Would You Die for Your Country? People Talk About This Complicated Question.

Patriotism is complicated and it varies among people. And it’s obviously totally different depending on the country that you come from.

Americans are typically pretty patriotic people and I think many of them would say they’d die for their country.

But it is a very complicated question…

AskReddit users shared their thoughts.

1. From the UK.

“If we were under threat then yeah. I

f we weren’t under threat and Boris was like, “let’s invade [insert Middle Eastern country]” then no.”

2. Only for a good reason.

“If there was a real enemy threatening to invade and kill or enslave my loved ones then yes

But for oil? Not happening.”

3. A strong NO.

“That’s a strong no.

No politicians are willing to work for the country.

Losing my life for the war created by them is nothing but vain.”

4. It’s complicated.

“No. Not inherently.

Dying (and worse, killing) simply ‘for your country’ has been the anthem of leaders sending the young and terrified to die in battle for centuries.

I would, however, die for the people I love, the places I choose to make my life in and the core ideals I consider most important for the benefit of mankind. At the very least, I’d go into battle for them.

What I’d really be thinking just before I die is unknowable to me – maybe I’d regret it all.

I dunno.”

5. Only for defense.

“In defense of my people, sure.

Attacking to give my people an economic advantage, no way.”

6. I just live here.

“I would die for my friends and family.

I wouldn’t die for my country, it doesn’t care for me individually.

I just happen to live here.”

7. It depends…

“Defensively: probably. If you are defending home and family it makes sense

Offensively: hell no. How many offensive wars in history were justified?

I die trying to kill some other guy just defending his home so some aristocrat a thousand kilometers away can have his moment?”

8. From Hong Kong.

“As a Hongkonger, I would die for my people against my ‘country’.”

9. Nope.

“Nah.

I’m not dying for an oil company.”

10. No way.

“Absolutely not.

I’ll fight tooth and nail for my family, but that’s it.”

11. Not gonna happen.

“Hell no.

Its a random assortment of strangers, a government I have no say in and a flag I don’t care about.”

12. Fighting Irish.

“Ireland is a small nation. We dont have much in defense. No aircraft artillery, tanks, or anything. We need our allies more than ever.

But if it came down to invasion by anyone or army of any size. I’d d*mn well defend it with everything I got.

Because its gonna take a whole lot to make us Irish quit.”

13. Arbitrary lines.

“Nope.

I don’t care about serving and protecting arbitrary lines on a map.

Most don’t, most who enlist only do it for the free college, adventure, etc. No one’s died protecting my country from an actual threat since WW2. All the deaths since then have been for absolutely nothing.

Decades of men and women sent off to die for nothing. It’s infuriating, and no one cares. I respect those who give a sh*t and would sign up if there was an actual threat, and I pity those who have or do serve and actually think anything they did/do is protecting anyone they love.

It’s all a game, paid for in blood. And everyone pretends it’s okay to just carry on like that.

Not a game I’ll ever be playing.”

14. Finland.

“The question hits pretty differently depending on where you live. When we are talking about defending Finland, we are talking about a situation where a small country known for it’s well-being, happiness and progress is being attacked by a corrupt and oppressive mafia state with population almost 30 times larger.

The original question sounds very different if you are an American with knowledge about the recent history of American military involvement than it sounds for a generic Finn.”

Finns aren’t openly that patriotic but when it comes to defending this land we are f*cking mental. We have had this discussion many times in school and with my friends and basically everyone says they would give their life for this country.”

15. Maybe…

“There’s a big difference between dying for your country and dying in the name of it.

Would I die to advance our medical knowledge or environment or something? Sure.

Would I die because some politician got angry at another country?

No thank you.”

Now we want to hear from you.

How would you answer this question?

Talk to us in the comments, please!

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This Man Turns Discarded Christmas Trees Into Canes for Veterans

You always see a ton of discarded Christmas trees dragged out onto driveways to be hauled off by garbage trucks after the holidays. I’ve never really thought about what comes next for this near-endless supply of trees, but I suppose they just decompose in the dump, releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere.

Great.

That’s not what happens to (some of) the trees in Copperas Cove, Texas, however. One local man has found a creative and important use for some of these old trees.

Jamie Willis is an Army veteran, and he’s asking people to send their old Christmas trees his way because he turns the trees into canes for fellow veterans who need mobility aids – and for other folks who require canes as well.

I'm happy you like the cane. Thanks for sharing your picture brother.

Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Thursday, March 30, 2017

Willis’ cause is called Canes for Veterans Central Texas and he’s made about 200 canes so far. Willis said, “The whole process, it’s just done off donations. I make the canes myself. Everything’s done out of pocket.”

