If World War Three broke out, would you sign up?

Danza

Danza

Salter of Wounds
Big question, big answers.

EDIT: Before I go to sleep, and wake up to a shit-storm of angry people and otherwise rambunctious mudslinging. I just want to state the meaning of this thread. Discuss how much faith you have in your country, the world as a whole. Don't just "bullshit' "this is stupid". Actually discuss what would drive you to join or not to join. What role you would have in this falling out. What you think would happen and for god's sake this is all hypothetical. I'm not saying it's going to happen, because living in fear is unforgivable. So is being ignorant. Be cool headed and collected about your reasoning. I just want to see what you people think could or would happen, and why. Also, I don't WANT another global war to break out. The slaughter of millions of human beings because someone would think it's "cool"? I would hang myself. And finally, I'm not taking a poll. Or trying to start some radical discussion that shakes the forum to it's core. I'm trying to spur intellectual conversation with a controversial topic. That being said, take a breath. Cool off, and think before you post. Don't come in here guns blazing, unless you have something important to say.
 
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Entirely depends on the circumstances.
There are many possible scenarios so making general statements is most likely a waste of time.

If you're talking about a conventional war against an enemy of equal or lesser strength while still being a world war, I'd probably contribute to the war industry as much as possible. Potentially try to get an army job that is not in infantry, since I'd probably suck at that (busted knee & scoliosis).

In a war against an enemy of greater strength you'd be looking at a draft probably. You might not have a choice.
In an unconventional world war, I'd likely already be dead or dying. Too close to strategic targets.
 
I think that if i could afford it, i would leave the country for some place safe.
Judging by how most self-serving government treat their people i don't think that any of their flags is worth dying for.
 
Sure as hell I'll join up, willingly or not. I've spent two years in so-called compulsory military service in former Czechoslovakia, which means I'm considered a reserve military force right now. According to Slovak legislative protected by our law, all the reserve forces are called up to arms in case of war, so there's really no choice for me.

Fun fact: I'm a mobile radar station leader, with my own crew consisting of three men, trained in morse code and stuff. I've been told that estimated survivability of our radar station counts ~15 minutes from start of any armed conflict, because we are one the targets attacked with high priority in fight. So I'm pretty much fucked up when all hell will break loose. :mrgreen:
 
Seeing as progress is not made by those who kill but rather those who build: no.

In today's modern world, already living in and growing up in a first-world space, there are no speculative circumstances where signing up to lower your standing as a human being would be a wise thing to do. Were I to have grown up in some backwater alley in one of the poorest, shittiest places on the planet, different story. But then again, those such places would have no impact on "World War III", so the first answer still applies.
 
Probably not. I refused military service back then and I'm not sure if I can be forced to participate if there is a sudden need for a large army of barely trained soldiers.
If I were drafted I'd fight, though. Not that I'm particularly patriotic or anything, but being put to jail or being shot by the military police doesn't really do it for me either.
 
If a third world war happens than it doesn't matter if you sign up or not because it would be a matter of minutes. Nuclear weapons guys and other stuff of mass destruction, and if someone says, but this and that, let us only assume that Russia/USA/what-ever is only using bla bla. Won't happen. It simply won't happen. What ever weapons the loosing side has, the loosing side will use. If the landforces start to lose, the enemy will take all his nukes and bacteria and chemical stuff and release it. And than it is pretty much over. A question of minutes.

So no. I would not go in to WW3 as soldier. I mean we will all die most probably, so you could as well stay at home.
 
First of all, sign up? The only ones who are likely to war in Norway are the Ruskis, and if the Ruskis invade we are looking at a full fledged invasion, and if that happens, I suspect that "signing out" would not even be that much of an option. I would be involved, either as a soldier (we assume it would be draft) or as a refugee.

But if I had a choice in the matter, then hell no. Hell, hell no.
 
SnapSlav said:
.. first-world
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Something is telling me that this term would be redefined in third world war. We'll see shitload of rich survivors from what will remain of EU and USA fleeing to Africa after the nuclear exchange, because Africa spared from A-bombing will be the first-world then. With billions killed, heavy industry destroyed by bombing, and global economy turned into dust, our first-world surely is doomed. Riots will finish off any trace of our civilization after the dust settles. 2077 is coming! :nuclear:
 
Putting aside the fact that in most scenarios, if a hypothetical "World War III" erupted across the globe it'd probably be unlikely that they'd use conventional soldiers, whether they would replace them with drones or go full nuclear, I don't know.

