Would you go to war?

[prawn_86]

Re: Would you go to war...

Well Im going to go against the trend and say No. It would be very hard to convince me to go and fight.

 

[metric]

Re: Would you go to war...

i'll go if lachlan murdoch goes....


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[ojm]

Re: Would you go to war...

No doubt about it, if it was needed, I'd be there.

Although, I think I'd be on a support role, not a front line role (they wouldn't want engineers on the front line you'd think!).

 

[Tysonboss1]

Re: Would you go to war...

Well Im going to go against the trend and say No. It would be very hard to convince me to go and fight.

There would be plenty of other things you could do to help the cause if you couldn't stomach turning the enemy into pink mist with your own hands.

there is a whole logistic side of the conflict that requires man power, think transport, catering, communications, medical, stores control, infomation gathering,

plus plenty of community service needs if the place is getting bombed think fire fighters, collapsed building resucuers, food rationing etc etc.


But as for the original question I would answer yes, I would fight. if I couldn't fight I would be driving trucks to transport or smuggle what the boys needed,

 

[Tysonboss1]

Re: Would you go to war...

Although, I think I'd be on a support role, not a front line role (they wouldn't want engineers on the front line you'd think!).

check out this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_engineering

Are you kidding, Combat engineers are right on the front line. infact the engineer corp is 1 of only four army corps who actively fight the enemy not just in self defence, the other 3 corps are infantry, armor (tanks) and artillery, all other corps only fight in self defence.

Engineers are a vital on the front line, they help our own forces move, building bridges, roads airfeilds etc, they deny the enemy of movement by blowing up bridges, roads, constructing obsticles etc, and engineers also assist troops survive on the battle feild by building sheltor and defences such as bunkers.

Most SAS patrol groups in Afganistan have engineers embedded in them, I know of several engineers who have been wounded in battle in afaganistan.

An interesting point of history is that the first soldier to land in galipoli in WW1 was an army engineer.

Those guys in the movies that you see running forward with the troops weighed down with kilos of explosives are engineers ready to blow up obsticles,

 

[Awesomandy]

Re: Would you go to war...

In terms of war, then yes, I definitely would. However, given that I've been sitting at my desk for virtually all of my work life, I doubt I would be too much use in a combat situation. I guess I would be better at the organising, managing, or even strategy side of things.

 

[Prospector]

Re: Would you go to war...

Maybe you should ask whether mothers would be prepared to let their sons go!

 

[sam76]

Re: Would you go to war...

Well Im going to go against the trend and say No. It would be very hard to convince me to go and fight.

i guess someone has to be the profiteer, hey Prawn?

 

[ojm]

Re: Would you go to war...

Are you kidding, Combat engineers are right on the front line. infact the engineer corp is 1 of only four army corps who actively fight the enemy not just in self defence, the other 3 corps are infantry, armor (tanks) and artillery, all other corps only fight in self defence.

Engineers are a vital on the front line, they help our own forces move, building bridges, roads airfeilds etc, they deny the enemy of movement by blowing up bridges, roads, constructing obsticles etc, and engineers also assist troops survive on the battle feild by building sheltor and defences such as bunkers.

An interesting point of history is that the first soldier to land in galipoli in WW1 was an army engineer.

Those guys in the movies that you see running forward with the troops weighed down with kilos of explosives are engineers ready to blow up obsticles,

Probably depends what corp you are in as an engineer. I know my grandfather was no where near the front line as an engineer - was in secure areas/bases. And a good mate of mine's dad started as an engineer in the army (not anymore, more money elsewhere), and he says he wouldn't have been placed on the front lines - guessing he wouldn't have been a combat engineer.

With explosives, and engineer isn't needed to use them. Demolitions people would. I think they have specialist explosives people.

And lots of the building you are talking about wouldn't take place on the front line. An engineer wouldn't be needed to blow a bridge up, the air force could take care of that a lot more easily.

 

[Nyden]

No, I would never go to war - nor would I die for any cause. The 'ownership' of countries is ever changing, so why should I stand in the way of history, and to a better point; why the heck would I die for it?

Better to die an old coward, than a young hero. There's nothing after this life, so I would opt to enjoy as much time as possible here!

Oh, and on a side note, I will pose the question of whether women would be conscripted as well? It's only fair, really. Women are 'liberated' now, they vote, have jobs, are free and independant - so why should they not be expected to face the same risks, and dangers as men during a war?

