Monday Mumbles: War

Note: Some of the subjects here may hit a bit hard home, just a bit of a reminder that my opinions are my own. So don’t take things personal

Heya, it’s ya boi, Choujin.
Well, I hope you all had a good 2020, because we’re already starting on one hell of a foot. For those unaware, we’re having a bit of an issue that’s been brewing between the United States and Iran which has gotten people worried about another war in the middle east with others who think that no nation would attack us because the USA would “level them to the ground”. What irks me is less on people who live in fear of inevitable world wars (trust me, ya boi here is a bit jittery about world war 3 as well) but what bothers me are the people who become armchair commandos/soldiers behind a computer.

Some kids and adults who don’t understand that there’s a thing called “Rules of Engagement” and think that war behaves like video games or movies where one wins a war by pushing a button. It’s not only ignorant but belittles stuff that our men and women endure when being shipped to these hot water conflicts. Not only that but it also leads to an underestimation of what our enemies can do if we think stuff can be ended by just the press of a button. People forget that wars can last years (take a look at the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan for example) and that it’s not cut and dry that some media love to portray.

The next thing I’ve seen is how some folks who also grossly underestimate nations just because they don’t have new toys or technology. From what i’ve heard on the news and heard from some who served during Iraq and Afghanistan, Al Qaeda and the militants used ambushed tactics like roadside bombs and other IEDs. Heck, during the Vietnam War, the enemy used ambush tactics and hunting traps to give American soldiers in that war hell. It’s not something that’s pretty and even low tech items gives our boys trouble. Just because the nation we’re going to war doesn’t have flamethrowers, bunker busters or drones with hellfire rockets doesn’t mean that they’re not a threat or pushovers. War isn’t like a video game where weak enemies are easy to kill.

The last thing I’ve seen when it comes to folks talking about war comes to when people talk about the men and women who serve their country. Ya boi here supports the brave men and women of our Armed Services for their sacrifices, but ya boi don’t play what some people will do. Though with this case, you got two camps of people. On one side you got people who think every soldier who fought in a war are nothing but mindless killers and wanton raiders, and the other side you got those who treat soldiers like infallible saints who can never do wrong and should be worshiped. I’m sure you’re asking about what I would do? Well, I would treat them like anybody else. I would thank them for their service and that’s it, no berating them nor treating them like gods. Heck, I wouldn’t mind sharing a cold one with an off duty soldier or veteran. They’re people just like you and me, with or without their uniform and regardless of their branch of service

With that, thanks for listening to my mumbles. I understand that it’s not much of anything but it was something that was on my mind after hearing the news. Now, before I finish up, I’m going to say that I don’t know if this will lead to a conflict or not but the only thing I could suggest is wait and see.