All soldiers are mercenaries. With no draft any person who joins an army in these times, is making a political decision.
We have to overcome our knee jerk reaction “I support the troops”. Sure when we or our children were subject to a draft there was a common cause but that scenario no longer exists.
To the statement “I support the troops” I ask “why?”. Here in Canada we are, under international law, illegally bombing Syria and Iraq.
A person who chooses to join that fight is making a decision that is political in its nature. The war is promoted by war mongers and those who choose to join do so of their own free will.
The troops do not keep us safe. they are in fact endangering us by joining in wars of aggression. So if ISIS were to win what would happen over there? They would run countries the way Saudi Arabia does … with beheadings etc… ISIS/ Saudi Arabia - what is the difference exactly? Anyone with any political awareness would be asking serious questions before they joined this fight.
Obviously the average soldier has almost no political awareness and is probably not an avid political junkie but if the troops who join understand they are reviled by many it may make it a less attractive job.
So stop with the brave patriotic rhetoric. Dumb and dangerous is probably a more accurate assessment.