# Who were the last soldiers to actually "Fight for my freedoms"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 16, 2016, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070 "2016-09-16T08:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/21 "2016-09-16T16:21:32Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > 1812 or 1865, depending on how you choose. > > Or perhaps the Civil Air Patrol and Atlantic Fleet in WW2. > > Maybe the guys/gals sitting inside ICBMs launch complexes? > > The Air Forces on 9/11? > > Depends on how you quantify. How about the 101st Airborne Division in 1957 [101st Airborne Division - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101st_Airborne_Division#Civil_rights) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/22 "2016-09-16T16:24:33Z")
Suppose the United States hadn’t intervened in WWII, and Nazi Germany had run roughshod over all of Europe, and Japan had run roughshod over all of Asia. Wouldn’t the civil liberties, freedoms, etc. of American citizens\* at home in the US \*still be largely unaffected? International commerce, etc. would be affected, but that’s not the same as freedoms at home. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/23 "2016-09-16T16:27:56Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I disagree on both counts. Do you believe the press was freer to opine on whatever topic they felt before or after the Charlie Hebdo attack? > > The San Bernardino shooters weren’t victims of bigotry. He was born in Chicago, attended Cal State, and got a cushy job with the county government. She had been granted a green card just months before the attack. > > You’re doing some serious victim-blaming here. How so? Do you think ISIS would be able to recruit young impressionable Muslim Americans to do their bidding if they felt welcomed here? ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/24 "2016-09-16T16:28:28Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I would say WW II. The US would have been fine if Korea had been lost, save for some cheap car imports being lost. Vietnam was indeed a loss, rendering the lives lost wasted. Afghanistan may have been cathartic, but bombing would have been a whole lot cheaper. Iraq was the single biggest mistake in history. Defeating the Nazis was indeed imperative and in my opinion the last time US blood was shed in the cause of freedom. WW2 was not about American freedoms. The Japanese had neither the ability nor desire to invade and conquer the US. What they wanted was control of Asia and the oil needed to fuel their conquest of Asia. Likewise in Europe Germany was no threat to the US they had their hands full fighting the Soviets and wanted to conquer Europe. So WW2 was fought for the freedom of Asians and Europeans. However if the Japanese had been successful in conquering Asia and the Germans successful in conquering Europe they would have probably turned their focus to America at some point. Likewise Vietnam and Korea were not about American’s freedom but rather stopping an agressively expansionist country before they were able to directly threaten our country and our freedoms. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/25 "2016-09-16T17:13:35Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > Do you not think that the terrorists on 9/11 were trying to take our freedoms away? > > Because there are thousands of Americans who died that day who aren’t free to do a damn thing. No, they weren’t trying to take our freedoms away. They were trying to get our own government to take our freedoms away. And it worked perfectly. They won that one. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/26 "2016-09-16T17:30:32Z")
Personally I’d stretch the definition and call your white blood cells “your soldiers”. They fight for you every damned day! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/27 "2016-09-16T19:08:57Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > You can’t be serious. President Obama has all but hugged every Muslim over the last 7 years, under the exact belief you outlined. That big bad Bush was a bad bad man, and if only we were nice as you outlined, they’d leave us alone. > > How is that working for you? If Obama had been as wary about Al Qaeda as Bush had, then maybe Obama would have avoided so many devastating terrorism deaths, unlike the peaceful Bush era. Heck, if he had been very vigilant, he may have taken out bin Laden, but I guess we’ll never know, since he was bagged under Bush’s reign. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/28 "2016-09-16T19:14:39Z")
The vast majority of terrorism in the USA is a police, not military issue. The San Bernandino and Pulse shootings were both committed by Americans who were already here. Hundreds of small terrorist attacks have been committed by white supremacists, anti-abortion conservatives, or other random lone wolves. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/29 "2016-09-16T19:31:39Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > How so? Do you think ISIS would be able to recruit young impressionable Muslim Americans to do their bidding if they felt welcomed here? They would have only felt welcome under an Islamic government. You are blaming the victims. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/30 "2016-09-16T22:28:48Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I disagree with this. ISIS is not a threat to us. The only reason they are ab;e to recruit home grown American Muslims is because there is so much bigotry Muslim Americans have to deal with. > > Take away the bigotry and ISIS loses all it’s power to do harm here in the states. There are other reasons why they can feel isolated in American society. The older Tsarnaev brother, for one, just couldn’t fit in, as some American kids can’t. It doesn’t have to be, and isn’t in some cases, because of bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/31 "2016-09-16T22:43:35Z")
If “freedoms” is simply equated to ensuring the safety of human lives then all sorts of people fight for your freedoms, including cops, firefighters, doctors, ambulance drivers, bridge inspectors, people who regulates food, medicine, industry, and so on. I don’t think this is what is typically meant by the phrase. > [@Bill\_Door](#): > > No, they weren’t trying to take our freedoms away. They were trying to get our own government to take our freedoms away. Can you cite a terrorist claiming this as their goal? > [@BobLibDem](#): > > Iraq was the single biggest mistake in history. How is it worse than Vietnam? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/32 "2016-09-16T22:46:14Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Iraq was the single biggest mistake in history. No abandoning Iraq was the single biggest mistake. ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/33 "2016-09-16T22:50:54Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > WW2 was not about American freedoms. Indeed. And in fact, with the military running the internment camps, one could make a powerful argument that (at least some) American soldiers were actually fighting against our freedoms in WW II. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/34 "2016-09-17T02:15:02Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > My apologies, I meant in US history. Yes, Hitler was a fool for invading the USSR. LBJ would love you. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/35 "2016-09-17T02:18:31Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > How so? Do you think ISIS would be able to recruit young impressionable Muslim Americans to do their bidding if they felt welcomed here? They’ve been far less successful here than in Europe precisely because Muslims are treated better here than in Europe. Not of course that we don’t have room to improve. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/36 "2016-09-17T03:15:58Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The soldiers that killed OBL were fighting for our freedom. How so? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/37 "2016-09-17T06:45:35Z")
By killing OBL. If he wasn’t trying to spread his ideology across the planet through mass murder and deserved ti die then no one did/does. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/38 "2016-09-17T07:29:08Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > By killing OBL. If he wasn’t trying to spread his ideology across the planet through mass murder and deserved ti die then no one did/does. Did he have a trial? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/39 "2016-09-17T07:38:41Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > By killing OBL. If he wasn’t trying to spread his ideology across the planet through mass murder and deserved ti die then no one did/does. Once again. Killing OBL defended American freedom because \ Please to fill in the blank. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070/40 "2016-09-17T07:45:04Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > No. The War of 1812 was a far better case for defending American freedom than any war since but the ACW. English law allowed impressment of English citizens into the navy, even after the American Revolution was over Americans were still considered born Englishmen by the crown and were impressed regularly. A British naval ship would stop an American merchant ship, decide it needed more sailors and take American citizens against their will. There were other factors at play, but this denial of human rights was rightfully a huge driving force to war. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-last-soldiers-to-actually-fight-for-my-freedoms/766070.md?page=3)