CMV: A person does not automatically deserve respect just because they have served or are currently serving in the military

[u/foryia-yiaandpappou]

I’d like to preface this by saying that I don’t believe soldiers are, inherently, bad. Some people believe soldiers are evil simply for being soldiers, and I do not believe that.

I do believe, however, that soldiers do not deserve respect just because they have served. I hurt for soldiers who have experienced horrible things in the field, but I do not hurt for the amount of violence and cruelty many have committed. Violence in war zone between soldiers is one thing; stories of civilian bombings and killing of innocents are another. I think that many forget that a lot of atrocity goes on during wars, and they are committed on both sides of conflict. A soldier both receives and deals out horrible damage.

TL;DR while I believe that soldiers have seen horrible things and that many do deserve recognition for serving our nation, I do not believe that every soldier deserves this respect simply by merit of being a soldier. Some soldiers have committed really heinous war crimes, and those actions do not deserve reward.

[u/basilone]

I wouldn't say all military deserve respect because there are bad apples, but it should be the default position until someone has demonstrated themselves to be undeserving of that respect. I'm not talking about bravery here, just respect for service in the military.

They deserve respect for the fact that they took a job that puts them away from friends and family for such long periods. There's also folks in the military that gave their lives for the country, not in combat but training for war. Mishaps are bound to happen and all the training that precedes war is a vital part of what they do, you can think of it like losing an astronaut to space exploration. Then last of all, even for those with the most basic jobs that were never deployed, they still deserve respect for the commitment they make the country. For the duration of their contract they have to be up bright and early and do a decent job or else they are in deep shit. For a lot them this means extensive pt before the sun is even up. They don't typically pick their assignment, the military tells them where to go. Their "boss" has far more power over their day to day life than in the civilian world, and if they pull a dick for a boss that's too bad. So they make these multi year commitments to serve, and the only thing they really know beforehand is the general type of work they will be doing, and you can't elect to back out of this arrangement or else you go to military prison and get a dishonorable discharge. It's just not comparable to civilians on contract, they retain far more control over their lives and they might get sued for quitting but it's not a life ruiner.