What does "support the troops" mean to you?

[.Shane.]

This thought came to be in this thread.

"Support the troops" is extremely vague. If I pay taxes, I "support the troops". I "support the troops" but I also "support the teachers" in that I respect and appreciate what they do and see their jobs as forms as service that are underpaid and very much needed.

So, what does that phrase mean to you? In the sense that it means something to you, how do you demonstrate that support? Do you support them in some way above and beyond how you support other public servants or professions that you hold in high esteem?

Notes:
*Don't be antagonistic. If you hate the military/troops in all forms, congrats, but this is not the thread for you.

 

[Truronian]

I never use the phrase myself, so for me what it means generally comes down to who's saying it. For example, the meaning I would infer from a veteran would be very different from the meaning I would infer from a politician.

 

[Hygro]

Make the troops *feel* supported.


edit: as in, if the troops don't feel that you support them, then you aren't supporting them, taxes, caring about their safety (and therefore hoping to withdraw them or deploy them w/e) regardless.

 

[Arwon]

Notes:
*Don't be antagonistic. If you hate the military/troops in all forms, congrats, but this is not the thread for you.

The idea that this is a thing strikes me as weird. Where are such people?

 

[Lovebird]

It's utterly meaningless. No one "hates the troops." It's just nonsense designed to foster and further military worship and defuse any opposition to military ventures abroad.

 

[.Shane.]

The idea that this is a thing strikes me as weird. Where are such people?

From the other thread, its clear there are people that feel that way. Fair enough. They can have their own thread.

Make the troops *feel* supported.

edit: as in, if the troops don't feel that you support them, then you aren't supporting them, taxes, caring about their safety (and therefore hoping to withdraw them or deploy them w/e) regardless.

I pay taxes. I care about their safety. The same is true of firemen, teachers, police, bus drivers, mailmen, etc...

Would you support them more/less/no difference if they are all volunteer vs. draft?

 

[.Shane.]

I never use the phrase myself, so for me what it means generally comes down to who's saying it. For example, the meaning I would infer from a veteran would be very different from the meaning I would infer from a politician.

Well, it may well be a somewhat American cultural statement of sorts.

You bring up a good point. What makes a person in the armed forces feel supported?

 

[Hygro]

I pay taxes. I care about their safety. The same is true of firemen, teachers, police, bus drivers, mailmen, etc...

Would you support them more/less/no difference if they are all volunteer vs. draft?

Well right now I'm just doin' it my way and it's up to the troops to judge if I'm supporting them or not. I respect those who put themselves in danger for my country's benefit, but that doesn't qualify me to say if I'm "supporting the troops". And I don't think draft vs. volunteer army makes much of a difference--soldiers are soldiers. Whether we're asking them to be there to telling them, there wouldn't be in a military if our government didn't demand one one way or another.

 

[Lovebird]

In foreign military ventures, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, the troops do not "put themselves in danger" for the benefit of the entire country. Very few people benefit from such conflicts, and you can probably guess that none of those who do are manning the assembly lines or cashing welfare checks every month.

 

[Hygro]

That's really beside the point.

 

[Truronian]

Well, it may well be a somewhat American cultural statement of sorts.

You bring up a good point. What makes a person in the armed forces feel supported?

At a guess, awareness. Were I in the armed forces and involved in a conflict I would like the supporter and the protester a lot more than the man ignorant of what was going on.

Hopefully some of the CFC chaps involved in their countries' militaries will weigh in on this thread.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Don't blame military policy stuff you disagree with on the people who are on the ground carrying out that stuff. They're just doing their job.

 

[RedRalph]

What it should mean is one thing, but when UI hear it it usually means "support the politicians who command the troops".

 

[Cheetah]

It's just an empty catchy phrase that can mean mostly anything.

 

[Tee Kay]

What does "support the troops" mean to you?

Calling for peace.

 

[juanbobo]

It means don't question the military industrial complex.

 

[holy king]

and if you do you're a terrorist.

 

[GhostWriter16]

I'd say anything positive that isn't mandated by law and is directed by the troops. For instance, paying taxes towards troops isn't "Supporting" them since you either do that or face jail.

That said, you can support the troops without supporting the missions their masters send them on...

 

[Camikaze]

"Support the troops" means more than just what the words say (given that even that is contentious). It is a phrase almost inextricably bound up with agenda-based rhetoric. It has come to mean more than just general goodwill towards members of the armed forces. Its vague and unclear literal meaning lends itself to this, and I think divorcing it from that political baggage is a pretty hard task.

 

[Cutlass]

Don't blame military policy stuff you disagree with on the people who are on the ground carrying out that stuff. They're just doing their job.

This is good. What many of the people use the phrase mean is "support whatever the the political leaders assign them to, unless it's the opposing political leader, in which case supporting the troops means bringing them home. And don't forget to support any military equipment our party decides to buy, no matter whether it's ell spent money or not."And that just ain't so. Supporting the troops does not mean supporting the government or the military industrial complex.