Question of the month. Could the US fight a war like WWII again.

[slimmer13]

"What is happening to our young
people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They
ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions.
Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?" - Plato

Exactly! Every generation since the dawn of time, thought that their generation was the last good generation and that the next one was worthless. I am 33 and can tell I am getting old when I catch myself looking at youth with disdain. Adversity and life experience builds character, but you cant judge a young person who has had niether too harshly.

There are many examples of exemplary youths as well as many examples of "wastes of air" but I believe that the ratio between them has remained constant from my grandfathers generation to my kids generation.

 

[Sling Blade]

Women do not belong anywhere near a battlefield

The Soviet army of WWII would beg to differ.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[davemata]

I do everyday. I'm a recruiter for the Marine Corps. Media will have you believe that our younger generations don't have what it takes. There are plenty of young folks who I would, and probably will share battle space with in the future.

I see a lot of content from the people of that age group in my business. I guess you could say I'm in the media, marginally... and I firmly believe they have (in general) neither the wherewithall to understand a concept greater than self, the intelligence to be trained, the discipline to listen to others, nor the courage to face any challenges.

 

[davemata]

Women do not belong anywhere near a battlefield

Women won their equality, they have every right and duty to die there like the next enlisted person.

 

[trainsktg]

The Russian army of WWII would beg to differ.

Let's not forget Anna Timofeeva (a WWII Russian fighter pilot), Chandragupta Maurya's 700 female hoplite bodyguard, Anne Bonny or Mary Read, etc etc etc. Badasses all.

Keith

 

[Sling Blade]

I see a lot of content from the people of that age group in my business. I guess you could say I'm in the media, marginally... and I firmly believe they have (in general) neither the wherewithall to understand a concept greater than self, the intelligence to be trained, the discipline to listen to others, nor the courage to face any challenges.

As my uncle (WWII vet) always said, "You can't know what a person is made of until he gets good and mad".

 

[Sling Blade]

Let's not forget Anna Timofeeva (a WWII Russian fighter pilot), Chandragupta Maurya's 700 female hoplite bodyguard, Anne Bonny or Mary Read, etc etc etc. Badasses all.

Keith

And in today's world, the IDF: Women in the Israel Defense Forces - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[ocarolan]

...Today I seriously doubt that the public would tolerate those levels of casualties.

Put bluntly, people today value their life way more than the folks of that era. People today grow up with the expectation to live 75 years or more. Back then, chance was an acceptable way to die.

If you asked a typical young man today to board a Waco CG-4A glider, would he consent?

If you assigned a public construction worker to Hoover Dam (112 deaths) at ordinary pay, would he consent?

For perspective, a young guy recently sued $3.5 million due to emotional and mental distress - for contracting poison ivy. Times have changed.

 

[The B]

If you assigned a public construction worker to Hoover Dam (112 deaths) at ordinary pay, would he consent?

What exactly is your point? That he SHOULD? The only reason those poor sonsububblegumes DID do dangerous work was because it's all there was. If you go back in time and ask those same workers if they'd rather work under our modern conditions, every man would.

 

[ORHunter79]

I see a lot of content from the people of that age group in my business. I guess you could say I'm in the media, marginally... and I firmly believe they have (in general) neither the wherewithall to understand a concept greater than self, the intelligence to be trained, the discipline to listen to others, nor the courage to face any challenges.

Hm. We must be in two different worlds. You should go to a graduation any Friday in San Diego, you might change your mind. You'd have the privilege to watch Intelligent, well trained, team oriented Marines walk across the parade deck. I can assure you they are disciplined and have overcome many challenges to earn the title Marine.

 

[Sling Blade]

Put bluntly, people today value their life way more than the folks of that era. People today grow up with the expectation to live 75 years or more. Back then, chance was an acceptable way to die.

If you asked a typical young man today to board a Waco CG-4A glider, would he consent?

If you assigned a public construction worker to Hoover Dam (112 deaths) at ordinary pay, would he consent?

