Amnesiac: What you say does appear to be a more prevalent trend today than it used to be. In my time in I remember two specific things pertinent to this conversation.

The first was a friend of mine. My units fighting strength was very small, (@ 100 compliment), but due to the nature of the unit we were armed, equipped and had the communication ability of a unit 3 times our size so we had technicians seconded to us to maintain the equipment. In war the technicians would not necessarily follow us into the war zone so for some it seemed like a nice post - many had no boss in their own trade - . Ollie was a great guy but he didn't realize when he volunteered that Northern Ireland was certainly a place that the "tradesmen" would follow us to..... This led to a discussion that really ended in the fact that Ollie only joined up to get a trade - he had never contemplated having to actually use a weapon. Being on the unit I was on this was something of a shock - that _anyone_ could join any branch of the military and not understand that there is always a possibility that you will be required to fight - to the death if necessary - when told to do so.......

The other was the Falklands War. I clearly remember the news that the Argentinians had invaded and kicked the 20 or so Royal Marines off the islands. Everyone on my unit felt the same - Let's go and take them back, now!!! My units reason for being formed was to take and hold a forward enemy airfield until relieved.... "An Airfield too Far" and all that.... The main thrust of the attack to regain the Falklands took place on the west of the islands away from Port Stanley. It was deemed by the higher ups that my unit would be perfectly suited to assault the airport at Port Stanley which was on a small peninsula connected by a narrow ithsmus on the extreme east of the island and that the position would be defensible and cut off the Argies who were sneaking C-130 supply planes in at night. The plan came down and we were confined to our home airfield. Everyone without exception was all fired up - we would be the first British unit to parachute into action since World War II, ( or Suez, I think the paras jumped in there - I don't recall which but it was a long time ago.... ). Then they issued the wills to be filled out. The entire unit went noticably quiet.... You see, we had been having one salient little point being drummed into us for years - 30% of you will be dead within 48 hours of "P"-hour, (the moment you begin leaving the aircraft). The "silence" was deafening as people realized that even if they survive, 1/3rd of all their friends will be dead in a few days - (you know _everyone_ on a unit of just 100 men). That period of introspection lasted about 24 hours and, to a man, everyone was back to the "OK, lets go kill some Argies" attitude just as they had been 2 days before. Nothing had changed. As it was, even though we were "gee'd up" three times - containers packed, parachutes drawn, fitted and checked in readiness for a flight directly from England to a point 400' above Port Stanley airfield we ever went. The weather forecast always had winds in excess of 18 knots and our parachute limit was 13 knots, (even though many of us had jumped at 20 knots in training). It was deemed that because of the nature of the Drop Zone, surrounded by the South Atlantic, a simple navigational mistake by the aircrew could place the entire unit in the South Atlantic with winds that high. A dip in the South Atlantic leaves you unable to function in less than a minute, (extremeties cease to function), and dead in a minute or two after that. We were livid!!!! Utterly furious - we bitched moaned and complained to anyone who would listen - and a few that wouldn't.....

You say that people aren't "happy" about going to war today...... Maybe things have changed or maybe people don't realize the commitment you make when you join the military any more. I do know that when I was a soldier, (20+ years ago), we were all volunteers, we were all professional soldiers, (very few got to our unit if they were only signed up for three years - 9 years or more was the norm), and we all wanted to fight. Maybe we were all insecure and wanted to "prove" ourselves - I dunno..... But this attitude you mention certainly does not come from the kind of soldiers I served with..... And not one of them would have wanted a conscript standing next to them if the proverbial poop hit the rotating thingy.......