This means war.

[Gandalf]

War.
Not many people here will be able to say they know what it is. We have some members from the Former Yugoslavian states, and some from other countries in the Middle East who have been close to it.
But most here have not the slightest idea what it is to live in a war. And while they should be happy to enjoy that situation, instead it shows that they have forgotten it can be very different.
The situation of being in a war is not just about putting bombs or like playing Counter-Strike. Most people who land unprepared in a real war, will die in 5 minutes unless someone saves them.
It looks ok in a game, but when you are in reality facing other human beings and have to choose to kill or be killed, it changes your mind forever. Nothing will be the same once you made the choice.
Many soldiers use alcohol or drugs to help their mind process their acts. Others close their mind, and human life will never again have value for them.
But there is not a single human who stays the same after being in a war.
And not just soldiers. When you live in a warzone, life has to go on. You still have to go to work, get your hands on food and live as much of your life as you can.
But while you do this, you have to listen for airplanes who might release bombs. Avoid snipers or rogue soldiers whose mind has gone so far they shot aat anything.
When you get up in the morning, you do not know if you will be alive in the evening, and wonder which person you know will die today.
When you go to sleep, you do not know if you will wake up, and what terrible news will await you.

In a war there is no winner. A country may declare victory, another may admit defeat. But everyone who has been touched by the war has lost.
Lost lives, lost part of their soul and humanity.

Those of you who see this as just a story, count yourself lucky, and hope you will never understand the full meaning.
Those who understand it, my thoughts are with you.

Whenever you feel the need to swear and flame. Whenever you wish someone disease or death. Whenever you get yourself mad about a virtual game.
Whenever you feel bullied by some words on your computer. Whenever you feel that people should do what you hope for and it did not happen.
Consider for one moment how it would be if every day you saw people disappear never to return. How it would be if you were forced to go and kill people, knowing some of them could be.
How it would be if every disconnection of a number of people could mean their houses, and maybe lives, were lost.

The coming days you may meet elderly men dressed in uniforms. They know that today's young people care more for their iPhone as for what happened a long time ago. And they do not mind, as they understand you have no idea.
If you meet them, for once do something strange. Go up to them, and thank them for what they did.
It will not restore the part of the soul they lost in war. But is will make them believe it was worth it.

[Salmonella]

The topic title was a surprise, didn't expect this. It's true that deeds of soldiers in the past are often forgotten. The older the deed, the less attention it gets.

[Ratko Gavrilovic]

Very true, and I completely agree with this:

In a war there is no winner. A country may declare victory, another may admit defeat. But everyone who has been touched by the war has lost.
Lost lives, lost part of their soul and humanity.

[EliteTerm]

I've had every respect for veterans, and I would love to extend my thanks to their service.. but I feel uneasy walking up to them and give them my thanks, because I do not know what they saw, I do not know what they have suffered through or do things or see something that will scar them for the rest of their life.

Would I be thanking them for their service, or thanking them for having to suffer the consequences?

[Exterminator]

Im a teengage boy in India, still forced in my "shell".
I guess im lucky i havent met things as dire as that, the most i see is tiny fights and cursings in schools, and to think that life could extend to such an extent is hard for me to comprehend, This post certainly changed some of my mind, just thinking of the conditions of those people...
My parents still tell me tales of under the british rule and under the pakistani invasions, the tortures under the british, the donations in the war, they told me that people around them even sent over 75 percent of their food reserves to the border as donations, and together pitched in to just about survive. I can only imagine the horror that would of went down on the battlefield, especially during the '47 wars...Back then the Indians and paks were literally best bros, seperated by governments, i can only imagine what soldiers such as them had to bear, knowing that they are definately going to hit innocents and friends...

[Witchking]

a small touch of the feelings some of them felt, and some of them did not...


Soldier homecoming surprise mix


My thoughts are with the persons that never felt the feelings this kids and Soldiers, does in this video!

[McGarrett]

Is this relevant to the Community of Argonath ? Anyway, my father was a U.S Navy SEAL

[Gandalf]

Is this relevant to the Community of Argonath ?

There are more important things in life as complaining about the best way to play an online game.

[McGarrett]

There are more important things in life as complaining about the best way to play an online game.

Yeah, I know. But, I am usually not the person that moans about a game.

[Ben.]

Well, I'm happy to see this on a day other than remembrance sunday, when people normally seem to remember...
good topic.

[JayL]

They know that today's young people care more for their iPhone as for what happened a long time ago.

And that alien majority will not get their eyes off their iPhones until a harsh time makes them do something else if they don't want a handicap or death. Not necessarily guns war as we usually think of when using the word.

[Cofiliano]

No one knows what war is until it hits your doorstep and your whole life changes cause of it.

I'm actually happy that new generations in Serbia are more into iphones(altough I usually hate when I see them more on PC/iphones/etc instead of playing outside with their friends like we used to do)  then runing to shellters as part of their childhood, cause that means war is far away from them, and Us.

Of course, knowing your history, respecting your heroes their sacrifises, and veterans is something that you get teached at your home.

[Jack Rosso]

There two victims in a war,

The soldiers, the civilians..

Look at the person on the high seat, often out of the spotlight but the real creator of death.

[Teddy]

Wow. All I can say

This was interesting, even tho I don't know what its like and as Gandalf said; to me its just a story as I don't live in an area where this is a problem. This message does state some really powerful and truthful facts about the world we do live in.

[Dillon]

I will never be able to grip this concept but living in the US I see what happens to a society that is takes things for granted and even I myself will admit to taking things to for granted. I have plans on joining the Armed Forces of the Unites States but time will make that decision for me. The toll that war has on a land is only seen during the war, after the war the media and the world stops thinking about that region and it is left to deal with what has just happened on it's own. There is no such thing as a war for good or for that matter a good war.