William S. Lind :collection (merged thread)

[JMA]

Challenge:

You guys claim soldiers are substantially different (or superior) to civilians in general. I write "in general" because you keep writing "soldiers" without much qualifiers (at war, in combat arms etc.) attached.

Show how this soldier is special:

An airman works in an air force depot, doing inventory and equipment checks on spare parts. The inventory starts again once it's done, week after week. He's working with a civilian there who does the exact same thing.

What's so substantially different about this soldier to justify any special attitude or expectations for rewards?

Badly worded, very badly worded.

First of all a 'soldier' is a fighting man. An army in the field requires logistic supply in the form of both lethal and non-lethal stores and equipment. In the old days the commissariat looked after the non-lethal stuff.

Perhaps the only reason to put the commissariat and other rear elements in uniform is sothat they can be subjected to military discipline. In other words if the troops in the field need stuff urgently you just instruct them to work through the night and over the weekend if necessary to dispatch the goods to the soldiers in need. If they don't comply they you jail them. If they were civilians they would say, "Well I'll have to speak to my union first". Get the point?

Is your example based on your military experience?

Same applies. That storeman would be in uniform only because of the need to subject him to military discipline. There is no comparison between this store man and a fighting man. There is no problem IMHO for fighting men to put these rear eschelon types in the picture - physically if necessary - to remind them of their position in the pecking order when necessary.

[Fuchs]

First of all a 'soldier' is a fighting man.

First of all, you deal too much in counter-factuals:


sol•dier (ˈsoʊl dʒər)

n.
1. a person engaged in military service.
2. an enlisted man or woman, as distinguished from a commissioned officer.
3. a person of military skill or experience.
4. a person dedicated to a cause.
5. a low-ranking member of a crime organization.
6. a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped female ants or termites specialized, as with powerful jaws, to defend the colony from invaders.

[JMA]

OK... back to your question then.

You are absolutely correct, there is absolutely no reason why your airman who is a spare-parts storeman can ever be 'special'.

But... soldiers who have seen combat and aquitted themselves well will always be special.

First of all, you deal too much in counter-factuals:


sol•dier (ˈsoʊl dʒər)

n.
1. a person engaged in military service.
2. an enlisted man or woman, as distinguished from a commissioned officer.
3. a person of military skill or experience.
4. a person dedicated to a cause.
5. a low-ranking member of a crime organization.
6. a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped female ants or termites specialized, as with powerful jaws, to defend the colony from invaders.