Thank you for commenting, as I really do appreciate opinions different from my own.

It is honorable and takes a considerable amount of courage to put your life on the line for your country.

I disagree. I think this is a story told to recruits to justify the actions which they are told to do. I could instead write your comment this way:

It is honorable and takes a considerable amount of courage to put your life on the line for your mafia family.

So how that no longer works? The point has to do with the moral or immoral actions of those you are fighting for. In my experience, the United States is (in many ways) indistinguishable from a mafia family in terms of how it deals with other nations using its military. If you're not understanding my perspective here, please read War is a Racket which I linked to in my original post.

As for just being frustrated with those in control, I recognize that a single crazed sociopathic dictator alone is no threat to anyone. It's only when he gets a million trigger fingers to follow him and unquestionably follow his orders that he gets any power at all. Some responsibility, IMO, has to be laid at the feet of those who agree to follow orders, even if that means destroying life and property of other people.

Have you considered that?

Yes, that's kind of the point I'm making here. They are being tricked and any time there is trickery involved, that's fraudulent, i.e. immoral.

You say they have no choice, but that's part of what I'm talking about. I'm not really a fan of choice which is why I advocate for rehabilitation and compassion. They have choice enough to quit, don't enlist, or don't pretend their actions are completely honorable as far as choice itself exists at all.

I think we are all being influenced by the media inputs we take in, but I don't think that's the same thing as systematic brainwashing as seen in bootcamp procedures. The combination of sleep deprivation, exhaustion, blind obedience to authority, etc is on a totally different level, IMO.

I'm not trying to downplay the important points you've made and again, I really do appreciate you raising them, but I still don't think it's a compelling argument for me to think honoring the troops will in any way fix this issue. If instead we raise awareness about what's really going on, maybe more will decide not to sign up and those in power will find there's on one willing to carry out their sociopathic orders anymore.