Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Confess If They'd Take Up Arms And Risk Death To Protect Their Country

People Confess If They'd Take Up Arms And Risk Death To Protect Their Country
Eduard Delputte on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

We are in troubling times friends.

Everyday the news out of Ukraine is heartbreaking.

And it makes you wonder... "What if that was us?"

Could many of us stand up and join a military resistance if we had to?

It's one thing to think about sacrificing your life, it's a whole other thing to do it.


Redditor CallMeBicBoi wanted to know who would be willing to go to war.

They asked:

"As a civilian, would you be willing to take up arms and potentially die to protect your country? Why or why not?"

I would not head to war. Mostly because I'd be useless. I faint at a pinprick of blood. So...

Coming for us all...

Greeting Us Army GIF by GoArmyGiphy

"Once the invading army starts killing civilians, I'll feel like I have no choice. They're coming after me and my family."

carsoncanArtsome

A Direct Hit

"If my country/state was under direct occupation, yes. I am willing to protect my community, family and country. If there was a draft for a war we have no business being in, no. I don't consider protecting America's capitalist interests on foreign soil important."

FR_0S_TY

Without Hesitation!

"I live in Canada. My country hasn't been invaded since we had a little scuffle with our downstairs neighbours in 1812. The idea of going to war to protect my country is an abstract, something that could theoretically happen but isn't an imminent threat. Compare that to Ukraine. It isn't an abstract concept to them."

"I'm sure many are fighting for a sense of nationalism and a desire to protect their country, but how many more are fighting because their families are being threatened? Would I go to war out of a sense of patriotic duty? No, I lack the sort of nationalistic pride that that requires. Would I go to war if that's what I had to do to keep my children safe? Without hesitation."

ThievingRock

The Helpers

"I’d probably just care for the wounded. Equally as important but I don’t want to kill anyone."

CaptainPugwash75

"This should be the top comment. Help is most frequently found through a warm hand and heart. Medical expertise is a huge bonus lol. I don't give a f**k about someone shooting at me, but the person who helps to calm a mind during a traumatic event... they have a special place."

well_rounded_mango

Things to do...

"No. I’m a coward. I’ll do anything needed here at home to help but I’d be a gibbering mess and would likely mishandle my weapon. No branch of the military wants a person who is just as likely to shoot their comrades versus the enemy."

Rachel1578

"Dig trenches, fill sandbags, and triage wounded. Hack computers, conduct targeted misinformation... there's plenty you could do to contribute."

WildBilll33t

Nobody wants to be in a war, clearly.

It's good to know there are options besides the battlefield though.

Burn it Up!

burn it season 4 GIF by PowerGiphy

"If my friends were directly at risk and we were being invaded, yes. Otherwise if it was just a draft to go overseas and kill poor people? Hell no I'd burn the draft notice."

Dire-Dog

Joe can do...

"Yes. My nation may not be perfect by a long shot, I’ll be one of the first to tell you that; but it is my home, it is where the ones I love call home as well. I’d rather die than have that be taken away. Well it’s not financially possible for some to leave and/or they already have a life that’s been built/established here. Those reasons would make it difficult to leave. Also there’s not much an average Joe can do. We can try to vote the people in that we think could change our country for the better but..."

f**kpepsi2

For Country!

"If it was to 'protect the country.' Not for some CIA game of risk or so giant multinationals make mega profits while the standard of living goes down for the average person. Certainly not so certain commodities can be secured when history has proven it isn't remotely worth it. Warmongers will figure out a narrative to make killing for greed patriotic."

HeyHihoho

Not traveling...

Cbs No GIF by HULUGiphy

"I would be willing to protect against an invasion on the continental US, but I won't be sent overseas to play world police."

superchilldad

Pray for Peace

"My country? See this is what I find strange. I find the concept of pride in something I had nothing to do with odd. I was born in Canada, I am Canadian. I'm proud of what Canada represents and the ideals we uphold, but to die for for my 'country' is something I wouldn't subscribe to."

"I'd protect my family, friends, neighbours and anyone else from a threat to their lives or way of life from a threat, internal or external. But what flag flies or where the lines are drawn on the map really mean nothing to me. Let me live my life in peace. Honestly, I think we will never see true peace until we forfeit the idea of countries and governments. Which, unfortunately, I don't think will ever happen."

Silver-Dragonfly3462

War is ugly. And there seems to be no way to fix it. So for now all we do is pray.

And to all soldiers... Thank you for your service.


Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

screenshot of debate video between Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola

Dem Candidate Trolls GOP Senator After He Was Caught Looking At Her Debate Answer In Cringey Viral Video

On Saturday in Kodiak, Alaska, Senate candidates faced off at the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce fishery debate.

Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan was to spar with his Democratic opponent, former Representative Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik and was the first Alaska Native ever elected to Congress. Sullivan is a lawyer and former state Attorney General. Peltola was a commercial fisher and former member of the state legislature.

Keep ReadingShow less
Abdul El-Sayed; Tucker Carlson
Finn Gomez/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Abdul El-Sayed Gets Unlikely Ally After Tucker Carlson Defends His Past Comments About 9/11 As 'Obviously Right'

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed found an unlikely ally in far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, who defended him amid conservative outrage over El-Sayed's past remarks about the September 11 terror attacks and their aftermath.

Conservatives lashed out at El-Sayed, a democratic socialist, after the New York Post brought attention to remarks made about the U.S. response to the attacks during a Sept. 7, 2021, episode of the America Dissected podcast.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump and Laura Ingraham
Fox News

Laura Ingraham Pressed Trump On Why He Doesn't Just Give $5k To Americans 'Now'—And We Love To See It

Fox News host Laura Ingraham had people nodding their heads after she bluntly asked President Donald Trump why he doesn't just give people money now after pledging to give every adult American a $5,000 "dividend" check if Republicans win the midterm elections.

Democrats have dismissed Trump's proposal as a bribe, and an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget determined the proposal would cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion at a time when critics are calling for the Trump administration to reel in government spending on various projects during a nationwide affordability crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Celine Dion performs on the opening night of her residency at Paris La Défense Arena on September 12, 2026.
Samir Hussein/WireImage

Celine Dion Just Made Her Triumphant Return To The Stage After 6 Years—And She Sounds Incredible

There are comebacks, and then there’s Celine Dion walking back onto a Paris stage after six years and reminding everyone exactly who she is.

Over the weekend, the 58-year-old music icon took the stage at Plénitude Arena in Nanterre, just outside Paris, for her first full concert in more than six years. It was a milestone that once seemed anything but guaranteed amid her battle with stiff person syndrome.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Johnson; Brandon Herrera
CNN

Mike Johnson Slammed After Defending MAGA House Candidate Who Gave Babies NSFW Nickname In Sexist Rant

Gun-rights activist, firearms manufacturer, and Texas Republican House candidate Brandon Herrera has drawn widespread backlash over his repeated misogynistic attacks against women, for referring to children as "c*m trophies," and for calling a Nazi-era submachine gun "the original ghetto blaster."

Herrera posted all of this on his YouTube channel and stands behind all of it without apology.

Keep ReadingShow less