Issues Under Fire: If War is Hell, How Come So Many Volunteered

The nation is welcoming back the brave men and women returning from Iraq this month, now that the war is "officially" over. According the President, all served heroically and honorably. We should be grateful for their service and give them all the respect and support they truly deserve. We say: Okay if you say so.

However, there is another side to the heartwarming visuals of soldiers showing up unexpectedly at spouses jobs and kids school holiday plays to big hugs and tears of joy. Among those self-sacrificing military paragons, is certain to be an assorted contingent of whack jobs, losers, screwballs, adrenaline junkies, loose cannons and gun happy control freaks.

Many of these types returning were endowed with said character traits well before they enlisted. In fact, a prima facie case can be made, that individuals with these very personality characteristics are prone to seek careers in the military in the first place. War can provide cover for those with aggression issues and even give one a sense of pride and accomplishment for exploiting those issues with extreme prejudice.

After stripping away all the patriotism crap, it's difficult to phantom why anyone would voluntarily leave his or her families to go off and fight in a bloody conflict. Some say it’s to build character; others say military service will make a better man/women out of you. Still, others join to "be all they can be" while serving their country.

While reasonable and even laudable explanations, its tough to reconcile why new recruits were still lining up to serve well after it was documented the nation's leadership had lied about everything leading up to the Iraq conflict.

Surly there are less perilous ways to building one's character or reaching and surpassing personal goals. Does one really have to fly across the globe and immerse him or herself in the blood of another to qualify as a real man or woman? 


Some of these people will appear perfectly normal as they reintegrate back into what's left of a sane world. But the sad reality that'll be overlooked and under reported is all the nervous, apprehensive and legitimately fearful spouses, friends and colleagues will be wondering if their “heroes” screws aren't too loose and they returned with most of their marbles.

With all due respect, our alternative view of "When Johnny Comes Hobbling Home" is, a lot of these men and women were simply tools for the rich. True, they were the toughest tools in the box, but not necessarily the sharpest.

Don’t hate, we’re only amplifying the whispers!

Oorah!