Militarisation of our society

Trisher, have you read the Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker?

Yes dj. Really well written and moving.

Something else that everyone should read, along with the Great War poets.

Most of us had a relative who died in WW1,many of us in WW2 but trisher's posting is referring to the glorification of war amongst professional soldiers of today ....quite a different animal. I'm well aware there are several ex army wives on GN, but my only connection with anything military is knowing a young couple quite well over the last ten or so years who lived in our village in France and had both newly retired from the army. All I will say is, although I am fond of them on a personal level, as 'friends ' on Facebook their militant postings chill me to the core. The postings from their army friends after the death of Martin Mcguiness was nothing short of despicable....and yes I know you 'ex-service grans' will give me thousand reasons why the remarks were justified, but a man had died, and a family mourned him. I was so disgusted (not just with that incident) I have blocked my friend and his moronic brainwashed ex-comrades.
I have a grandson, and I would move heaven and earth to persuade him not to enlist in any of the services,

I don't think they are typical of the Forces in general willsmadnan, but of course if they had seen colleagues murdered by McGuinness or had to retrieve bodies of innocent people including children killed by the IRA perhaps that may have influenced their views.
Don't forget who had to go in and clear up the mess of body parts left after an IRA bomb.
Things like that will never leave someone.

Moronic is not the right word to use.

And no, I am not an Army wife and never was.

I've read Pat Barker.

Edit - brilliant trilogy

I am the daughter, grand daughter, niece and great niece of professional soldiers. I have never in my life heard any one of them, or anybody else I know in our armed forces, glorify war.

Generally those who glorify war are those who would never be prepared to to face up to the dangers and privations being in the armed services can involve themselves, but like bathing in the reflected sacrifices of other people, more courageous than them.

Extra word in above post. Remove 'themselves' from the penultimate line.

I absolutely agree with you Trisher. It has been going on for some time. Remembrance Day was given due respect but other than that, we all believed war was a thing of the past (won't say anything here about one of the founding aims of the EU, ahem).

I think one of the things that heralded, or was part of, the change was Wootton Bassett and the parades of people welcoming (?) home the bodies of British soldiers from Iraq. That has continued in Carterton, Oxon. Also, Prince Harry and his involvement in the armed forces and the Invictus games. Nothing wrong in appreciating the bravery of soldiers or those who gave their life up in the World Wars but encouraging our young people to think that dressing up in uniform and marching about with guns and drums is a good thing is, to me, chilling.

I think it is the american influence.

I can never work out whether we are so influenced by America becuase we watch so much American media, or because higher-ups copy, or something else.

Azie if everybody thought that marching about with guns was a bad thing, we would have no army to protect us.
The repatriation of fallen UK soldiers through Royal Wootton Bassett and Carterton were those (Army towns) showing their appreciation / respect for the dead.

The inhabitants of Royal Wootton Bassett and Carterton knew the young men stationed there from having them around the town and socialising with them. They were showing respect for them as local people as they were driven through the towns on their way "home" - and I don't think there would have been any other route to their quarters. It is customary for a funeral procession to receive respect on its journey. I would have been more surprised if the vehicles had rushed through deserted streets.

Spot on Roses

If everybody thought that marching about with guns was a bad thing then the world would be a safer place. But hey, let's agree with the American gun lobby shall we, vote for guns in schools now, arm those toddlers!! Sorry, is there a problem?

That's just a silly comment.

Moronic? Brainwashed?

I doubt they miss you on facebook

Who Merlotgran?

My message was to willsmadnan

No more silly than blindly thinking that guns will solve anything. I happened to be listening to the radio the other day, someone quoted Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: those who live by the sword, die by the sword. I'm not religious, wouldn't have been able to quote that myself, but I just found myself thinking that people down the millennia have not learned that a single thing.

So funny, you people who like to slag off 'left wingers', it doesn't take you long to show your true colours does it! No wonder you believe in guns.

*Willsmadnan" I do agree with you about the moronic postings after Martin McGuinness died ...its seems we only see ONE side of the conflict in Ireland and forget that there was a great deal of violence from the UDF and others on the opposite side of the "religious" divide INCLUDING THE BRITISH ARMY I have found a lot of young men who are in the forces( and I have family who are) are very arrogant and jingoistic.I wouldn't have let my son join up even though the army recruits in our area regularly .Thats a practice I despise,recruiting from areas of low employment where young people have few choices

Most people do not blindly think that guns will solve anything, and that includes most of those in the military. Unfortunately that still leaves a lot of mad b***ers around who do, Assad, Kim whats his name in North Korea, to name but two.

Supposing South Korea were to disband its military and turn its guns into plough shares do you honestly believe that the result would be North Korea, immediately offering the hand of peace and friendship and doing the same? Or do you think that Kim whats his name would be more likely to make the most of the opportunity to take over South Korea and reduce it to the poverty North Korea 'enjoys', not to mention disposing of a lot of its citizens in unpleasant ways.

The same applies to Assad. Obama avoided sending planes into Syria after threatening to do so if Assad used chemical weapons, which he did? Was the result peace and resolution of this desperate conflict? Of course not. What it lead to was further use of chemical weapons. Trumps sudden move, providing he sanctions no more raids unless chemical weapons are used may well save lives

Remember, the choice between fighting and not fighting, is not the choice between killing and not killing. It is merely the choice of which group you think should be killed. Pacifists can kill as many people as guns do.

This is all getting very silly. I doubt there would not be a single person on here who would condone increased use of guns in our society, whether they have a military background or not, and as for increased militarisation, I just don't see where you run away with the idea that a few old men wearing medals and headgear on a few ceremonial occasions constitutes the end of peaceful civilisation as we know it. Respectful recognition for the war dead happens in every peaceful society; on our Rememberance Sunday, organisations as diverse as the Scouts and the Salvation Army turn out in their uniforms. Does that mean the sky is falling? Lock up the Chelsea Pensioners? They live in their uniforms - totally unacceptable! And as for the Cadet Forces, only 25% of their numbers go on to join the Services and only a small minority of those will take on combat roles. But those who don't join the services come away with standards and life lessons that will serve them well. They are not "press ganged" into taking the Queen's shilling! And while there are poems to be bandied about, I am not a fan of Kipling, but
"It's Tommy this, and Tommy that, and "Chuck 'im out, the brute",
But he's the saviour of he people when the guns begin to shoot!"
Get real, for God's sake!