Padawanbater2
Well-Known Member
What's your take on this pretty much ancient practice?
What Do You Guys Think of the Idea of Medals in the Military?
- Thread starter Padawanbater2
- Start date
dam612
Well-Known Member
separates the men from the boys, creates a hierarchy that makes one have to prove himself to stand out from the rest. i say this ancient practice is tradition and shows that the soldiers are respected by their fellow commanders and should still be in effect. I think it would be blatant disrespect to our soldiers to get rid of this. God bless the soldiers who risk everything for us.
doc111
Well-Known Member
..........and the Army/Navy crosses, silver star, bronze star, purple heart, etc...........
What's your point Pad?
kendothegreenwizard
Active Member
Having served in the Military I am probably biased but... I consider these to be sacred and undeniably worthy.
doc111
Well-Known Member
Right on! Esprit de corps, morale, tradition are all things that are very important to any fighting force. Until we have armies of robots and automotons, there will be a need to recognize those individuals and units that embody the very best qualities our species has to offer.
Padawanbater2
Well-Known Member
My point is, how do you think the military would be different if they didn't issue medals for service?..........and the Army/Navy crosses, silver star, bronze star, purple heart, etc...........
What's your point Pad?
[youtube]d7BT2xpHbSE[/youtube]
Born into freedom, they remind me
To go and protect it blindly
All of your life is depending
On who and what you're defending
Move in for the kill, 'til they finally get their fill
Raised to believe all the hatred
While all of the innocence faded
Trust in yourself to follow
The lies just get harder to swallow
Lay down your life
For what you are
Live the sacrifice
For a silver star
Die with the best of intentions
Led to the end by perception
All of our lives are depending
On who and what we're defending
Lay down your life
You've come this far
Sacrifice, trade your life
For a silver star
"Then it was found that we could reduce the cost of wars by taking all the prize money and keeping it, but conscripting the soldier anyway. Then the soldiers couldn't bargain for their labor. Everyone else could bargain, but the soldier couldn't. Napoleon once said, "All men are enamored of decorations... they positively hunger for them." So by developing the Napoleonic system - the medal business - the government learned it could get the soldiers for less money, because the boys like to be decorated."
-War is a Racket p. 35 Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler
Isn't the life of a soldier worth more than a piece of metal with fancy symbols on it?
i'm pretty much as anti-war as it comes. A bunch of poor kids fighting for the agendas of a bunch of middle aged, well to do men is just plain wrong.
if medals get soldiers off that's fine with me. i remember my dad's uncle, he was almost 100, and he was so proud of his 4 purple hearts earned in WW2. 50 years later he still showed it off with a HUGE smile on his face. when you consider one of those bullets left him wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, celebrating it could've be considered a bit STUPID...
but it was his thing... his 4 purple hearts....
if medals get soldiers off that's fine with me. i remember my dad's uncle, he was almost 100, and he was so proud of his 4 purple hearts earned in WW2. 50 years later he still showed it off with a HUGE smile on his face. when you consider one of those bullets left him wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, celebrating it could've be considered a bit STUPID...
but it was his thing... his 4 purple hearts....
dickdasterdly666
Well-Known Member
To be fairly honest in my Personal view, i think medals are worth nothing at all.
It does depend on how you look at it really.
I mean from one point of view you can argue that someone going to war and working his ass off to receive a medal is pretty lame and is nothing but a piece of metal it cannot bring back life and it cannot give you life and will certainly not give you happiness as only true freedom fighting achievements can give you that.
What happened to going to war for the right reasons? i can guarantee you that someone who is going to war for the right reason and fighting for the sake of "True Freedom" and someone going to war because its "A Job and will make me a cool person" are infinitely worlds apart. And the line between a murderer and a freedom fighter are just as wide.
You have to really ponder what is the purpose of Hollywood movies and army TV adverts etc...? i mean excuse me if im far out there but are we not supposed to portray a negative image about these type of things to show how inhuman they are. but instead you find nothing but war and killing glorification and making it look like its a cool thing, you know james bond kills people all over the place and blows shit up and has sex with all the women and then they get killed because of him, but its ok because he is the hero and he is protected under the banner of Secret Agent. or any other action movie. just look at how many people die in those movies and they are just background effects. or look at army Tv adds, will all the effects and the sounds and how it looks cool on Tv when its far from it.
And now we get back to reality and the people that are dieing all over the world have become just background effects, and we have grown used to it and accustom to the effects of death, killing and war. and you just have to look around you to see the effects of these movies and etc..
What happened to people like Winston Churchill? You know the true freedom fighters, not the i wanna be cool + i need a job and iv played way to many war and first person shooter video games.
so at the end of it what really is a medal?
If your son died at war and his generals gave a salute and a shiny piece of metal would that bring him back? No. what would bring him back though is him not being there in the first place as he is not fighting for freedom and far from it, what he is in reality doing is following a powerful agenda that in turn has found a way to buy a life of a soldier and his familys backing for life with a piece of metal, while they are sitting in their powerful seats and are chauffeured around town with a glass of bubbly, do you think they will remember anyone of those men? And why dont they send their sons if they are fighting for the right reasons? {i beg you dont bring the Rambo Prince into this, because that would just be a joke}.
they will only remember them in their hypnotizing speeches, you gotta keep the customers happy they would say..
Meanwhile anyone who is fighting in the right cause and in the true freedom fighter spirit will never ask for a medal and will never die for one, they will die for the cause which is priceless in front of a medal. {freedom fortilla comes to mind}.those people if then presented with a token or medal only then it would be a good thing and only to be a reminder of true freedom and not gratification.
