Some friends and I were bs-ing and someone came up with the subject of becoming a freedom fighter or mercenary somewhere.  We started talking about, with some little skirmishes starting every now, how easy or hard it may be to join some group or force or individually fight for money or adventure or both.  Much reference came about from US citizens joining freedom fighters in (I believe) Bosnia.  We became surprisingly eager to know more.  Some of us are military and ex.  Wondering what you guys think.  Appreciate any comments.  Just some good conversation.  
Thanks  [sniper]

i gotta ask,

could you elaborate on how it would be a good thing or fun or cool or entertaining to go to a foreign land and be paid (or not) to kill people in a war you have no stake in??  [and everyone can save the comments about how the US mil/NATO/UN does this same thing.  we're talking about civvies hopping a plane...]

i really want to know what you think about these issues.  seriously.

scott out

i think fighting for adventure or profit is when war becomes wrong and sinnfull. i know that the 50s 60s era merc is kinda like a grown mans gijoe fantasy, present speaker included. movies like the wild geese get me thinking about it. but i do recognize it is wrong. and as far as easy? i would say easy to get killed fast.  

Part of me is still interested in setting people free of oppression.  Part of me still wants the money.  But part of me knows that this [b]is[b] the money.  Perhaps living life to it's fullest and making some changes that I can really see.  Maybe to learn something about myself and others and the world.  Or to experience first hand what the 11 o'clock news talks about.  Even be a snowflake that lands on the side I want and start an avalanche.  Make a change basically.  To my life and others.  Or we can just be comfortable and content with our cush lives in the 9 to 5.
Walk in a straight line Johnny!  

holes45:

Sounds like you should join the Peace Corp or some other similar organization.  

My cousin volunteered and worked in a Vietnamese refugee camp in border of Thailand during late 70's to early 1980's.  He said it was no fun watching little babies die in his arm from lack of food, diseasee, lack of desire to live, etc.  He has a leather belt with "X"s on it which represent each child that dies in his arms.  Damn leather looks like snake skin.

Death has no excitment or thrill... just fear and dismay.  

   

Is the name yobo a korean word?  Just curious.  
Anyway, I am just trying to spark some conversation on the subject.  Not right or wrong as much as possible or likely.  

Is the name yobo a korean word?  Just curious.  
Anyway, I am just trying to spark some conversation on the subject.  Not right or wrong as much as possible or likely.

edit noted for accidental resubmission.

Yes, it means something like "honey" or "sweetie"... what spouses call each other.

Thought it was.  Thanks.

For you to take part in one of those foreign wars as a merc would require some or all of the following:
1. Already having money.  Many of the Americans who took part in the various Eastern European conflicts recently were ethnic-Americans who went with a pantload of money collected from the folks here to help with the conflict back in "old country."  They "got" to fight as a fringe benefit, you might say.  Similar things have happened in Ireland and the Mid-East.
2.  Ability to fluently speak the native language or a common language in the area where you plan to fight.  Relatively easy during the golden age of mercdom in the 60's.  All that fighting took place in countries throwing off a colonial yoke.  If you spoke French and Portugese you were good to go in most of those wars.  How many languages other than english do you speak?
3.  Some unique training you have the ability to pass along.  Sorry, but they probably have more than enough locals who can shoot a rifle already.  They don't need you.  Now if you can train their people in some specialized skill, demolitions perhaps, they may want to retain your services.  Of course, Eastern Europe is awash in guys who have military training, not to mention all those underemployed Spetsnaz guys who are now in the merc market...Read up a little on mercs and you will see that an awful lot of them hired on as training cadre rather than line soldiers.  The ones who saw combat usually seem to have done so as officers.  What marketable skill can you bring to the table?

Not really trying to discourage you, because mercs did and do exist; they just aren't much like they are portrayed in the movies.  If you are hell bent on this, I'd say your best bet is to try to hire on as training cadre with the nascent rebelllion in Mexico.  Those poor bastards are really, REALLY underequipped, so pay particular attention to point #1 above and brush up on your Spanish.  Might want to polish those smuggling skills too.  If you could bring them a few truckloads of military small arms as a token of your sincerity for their cause, they'd probably welcome you as their brother.

Why don't you fight for freedom HERE first?

Golgo-13,
Very good response.  We came up with pretty much the same stuff but much more disorganized.  We seemed to agree much on the out of work eastern bloc types looking for jobs.  Three of the guys with me used to do some independent contracting by training people back in the former Yugoslavia in air to ground and ground to air surveillance and intel gathering.  All of them speak english, spanish and french well.  Said they felt enough at ease over there.  There were translators standing by.  Thanks for the reply.

I am.

Mines and construction companies in Africa could be of interest to you.

Oh...and I forgot
4.  You should look good in a beret and eyepatch or other rakish merc attire.

Dude if you find any openings let me know, we could be the A-TEAM2!

Any one have a van?[):)]



PS: can I be Face? you know the chicks dig me[;)]

Imbroglio, I laughed out loud at your post!  Right on the money, man!

Wanting to become a merc reminds me of the movie "Fight Club"--a bunch of guys who are really bored and tired of being part of a pussy generation where nothing exciting ever happened, so they have to go looking for trouble.  Probably the same reasoning that took place before WWI--a lot of Americans got involved long before the US did.  That was also in some movie with Brad Pitt, I think.  Pretty idiotic.  

Same with the Spanish Revolution, except most of the volunteers were Marxists.  Completely idiotic.

Honestly though, the notion of going to war due to boredom really bothers me.  Go drive stock cars or fly airplanes or race motorcycles.  There are enough ways to get the thrills you want right here.  You just aren't trying hard enough.  Being barbaric for the sake of barbarism is just plain evil--leave the naked aggression to the Hitlers, Stalins, and Pol Pots of the world.

Plus, I'll bet most mercs get ripped off or worse.  Besides, you'd have to have some kind of military credentials like former SEAL or Green Beret just to have credibility.  We're talking about some ruthless, rough people.  Maybe you already have some experience with that though?

If you're still hard set on this path, might I suggest Colombia?  They're facing an imperial invasion of catastrophic proportions, right now.  Anyone care to guess at which empire is invading?

Otherwise, I guess you could try out for the French Foreign Legion.  They're pretty badass.  Not sure they are up to much these days except guarding rocket launch facilities in French Guyana (sp?) though (major yawn!).

Or go invade Canada--Quebec has been trying to secede.  LOL!  On a good day our Salvation Army could kick Canada's ass.

Finally, you could just stay here and kidnap the children of the rich and powerful--they're not hard to find.  Probably good money in ransom and plenty of shoot-outs with the feds.

Trickshot,
Not that it makes much of a difference but, I fly planes now to make my buck.  Now what was wrong with those that joined other militaries before direct US involvement in WWI and WWII?  Patriots with patriotism that crossed over borders.  I believe alot of us would have fought Hitler if we could have before the US finally got into the act.  Not that it's directly linked to the subject of this post.  
Now everyone stop having your preaching sessions.

holes45,

i think what everyone is responding to [preaching as you describe it] is this part of your original post:

"join some group or force or individually fight for money or adventure or both"

this isn't liberating people from oppression, or fighting a tyrannical leader.  what you describe is the seedy side of small conflicts - those that profit by money and/or fun while "killing on holiday."

maybe you need to start a newer, more "fighting for global liberty" thread if that is what you truly meant.

scott out

Sudan anyone?

They wonder why their christian brothers here don't help them as they watch bombers target their churches and hospitals...

If there's some oppression anywhere, it's a threat to us.