What’s so bad about being a mercenary as opposed to being any other kind of combatant?
So what is the definition of a mercenary then?
For many years that’s one of the biggest reasons people joined the military. The opportunity for good pay and a share of any loot. As has been pointed out earlier, the Swiss mercenaries seemed fairly trustworthy. How many U.S. soldiers enlisted because they wanted a steady paycheck as well as other economic incentives?
I’m serious, what’s the moral difference between your average soldier and a mercenary?
Marc
Soldiers, at least, are persons who have a civil stake in the matter, and keeping armed conflict restricted to persons with a civil stake in the matter has some benefit to civilization. Many people do join the army for pay and benefits but they at least are tied into their own nation’s properly constituted armed forces and are subject - presuming it is a civilized nation - to their laws, restrictions, and discipline.
According to international law, a person who is not a resident of a party to the conflict who fights in it primarily for monetary gain, usually indicated by the fact that they are paid substantially more than equivalent regular soldiers.
What’s in a mans heart is in his heart. You can’t change hate by giving orders. But be sure that you have to watch a mercenary a whole lot closer than you would watch someone who would die for you and vice versa. Soldiers fight for each other as well as for their leaders. Be glad you don’t have to learn this by experience. I know I am.
Gee thanks, Omegaman, before you brought this up I thought war was all sunshine and lollipops. Seriously, what does your second statement have to do with mercenaries in general?
If you don’t get it you don’t get. Have you ever been in a gang ? Have you ever fought beside someone you had to trust ? No one has died in my arms but I’ve been in a few conflicts that required my dependence on my pals. It’s obvious to me you haven’t. I’m glad for you.I really am. Mercenarys get paid to be your brothers in arms. Would you trust a brother that was paid? As you don’t seem to have a clue what I’m speaking about I guess to you it wouldn’t matter. I’ll let you in on a little secret and if you don’t like it and think I’m full of shit take it to the pit. Money can’t buy the willingness for a man to die for his brother. Can you understand that?
It’s unfortunate that we as human beings do not have a way of helping one another understand the position of one another. I shall have to invent a method of conveying information between people and I shall call it communication.
Sure, why wouldn’t I? No matter how much we’re getting paid we still rely on one another for survival.
I didn’t have a clue because you weren’t communicating very effectively.
Thanks, maybe next time you could start off by saying that.
Well excuse me for being a dumb-ass. You can’t learn everything from a book contrary to popular opinion. Sometimes I forget that a lot of the people who come here don’t spend a lot of time in the real world. The pen isn’t always mightier than than sword. Sometimes a sword is the only thing that will get the job done. I’m glad you can take shelter in your words and higher learning. Thanks for the lesson. Believe me, it was my mistake trying to speak in words what only the heart knows. You’re absolutely correct in that I don’t communicate well. So I offer my most humble apologies to you, sir, and bid you a pleasant and safe day. OM
They aren’t getting paid to die. They are getting paid to fight and they are betting they won’t die. Money does cause them to take greater chances with their lives than they might not otherwise, however.
I would think it would just cause them to be more careful. I guess as Marc pointed out my communication skills seem to be lacking . The point I am trying so hard to make is that a mercenary isn’t going to step in front of a bullet to save your ass. Chances are very good that your brother (in arms) will. My brothers have taken an ugly beating to save my ass on more than one occasion. I’m just saying I wouldn’t want a mercenary watching my ass unless he was my only choice.
I think that people are forgetting that Blackwater is generally far and away superior to their foes, they are better armed and better trained. Romantic platitudes about brotherhood in arms are nice, and make great fodder for Hollywood, but really they have little relevance in a corporate world.
Well, you at least gotta admire his commitment to Reaganomics – who else would not only have created a Praetorian Guard, but then privatized it? :smack:
They are superior to their foes, who are insurgent guerrillas (which doesn’t mean the latter can’t win in the end). They are, however, inferior in armaments and training – and, most significantly, in discipline and indoctrination – to the troops of the U.S. armed forces.
I’ve read some stuff about it, and will read something good if you have something.
Something that people haven’t given much thought to in this thread is the fact that though the military has seriously stepped up it’s recruitment drives, including forcing children in school to watch military recruitment videos, and giving children’s cell phone numbers to recruiters. The military is having an extremely hard time getting it’s numbers up and has to force extend the tours of the people already serving.
There is a dirth of patriotism these days. It’s hard to be patriotic to a government that seems bought and sold to big business. The best way to protect corporate interests is with corporate security forces.