Thats only what i think anyway.
thebuttonpusher
New Member
After 3 armed conflicts, years overseas, Service on the high seas,The rescue from Mt Pinatubo I got a big ole chest full of "Fruit salad" on my USMC Dress Blues. While in the service I had plenty of higher ranking officers and Enlisted who were very Jealous of my accomplishments. Full bird colonels did not have as many medals as I did. Probably the biggest thing that pissed others off was that I could care less about it, I mean its just a piece of colored ribbon. Well except for my Kuwait Liberation medal which is made of real gold, but most are not, you had to be in country when Kuwait gave them out in '91 to receive one. The idea of receiving more medals did not Motivate me to serve my country with more fervor. I did what What I was asked to do, I volunteered for every duty they gave out because when you are younger that is when life is a Big Adventure.
"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." - Napoleon Bonaparte
Mr.KushMan
Well-Known Member
If war was of reason then medals would be necessary, to inflate the self worth of the 'prick-waving army'. "All war is, is a biggest dick contest. All that male strutting and posturing, its dick fear." - George Carlin. Since all war is a profit game, no medal is worth the life of a mosquito.
Self-quote - "If you would die for your beliefs, I would get new beliefs; No way of thinking should put itself ahead of the medium in which it exists."
Peace
Self-quote - "If you would die for your beliefs, I would get new beliefs; No way of thinking should put itself ahead of the medium in which it exists."
Peace
Mr.KushMan
Well-Known Member
Its not the profit for the soldier, profit for the companies that create the conflict.
Peace
Peace
andar
Well-Known Member
no soldier fights for a fucking medal they could care less about that shit they do their job and help their felllow soldiers serve their country proudly. if you want to pin a medal on them go ahead but thats the last thing their thinking of when their in combat saving their friends ass and their own ass. this is a stupid thread
Padawanbater2
Well-Known Member
Interesting opinion, friend, but I don't think you're considering all the stuff that's been discussed.
I agree with you, most soldiers don't give a damn about earning a medal in combat. Saved lives don't depend on medals given out after the fact - obviously, and they never have. That's not the tactic being used against the soldier.
What they do care about is earning the recognition for their service and actions. They like it so much, and it gives them such a sense of pride in themselves and their country - based upon, in my opinion, the misguided direction of men in power throughout the centuries - that they are willing to die to attain it.
So the idea of the thread was basically - is that OK for our governments to do that? Put up this prize, make it so sweet and juicy that our best and brightest give their lives for it.
Care to answer that?
hanimmal
Well-Known Member
I was the dude with his varsity jacket hanging to one side with the wrestling medals, so while not being in the military ever (I went to college to wrestle in 97 and was done busting my ass nonstop with someone screaming at me to do more by 9/11 so I never joined), and knowing that it is not the same, I would have to say I can really appreciate how much a well earned/deserved medal can mean to someone.
And it may be more about letting the other person quickly evaluate what you have done, and the things you may have seen more than it is about personal pride for everyone. So I see no real need to abolish something like this. At least I don't think that there is, this is not like a video game where you get a medal for killing 100 people or anything right?
But really I just wanted to comment:
And it may be more about letting the other person quickly evaluate what you have done, and the things you may have seen more than it is about personal pride for everyone. So I see no real need to abolish something like this. At least I don't think that there is, this is not like a video game where you get a medal for killing 100 people or anything right?
But really I just wanted to comment:
We may butt heads on this site with our political/economic views for a long time to come, but when it all comes down to it, I have a tremendous amount of respect for what you have done for us all.
andar
Well-Known Member
friend, i think i already answered that. a lot of my friends and family are/have been in the military i have never heard any of them say i wish i could die just to get a medal. or i want to get wounded so i can get that medal. they are not giving their lives for a medal. they are giving their lives for their country. they will all tell you that the ones who deserve the medals are the ones that didnt come home. have you ever talked to anyone in the military that has seen combat? it doesnt sound like it to me
Mindmelted
Well-Known Member
Why stupid,Because he made a sacrifice that you seem to weak minded to understand.
Robert Paulson
Active Member
First of all you can never say "most" when talking about our service people. I spent four years in the Navy and one thing that is very evident is all branches of the military are diverse. Stereotyping all service members can't be done and shouldn't be done just like you wouldn't stereotype races. I served with people from all over our country and the world. I had buddies from mexico, guatamala, lithuania, guam, phillipines, etheopia, canada, and others I'm sure (i'm sure i didn't spell those right). Sure some cared about medals, others did not.
To answer your question should the gov't put up this prize for us? I don't even see it like that. I never thought of earning a medal as a "prize." In fact you are the first person I have ever heard refer to it as a prize. For one thing its because its not, medals and ribbons are awards. I've also never heard of anyone joining the service just to earn a medal, i'm sure it may have motivated some in the past, but to think that it is a big motivator for most would be plain wrong.
I personally don't give a flying fuck about my awards, that life is behind me, but I do think they serve a solid purpose for service members. service members hardly ever where there medals and ribbons. thats because they are only worn on dress uniforms. dress uniforms are hardly ever worn by service members unless they have a job that requires them to be among citizens all the time. I personally only wore my dress uniform when i was checking into a new command or having an inspection. checking into a new command is where wearing your uniform can help you out, the other people you will soon be fighting/working with can look at your uniform and get an idea of what you are all about. I can take one look at a persons uniform and tell if they are fresh out of boot camp, old salty nuts, the biggest shit bag or the most bad ass.
I also think medals are a good way of honoring fallen service members. it may just be a little piece of scrap metal but it can be so much more to a grieving family.
Padawanbater2
Well-Known Member
Symbolism. The medals symbolize fighting [or dying] for ones country.