My young son and I were watching the news just now, about the missiles being launched from Russia last night, and he asked me…” Dad. If you were younger and fitter, would you go to Ukraine and help them in their war?”. Tbh, I couldn’t really give him a proper answer apart from “ probably, if I didn’t have you lot” ( my kids). So… Would you? Or would you have the attitude of “It’s not our war…”…
Unfortunately, captured “foreign mercenaries “ as Russia would call them, just give Putin “ammunition “ of a different kind.
"The United Kingdom's Foreign Enlistment Act, last updated in 1870, blocks citizens from joining foreign militaries fighting countries at peace with Britain, but it has not been applied to modern conflicts." Something to think about along with /\ and does he have any skills in that field. I think an alternative question might be, where best can he/we help?
I haven’t thought about this in terms of Ukraine but if I felt I had the skills they needed, and I didn’t have a wife n child who need me here…. Who knows. I have thought recently about if we were invaded. I would like to think I would do my bit.
My skills as a warship navigator are about 30 years out of date. I'd probably be more hindrance than help.
I like what Louey says above and totally agree. However, if we were invaded, which is highly unlikely, would I have a different perspective, I really don’t know. Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,thought provoking big styleee
@Louey, although I agree with you that war doesn't win, as long as we have people who are aggressive then we will either need to defend ourselves or let aggression win. I'd love it if this was not the case and I'd never go out looking for a fight, but if I'm honest with myself, I would defend myself and my values.
Its easy to say war doesn't win and want to play no part but history shows We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.
Funnily enough, I vaguely asked myself the same question. "Possibly" was the answer. Ukraine's war is likely to become ours - certainly for the Poles and Baltics - if Putin doesn't have the snot beaten out of him. Thing is, wouldn't just be wearing a nice bit of camo gear and camping out. With no military training, you'd be dead inside an hour. The vids from Ukraine show how utterly brutal it is. Hats off to your son for asking the question. Sounds like a good lad
Exactly. Yet presumably you're quite happy to live here. Good job folk didn't take the same attitude in years past.
Conversely - people are far more aware, should they chose to look, as to what triggers a war in the first place. i.e. who are paying said rough men to visit violence on others and why - and who and what defines others as an enemy? I'd nominate War is far from natural - its rarely the result of something sudden or unplanned - its the result of scheming and positioning. People say its in humans by instinct - to a degree I see this, but not on the scale of most wars of the last two centuries - those are not natural at all.
Plenty are quick to stand up and say yes to fighting a war, especially if it is on foreign turf. The war isn't here and I hope it never ends up here. If we talk about war, then we get war. If we talk about peace and remove the weapons of war then we stand a better chance of peace instead of inflaming the issues.
Andrew Garfield starred in a film about that fella who was a conscientious objector as a committed Christian, and wouldn’t bear arms but he still served as an army medic during WWII. For me the biggest motivation would be doing what I can to protect my family. Of course I don’t know how I would react in reality if we were invaded, but I would feel I’d have to do something.
The thought of defending home and family has dogged me for decades. I always come back to the same "approach" which is to be part of the "civilian disruptive resistance" that we've seen quite a lot of in Ukraine ... As for going abroad, well I wouldn't, but as far as the current situation goes, because all of my great grandparents were originally in one or other part of central Europe, and because my Dad left Germany in a hurry in 1933, I feel "connected" to this one, which is why I've chucked quite a lot of money (into four figures) at medical/emergency supplies for displaced civilians .......
..totally with you on this one..I wouldn’t even if whoever tried to force me to do it..I would defend my family..property maybe even the street I live on..
