Soldiers
Do not choose where and when they fight. They are sent by HM Government. That's right, the ones YOU elected (if indeed you bothered to vote). Your elected representatives decided that Afghanistan was worth fighting for.

So yes, they are protecting your country, because they are doing what, in effect, you wanted. The Government at the time decided the Falklands were worth re-taking, not the troops.

The average soldier didn't wake up one morning and go "I know, lets intervene in Sierra Leone". Or Kosovo. Or Kuwait. Your government decided that it was in this country's interest for them to go.

They also cannot strike, unlike the firefighters who they covered in the last strike. You can't also just 'decide to quit' on the drop of a hat.

So, soldiers sign up to soldier. Not to pick and choose where and when they do so. They are sent to some right old festering shitholes on your behalf, by the slimy reptiles you elect. In return, if they are injured or killed, they deserve the support of the people who sent them, otherwise known as the Military Covenant.

If, however, you are one of the 'Not In My Name' crowd, then (a) vote out the people who made the decisions and (b) when you're lying with a broken leg dying of hypothermia, don't bother calling out the chopper. Or when your house is on fire and the firefighters are on strike. Or when your home is flooding and you need evacuation.
(osok Rebel without a clue, Fri 2 May 2008, 16:30, Reply)