Comments on unarmed soldiers

27 Sept 07

Comments on unarmed soldiers, from a puzzled friend in the Philippines:

"...aren't soldiers in uniform supposed to 'look militaristic?' When they don't, who will?

When the situation has deteriorated to the point wherein a government sends in warfighters, then one would think 'war' is to be expected, and those fighters must be geared for battle. In your Country, military bureaucrats are apparently more afraid of their own soldiers than they are of enemy soldiers!

Missiles fail. Airplanes conk out. Ships run aground. Tanks run out of gas. But, a competent Operator with a rifle, armed with unimpeachable resolve, will never fail the flag under which he serves.

No one fears sheep. But, even elephants respect tigers."

Comment: "One seldom errors when attributing (1) extreme actions to vanity, (2) average ones to habit, and (3) petty ones to fear"

/John