they will be required to act, but they definitely understand what a military is.
refrain from lending your support to those that serve in the armed forces.
Well, for the sake of the thread I was using "support" in a general sense. But there are certain ways to help a soldier that I would not morally object to. Really, I just can't do anything that directly helps the war effort, which soldiers are a huge part of. Of course, that creates some rather difficult issues, like paying taxes when I know a large portion goes towards buying weapons (the fact that I make little money helps me out there...).
Furthermore, I can tell you from experience that the last person in a country that wants to go to war is the soldier.
Then, I suppose the real question is: how can one support the war AND support the troops?
I think that if the war is seen as a necessary act then one can support both. For example our actions in entering the second world war were, to many, seen as needed. People supported both the soldiers, by lending emotional and material support, as well as the war as they felt that our actions were necessary and that although war is obviously not a desirable thing, that standing by and remaining pacifist while the Axis powers gobbled up land and eliminated entire towns and cultures would be the greater 'evil'.
