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professional soldiers = “our children” as if teens
Do they?
I mean isn't it just a turn of phrase, like saying 'boys', 'girls', 'mandem', etc. They're still someone's son/daughter, and is the average age is 30 or whatever, then dead ones are probably being outlived by their parents - to them they are still their children.
edit: average age for army is 30, but average age of death in Afghanistan was 22
hugo7
Hard hitting.
Not directed at you, but I find it curious how the public retains the idea that UK professional soldiers = “our children”, as if teens were still being conscripted and sent to the trenches. They're adults who made a career choice, and in the case of the SAS guys above, they’re sure as hell full grown adults with the capacity to make and own their decisions. Infantilising them removes accountability, and usually serves the purposes of one specific political tendency.