I agree 100%!!!!!

I think they are doing the job they were hired for,and that's it.I think the term hero has been thrown out too loosely.Are the soldiers really protecting the country,or is there other reasons whey they are at war.I feel sorry that they are the ones that have to die,and many times for the wrong reasons.

It's good to have a few idiotic Liberals on AB. It shows us how really stupid some people are in the world.

Just when I thought that reinstating the draft was a bad idea....

I hold the men & women who defend our country in the highest regard, & hope that they will never see war.

They're unrelated - you're not necessarily a hero because you're a soldier, and you're not necessarily a non-hero either. You can be a soldier whose job it is to operate a joystick and then press a red button, many miles away from any action in a super-fortified ship where you know you'll return home safely. Or you could be a ground soldier who has to face enemy troops directly. You could get killed in an ambush and get a posthumous medal of honour even though getting killed is not specifically heroic - especially if you had no intention of getting killed. Or you could willingly face incoming fire to drag your mate from the danger zone, but nobody notices it and you don't get anything. Whether a person is heroic or not has nothing to do with whether they are engaged in an activity which is needed or not.

Absolutely! Without them, any country could waltz right in and take over our country. Without our Armed Forces, you don't think that N. Korea, Iran (and it's allies), maybe even China ... would be marching on our capitol right now, to take over our great country? They have my utmost respect!

Reguardless of your view, the soldiers are not there because they decided to have a war. They are there because of politicians. You should be proud of any soldier that gives his life for this country or any other. They are following orders and doing the best they can. Please do not be down on the soldiers.

The older I get, the stupider war looks to me, but it's got nothing to do with whether soldiers are heroes.

If "talking" to a country or group of people who are determined to kill as many of your countrymen as possible, breaks down...........what then is the alternative?.......SUBMIT?

yes, because they don't have the option of picking what war they fight in. I don't believe in the Iraq war, and want all of throops home to REALLY protect America All of the troops are hreos, If you don't like any war take it out on the greddy politicions that start them, not the ppl who follow orders to fight in them, they go or go to a military prision for a vey long time. If there was a real attach on the US I mean a full out invasion, you go tell them that you don't believe in war and see how long you ask This Gulf war is BS, but the ppl who fight in it are heros

llama most us soldier types don't care what you believe as a civilian. What we do care about is protecting and serving when our country (Commander and Chief) calls....As for soldiers being heroes................only heroes in the military are the ones that paid the ultimate price and they are no longer here to speak for themselves, thats why you have people like me here to remind you of the true heroes! Whether or not you feel war is needed there still needs to be men and woman willing to keep the peace, wrong or right in your eyes it simply does not matter it is the way of the world. GOOOOOOOOOOOOO ARMY!!!!!

This is a complex issue (it seems there are no simple ones). Some people who volunteer for the military do so because they are idealistic and believe in putting their lives on the line in defense of their country. Others do so because they have no better option. Given the current nation-state system of the world, it seems every country will need *some* amount of military to ensure its territorial integrity, even if only to deter non-state actors. Does this make soldiers de facto heroic? I don't think so. At least, no more heroic than policeman, firefighters, emergency room surgeons, and the like. Furthermore, in the case of the United States, we have (and have had for 50+ years) ***WAAAAYYYYY**** more military then we actually need for the nation's legitimate defense. Given this excess, I would argue that only a small fraction of US military personnel are heroes even in the policeman/fireman/trauma surgeon sense. The rest are just redundant government employees drawing a paycheck for no useful purpose. Unfortunately, there is no good way to determine which soldiers are heroes and which would serve themselves and their country better by doing something else.

So when someone decides they want what we have and they invade the country to take it, you are just going to volunteer to be killed? Is that how it works?

Heroes, definitely. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

That's kinda like shooting the messenger because you don't like the message.

No! Soldiers are not heroes, they are simply killing machines for the state or, in the case of the United States, the corporations that run the country

I have the utmost respect for soliders. I really do. I don't, however, consider soldiers to be heroes simply because they are soldiers. There are an awful lot of heroic soldiers though. Perhaps any of our soldiers that have fought alongside his mates in war has demonstrated heroism.

