Armed Forces and Respect

[Napoleon's Scribe]

I was speaking to the number of people that have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe I worded it wrong. Point is that there has never been more of a disconnect between war and the rest of the population.

Sadly that is the case with so many. I mean some are simply tired of the war because they want something new on the news rather than having any political or moral objections. One could live right now without the war effecting them at all..I think about those fighting often mostly because of personal reasons. Not everyone has those reasons.

[Hakkapeliitta]

The number ranges, but it was around 10% during WWII. Now it is less and that is a problem. The figure fluctuates, so it's any where from 1% to 10%. I found several sources right away, and that's better than just assuming.

Yeah, the number was around 10% in WW2, and now it's less. But saying that's the problem kind of implies that the solution to the problem would be to have a larger number of people being in the military and being cycled in and out of deployment or to have a war like WW2. But the nature of the US military being what it is, and the nature of the conflicts it is and has been involved in the past decades kind of make it inevitable that the percentage of population directly affected by war is going to be miniscule, and probably gets smaller in the future.

So what is the problem? The lack of conflict on the scale of WW2? The highly professional and technical nature of the US military in which only a minority is actually expected to perform combat duties? I think you're right that the US isn't so much at war, rather the US military is at war while the general population is concerned of things they always are during peace: the economy, healthcare and gays I guess. But unless you have a war that's going to affect the general population with your cities bombed and your economy geared toward war, or have the draft reinstated then what are you going to do to bridge the gap? Hollow statements like "support the troops!" and bumper stickers proclaiming the same don't seem to be doing the trick.

Maybe a society like the US just has to accept that presently (taking into account the nature of conflicts they are in, and the nature of US military) the population at large will not have any clue what the members of its military go through, no more those that mindlessly hold them as saints to be revered, or those that mindlessly despise them. Maybe the US should just make sure that a veteran and their family has whatever safety nets they might need so they aren't forgotten after their service. "Support the troops!" seems to be just an empty buzzword, and many seem to think that just by reciting it they are supporting the troops, when they are just saying a hollow phrase, not actually doing anything.

[Krieglord]

safety nets they might need so they aren't forgotten after their service

17 USA veterans/active duty servicemen commit or attempt to commit suicide every 23 hours...

They could use those safety nets thats for sure