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My friends late father came home from the 2nd world war, after fighting his way up Italy, one of the hardest campaigns in the western theater, to get his demob suit and train fare back to the Midlands!!!... thank you and good night.

He witnessed things that modern soldiers could not imagine, but him and all the similar chaps didn't have wife's choirs, media personalities wearing bands and raising money...

I wonder what he would have thought about about the quality of the soldiers now days??

Oh he was a conscript and didn't join for full!

He probably knew that the public was behind him and supporting him, because the U.K had been under direct threat of invasion for a fair while. It practically stood alone against facism in Europe, while certain other nations looked on from the side lines. No names, no pack drill !wink!
The UK had also been under the blitz for almost a year. It was a given that most people supported your friend's Father.

Pretty much every UK family would have known of someone serving and/or dying in their defence. So if they had done a Wootton Bassett, every time someone was killed, the country would've ground to a halt.

Our modern servicemen and women have fought in much longer campaigns than your friend's Father did. They are probably as psychological demanding as any of the most brutal WW2 campaigns.
At least then, you pretty much knew your enemy, they even wore a different uniform so you could identify them. There were even rules of war.

You try walking down a street in Geneva and just try to imagine that any one of the countless people you walk by, at any time, could just explode, or pull out an AK. Then do that for about 6 months straight.

Your friend's Father would probably be in awe of our modern armed forces, particularly the army and marines. Just as they would respect what he did.

Just because our guys and girls get more help and support nowadays, doesn't make them less able. It'll probably save quite a few lives and relationships in the future.

It's very recent and welcome change in the UK. As the support for our armed services was never as openly shown before. It wasn't like this whilst I served and I only left in 2002. I for one welcome the increase and more obvious support.

The public support will no doubt subside again, when we are no longer involved in any major conflicts. Luckily Blair is recommending we invade Syria, so no chance of that any time soon.

Luckily? LUCKILY? That our governments are sending our boys and girls to fight for GOLD and OIL? I absolutely oppose war of ANY kind. It'd never what they tell the troops or what we hear in the media. Its a money making scam for the worlds financial elite.

Whilst i respect soldiers for what they do, i don't in any way shape or form, respect the REAL reasons why they are there.

As for the OPs question.

Probably, in contrast to WW2, they are spoiled... but then, so is the whole world. Change in times. That's all it is.

Spouted at very turn by politicians regarding our armed forces.

Frankly while our countries health, welfare and infrastructure is being ripped they are handing out goodies left right and centre to anyone in a military uniform.

I'd like to know how come they aren't tared with the same brush along with the other public sector workers who have seen themselves targeted as parasites.

All the other public sector employees have done a lot more for me than the armed forces during my lifetime.

Get a sense of humour, I was being sarcastic when I said 'Luckily'. Of course invading Syria is nonsensical but Blair did say it the other day.

You absolutely oppose war, great. No sane person likes fighting in a war but unfortunately, in the real world, they are sometimes unavoidable. You're naive if you think otherwise.

Clearly a lot of more recent conflicts involve countries with oil, gas, etc. as they become more scarce. But why shouldn't we protect our current and future energy sources? We'll soon enough be fighting over water. I can't wait to hear the anti-war comments then...'You're only going to help defend Belgium from the invading French coz it rains a lot there...If it was a desert you wouldn't bother'

What would you have done in 1938/39 then? Make like an Ostrich?

I say Falklands, you'd probably come back with, there's oil there.
Well no one knew that until the late 90's. It was a defence of a British overseas territory. Simple as that. Now there is oil, what a bonus.

There is oil in the Balkans, like a lot of places in the world but are you honestly against the military intervention to help stop the ethnic cleansing in the 90's?

Handing out goodies left, right and centre to anyone in a military uniform?

What, like prosthetic limbs, skin grafts, wheelchairs, etc? The spoilt bastards.

Or maybe you mean the odd free ticket to an Olympic event, when they provided security with a couple of weeks notice. In some cases having to cancel post tour leave, having just returned from fighting in Afghanistan. The freeloading parasite fuckers.

The Army alone is losing around 20,000 people in the next six years or so. Making it the smallest it's been since God was a boy. They taken their fair share of cuts believe me.

I cant even be bothered to explain myself to sheeples to be honest... i think you need to educate yourself on the REAL reasons wars happen rather than what the media and "history" books tell you the reasons are.

Soldiering is a profession. Any man or woman who enters upon a life in the
armed forces and fails to realise that they might be called upon to give up
their life for their country is foolish indeed. I doubt whether very few would
consider this a price worth paying, an honour even, but once they did....
Generally I fail to see how things have changed that much from the days
when General Sir Baker Russell, 13th Hussars, said the job of a soldier was
simple - "To look handsome in times of peace and to die in times of war."

That's okay, please don't bother to explain yourself, or you post. Though it sometimes helps when you're on a forum, which encourages debate.

So please refrain from replying to us all, with vague statements on conspiracy theory shite.

or,

Grow up and explain what the 'REAL' reasons for going to war are, since you mention them.

And what the feck are sheeples?

In a word "No". But you join the military with no pressure from anyone else and in theory have considered the risks. Being shot or blown up is an occupational hazard of the job, like being injured by a horse is for a jockey.