What makes a Soldier a Soldier?
EternalOne
Active member
Well I have to agree with sherman on this! A soldier signs up to server fights to survive and comes home a hero that is a soldier in my eyes. A soldier fights so that the man on his left and the man on his right go's home to there familys that love them! because he knows you have a family that loves you and he wants to see you go home too!!!!
As for what makes a soldier a soldier its just fighting for a country but if you want to know what makes a good soldier its three things personality wise and that’s 1) the ability to not take failure to heart and to contently be alert for improvements you can make to yourself in regards to your job 2) u need to have no problem with killing be that because u are doing it for your buddies, cos your ordered to, or cos you just don’t care about the other guy u need to be able to kill the other guy without a seconded thought and you need to do it without remorse the only thing u should be thinking is how did that kill go was it shaky, did i hit where I was meant to, did i do to much and not give my team a chance to learn or did I do to little am that weak link in the chain 3) you need to be adjustable both in turns of the situation you are in and your place in the team for example one day you may be out on patrol where you need to be engaged and focused so you don’t get caught off guard but also if you played a more leadership oriented role on your last rotation you will need adjust to be a small fish again when dealing with your higher ups
42RM
Banned
Now listen up Cadet Brit!
I don´t just fight for one country.
I wear a uniform and commit extreme violence for all people in the world who are not themselves able to do it. I do this so you, me and everyone else can live the life we want without fear. This is an obligation the soldier assumes. Just like your local police officer we serve and protect, we just do it globally. This is what we are here for - to act as a protective wall in front of those who can´t defend themselves. Forget the romantic nonsense about fighting for your country, no soldier has ever done that.
What do you know about killing?? You know s***!
Quote: u need to have no problem with killing!
You can damn well believe I have a problem with that.
It requires special circumstances before I take a human life.
Quote: be that because u are doing it for your buddies!
Negative! I do it for the reasons I gave above.
Quote: cos your ordered to!
No ****ing way!!! I and only I take that decision.
Quote: cos you just don’t care about the other guy!
I´m not an insensitive psychopath. If there is an alternative solution to neutralize a threat, then it´s the one I chose.
Quote: u need to be able to kill the other guy without a seconded thought and you need to do it without remorse!
If you think you can turn off the brain, then you should not carry a weapon. You need a split second to decide whether it is justifiable to shoot (even if you are fired upon). If you are incapable of feeling remorse then you suffer from antisocial personality disorder. Ask any veteran and they will tell you about the thoughts they have afterwards. Personally I have reflected on every kill that I or my chaps have committed.
You are like a virgin talking about intercourse - You know the technique, but not the feeling.
So Cadet Brit
Take note of this and then I will gladly welcome you to our ranks.
Carry on!
I don´t just fight for one country.
I wear a uniform and commit extreme violence for all people in the world who are not themselves able to do it. I do this so you, me and everyone else can live the life we want without fear. This is an obligation the soldier assumes. Just like your local police officer we serve and protect, we just do it globally. This is what we are here for - to act as a protective wall in front of those who can´t defend themselves. Forget the romantic nonsense about fighting for your country, no soldier has ever done that.
What do you know about killing?? You know s***!
Quote: u need to have no problem with killing!
You can damn well believe I have a problem with that.
It requires special circumstances before I take a human life.
Quote: be that because u are doing it for your buddies!
Negative! I do it for the reasons I gave above.
Quote: cos your ordered to!
No ****ing way!!! I and only I take that decision.
Quote: cos you just don’t care about the other guy!
I´m not an insensitive psychopath. If there is an alternative solution to neutralize a threat, then it´s the one I chose.
Quote: u need to be able to kill the other guy without a seconded thought and you need to do it without remorse!
If you think you can turn off the brain, then you should not carry a weapon. You need a split second to decide whether it is justifiable to shoot (even if you are fired upon). If you are incapable of feeling remorse then you suffer from antisocial personality disorder. Ask any veteran and they will tell you about the thoughts they have afterwards. Personally I have reflected on every kill that I or my chaps have committed.
You are like a virgin talking about intercourse - You know the technique, but not the feeling.
So Cadet Brit
Take note of this and then I will gladly welcome you to our ranks.
Carry on!
muscogeemike
Active member
I’ve always liked what John Wayne said in some movie: “A hero (soldier) is someone who is scared to death but saddles up and rides out anyway.”
LeEnfield
Active member
Forget the country bit and every thing else as when the sh*t start to fly yo are looking after your self and your buddies either side of you and hopefully they are doing the same for for you, if you are well trained and have a bit of luck you will come through it and have a few tales to tell. If not you are drinking in the halls of Valhalla for eternity.
m551sheridan
Active member
I am a new guy here (FNG) frigging new guy, thought I'd test the waters a bit and post something --
yepper, being a soldier it is what you said in the final analysis....
now if we can ever get those pesky merchant marines from stealing the good beer.... or do you folks on your side of the river not have this problem? I'm thinking, regardless of who's military, when it comes to being supplied there are those who take from them who live in the trenches.... on my side of the pond we call them REMF's
(rear echelon muther f**kers) so, what is your phrase for such types?
side note.... how does one get a *by-line* at the bottom of thier post... for instance I like
One Flag --- One Heart --- One Nation
how does one get that to appear at the bottom of each post? Help would be much appreciated.
