Is volunteering for combat duty selfish?

[RobinFinderson]

If you have a family at home?

I suppose it would depend on the nature of the war. The BOM contains examples where if family men didn't take up arms, the families would be wiped out.

But signing up for the marines with a wife and children at home is quite a different situation. Assuming a fairly conservative LDS stance, that a man's primary responsibility is first to God, Second to Family, Third to Church and Country, then what are we to make of the family man that puts himself in harm's way?

[il Padrino Ute]

How do we know that if he didn't sign up for the military, that his family won't be wiped out?

[RobinFinderson]

How do we know that if he didn't sign up for the military, that his family won't be wiped out?

Well we always have to consider the odds. At the moment, odds of family getting wiped out by an enemy attack is somewhere near the odds of SU getting an oil massage from Max Hall while the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders jump out of a cake wearing nothing but their pom poms. Odds of man dying in Iraq? Much higher.

But seriously, are those the kinds of assumptions that have to be made to justify signing up?

[il Padrino Ute]

Well we always have to consider the odds. At the moment, odds of family getting wiped out by an enemy attack is somewhere near the odds of SU getting an oil massage from Max Hall while the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders jump out of a cake wearing nothing but their pom poms. Odds of man dying in Iraq? Much higher.

But seriously, are those the kinds of assumptions that have to be made to justify signing up?

Justify signing up to who?

The reason there is a low chance that families would be wiped out here is because people are willing to fight the enemy on enemy soil.

Now, I'll turn the tables a bit. Would you prefer the military in this country not be voluntary? I get the feeling you wouldn't volunteer, but you could get drafted.

[RobinFinderson]

Justify signing up to who?

The reason there is a low chance that families would be wiped out here is because people are willing to fight the enemy on enemy soil.

Now, I'll turn the tables a bit. Would you prefer the military in this country not be voluntary? I get the feeling you wouldn't volunteer, but you could get drafted.

Justify to whom? To one's self. To God. To the wife and children. There is a reason both the military and mafia have traditionally recruited single men as soldiers.

I strongly support the draft because I strongly oppose war. War is the most evil thing that man can do. This is true even of the good wars. I would prefer that we approach something as grave as war with a democratic mind rather than a corporate one. Right now the military industrial complex has too tight a grip around our military policy. If an inescapable draft were the law of the land, I think America would be far more reluctant to go to war.

[wuapinmon]

If you have a family at home?

I suppose it would depend on the nature of the war. The BOM contains examples where if family men didn't take up arms, the families would be wiped out.

But signing up for the marines with a wife and children at home is quite a different situation. Assuming a fairly conservative LDS stance, that a man's primary responsibility is first to God, Second to Family, Third to Church and Country, then what are we to make of the family man that puts himself in harm's way?

I've always been told by stake presidents when I've gotten a big calling that my duty was to, in order,

1) myself
2) my family
3) my employer
4) the Church

If you have a wife and kids and you volunteer for combat duty, maybe the extra pay and bonuses are needed to keep the family afloat. After all, can't some soldiers qualify for food stamps on what little they make? I should check that against snopes.com