 

[bunyip]

The prospect of going to war is terrifying when you find yourself in that situation.
I was called up for National Service when I was 20. Most of the nasho blokes were sent to Vietnam once they completed their two years of compulsory training, and I probably would have been too. It was possible to get out of it on the grounds of being a 'conscientious objector', but I wouldn't have gone down that road. I was willing to support my country by going to war, no question.
Thank God I failed the medical due to a recurring shoulder problem that originated when I dislocated my right shoulder in a pillow fight a few years earlier!
The army doctor failed me immediately when I told him about my shoulder - he didn't even bother to finish the rest of the medical examination. Not even any proof required...he simply took my word for it.
Two weeks later I got a letter from the army saying that I didn't meet their medical requirements. It was one of the happiest days of my life - a huge relief not to get drafted into the army afterall, and get sent over to the jungles of Vietnam to give someone the opportunity of trying to shoot my rear end off!
I can tell you, when you think you're going to war, as I thought until I failed that medical, it's a mighty scary thought. You don't know if you'll come back in a body bag, or as a cripple with an arm and a leg missing and half your face blown off, or what.

 

[Stormin_Norman]

i feel bad enough that my taxes pay for other professional killers to go to other countries and shoot them up, little own actually partaking in sanctioned murder myself.

 

[Tysonboss1]

Re: Would you go to war...

With explosives, an engineer isn't needed to use them. Demolitions people would. I think they have specialist explosives people.

And lots of the building you are talking about wouldn't take place on the front line. An engineer wouldn't be needed to blow a bridge up, the air force could take care of that a lot more easily.

Combat engineers have been on the front line in every major conflict australia has every been involved in, I have seen a photo from veitnam of an army bulldozer with a 30cal machine gun mounted on it, because the engineers were building roads through areas rife with viet cong assualt groups.

It takes a good understanding of engineering to conduct demolitions efficiantly and quickly with limited resources. especially when those resources are limited by what you can carry on the back of maybe 6 men.

I could easily see civil engineers being conscripted to lead groups of sappers ( a sapper is what a private in the engineer corp is called) to carry out taskes

In a full on war situation Air power will not be wasted on tasks that can be conducted by ground forces.

What do you mean the building I am talking about wouldn't be on the front line, where else are the feild defences going to be, If we need to move trucks and tanks engineers build the bridges, roads to move them.

 

[Tysonboss1]

Re: Would you go to war...

I think they have specialist explosives people.

yes, they are called combat engineers. I was one.

 

[gfresh]

No.. While it may seem brave to go to war and save the country, at the end of the day, it may be the honorable thing, but you are still could well be dead. There is no honour in being dead to me.

If an enemy was amongst the streets of Australia, and we were *directly* defending our country from attack, then maybe I could feel differently as it may be a matter of life and death anyhow.

Would it be harder to have a conscription these days with the information flow these days? People are a lot more educated, have seen a lot more of what goes on in war, know the horror involved, seen the movies even which do not show it in an honorable light. I am not sure as many would be willing to sign up when information flows so quickly, compared to say the World Wars, where it could take days, even weeks to get news from the other side of the world, and stories were only recounted via the written word or very censored film reels.

 

[Trevor_S]

Imagine this...WW3...full scale war...not naming races or anything...just a question:

- Would you give up everything you have known to defend the country that has treated you so well?

No. I feel no more affinity to the guy that lives next door to me, then to the guy living across the ocean from me, their lives are held in equal esteem in my eyes.

Unfortunately I am in the minority, humans love to hurt and kill each other to show how right they are and I can only hope I am brave enough to stand by my convictions if the time arises and not pick up the metaphorical sword.

 

[Tysonboss1]

If an enemy was amongst the streets of Australia, and we were *directly* defending our country from attack, then maybe I could feel differently as it may be a matter of life and death anyhow.

.

It would seem unwise to wait for the enemy to have landed a sizeable invasion force with an established control centre with logistics and supply chains, before you would think to act.

by the time the enemy troops are conducting patrols on our streets the war is over.

 

[noirua]

I always fancied carrying the flag into battle. If it gets a bit rough I could quickly gallop out of there, on a horse of course, to save the flag and honour of Australia.

 

[nunthewiser]

YES

i would gladly fight to defend my way of life

everyone wants everything for nothing these days and thats great but just dont whine to me if one day you under another countrys not so free and easy living ways because you were too comfortable in your armchair to get off ya ass to fight to keep the great lifestyle we have

 

[sting]

I would not have a choice but I wouldnt want to go as a 9 mile sniper tho(My Original Posting) gimme a AW50F any day. I often get told those who can do whose who can't teach. Give me the chance to prove that even tho I am on the other side of 40 my marksmanship is as good as it ever was. Me last qualify was a spread of 53mm.

But seriously anyone who would not stand up to defend his country does not deserve to live here. Ok I accept those who would not put their hand up to go to the sandpit and play but when it comes to the crunch and the enemy have taken PNG and waiting to cross over I doubt very few would not be in the mindset to "Pick up a weapon and follow me".

And TysonBoss you have left out one highly regarded group of CE's. The Tunnel rats of Nam, I served under one of these blokes in the early 80's. I still see him and concider him a mate but even to this day he doesn't talk a lot about his experiences over there.