Just because a person voluntarily joins the military, is sent to a pointless war, and gets wounded or killed, does not automatically make them a hero. It's much more complicated than that. I'd say that a soldier who joins the military to defend us in the event that our country is attacked, and is then sent to a pointless war, with a country that is no more a threat to the US than a bumble bee is to a grizzly bear, could still be a hero... a tragic hero, but a hero nonetheless. On the other hand, we all know people who have joined the military because they were basically aimless losers, or just thought they'd get a nice free education out of it, and had no intention to fight for our freedoms, or even fight at all. I would not say they're hero's unless they do something specifically heroic.

I don't know. I would imagine that since they are no longer drafted and most people KNOW what they are getting themselves into when they are recruited... I suppose they are.

Im a Military wife. Some soldiers are heroes some are not. The only difference between a person who is NOT in the Military and the person who is, is that the person who IS has balls to do it. The others just bitch and whine about how we do not need war... blah blah. War is unfortunately a part of the world. I do not condone it but it happens. In my eyes my Husband is a hero.

Yes. Because unlike a lot of naysayers, they accomplish something. Oh I agree war isn't needed. But unfortunenately, it's the only alternative.

Those soldiers fight and die wearing the uniforms of my country, so they are my heroes. Whether war is warranted has nothing to do with the people that believe in our country enough to die for it.

I do consider soldiers heroes, the people who say there not I spit on, I would just love to see you people go over to iraq and do what they do. You lot would piss your pants, you would be dead in seconds, it takes real balls to kill someone for your country, it takes pride and honor to defend your country when you just want to run away. Soldiers are what's keep you safe in your home right now and they deserve everyones respect, the people who don't should leave there country as you have no right to be there.

Not all soldiers are heroes, but many are.

Only those who aren't glorifying the fact that they are kiling

HEROES, PATRIOTS, PROTECTORS & DEFENDERS....which are u ?

I think it is RIDICULOUS when people assume all soliders are these great heros and idolize them. I agree some soldiers are heros (also depends what they do and what war they fought in for what cause). There are soldiers out there who just like to kill for the sake of killing, and the army allows them to do it legally. But there are some soldiers with true good intentions and fought for what was right. Or at least the government told them it was right, and they honestly believed it. Let the down-rates come.

You are truly narrow minded to say such a statement. Please learn to think before you post. War may not be needed, but it still occurs. It is not a necessity, but a factor we must deal with because people will always have conflicting thoughts and beliefs. We will fight for resources & kill for land; this is not an atrocity, but survival. The choices made are not made by soldiers, but the politicians that command them. Soldiers follow orders & do what needs to be done when others are too afraid. A better question is: "Could you handle the physical & phychological stress these men & women go through regularly ...& thrive?"

Yes because as much as we may hate to admit it, war is necessary. They're fighting so you don't get drafted and can still live as a free American.

Heros are not heros merely because of their occupation just like doctors aren't all great doctors just because they went to medical school. Clarence Darrow is considered by many to be a great hero of evolution, but he was also a lawyer. How many lawyers do we see as heros? Most soldiers spend most of their time as shipping clerks or mechanics, etc. Only a small percentage are in combat. When was the last time you heard, "Shipping clerk saves thousands by getting order out in time! Greatest paper pusher ever!"? The bullshit of making heros out of everyone is just that..Bullshit. There are soldiers who are hero's and there are also men who take great pleasure in killing anyone. Be careful who you worship as a hero. He or she might just put a bullet in your head for the thrill of it someday. Wars necessity is subjective. It doesn't make hero's by proxy.

What you are talking about are two separate issues altogether. I have a hell of alot of respect for people in the military. Our military helps ensure that we maintain our freedom. If we just rolled over and didn't protect ourselves or our allies, it would be an ugly ugly ugly world (think Hitler o rJong-Il for starters). You can't punish or blame the soldiers because of the wars they are fighting in. They are not the ones who decide if we will be in a war or not. It is our political leaders. Stating that soldiers are not heroes because you don't believe in war is a seriously misguided statement.

i am totally an anti war tree huggin hippie,however those men, women, boys and girls are willing to die for my freedom.. do i think that they are brainwashed, yes, but i would not have the freedom to say so, if it werent for them? every one has a place or duty in life and they believe their duty is to stand for what America was founded on and you should be ashamed of yourself.. you dont have to believe in war.. but there is someone dying because they want you to have the freedoms you have. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.