I'll play along with the idea that this is a scenario where nuclear war and full on tactical-drone warfare are out of the picture, and the United Kingdom and her Allies have been pitted against a foe of equal military size and strength.

Assuming there is no draft, I wouldn't sign up voluntarily for the front lines. I'd imagine it would be pretty much suicide and if I didn't die I'd end up with some gruesome injury or permanent damage to my psychological well-being.

Not to say I'd be a white-feather holding conscientious-objector, I would probably contribute to the War Effort by getting a vital homeland job (Munitions production, factory work etc.) or perhaps a non-combatant military job.

So I'd either contribute to the War in that way or get the hell out of Britain and find a neutral country to live in whilst I wait for it to all blow over.

To answer the greater question of "How deep is my commitment to my Country", well here's the thing.

Not to sound like some romanticizing "wrong generation" idiot, but the Great Britain I grew up hearing about, reading about and studying the history of, is no more. The Britain I currently inhabit isn't one I'm proud of or would sacrifice my life for. I imagine there are other like-minded individuals who hold the same or similar opinions about their own country, such as the U.S.
 
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valcik said:
Fun fact: I'm a mobile radar station leader, with my own crew consisting of three men, trained in morse code and stuff. I've been told that estimated survivability of our radar station counts ~15 minutes from start of any armed conflict, because we are one the targets attacked with high priority in fight. So I'm pretty much fucked up when all hell will break loose. :mrgreen:
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If your command station is at the radar, rather than remote, then yes, you're about to get slagged pretty quickly. :)

AlphaPromethean said:
Putting aside the fact that in most scenarios, if a hypothetical "World War III" erupted across the globe it'd probably be unlikely that they'd use conventional soldiers, whether they would replace them with drones or go full nuclear, I don't know.
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You overestimate drone warfare. When fighting countries of equal technical level, your drones will be jammed pretty quickly, vastly reducing their capabilities.

As for full nuclear, well everyone is fucked then. Not much of a war, especially that if they go nuclear, they have no reason not to go full NBC.
 
We are the post industrial brats that have grown up with flat screens, smart phones and cheap food. Of course we hate our nations. That might be the only thing that keeps this ball we call earth safe from another World War. Not many people (luckily) feel like they should go to war about something they don't care about for people that don't care about them.
 
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This depends. If World War 3 was being fought on the other side of the globe, hell no. If there were an ACTUAL chance that the war could come to the United States though, then yeah.

Crni Vuk said:
We are the post industrial brats that have grown up with flat screens, smart phones and cheap food. Of course we hate our nations. That might be the only thing that keeps this ball we call earth safe from another World War. Not many people (luckily) feel like they should go to war about something they don't care about for people that don't care about them.
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You kind of just described the public opinion about the Vietnam War during the late 60's and 70's in a nutshell.
 
It's sort of a moot point for me, as I'm disqualified from military service in no less than three different ways, but unless it was a matter of quashing an unequivocal evil or resisting against an unjust occupying force, I'd have to give a lot of thought to the particulars of the actual situation before deciding anything. My country's got a historical problem with wrapping landgrabs and imperial brutality in the gilded cloak of Flag and Freedom, and even in the "good" wars they've got this niggling tendency to lie to the public and throw over the people who get too vocal about it. When given a choice, I try to only work for people I know I can trust.

As Crni and others have said, in the event of an unconventional war it wouldn't matter much anyway. But, presupposing relatively cooler heads prevailed and we were talking about a war people were still alive to fight, I'd try to help in whatever capacity I could (including a martial one, if it became a necessity) if my country was "in the right", as much as those words have any meaning in warfare and global diplomacy.

To be clear, I take no undue issue with fighting or dying for good people or a good cause, if more peaceful solutions can't be brokered in good conscience. Even in "just wars," though, nations kill and people die for unconscionable things, and a lot of those people are good soldiers who were recruited under the pretense of noble ideals and then thrown away on political objectives. A lot more of them are innocent civilians written off as "collateral damage." I will never be a party to that if the consequences of doing otherwise aren't patent, unthinkable, and absolute.
 
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Ignoring the world probably not surviving (as others have complained about) I'd try to assuming I'm not disqualified for reasons I don't know about (I hear they're lots of random reasons they might turn you down).

I wouldn't look forward to it of course.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
 
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