Would America attack Iran ?

[Divinus Arma]

I just wish to serve Queen and Country, God and the Empire. I also just wish to be honoured as a national hero who fought valiantly for those afore mentioned.

Do not seek to be honored by your country as a hero. Seek instead the humility and sacrifice of service to your country. True heros don't see themselves as heros. They see themselves as survivors.

Those who seek heroic recognition find death instead.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

RE: Poll

I hope not, though I can conceive of the necessity depending upon circumstance. I would be far happier if the Iranian reformists can de-couple the government from the clerical hierarchy. Ultimately, any real change has to come because the Iranians themselves wish change. Jump-starting such change, as we are doing in Iraq, is a harder task.


RE: our soon-to-be-16 idealist soldier.

Don't be so harsh on him. Dreams of glory and adding GKB, VC, DSO after your name are perfectly normal for a teenager -- if they didn't have that spirit and willingness to reform the world we would lose something as a species. Remember, also, that a newlie officer's command in the UK usually comes complete with a sergeant with more than a hash mark or two (or however our brit allies indicate service time). It's her or his job to bring the newlie into reality. So I say go for it (But listen to the sarge's suggestions)! More than one roman scion went back to Rome with phalerae because they listened to a centurio.

But: REALLY hammer it on the physical side. Military academies will wash you out if you can't absorb the physical stresses. Preference reps over weight for the most part -- the ability to crack out another 3 reps when everyone else folds up is the ticket.

Seamus

[Shahed]

Thanks for your answers all, intersting to hear your opinions and views. The paragraph on the Consrvative site was pretty unsurprising to me though I had not read that in black and white before.

About the young man, well go ahead and join the armed forces but remember not to fail the generations of soldiers before you by lusting for fame. Seek instead to be a good soldier and a good leader. If you focus on that, your time shall surely come, and fame should follow too.

But what is fame in war worth anyway ?
Can you really kill another man without killing part of yourself ?

If you can part of you is already dead, or never lived.

[Stefan the Berserker]

Thanks for your answers all, intersting to hear your opinions and views. The paragraph on the Consrvative site was pretty unsurprising to me though I had not read that in black and white before.

About the young man, well go ahead and join the armed forces but remember not to fail the generations of soldiers before you by lusting for fame. Seek instead to be a good soldier and a good leader. If you focus on that, your time shall surely come, and fame should follow too.

But what is fame in war worth anyway ?
Can you really kill another man without killing part of yourself ?

If you can part of you is already dead, or never lived.

Sinan, someone who follows an Ideology by extreme will could kill and say it was done for a greater purpose.

Malcolm is a British Nationalist, with some really hard touch (eg. celtic language / Imperialist Club). It is impossible to confince him on something diffrent, he'll need to make his own experiance. And I'm sure he will.

Giving him the hind with the Hagakure as a Book to read is the most proper solution: After it he will either be boosted in wanting to be a Soldier, or he'll drop it as once. It is his decsision and he'll never accept our intellectual tips, if they are against his ideals.

[Kagemusha]

It is good to see that there are youths like Malcolm still i think that tough training and life experience will smoothen the rough edges of this young man.

[bmolsson]

US will attack Iran in a near future, and it is a bad idea. The next nuclear weapons used will be from US against China in a not as near future........

[Soulforged]

To me USA lives and breeds from the war making. So yes wheter it's the exucuse of democracy of terrorism they'll attack any country that goes against their interest. There was elsewhere another thread "Nation of Warriors" where everybody believed that USA could not be qualified as a militarized nation but i'll say this: they've probably the greatest militiry force of all, the most advanced and the one with the greates capacity of response in all the world. If that doesn't make a nation militarized then i don't know what does. So this is a definitive yes.