I'll be working late...see you in six months

Ever wonder how far you would have to be pushed to stand up to "the man"? Ever wonder what you would have done if faced with a choice of following your conscience or following the herd?

Soldiers are put in this situation probably far more often than we know. First, let me preface this by saying I am not a soldier and have never been a soldier. But I can imagine, in my non-soldier mind, different scenarios that a soldier might face. For example, they might be told to shoot first and ask questions later in a "hot" zone. Then they see a child running down the street with what looks like a gun. Do they shoot? Do they give chase? If the child was a teenager, does the response change? What about a woman? Young? Old?

So what if our hypothetical soldier (you) has decided that, "So long as its not a little kid I will have to shoot". He may even be able to rationalize the response by saying that if he doesn't shoot the potential combatant, they may end up shooting you or one of your company. Now the guy next to him may have drawn the line on where to use lethal force, somewhere else. The first soldier uses his definition and kills a young man. This is witnessed by the second soldier and he feels that this is, in his mind, a clear contradiction to "what he signed up for". Superior officers support the first soldier and feel that the "Rules of Engagement" were followed. How is the second soldier supposed to come to terms with what he sees is happening and what he knows is against his conscience?

While all of the above is hypothetical, some U.S. soldiers have been coming to terms with their role as soldiers and their conscience. At first glance, my reaction was to say, "You signed up to be a soldier so now you are at war...what did you expect?" But actually, when some of these soldiers signed up, there wasn't war and the risk of an armed confrontation was pretty minimal. Or when they signed up they were young and un-attached. Now there is a very real risk that they may be killed and that will leave their spouses widowed and their children missing a parent.

I suppose that soldiering is a profession that not everyone is cut out for. Sometimes you have to "walk a mile in their shoes" to appreciate what they do. Those that have decided soldiering isn't their bag, I can understand. One would have hoped they would have been weeded out before they are really needed but facing death can change one's outlook on what one does when they get up in the morning. How many of us have known they needed a career change but haven't been able to muster enough strength/guts to actually change? These deserters/objectors have made the first step. They have decided to break away from their herd.

For those soldiers that are professional at it, I salute them. It can't be easy and they aren't paid all that well (at least not in Canada). If you want to "walk a mile" in a soldiers shoes check out the articles on the CBC site by Russell D. Storring. They are well-written, and at times heart-wrenching, stories of what it is like to be a soldier. Not only the effect on the soldier but also the effect on spouses, parents and their children. As a father, I can particularly relate to his stories on that level. I can't imagine being in a job that required me to be away for six months at a time.