This is the second year that Jamie Willis has reached out for tree donations, and he has been overwhelmed with this year’s response. He said, “It’s been an outpouring of donations this year, more than I ever thought I would get. Home Depot flooded me with trees, they’re sending me 400, and the rest of the community will be giving me about another 100 trees.”

Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Saturday, January 4, 2020

Willis said he usually takes an entire day to make one cane. He got the idea to start making his own because the one he was given by Veterans Affairs kept collapsing on him, and he didn’t trust it. So he reached out to an organization in Florida called Free Canes for Veterans.

The man behind that organization, Army veteran Oscar Morris, told Willis they didn’t have any more canes and instead taught Willis how to make his own. Willis then asked if he could branch off of that organization and start his own canes-for-veterans nonprofit in Texas, and Morris gave him his blessing.

Mr. Paul Miles and cane #209 standing tall. Another veteran brother who I met while at a local tire shop. And after talking with him we were honored to make him a cane. Much love and respect go out to you sir.

Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Thursday, August 8, 2019

Morris said that Jamie Willis is the fifth veteran to start their own branch of Free Canes for Veterans. Great work by all!

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Postal Service Releases New Stamps Benefiting Veterans With PTSD

One thing that our divided nation can all get together to support is helping out our veterans. And even though the task may seem daunting to many of us, one easy way we can all help out is by purchasing these new stamps the United States Postal Service has put out to benefit military veterans suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Sales of the stamps (which cost 65 cents and will cover the cost of a piece of first-class mail) will benefit the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which oversees the National Center for PTSD.

The photo of the plant sprouting from ground surrounded by dead leaves on the stamp was taken by Mark Laita. The USPS says the image on the stamp is meant to “symbolize the PTSD healing process, growth and hope.”

The USPS explained the motivation behind the stamp:

“With this semipostal stamp, the U.S. Postal Service will raise funds to help treat those impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Tens of millions of Americans will experience PTSD in their lifetimes. Today, the nation is increasingly dedicated to compassionately treating this mental health issue.

Many kinds of trauma can lead people to experience persistent symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and difficulty sleeping. Depression, anxiety, and fear can also occur. Though these symptoms may initially interrupt one’s daily life, for most people they typically dissipate over time. However, if these problems continue for more than a month, PTSD may have developed.”

Go to your local post office to pick up these stamps or you can order them online HERE. Your money will go to a great cause.

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Here’s How 3 U.S. Soldiers Fooled 15,000 Nazis into Surrendering During WWII

There were some truly awesome war stories that came out of World War II, but the story of a  U.S. soldier named Moffatt Burriss might be one of the absolute best.

In April 1945, Burriss was in Berlin as the war was winding down. He received orders from none other than General Dwight D. Eisenhower himself that he needed to stand down and let Russian troops take control of the city.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

By this point, Burriss had seen heavy combat in the Battle of the Bulge and in battles in Italy and the Netherlands, and he didn’t want to let the Russians take all the credit in Berlin.

Burriss recalled, “I said: ‘I can’t stand this any longer.’ I got in my Jeep with the lieutenant and sergeant and said, ‘Let’s go across the river and see what we can see, see if there are some [krauts] still over there…’”

That’s just the beginning of the tale. Watch the video of Burriss telling the rest of the amazing story in the video below.

After World War II, Burriss went on to become a successful businessman and a politician. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1977 to 1992. Burriss died in January 2019 at the age of 99.

A true American hero!

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In a study of 640 dream journals…

In a study of 640 dream journals conducted by Harvard, psychologists determined the dreams of prisoners in WWII POW camps were less aggressive than the standard male population. Rather than visions of extreme violence, the majority of soldiers dreamed of escape, family, loneliness, and home. 00

The longest war in recorded history…

The longest war in recorded history lasted 335 years and 19 days. It was between the Dutch and the Isles of Scilly, there were no casualties, and the Dutch actually forgot about the conflict until a Scilly historian contacted them about it in 1985. A treaty was signed between them in 1986. 00

Artists in Kashmir have started walking cabbages…

Artists in Kashmir have started walking cabbages (and other vegetables) on a leash, as a way to protest the ongoing military conflict over the region. One artist explains: “What I wanted to do basically is juxtapose the absurdity of this performance with what was happening around—the structures of violence that I was seeing around me.”

Pope John Paul II sent a letter to a US leader asking…

Pope John Paul II sent a letter to a US leader asking not to invade Iraq. When the Cardinal arrived he handed this letter to the President. He placed this letter on a table without opening or reading it then told the cardinal that he, the president, “was convinced it was God’s will”.