I don’t agree with the opinion of “mr” Kissinger that soldiers are dumb. It is the situation, who makes them seem dumb. The army has a strong pyramidal power structure. All the power at the top and noting left for the bottom. By not following orders they take a great risk. It is their job, often chosen by lack of other opportunities. The top (the Kissinger’s and Co) get well paid without great or even any risk. Kaiser Wilhelm, the top leader of the German Army in World War One was sent to exile in The Netherlands. He lived in a beautiful castle. His soldiers had to live in prison camps. I am a pacifist, I despite war and violence. But I served as an officer in the Royal Dutch Air Force in 1967 and 1968. In those years it was a duty to serve. A short medical check and that was it. Refusal meant prison. The payment was idiotic, about 150 dollars a month. But this system had an advantage. I would never have asked my soldiers to do things they do nowadays. And I was absolutely not alone in that opinion. I and my companions didn’t have the risks the modern professional soldiers have. We didn’t plan a military carrier. Our job was only temporary. The Aby Graib drama would never have happened in our days. On the other hand we should realize that we choose the government. So the soldiers do their job for us. As I said, I am a pacifist. I hate violence and so the ultimate violence: WAR. The only thing I can do is to vote for a party who also hates war. But in the meantime I have to support the soldiers who do their job for my country. They deserve my respect.