Those folks didn't know any differerent. I am sure people in the future will look at some of the jobs folks are doing today and think they were low paying and dangerous. It's all in perspecitve to the reality of the times.

 

[Grunwald]

And in today's world, the IDF: Women in the Israel Defense Forces - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sure, and the WNBA players look like they are awesome, until they play a NBA team.

 

[Sling Blade]

Sure, and the WNBA players look like they are awesome, until they play a NBA team.

Your analogy is probably right if wars were still fought with rocks and sticks; however, modern war is largely technical so size and strength don't play as big a role.

 

[gearhead]

Women do not belong anywhere near a battlefield

Or on ships.

 

[ocarolan]

The only reason those poor sonsububblegumes DID do dangerous work was because it's all there was. If you go back in time and ask those same workers if they'd rather work under our modern conditions, every man would.

Exactly - modern conditions and vaccines have essentially guaranteed us a long, healthy life. So we're less inclined to risk it than previous generations.

Put another way, my Grandpa saw death randomly strike the folks around him on a daily basis pre-WWII - influenza, brawls, workplace accidents, etc. So the prospect of dying early in a war just wasn't as big a deal to him as to me.

 

[Grunwald]

Your analogy is probably right if wars were still fought with rocks and sticks; however, modern war is largely technical so size and strength don't play as big a role.

Those weapons still need to loaded and maintained. Pilots get shot down and have to try to survive. A lot of ground forces are still used. If I were in thr military I would not want a woman fighting next to me. I want someone who can pick me up and carry me to safety if I am injured.
Too many tv shows and movies like Xena, Resident Evil and Underworld have made too many people think that women can be super warriors. That's Holywood and is about as realistic as a 30 round M16 magazine lasting 60 seconds on full auto.

 

[PBinWA]

This is an interesting question. IF you study history, there were A LOT of pacifists in 1940-41 who saw thw writing on the wall, and did NOT want the USA to get involved in the war in Europe, They had had enough of WWI, and were not so far removed from that war that it wasn't still fresh in their minds. If Japan had not declared war on the US, it may very well be that we never would have had "the Greatest Generation."

I agree. The ramp up to the war also took time and a draft. The US has the resources, manpower, and technology to do it again - if they had to. Those slacker kids will get into line after boot camp and some reality.

 

[Sling Blade]

Those weapons still need to loaded and maintained. Pilots get shot down and have to try to survive. A lot of ground forces are still used. If I were in thr military I would not want a woman fighting next to me. I want someone who can pick me up and carry me to safety if I am injured.
Too many tv shows and movies like Xena, Resident Evil and Underworld have made too many people think that women can be super warriors. That's Holywood and is about as realistic as a 30 round M16 magazine lasting 60 seconds on full auto.

Tell you what (and no threat implied) I don't know how big or old of a guy you are but I am betting my sister in law (Captain, UP Army MP, retired) would take you and many of the guys on this site to the cleaners. I am not a small guy by any means and she can lift and move just as much as I can.

 

[RoneKiln]

I ask any and all to google Audie Murphy and tell me we have a bunch of him, today

My Grandpa served alongside Audie Murphy. Swears to this day that the only reason he (my Grandpa) got home alive was that he was the only one that knew how to cook, so everyone fought like hell to keep him alive. Only thing he'd ever say of Audie Murphy was "I dunno what happened to that poor boy 'fore he signed up, but he was dead inside. You could see it in his eyes. He had no intention of ever coming back. He did all he could to get himself killed and it musta been the grace of God hisself that kept him safe."

So I'm inclined to believe we might have a few Audie Murphy's around. The real question is if any of them would have the luck to suppliment their courage and resolve (or possibly just suicidal tendencies) that Audie apparently had.

The only other story my Grandpa would tell was how an officer came by to send 50 men from his unit back home for R&R, but only 16 were left. They were unable to allow the entire unit to leave the field, so they were told only one could go home. They drew straws and my Grandpa won.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

The Soviet army of WWII would beg to differ.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Desperation and communism don't make for a good combination for a free people. Women are not "equal" even if they can fight out of desperation