Joining the Military

I was surprised at the number of responses I received from active-duty military personnel after my recent article about military idolaters. All but one e-mail I received from them was positive. And every one of the positive responses I received said they answered “no” to all of the questions in my military idolater quiz. Some said that joining the military turned out to be a huge mistake. Most indicated that they were getting out as soon as they could. All said they despised being thanked for their service.

But then there was the note from the sailor.

He says he is active-duty Navy. But even before he was, he said that he “would have answered yes to almost all” of my questions about being a military idolater. But, he was careful to say, “That does not mean that I idolize the military.” He was raised to “respect the military,” and “would like to see everyone do the same.” You see, “we do need to have a standing Army, Navy, Airforce, and Marine Corps to dissuade other countries who have such forces from attempting to take us over.” The troops “live and die to make this country safe.” This sailor makes it clear that he didn’t join the military for “glory and praise,” but because he “felt that it was the right thing to do.”

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military fights wars that are not constitutionally declared?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military makes us less safe because of its interventions?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military doesn’t defend our freedoms?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military dismisses the killing of civilians as collateral damage?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military fights immoral wars?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military doesn’t secure American borders, guard American shores, patrol American coasts, and enforce no-fly zones over American skies—although it does these things in other countries?

I didn’t think so.

So why did this sailor enlist? He said in his e-mail that he did “not agree with the current war.” Either he enlisted after Bush launched his “defensive” wars of aggression or he enlisted before then and stayed in the military during those wars when he could have gotten out. (I suspect the former.) How could joining the military be the right thing to do if someone disagrees with the current war? Any member of the military could be sent to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan, or some other place in the world where the United States has created terrorists and insurgents.

Whether you are in the military or not, don’t be a military idolater. If you haven’t yet taken the military idolater quiz, please do so. And here is another quiz to determine whether you are a Christian warmonger.

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