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I3BrigPvSk
The Viking
Hi m551sheridan,
If you go to Your UserCP (you will find it on the top right beneath your name here) When you are there scroll down to Edit Signature. There can you add One Flag --- One Heart --- One Nation if you like.
LeEnfield
Active member
Sherridan said How if we can ever get those pesky merchant marines from stealing the good beer.... or do you folks on your side of the river not have this problem? I'm thinking, regardless of who's military, when it comes to being supplied there are those who take from them who live in the trenches.... on my side of the pond we call them REMF's
(rear echelon muther f**kers) so, what is your phrase for such types?
REMF>>>>>>Being a former Paratrooper you carried what you wanted for at least three days on your back. Often you would be resupplied by air so that was not a problem, it was just the weight of your pack that could be a killer. Also if it was not nailed down we would take any thing we needed
(rear echelon muther f**kers) so, what is your phrase for such types?
REMF>>>>>>Being a former Paratrooper you carried what you wanted for at least three days on your back. Often you would be resupplied by air so that was not a problem, it was just the weight of your pack that could be a killer. Also if it was not nailed down we would take any thing we needed
m551sheridan
Active member
thank you for the info, much appreciated
I went to look where you directed me but found no *edit signature*... maybe I have to be around for a while before I am allowed to do that. Appreciate the info none-the-less.
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m551sheridan
Active member
when on the rare occasion we visited a major firebase for resupply our HQ would have a steak feed... and beer. It was always Falstaff..:-x. a nasty brew to be sure (but it was cold so who gave aschit) anyway... we always wondered who got the good stuff. Being good Cavalry types we found solace in blaming the Navy and or the Merchant Marine..... all that Budweiser, Millers and other choice brews must have gotten lost somewhere between the hold of the ship and the dock space... hmmmm, that leaves the crane operator... damn, all these years and I never guesed the obvious..... hate it when that happens.:-( :smile:
42RM
Banned
I am not arguing against that unit cohesion plays a "critical" role (interpret as trust in your comrades), but it is not the sole reason that men fight. IMO men fight for a confluence of reasons, not just because their comrades are there next to them.
The soldier of today joins an army that could be deployed to any number of places in the world in the service of any number of causes. The causes we fight for today may not be the causes we fight for tomorrow... beyond generalities like "fighting for your country", western armies fight for whatever cause their government decides to send them to fight for, causes that may at sometimes be less than obvious or less than compelling to the individual soldier. This would have a fairly obvious impact on cause identification in a western army, it seems to me.
Unit cohesion is a key issue in motivating soldiers to fight. Soldiers are taught the safety of the group depends on him and he can prevent harm to his unit, therefore the same applies to others in the group and it creates the feeling that they are each other´s protector but surprisingly, many soldiers in Iraq were motivated by patriotic ideals. Liberating the people and bringing freedom were common themes in describing combat motivation. Notions of freedom, democracy, and liberty are also voiced by soldiers today as key factors in combat motivation and today's soldiers are sophisticated enough to grasp the moral concepts of war.
The soldier of today joins an army that could be deployed to any number of places in the world in the service of any number of causes. The causes we fight for today may not be the causes we fight for tomorrow... beyond generalities like "fighting for your country", western armies fight for whatever cause their government decides to send them to fight for, causes that may at sometimes be less than obvious or less than compelling to the individual soldier. This would have a fairly obvious impact on cause identification in a western army, it seems to me.
Unit cohesion is a key issue in motivating soldiers to fight. Soldiers are taught the safety of the group depends on him and he can prevent harm to his unit, therefore the same applies to others in the group and it creates the feeling that they are each other´s protector but surprisingly, many soldiers in Iraq were motivated by patriotic ideals. Liberating the people and bringing freedom were common themes in describing combat motivation. Notions of freedom, democracy, and liberty are also voiced by soldiers today as key factors in combat motivation and today's soldiers are sophisticated enough to grasp the moral concepts of war.
rocky71
Active member
1.The conventional concept of a soldier is a person in uniform pledged to fight for his nation obeying orders of those set over him. In modern times often a soldier may not be in uniform and may not have taken any formal pledge. Warfare today is total involving everyone.
2. Many qualities / qualifications of a soldiers have been enumerated above, but the two most important are robustness of the mind and the body.
2. Many qualities / qualifications of a soldiers have been enumerated above, but the two most important are robustness of the mind and the body.
Absolutely agreed on this statement. It is a lot like nursing. Keep repeating the correct things that needs to be done, then it will become habit. Not only that, what that needs to be done, also needs to be understood. This will enable the soldier to better understand the things he has to do and why he needs to do it in a certain manner...
